"Douglas Niles - Druidhome 2 - The Coral Kingdom" - читать интересную книгу автора (Niles Douglas)

All the festivity had been building for a week as more and more of the Ffolk reached this small town.
Not in the lifetime of any human present had Corwell hosted such a gathering. It brought a warmth and
pride to thousands of hearts, for the relatively isolated kingdom had always held an important place in the
heritage of the Moonshae people. This had been the home of Cymrych Hugh in centuries past, and now, in
their own lifetimes, it had given them Tristan Kendrick and unity.
The High Queen arrived dramatically in late morning. She soared in the guise of a great eagle, a huge
bird of the purest white. Circling the high tower of the castle three times in an ever-tightening spiral, she
drew the eyes of everyone on the fields and in the town or castle. Then, as her talons touched the rim of
the parapet, her form quickly shifted back to the human woman who was so adored by her Ffolk. Robyn's
black hair, unbound this time, trailed in the breeze as she waved to her people.
Their cheers erupted spontaneously and continued for many minutes, long after the queen had
disappeared into the humble castle that had been her home for the first eighteen years of her life.
The grand court would not open until the morrow. On this, the day preceding the formal council, the
heralds announced that the queen would host a feast for all of her subjects, to be served on the great
commons below the castle.
Word of the impending celebration spread rapidly, and when the queen and her elder daughter emerged
from the castle in late afternoon, a cheering crowd shouted their devotion along the raised roadway that led
down to the field.
"It is like coming home again," Robyn said to Alicia wistfully. "But then, at the same time, it isn't."
"There are memories of Father everywhere around here," Alicia agreed. "It always seemed that, when
the family stayed at Corwell, he had more time for usтАФhe took the time for us."
Robyn smiled, though the tears began to veil her eyes. "He must have remembered his own father when
we were here. He always vowed that he would show his children more affection than King Bryan showed
to him."
Alicia looked at the sea of faces spread across the fields below them. She had always enjoyed the
attention awarded her rank, and never before had she beheld such a throng. Yet today the sensation was
pale, even insignificant. "How can we feel lonely when so many shout their affection for us?"
"Because we've lost the one we really desire to hear it from," Robyn replied. Alicia saw, with surprise,
that her mother's face had hardened. The queen smiled at her subjects, a frozen, formal expression, and the
crowd fell in behind them as they approached the commons, already covered with cloths, tables, and
benches for the feast.
"The Earl of Corwell has done a commendable job," observed the princess, beholding an array of
canopied tables and great firepits where several massive oxen rotated on huge spits.
"Lord Randolph has ever been an able administrator," Robyn replied, fondly remembering the young
captain to whom Tristan had entrusted his home realm when the High King and Queen first embarked for
Callidyrr.
Now all the young Ffolk of the town, it seemed, had turned out to serve the meal, and swiftly the nobles
and esteemed citizens were seated. The rest of the Ffolk would eat where they could. Keane, Tavish,
Prince Brandon, Pawldo of Lowhill, and the Earl of Fairheight all joined Lord Randolph and the two
noblewomen at the head table.
Crusty loaves of bread, hot from the oven, appeared on the tables before them. Wheels of cheese, mild
and sharp and all ranges between, complemented the bread, and pitchers of wine and ale overflowed onto
the tables. Cooks bustled about, trimming and slicing from the steers and pigs that now entered the final
stage of the daylong cooking process.
"Does the lady bard have a song for the occasion?" inquired Robyn, smiling at Tavish.
"There's a tune I've been trying out," the harpist allowed, her eyes twinkling with pleasure. She slung her
lute from her shoulder with a casual flip. "It's in the early stages, mind you. I've been planning to put some
work into it when I can find the time."
The others watched as she tuned a few recalcitrant strings and then strummed a bright chord. "This is a
song about CorwellтАФin the distant past," Tavish explained as her fingers deftly walked across the strings.