"Mary Stewart - The Arthurian Saga 02 - The Hollow Hills" - читать интересную книгу автора (Stewart Mary)

held up the wallet, still sealed. But his eyes, cloudy and unfocused, slid past it, and he turned his head
against the pillow, wincing as he felt the pain from the bruising on the back of his neck. "Very well," I told
him, "sleep now. You're in safe hands."

I waited beside him till he drifted back into sleep, then took the wallet and its contents out to my seat in
the sunlight. The seal was, as I had expected, the Queen's, and the superscription was mine. I broke the
seal and read the letter.

It was not from the Queen herself, but from Marcia, Ralf's grandmother and the Queen's closest
confidante. The letter was brief enough, but held all I wanted to know. The Queen was indeed pregnant,
and the child would be born in December. The Queen herself тАФ said Marcia тАФ seemed happy to be
bearing the King's child, but, where she spoke of me at all, spoke with bitterness, throwing on me the
responsibility for her husband Gorlois' death. "She says little, but it is my belief that she mourns in secret,
and that even in her great love for the King there will always be the shadow of guilt. Pray God her feeling
for the child may not be tainted with it. As for the King, it is seen that he is angry, though he is as ever
kind and loving to my lady, and there is no man who doubts but that the child is his. Alas, I could find it in
me to fear for the child at the King's hands, if it were not unthinkable that he should so grieve the Queen.
Wherefore, Prince Merlin, I beg by this letter to commend to you as your servant my grandson Ralf. For
him, too, I fear at the King's hands; and I believe that, if you will take him, service abroad with a true
prince is better than here with a King who counts his service as betrayal. There is no safety for him
inCornwall . So pray you, lord, let Ralf serve you now, and after you, the child. For I think I understand
what you were speaking of when you said to my lady, 'I have seen a bright fire burning, and in it a crown,
and a sword standing in an altar like a cross.'"


Ralf slept until dusk. I had lit the fire and made broth, and when I took it to the back of the cave where
he lay I saw his eyes open, watching me. There was recognition in them now, and a wariness that I could
not quite understand.

"How do you feel now?"

"Well enough, my lord. I тАФ this is your cave? How did I come here? How did you find me?"

"I had gone up to the hill above here, and from there I saw you being attacked. The men were frightened
off, and ran away, leaving you. I went down to get you, and carried you up here on my horse. So you
recognize me now, do you?"

"You've let your beard grow, but I'd have known you, my lord. Did I speak to you before? I don't
remember anything. I think they hit me on the head."

"They did. How is it now?"

"A headache. But not bad. It's my side" тАФ wincing тАФ "that hurts most."

"One of the horses struck you. But there's no real damage done; you'll be well enough in a few days. Do
you know who they were?"

"No." He knitted his brows, thinking, but I could see the effort hurt him, so I stopped him.

"Well, we can talk later. Eat now."