"Lawrence Watt-Evans - The Final Challenge" - читать интересную книгу автора (Watt-Evans Lawrence)

and pronounced all the stories being told at the high table as the self-serving lies and senile exaggerations
of useless old men."
"Were they?"
The soldier shrugged again. "The ones I knew first-hand were more truth than not."
"Go on."
"Well, the lords at the high table spoke out angrily, and called the lad a young idiot, among other
disparagements, but King Geoffrey called for calm, and for a moment it appeared that reason and good
will would triumph. The lords ceased their protests, and the lad found himself standing alone and silent,
looking rather foolish.
"All might have been well, had not one of the other boys tugged at the oaf's sleeve and urged him to
sit. 'Let the old men remember their days of glory,' the fellow said. 'They're the king's good servants.'
"And at that, the drunkard shouted out, 'They're liars, the lot of them, and the king's the worst of them
all!' "
"Hunh," the guardsman muttered.
"Indeed," the soldier agreed. "I can still remember the utter silence, that tension in the air-- ever been in
a real battle, friend? No? Well, if you had, you'd know that moment just before the first charge is made,
before the first blow falls. It felt much like that-- but in the king's own great hall, and with no armies at the
ready, but only a hot-tempered young fool making trouble.
"I watched from my post at the door as the king rose to his feet and faced the youth. Of course, all the
others made to rise, too, as protocol demands, but the king motioned them back in their seats.
" 'Lad,' the king said quietly, 'Think well on what you've just said.'
"The young fool shouted back, 'I know what I said; I called you a liar. That's what you are-- a liar,
and a usurper, and a coward who'd never dare face me if he didn't sit on a stolen throne!'"
"The boy had courage, anyway," the guardsman remarked.
"But little wit," the soldier said.
"Go on with the story."
"Well, now, you'd expect the king to rant and rage, and order the young man thrown in the deepest
dungeon, but in fact he sighed, and he looked the lad in the eye, and told him, 'I know the hot temper of
youth, and the courage we all find in strong drink; I suggest you take a moment to reconsider, and
perhaps you'll wish to retract what you have said.' "
"Fairly spoken."
"I thought so," the soldier agreed. "I told you, the old king was one hell of a man."
The guardsman gestured for the story to continue.
"Well, as I already said, the hall was silent, so still it seemed that no one even breathed, and every soul
present heard the youth pause, and draw a deep breath-- and then not recant, not at all, but instead say,
'I've nothing to retract-- you're a scared old man, afraid to die in an honorable combat.'
"The king answered him, 'There is nothing honorable in such a duel,' but it was clear the youth was
determined to have his duel, or else, should the king fall back upon the royal prerogatives and have him
imprisoned or slain, to become a martyr to the king's tyranny. I suppose the boy's family or friends had
some old grudge against the king that had inspired this; I doubt it could be purely drunken folly, though
that was plainly to be the excuse."
The soldier paused long enough to signal for another ale, explaining, "Talking's thirsty work." Then he
continued, "The king knew the boy wanted to fight, and he made no further attempt to avoid it. Instead
he called for his sword, and ordered that the boy's own sword be found and brought, and then he
marched down from the high table to the center of the hall, where there was room to fight.
"Everyone else just watched, the feast forgotten, as the two swords were delivered and the two men
faced each other across a few yards of stone pavement.
"Whatever the lad had said, it seemed at that moment that no one could doubt the old king's courage.
An old man, past sixty, against this young man in his prime.
"The sight-- Ah, I remember it well! What a contrast! That great hulking youth, glowing with health,