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July 11 - July 13, 2020
“What’s the matter with him?” he heard the maid’s voice, as their footsteps trailed off down the corridor, and the tears trailed down the inside of his nose. The page answered disgustedly, “A madman, I suppose.” After a short pause, the maid’s voice floated back faintly, “Well, he’ll fit right in here, then, won’t he…”
A madman, I suppose
Well, then he'll fit right in
“But Olus, at the last moment, thrust his sword between us, and Dondo’s sword came down on its flat, and slid—” Cazaril could still hear the sharp scraping skree of metal on metal, in his memory’s ear. “I ended up with a bruise across the back of my neck that was black for a month. Two of the other guards wrestled the sword back from Dondo. And then we were both mounted up on our horses and sent back to dy Guarida’s camp. As my hands were being tied to my saddle, Olus came up to me again, and whispered, ‘Now we shall see who loses.’ “It was a very silent ride back. Until we were in sight of
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A comrade was willing to kill him for his own life
Fear might be his friend, if that wasn’t just bluff and bluster for Palli’s sake, but it was clear the dy Jironal brothers were not. The Roknari reported you’d died of a fever was a lie outright, and, cleverly, quite uncheckable by now. Well, he was surely sheltered here in quiet Valenda. He hoped he’d cautioned Palli sufficiently to walk warily at the court
Cautioned Pauli not to tell anyone why he deliberately was left off the ransom list
Only then did Dondo take a moment to murmur in his brother’s ear. Cazaril could not make out the low words, but he thought he saw Dondo’s bearded lips shape the word Gotorget. Dy Jironal’s glance at Cazaril grew startled and sharp, for an instant,
Dy Jironal and brother recognize Lupe Cazaril
“Dondo dy Jironal brought Teidez a drab for his bed last night. Dy Sanda threw her back out. Teidez was infuriated.”
Di Joronal brings a prostitute for the boy; the mother of the castle had her ejected, to the boy's displeasure
They all know she must be sold out of court, probably out of Chalion altogether, and is not meat for them. Teidez will be their future livelihood.”
Why aren't they doing the same to Iselle?
Because she will be sold to another court, and so has no value here
He held it out to Cazaril. “Let this warm your heart to me. And your tongue.” Cazaril didn’t move. “I have all I need from the royesse, my lord.”
Cazaril refuses Di Dondo's bribe
“That’s not enough. You need to block your whole room.” “So that nothing can be stolen? I have little enough that—” “No. So that nothing stolen can be placed therein.” Dy Sanda’s lips parted; he stood a moment, as this sank in, and raised his eyes to meet Cazaril’s. “Oh,” he said at last. He gave Cazaril a slow nod, almost a bow. “Thank you, Castillar. I hadn’t thought of that.”
Block your door --so no stolen property could be placed there
dy Sanda’s side. It rested its muzzle over the dead man’s heart, and sighed deeply.
Boy's tutor murdered
Teidez was assigned a new secretary, hand-selected from the roya’s own Chancellery by the senior dy Jironal himself. He was a narrow-faced fellow, altogether the chancellor’s creature, and he made no move to make friends with Cazaril. Dondo dy Jironal publicly undertook to distract the young royse from his sorrow by providing him with the most delectable entertainments. Just how delectable, Cazaril had all too good a view of, watching the drabs and ripe comrades pass in and out of Teidez’s chamber late at night. Once, Teidez stumbled into Cazaril’s room, apparently not able to tell one door
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Assigned a new secretary, who allows prostitutes and lets the boy get drunk every night. Hardly training for Statecraft
“A saint. Of the Bastard.” Umegat nodded.
Ungemat is a Saint of the Bastard
“What He wills, it seems, is to keep Roya Orico alive.”
Ungemet there.to keep the Roya alive
“Unnatural causes?” Cazaril squinted. “The dark cloak—can you see it, too?” “Yes.” “But Teidez has the shadow, too, and Iselle—and Royina Sara is tainted as well.
Sick fro.m unnatural causes, as is his wife the his nephew, the boy--all have an unnatural black cloak
It was about the hour of Dondo’s death, he realized. Perhaps the spirit took up some special powers at this time?
Woken every night at time of Dondo's death
“I’ve thought it through. I’ve been thinking for days. As long as I remain unwed, plots will swirl about me. I don’t doubt dy Jironal will produce some other candidate to try to bind me and Teidez to his clan. And other factions—now it’s revealed that Orico would willingly bestow me on a lesser lord, every lesser lord in Chalion will begin badgering him for my hand. My only defense, my only certain refuge, is if I am married already. And not to a lesser lord.”
Iselle tries to figure out another Lord to whom she can be married
“Really…! How old is Bergon, again? Fifteen, was he not?” “He must be rising sixteen now, Royesse.” “Better than fifty-seven!” Her fingers walked lightly up the coast of Ibra along the string of maritime cities to the great port of Zagosur,
He tells Issele that there is an unmarried royaa heir
Orico at once, before dy Jironal returns. If I can get his word on it, publicly declared, surely even dy Jironal cannot make him take it back?”
Issele rosolves to ask the King
“But Iselle, your mourning protects you for a time. Not even Martou—I mean, Martou won’t insult the memory of his brother by marrying off Dondo’s bereaved fiancée over his hot ashes.”
King says she can't be married while she's in mourning
cannot possibly take a step of this grave nature without consultation with my chief noble and the other lords in council.” Orico nodded to himself.
King: can't do anything without dy Jirornal's approval
“You cannot outguess the gods. Hold to virtue—if you can identify it—and trust that the duty set before you is the duty desired of you.
There is free will: you cannot outguess the gods
“Cazaril, must you believe you are about to die in order to bring yourself to kiss a lady?” she demanded abruptly.
Betriz: do you have to believe you are dying before you will kiss a lady?
He evades
Now, I am to be transferred to dy Jironal’s own wardship. There is no council to check
King changes his will to transfer Iselle's guardianship to dy Jiornal
Sara was so desperate for a child, she agreed to let dy Jironal try, when Orico…could not, anymore. Martou was not so bad, she said. He was at least courteous. It was only when he could not get her with child either that his brother cajoled him to let him into the venture. Dondo was dreadful, and took pleasure in her humiliation. But Cazaril, Orico knew. He helped persuade Sara to this outrage.
Rumor is true that both dy Jiornal and Dondo were allow to screw the queen to get her pregnant
“What, in secret?” said Iselle. “From my royal brother?” “Certainly in secret from his chancellor.” “Is that legal?” Cazaril blew out his breath. “A marriage, contracted and consummated, cannot readily be set aside even by a roya.
Cazarli suggests a secret marriage--were there a trustworthy marriage broker
Palli jerked a thumb at him and added, “Royesse, you should get your secretary to a physician.”
Paili returns, suggesting Iesse get a physicifor Cazaril
As soon as our quorum arrives in Cardegoss, we mean to steal a march on the chancellor and present our own candidate for Holy General to Orico. Or perhaps a slate of three acceptable men, from which the roya might choose.”
Paili says the Daughters plan to present their own candidate for Chancellor
“My lord, you have a most palpable tumor.” “Is…that it,” said Cazaril, gingerly seating himself again in his chair. Rojeras looked up swiftly. “This does not surprise you?”
Physician comes; diagnoses Cazarli with a stomach tumor
Teidez said abruptly, “There’s something wrong in Cardegoss. Isn’t there.”
Teidez: there's something wrong in this castle, isn't there?
We'll talk of it later
approved practice and outlet for high spirits among young courtly hotheads, followed by The sword slipped, upon my honor! He ran upon it! and whatever number of paid witnesses one could afford to confirm it.
Seeks a dual with Casterizi
do not duel.”
I do not duel
Blood welled, gleaming dark carmine in the candlelight, though not spurting dangerously. A kind of haze clouded his vision, blocking out everyone but himself and the now uncertainly grinning young
Cazaril pinks himself, leaps upokn the other chokes him a d makes him drink his blood
“Dy Yarrin came in last night. We are now a sufficient assembly to make binding decisions.
Pioli comes to take him to testify before the Daughters
Cazaril wondered how many here were spies, or at least careless mouths. The group seemed already too large and diverse for successful conspiracy, despite their outward precautions to seal their conclave. Lady, guide them to wisdom.
Cazaril wondered how many were spies: the group was too large to keep secrets
Testifies before the Daughter House
It took all his strength of mind, for her further tests, conducted after sending a passing dedicat running to the order’s library, revealed he could not read Roknari nor Darthacan either, and furthermore, his hands had lost the ability to wield a pen to make any kind of letters.
Umgemet not only loses his saintly glow but his ability to read/write--can't even fall back on being a scholar
Before you go to sleep tonight, pray for guidance.”
Tells Paili that his Daughter,s Council proceedings are reported to dy Journal
Every face in the antechamber turned toward her, like compass needles swinging. The royacy of Chalion had a new Heiress.
Tadiez dies; the Royacy has a new heiress
“This is why I must have you as my envoy and no other. If you cannot get me Royse Bergon on terms that do not violate my future sovereignty, then turn around and ride home. And upon Orico’s death, I will raise my banner against dy Jironal myself.”
Iessa asks him to be marriage broker
Her brows went up. “How is it you bend an archdivine?” Cazaril snorted softly. “I pull rank.” She
How is it you bend an Archdevine?
I pull rank.
“If it please you, Lady, give us three good mules.” At a nudge at his side, he opened them again. A curious mule, its brown eyes limpid, stared at him. Two more muscled in, their long ears waggling; the tallest one, dark brown with a creamy nose, rested its chin on his shoulder and breathed out a contented-sounding snort, spraying the environs. “Thank you, Lady,” muttered Cazaril.
Cazaril holds out his hands, and the horse trader's three best mules spring to Cazaril's side
brocade tunic, very high-necked, thick dark purple wool trousers, and his cleaned and polished boots. He adjusted the sword belt and sword Ser dy Ferrej had lent him so long ago, rather worn but looking more honorable thereby, and swung the satisfying weight of a black silk-velvet vest-cloak over the whole. One of Iselle’s remaining rings, a square-cut amethyst, just fit over Cazaril’s little finger, its isolated heavy gold suggesting restraint rather than poverty.
Dresses in mourning clothes, with a single austere ring
I do not wear these bruised colors for the Heir of Ibra, but for the Heir of Chalion. Royse Teidez died barely a week ago, suddenly, of an infection.” “Oh,” said the secretary, startled. “Oh.”
I do not wear mourning garb for your royese, but for Chalion's
It was not a throne room, but a less formal receiving chamber, set up for conference, not ceremony.
Led not into a throne room, but a conference room
“Please, sir, a year and more ago, in the fall, were you not rescued from a Roknari galley off the coast of Ibra?” “Oh. Yes…?” “Take off your shirt!”
Take off your shirt! Were you not rescued from being a galley slave?
“Father,” Bergon cried joyously, “this is the man! This is the man!” “What,” Cazaril began, and then, by some trick of angle and shift of voice, he knew. Cazaril’s own gape turned to grin. The boy has grown! Roll him back a year in time and four inches in height, erase the beard-shadow, shave the head, add a peck of puppy fat and a blistering sunburn…“Five gods,” he breathed. “Danni? Danni!” The
Father, this is the man!
Five gods, Danni (the young oarsman Caz tried to protect from sodomy)
Cazaril had no doubt he’d put the man’s wits to the gallop. For his own wits he now prayed for wings.
For his own wits, Cazaril prayed for wings
He considered Umegat’s insistence that gods could not seize a man’s will, but only wait for it to be offered. When had he signed up for that?
When had the gods startedhim on this path?
in choosing to share one’s will with the gods, was it enough to choose once, like signing up to a military company with an oath? Or did one have to choose and choose and choose again, every day? Or was it both?
In prayer, did one have to owe fealty to the same gods each time?
“I am castle warder to the Castillar dy Zavar. We saw your company coming down the vale, when the clouds broke. My lord sends me to warn you, there is a storm blowing up the valley. He invites you to shelter with him till the worst is past.”
Invited to shelter for the night by a Knight no one one had head of
Betriz had it exactly backward. It wasn’t a case of storming heaven. It was a case of letting heaven storm you. Could an old siege-master learn to surrender, to open his gates?
Cazaril had to storm heaven, and kill the curse
