The Light & Shadow Trilogy by Moira Katson

Author:Moira Katson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fantasy, epic fantasy, adventure fantasy
Publisher: Moira Katson

Chapter 12

For a time, I truly thought that Miriel had been mistaken. The King sent whole sheaves of love letters, it seemed, pages upon pages of ardent prose—and, to my silent amusement, poetry—and Miriel sent back letters fully as lengthy. Despite herself, she was becoming caught up in his excitement for the upcoming event, and even I was impressed by the sheer spectacle of it. Garad was eager to tell Miriel every detail of his plans, and she was pleased enough to help him plan it all.

It would have been difficult to remain indifferent. The meeting of the Kings was to be an event to end all events. A call had gone out in the city, in the outlying towns, and craftsman came by the hundreds, clambering into carts to be taken out to the plains east of the mountains. With them were sent long wagon trains of lumber, stone, and plaster dust, for there, on the plains, a veritable town was to be built just for this: the Meeting of the Peacemakers. Miriel and I giggled over the self-importance of the name, and even the Duke’s mouth twitched when we told him of it.

Garad spared no expense; indeed, he was relishing the chance to show Heddred’s prosperity. Fields were bought from farmers and plowed under to make way for miniature palaces and elegant houses, stands of trees cut down to make way for inns, and then exquisite gardens built up around them. Royal servants were sent to be innkeepers, hostlers, pages, bakers. There was going to be a plaza paved with marble and inlaid with the crests of the two royal houses. Artisans set to work carving the sheaf of wheat, the symbol of House Warden, and the leaping fish, the symbol of King Dusan, into the woodwork of the mansions, adorning the lintels of the doors, the backs of the chairs. Everywhere one turned, there would be a gilded sign, a carving, a rich carpet, each with the two crests intertwined.

Royal servants were sent out of the palace to inspect the wares of the merchants who had flocked to the city. One could barely move out in the streets, so thickly did they line the roadsides. Furniture, lamps, cloth, rugs, and baubles of all kinds were hawked from the street corners, everything carved with the sheaf of wheat and the leaping fish. The servants went proudly, the royal crest on their tunics, to search out the finest wares; they were also sent, more quietly, to search out the finest of the whores, and offer them passage to the village as well.

The best goods were bought by order of the King and loaded into carts, an endless wagon train that now raised a cloud of dust one could see stretching on for miles. At the end of the train came wagons full of cured meats, whole wagons of onions or potatoes, casks of wine and dried fruits, sugar and oil. With them rode the royal cooks, looking put-upon and surly.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.