The Name of the Game by Rose Estes

Author:Rose Estes
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780880386142
Publisher: TSR
Published: 1988-07-09T04:00:00+00:00

The great night came at last. Braddle and Mika made their way to the castle. Linea watched them come with a panic unrivaled in her short life. Travail had graciously allowed the servants to fill the large hip bath with hot water, which Linea had scented a bit too heavily, being unfamiliar with the necessary amounts. Somehow she had managed to shampoo her hair and bathe herself, both unfamiliar chores. She had gotten soap in her eyes and sobbed through the entire procedure, feeling sorry for herself at having to perform such a menial chore. But the awful job was done at last, and she climbed out of the bath, wrapped herself in a large towel, and attempted to comb out the snarled mass that was her hair.

In the end, it was Womble who helped, stroking her head gently with his paw. He was able to brush her hair with claws unsheathed, with so delicate a touch that her hair soon floated around her shoulders, clean, fragrant, and unsnarled. Linea praised him warmly and stroked his head, and had she not been fearful of covering herself in a layer of fur, she might have even hugged him. In her gratitude, she fed him two ugly silver bracelets, which she had always disliked, and a heavy gold choker that had grown too small. These he consumed with great relish, enjoying them even more than usual because they were hers.

Choosing a gown was far more difficult, but thinking that it might make Braddle happy, she wore one of the gowns that he had brought her. Womble was unable to manage the buttons, succeeding only in eating them, and Linea was forced to wear a cape that hid the gaping back of the garment. That night, as she took her place behind the carved stone screen, Linea's heart beat faster, and somehow she knew that something momentous that well might change her life forever was about to happen.

Travail and Seldom also waited the outcome of the evening with no small amount of trepidation. They wanted Mika to win, but not to win so easily that he would gain too much confidence. They wanted Mika to believe that he had much to lose and needed their assistance. It would not do to have the fellow become too sure of himself. To this end, they had bribed the player with whom Mika would be playing. He was to lose to Mika, but would do so only after putting up a long and hard defense. They had also promised to return whatever Mika won from him during The Game.

What was to follow after The Game worried them the most, for it was then that Mika would meet the princess for the first time. It was imperative that she not speak, for then, surely, Mika would be driven away by her sharp tongue and petty, pampered bearing which no spell, no matter how powerful, could hope to conceal.

Of them all, Womble alone looked forward to the coming

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