Chapter 3

‘You grew up, didn’t you?’ murmured Fara, in her peculiarly low-pitched voice that made everything she said sound confidential.

‘So did you,’ stammered Voldi. ‘I shouldn’t have known you.’

‘That was really great riding, Voldi!’ said Fara fervently.

‘You ride too, don’t you?’

‘Not like that.’

‘Want to take a ride with me, some day?’

‘If you think it wouldn’t be tiresome—to ride very carefully.’

Their mothers and the Queen, shamelessly eavesdropping, laughed at Voldi’s expense, but he was too fascinated to notice their amusement.

‘Tomorrow afternoon?’ he asked.

Fara nodded slowly, smiled a little; then suddenly retreated from the enraptured eyes.

‘You promised to spend the day with your grandfather, Voldi,’ put in Kitra.

‘I’ll tell him.’ Voldi rose to go. ‘Tomorrow afternoon, Fara.’ They all—except Fara—followed the tall boy with their eyes and saw him pause to say something to his grandfather who soberly made a show of concealing his pride in the youngster’s obvious affection for him.

‘Happy days for good old Mishma,’ remarked the Queen.

‘Yes,’ said Kitra absently.

Noting the remote tone of Kitra’s uninterested response, Arnon involuntarily turned her head to seek a reason for it, but Kitra did not meet her inquiring eyes. The little by-play was quite lost on Fara, whose attention pursued Voldi as he strode down the steps and mounted his tired horse.

In the evening oxen were roasted over deep pits of glowing coals, and everybody feasted in the open but the royal hosts and their important guests. Fara was the only young person present at the King’s banquet. There had been some debate whether to invite a few of the younger ones of Fara’s age, but it was difficult to discriminate among them and the room would not accommodate them all.