Finally, the procession of carriages and wagons takes the royal party north to visit Duke Gilbanar. It is Garia's first real chance to see some of the country of Palarand and she has many new experiences as they travel. A tricky river crossing is negotiated... and a waiting Gilbanar gets a surprise when he greets Keren, Garia and Merizel!

Disclaimer: The original characters and plot of this story are the property of the author. No infringement of pre-existing copyright is intended. This story is copyright (c) 2011-2012 Penny Lane. All rights reserved.

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At the head of the procession was a file of the Palace Guard riding frayen two abreast. Behind them sat Captain Merek on his own mount. Behind him was an open carriage pulled by a dranakh containing the King and Queen. Next came Prince Keren, Lady Merizel and Captain Bleskin, all riding their favorite frayen in line abreast and having a wonderful conversation as the procession moved through the countryside. Technically, since he was now officially retired, Bleskin was no longer a Captain but a Freeman of Palarand but everybody still called him Captain and nobody seemed to mind.

Garia was not riding her favorite frayen, who was tied by a leading rein to the rear of the next carriage in the procession. Instead she sat, by turns annoyed, frustrated, upset and resigned inside the carriage, for by chance their journey north had overlapped with the Call of Kalikan. The event had almost missed their journey but someone had muttered about the timing of the tides and the schedule had been advanced by a day or two, so she would have to sit the journey out in a carriage, at least until they reached the river.

With her in the carriage were Jenet, as always, Guildmaster Parrel and Questor Gerdas, who were joining the royal party on their way north. Although Garia desperately wanted to be riding, the time spent in the carriage with her two friends was put to good use as they discussed the details of what awaited them as they traveled further north towards her holdings.

Behind Garia's carriage came four other carriages, each pulled by a dranakh. These were followed by a number of heavy wagons filled with the clothes, food, tools and other equipment the travelers would need on their journey. Bringing up the rear were another mounted file of guardsmen while still others ranged up and down the procession making sure everything was as it should be.

The road they traveled headed approximately north in a straight line. Obviously one of those originally constructed by those ancient empire-builders, it stood on a slightly raised causeway and had a firm and smooth surface of fine gravel. To either side there were fields and farms. Some of the fields were still under water, the land being so level here in the river's flood plain to be slow draining. In other fields could be seen men and animals preparing the ground for the next year's crop to be sown. Despite the flatness of the terrain the landscape was broken up in places by clumps of tall trees or even small areas of forest.

From the palace in the city of Palarand to the south bank of the river Sirrel was about forty marks. It was possible to manage this distance in a single day if a frayen rider was determined enough, but carriages and wagons customarily traveled about half that distance in a day on level ground. There had been stops at mid-morning, lunch and mid-afternoon at what had been custom-built camping sites with proper bathrooms and kitchen areas and shaded awnings to eat food under.

Garia was looking forward to seeing how their night's accommodation would be arranged. She couldn't imagine that it would be anything like that she had experienced whilst traveling with Tanon. On that journey there had been tent-like constructions which unfolded from the sides of their wagons. Here, there would be far too many people for such a method and anyway, she couldn't see the royal couple sleeping in such a cramped arrangement.

A shout from the front and Garia craned her neck to see that the front riders had begun pulling off the wide, well made road onto a large cleared area. There was a large, low building, she couldn't make out the details. The King's carriage followed the riders off the road and she knew they had arrived. Shortly, her own carriage pulled up alongside and Garia led the way onto the ground, delighted to be able to stretch her legs and gave her ample rear a rest. Parrel and Gerdas followed.

"We arrive, milady," Parrel said. "If I understand a woman's needs correctly, you will wish to be shown the bathroom as soon after arrival as possible. Shall you and Jenet follow me into the hostel?"

"If you please, Master Parrel. I don't know what's going on, this is the first time I've seen a place like this. Jenet, have you been here before?"

"Of course, milady. If we follow the good master, he will show you the way."

"Then lead on, Master Parrel. Oh, hi, Merry!"

Merizel joined Garia, shortly followed by Keren. The group walked towards the building and Garia could see they were headed for an arch in the nearer side.

"Ow."

"What's up, Merry?"

"My backside," she said, rubbing the affected portion. "Nobody told me that riding was going to be so painful. I won't walk straight for days after this."

Both Garia and Keren chuckled. "You'll get over it," Keren told her, "it will take your body about five days or so to adjust. After that you should just feel comfortable. Is it bad?"

"Not so much, Highness," Merizel said ruefully. "Mostly it's just numb at the moment. It's still uncomfortable, though. Five days?" she asked plaintively.

"Oh, yes," Garia added. "One of the hidden joys of learning to ride. There's a bonus, too." Merizel looked at Garia with suspicion at the tone of her voice. Garia smiled. "If you stop riding for any length of time, you get to do this all over again!"

They reached the archway and passed through to find themselves in a typical courtyard. There was the usual cloister to keep people dry during wet weather and behind the covered walkway three sides were anonymous buildings while the fourth had no walls facing inwards. Garia could see that this side was filled with men, women and kitchen equipment busily preparing an evening meal fit for a King. There were tables, benches and chairs next to the kitchen area, some of them spilling out into the courtyard itself.

"Milady, the block facing you, as you can see, is where we shall obtain our food this night. Directly opposite are the bathrooms, men that end and women over there." Parrel pointed. "If you have no objection we shall leave you now, my own need is quite pressing."

Parrel shot off at speed, Keren and Gerdas following more slowly. The women made for a door at the opposite end. Inside they found not just toilet cubicles but well-appointed bathing and changing areas which soon began filling with the women from the procession. They did their business and then left to make room for others. Outside the men were waiting.

"What happens now?" Garia asked Keren.

"There'll be a period before dining while everything is checked to make sure there are no problems and that everyone is here, then we'll find seats and all have dinner. After that it's usually just a free bell or so before we all retire."

"So where do we sleep, then? There can't be enough accommodation for all of us, surely?"

"Indeed not, Garia. At the back pavilions will have been erected for our party, I don't know if you saw them when we arrived." Keren gestured to the two sides of the building not yet mentioned. "For normal travelers there are communal sleeping chambers each side, one for men and one for women. Usually there are a few small sleeping rooms as well should privacy be desired but we'll leave them for casual travelers. We're causing enough disruption as it is. Come, let us find seats and I shall request pel to keep us going until the food is served."

They found a long table and chairs to seat themselves and positioned themselves to watch the proceedings. Pel was delivered by some of the hostel's servants and Garia relaxed.

"Milady," Gerdas asked, "is this your first journey outside of the city?"

"Almost," she replied. "I did arrive in Palarand, remember, from high up in the mountains to the south, but at that time I hadn't regained my memory, so it's all very vague." She swept an arm around to indicate the busy courtyard. "All this is new to me. Do you have hostels like this all over Palarand?"

"Aye, milady. And in many other countries along the Valley, although customs differ once you travel beyond the mountains. Is it like this in Kansas?"

Garia thought. "Sort of. This would be called a motel or road house back home, I guess. There wouldn't be a courtyard, though, just an area for parking our vehicles, which, if you remember, don't need animals to move them. Every traveler or group of travelers would have their own rooms, we don't have communal sleeping places like you have here. That style of traveling went out of fashion many hundreds of years ago."

"Our vehicles, as you call them," Keren said, "will all be grouped together at the side where we got out. Some of the men will be guarding them all night, since there will be valuable clothing and equipment we're bring with us."

"And the animals?" she asked him.

"Oh, they will be taken to fields behind the pavilions where they can graze and rest." Keren grinned at Garia. "Don't worry about Snep, they will be taking special care with him, I can guarantee. The animals will be guarded too, of course," he added.

Robanar and Terys joined them, finding chairs and sitting facing the group.

"Are you well, Garia?" Terys asked, a particular expression on her face.

"Yes, ma'am, thank you. Jenet says tomorrow may be the last day." Garia frowned. "We're confused, ma'am. Neither of us can work out the days correctly."

Robanar asked, "Is this Kalikan you're discussing, Garia? Around a table of mostly men?"

Garia blushed. "Your pardon, Sire. I will leave my inquiry until a more suitable moment."

Jenet and Bursila, accompanied by Kenila and Varna, left the table to begin fetching place settings from the serving area of the kitchen. Everyone around the table settled themselves into more formal positions as the table was laid around them. Garia could see that the other tables were also being prepared for the coming meal.

"Sire," Garia asked, "you don't have the tables set out formally when you are traveling, then?"

"As you say, Garia. In my own home - the palace, of course - I can be as formal as I desire but when we travel we usually do so without ceremony. We know that our party is usually large and will strain the abilities of those who host us, we therefore adopt the local customs where we can." Robanar smiled at Garia. "As you saw at our Harvest Festival, it can be a refreshing change to eat as others do."

"Sire." Kendar approached Robanar and saluted. "The hostel does not yet have the benefit of forks, therefore I have taken the liberty of finding those we brought with us to use at our meals while we travel. Does this meet with your approval, Sire?"

Robanar looked at the two knives either side of his plate. "Kendar, it does meet with my approval. Parrel, shall you introduce these people to forks, and take orders for some to be supplied?"

"As you command, Sire. When the meal is finished."

Although the food was served on plates the meal had the ambiance of a barbecue. Everyone was relaxed and talk flowed freely. Due respect was paid to the royal party, of course, but Garia could sense that everyone including the servants were enjoying the complete change of routine. Even her own spirits were beginning to rise in the fresh country air.

The sun set behind the mountains to the west, small lanterns being lit around the courtyard. The nights were still very mild but not so oppressive as before the rains came. The stars came out and she just sat and watched as the Veil made its way into view.

"Milady, we should retire." Garia looked around and discovered that many of her party had already gone. "The King will wish an early start tomorrow morning."

"As you say, Jenet."

Garia discovered that she was sharing a small pavilion with Merizel. Outside, two of her men kept silent watch, saluting as she approached. Their beds were inside an inner chamber, the maids sleeping in the outer chamber. Garia changed out of her traveling gown into a more substantial nightdress than she was used to before the two lay down on separate pallets.

"'Night, Merry."

"Good night, Garia."

After a full day's travel it didn't take her long at all to drift off.

~o~O~o~

Low voices and the clink of equipment woke Garia. It was still early, just after dawn, and the air was cool but not uncomfortably so. She lay quietly listening to the camp slowly coming to life. Beside her, Merizel continued to sleep for a while before noisily beginning to wake. Garia turned over onto her stomach, supporting herself on her elbows, enjoying the moments of quiet before the day began. Merizel opened her eyes and blinked.

"You snore."

"Do not!"

"Most people snore though few will admit it. Don't worry, it isn't bad enough to drive your future husband into sleeping in another room."

Wide awake now, Merizel stared at Garia. "Do they do that on Earth? Really?"

"A few do. Most partners sleep well enough the snoring doesn't bother them. If you love someone enough you'll put up with a lot, isn't that so?"

The flap of their sanctum lifted and Bursila poked her head through.

"Baroness? My lady? Are you ready to rise? Jenet has gone to see if there is hot water for our morning wash."

Garia threw back her blanket. "Yes, I suppose so, Bursila. Do we walk across dressed like this, or do we need to put something else on?"

"Your dressing robes will be sufficient, milady." Bursila turned to Merizel, looking embarrassed. "Oh, my lady? The Baroness is correct, I regret to say. You did snore last night."

Merizel gave a mock scowl. "Ungrateful underling! I obviously didn't train you well enough. Fifty more lashes!"

"As you say, milady." The two smiled at each other.

Garia had brought three traveling gowns, one in the royal colors, one in her own colors and a nondescript one from the palace wardrobe of browns, oranges and greens. These would be rotated over the days of travel ahead, although some days she would be wearing her riding gear instead. Yesterday she had worn the royal colors, today she decided to wear the multi-colored one and save her own livery for arrival on the north side of the river, where Duke Gilbanar was sure to provide a reception for them.

Investigations in the wash rooms had shown that today would probably be the last time she would need to ride in a carriage, much to her relief. She ached to get onto Snep's back again but knew that although technically possible it wouldn't do to upset everybody with the idea. The mere thought of a woman riding was a major offense to some, even those of the palace who had seen her mounted in the grounds.

Breakfast was an uncomplicated affair, everyone concentrating on the task of getting the procession back into motion again. The Queen did manage to have a word with Garia as they waited for the carriages to be readied.

"Dear, last night you were telling me about your latest Call before the King objected."

"Yes, ma'am. Uh, we're finding the dates confusing. Jenet and I thought that my body was linked to Earth's moon instead of Kalikan because my calls have been twenty-eight days apart so far. But this time we think it's twenty-nine and we're not sure if we miscounted or if something else is going on."

"Oh. As you say, dear. Well, I'm sure I don't know any more about such matters than any woman might, there is nothing I might suggest. Have you spoken to Margra?"

"Not yet, ma'am. I'll mention it to her when we arrive, I don't want to distract her on the journey with something that's not urgent and will only affect me."

"As you wish, dear. And is your call finished yet? Remember, you have not had many calls in your life yet, your body needs to settle to the proper rhythm for one who is able to bear children."

Bear children? Oh my God. I'd kinda overlooked that aspect of being a woman.

"Today, ma'am, should be the last day."

"I see the look in your face, dear. You cannot wait until you may ride again, is it not so?"

"It is that obvious, ma'am?"

"Every person who accompanies us knows so, dear." Terys smiled. "It is good for you to have something like this to occupy you that is not work. Much more useful than embroidery. And Merizel, how are you managing life as a rider?"

Merizel grinned ruefully. "Sore, ma'am. Nobody told me that my body has to adapt to the saddle, and it reminds me with every step I take. I am assured that the sensation lasts but a week and I am looking forward to enjoying it in the future."

"You shall have ample opportunity to ride in the future, dear, both of you. Now that the door is opened, we shall see more women astride frayen as time passes." Terys sighed. "I fear that time has passed for me, though. Much though I might wish to ride again, I regret my own body is no longer adequate to the purpose. Enjoy yourselves, my dears."

"Thank you, ma'am."

As Terys walked off Merizel turned to Garia. "Shall we go to the corral and find our beasts? They will be glad to see us after spending the night in an unusual place."

"As you say, Merry. Why not?"

The two walked round the back of the road house and past all the servants who were busy dismantling the pavilions the royal party had slept in. Behind the temporary accommodation were fences bordering fields where the frayen and dranakh had been kept overnight. As Garia and Merizel stood by the fence two frayen separated from the loose herd and headed toward them, followed shortly afterward by others who were perhaps curious.

"Hello, Snep! Hello, Topik! Have they been looking after you properly? Are you ready for another day's travel?"

Garia reached over the fence and patted the two beasts on their necks. Snep looked at her and then his nose came through the rails looking for a treat, which Garia supplied from her sash. Acquiring the tit-bits from the catering staff had needed some fast talking with people who had no idea what she wanted them for, but the end result was accepted in the usual fashion by her beast. They stood talking to their animals for a minute or two before they were joined by one of Garia's armsmen bearing a saddle over one arm and harnesses in the other hand. Since he couldn't salute he gave a stiff little bow before speaking.

"My Lady, milady, I have Milady Merizel's saddle here with harness for your two beasts. Is it all right for me to begin putting them on?"

"Brazan, yes, carry on. Here, let me take the harness off you, you'll find it easier that way. In fact, I'll put Snep's on seeing as I'm here."

"My Lady, you shouldn't -"

"Nonsense. Snep won't give me any trouble and we'll save time this way."

"As you say, milady." Brazan hesitated. "My Lady, will you be requiring your own saddle today?"

"Not today, I regret I'm still stuck in a carriage. Tomorrow I will be able to ride so I'll need it then."

The two frayen were harnessed and led out of the corral before being taken towards the wagon park by Garia and Merizel. When they reached Garia's carriage Snep looked at her and then pointedly turned his neck as far as it would go to look at his back before regarding Garia again.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry, Snep, I can't ride you today. You'll just have to get towed along behind me like yesterday, I'm afraid. I would have thought you'd prefer not having anyone on your back but what do I know? Here, have another nibble. Perhaps if I get too stiff sitting I'll get out and walk beside you sometime. We aren't going fast enough for my short legs to get worn out and the change would give me some exercise."

As soon as men, women, beasts and transportation were organized the whole procession moved out back to the highway north. Once again they entered a landscape that was becoming more familiar to Garia all the time. As before there was a mixture of flooded fields, fields with men and women working in them, small groves of trees and farmsteads, some of which had market gardens around them. Garia was surprised by the number of people she saw working on the land.

We forget so quickly, don't we? Before there was machinery, everything had to be done by manual labor. Oh, there were horses and sometimes oxen to help but most of the population worked on the land, not in towns or cities. What I see is normal for a pre-industrial society. I wonder what they will think once some of the new gadgets and inventions filter their way out of the city?

The procession stopped again at campsites for their morning break, lunch and during the afternoon. Along their route they passed a number of small villages and two minor towns, the locals lining the streets to have a look at their King and Queen as they rode through. Only two things of interest happened, both of which made Garia think.

The first was a sensation of tickling on her arm and she moved her other hand automatically to brush whatever it was off, stopping abruptly as she realized what she was doing. She looked down to see a winged elongated insect unlike anything familiar from Earth.

"Master Gerdas, there's something on my arm. Should I be concerned?"

"That? Oh, no, milady, 'tis only a fly. They will not hurt you, though there are insects which will should they alight. Just brush it away."

She raised her arm to examine the thing. It looked like some kind of bug but there were differences... eventually she realized it had eight legs.

"So, you call this an insect, do you? And do all insects here have eight legs?"

"That is correct, milady. Is it not the same on Earth?" Gerdas answered his own question. "You would not have asked if it were the same, milady. Would you tell us of the differences?"

"On Earth, to be called an insect it would have six legs, not eight. We do have eight-legged creatures which are similar to insects, but they are called spiders. There are some other related creatures which have more legs than that, but usually many more."

Gerdas nodded. "We have spiders here also, milady, and they too have eight legs. I believe the difference is in the organization of their bodies, but I am no expert. Do spiders on Earth spin webs or hunt their food?"

"Yes, they do."

There followed a discussion about insects, spiders, scorpions, centipedes and similar creatures which showed that there were both differences and similarities between the worlds. Garia was beginning to have a theory about the relationship between Earth and Anmar but she needed more evidence before she felt ready to put it before somebody qualified to talk sensibly about it with her, most probably a Questor. The insect had flown away long before their conversation ended.

The other incident involved a field near the highway which held a flock of creatures both strange and faintly familiar. They looked like sheep, providing sheep had longer legs and a neck that rose double the body height above the ground.

"I've not seen anything like those before, Master Parrel. What do you call them?"

"Those are called Pakh, milady. They are one of our main sources of wool. We also eat the flesh. Are there such animals to be found on Earth?"

Garia frowned. "I... I'm not sure, Master Parrel. They look strange, but yet there's a memory stirring. I'm sure I've seen something very similar back home. Let me think about it a moment."

With long necks like that what immediately came to my mind were llamas, but their heads don't look right for llamas. There are other similar animals, aren't there? Why can't I remember the names, then? My memory should be much better that this, surely?

Ah! Vicuna !

Nope, not vicunas, but I think I'm getting warmer.

Alpaca, that's it. Wait a minute. Pakh. Is that just a corruption of alpaca? Does this mean that not only did these animals come here, but that they were brought here along with a human herder? Is that where the name comes from?

Does that mean that the links between Earth and Anmar are much closer than I think?

She nodded slowly. "I believe that there may be an animal just like this on Earth," she told the two men. "It doesn't live in my part of the world, at least, not in great numbers. There's another continent where they originate, and there those animals are called alpaca. I'm sure you can see the similarity in the names."

"Pakh, alpaca," mused Parrel. "There is a strong similarity in the names as you say." He frowned with concentration. "This is not something that a metalsmith would know much about, milady, but it occurs to me that the animals cannot speak, can they? Therefore, if the name has passed from one world to the next, then it must have been brought by a man." He coughed. "Or a woman, of course."

"My thought exactly, Master Parrel. Question is, did the man arrive at the same time as the animals, or did he come later and recognize them from his old home? We'll probably never know."

Their next night's stop was not a roadhouse, like those Garia had noted along their route, but a small town which had an odd feeling about it. The procession jolted to a halt and she peered out at the buildings which now surrounded them.

"We have arrived at South Slip, milady," Gerdas told her. "Tonight we will sleep in bedrooms instead of pavilions. Tomorrow morning we will begin the process of crossing the Sirrel."

"Oh? I see," she replied. "What is this place? The buildings all look funny to me."

"Because the river floods each year, milady," Parrel explained, "it is necessary to put the buildings on stilts as you can see. Just after the rains, when the river is highest, all this land will be under perhaps half a stride of water. Despite that, many people come here to wait for the floods to go down and the river to become passable again, so many of these buildings are hostels of one kind or another. The travelers must needs be accommodated and it is this which Master Gerdas refers to. South Slip is a small town, the only folk who normally live here are those concerned with the ferry and a few local fishermen but the population can grow if the river cannot be passed because of flood or storm."

"Thank you, Master Parrel. If this is South Slip, then, where exactly is the river?"

"If you follow the road, milady, you will soon come to it. The town is not built right beside the river, since the waters can widen greatly during the flood. If we were to travel here just before the rains began we would have to go perhaps an extra mark to reach the water's edge."

When Garia and Merizel were shown into the small inn where they would be staying the night, she found a surprise, Terissa and Dalenna were waiting in the lounge along with a short woman she had never seen before.

"Garia!" The twins bounced to their feet. "We're so glad you came, we so wanted to see you again."

"Greetings to you all," she replied. "I trust you had a good journey here?"

"It wasn't bad," Dalenna said. She smiled shyly. "I want to introduce you to my mother, Duchess Sindenna of Brikant. Mother, this is the Lady Garia we've been telling you so much about."

Standing, Sindenna was about the same height as Garia, which the younger woman found disconcerting at first. Garia curtseyed to the Duchess before the two came together in a hug. Sindenna held Garia by the arms and studied her.

"Strange," she said. "Somehow you manage to look both normal and extremely exotic." She cocked her head. "If what my elder daughters are telling me is the truth, then I believe you are anything but normal, aren't you? Shall we be seated? Who is your friend?"

"Oh, pardon, Your Grace. This is Lady Merizel, daughter of Baron Kamodar of South Reach. She has become my secretary as well as a firm friend."

Sindenna raised an eyebrow as she tried to work out the relationship between the two and failed.

"Please sit, all of you. Cannot some pel be arranged for us? Milady Garia, I understand your position in the palace to be an unusual one but even though the girls tell me of it I cannot comprehend. Shall you explain to us?"

"As you wish, Your Grace. But first, is the Duke here as well... and your son Marlin?"

"The Duke accompanies us, yes, but he is presently with the King," Sindenna said. "Because of the disturbance my older son is said to have caused at his previous meeting with yourself, it was thought wise to ask him to remain behind this time." Sindenna fixed Garia with a glance which revealed intelligence. "I would ask you for your description of that meeting also."

Garia wondered if she was on trial, with the angry mother blaming her for Marlin's problems, but as the conversation progressed both parties relaxed and realized that they were in general agreement. They moved on to Garia's place in the world and she had to tell her story all over again, accompanied by several 'told you so, mother' comments from the twins. They were finally interrupted by the inn-keeper announcing dinner, at which point Garia noticed that the entire party was exclusively female.

"Oh! Is this deliberate? Are the men all dining elsewhere as well?"

"As you say, my dear," Sindenna said. "As there are so many in both our parties it was felt that this would make the best use of the available accommodation. Even so, some of the men will be sleeping with the wagons. Shall we prepare ourselves to eat?"

"Uh, Your Grace, do you mean we should change? We didn't yesterday."

"No, dear. It is perfectly usual to dine dressed like this when we are traveling. Come, let us find our table."

~o~O~o~

In the morning Garia and Merizel rose and made use of the bathing facilities. Jenet pronounced that, in her opinion, Garia would be able to ride today and that being the case, what would she choose to wear?

"I'm not sure, Jenet. You say Duke Gilbanar will be waiting for us to arrive on the other side? Perhaps this is a good time to start wearing our colors."

"I agree, milady. Would you wish to wear your lighter tabard or your heavier one? And will you wear your swords as well? This will be the first time you will have met the Duke since your coming of age, and you are now his vassal."

Garia frowned. "That's right. You think I should wear everything, Jenet? Make a good first impression?"

"Yes, milady, I do. Although allowances will be made since you are meeting him on the road."

"Very well. We'll start wearing our own from today. I'll have to let Feteran know, I suppose. Now, as for the tabards -"

Garia knew that by 'light' and 'heavy' Jenet was asking her to choose between unarmored and armored.

"- we'll be going on a boat across a wide river," she continued, "and although I'm not expecting any accidents it's always best to be prepared where water is concerned. I'll wear the light one, I think. For the same reason I won't wear the swords on the boat, because it's all just extra weight. Would it be possible for you to have the other tabard and the swords ready for me to switch when we land?"

Jenet thought then nodded. "I can make a bundle and it can be secured behind your saddle, milady. When the time comes for you to change, it will not be as if any part of your body would be uncovered, so there should be no difficulty on that account."

Garia gave her maid a wry smile. "No, probably not. Just the sight of me hauling myself onto a frayen."

Jenet smiled back. "As you say, milady."

They met Merizel in the corridor, coming back with Bursila from their own bath.

"Goodness! You're traveling like that?"

"Yes. Duke Gilbanar will be meeting us on the other side, remember."

"Of course. What should I wear, in that case?"

"I was trying to go for Blackstone colors. What about that green riding outfit of yours?"

Merizel shook her head. "Rosilda couldn't get it finished in time. She says she'll probably get it done once we're all settled up in the castle. I could wear the blue one, the one I wore the day before yesterday."

"Yes, why not? Thinking about it, you've never been across the Sirrel, have you? Looking forward to it?"

"Garia, I've never even seen the Sirrel. At least not when it was the Sirrel. It's been hundreds of years since the Great Storm stopped it flowing past South Reach."

"Oh. Are you worried?"

"Scared silly! Aren't you?"

Garia shrugged. "Not really. There are no really large rivers near where I used to live. I'm just interested, but I'll be happier once we're safely on the other side."

They gathered outside around the carriages and wagons. Eventually a large crowd of travelers stood around, some looking curiously at the garb of Garia and her retinue. Merizel had gotten a message to Feteran and all her armsmen were smartly turned out in their house colors for the first time. A bugle briefly blew and the King and Queen joined them from one of the grander hostels. Robanar led them off along the highway for the short walk to the river.

Two of Garia's armsmen had brought their frayen, ready harnessed and saddled. The twins stared at the animals in amazement and then realized just what Garia and Merizel were wearing. They stared at one another.

"We did not believe this was possible," Terissa said.

"Another skill we will need to master," Dalenna added.

"Do you think father will let us?"

"In time, especially once he sees Garia and Merizel riding."

They turned to Garia. Dalenna pronounced, "This will turn Marlin crazy." She smirked.

Garia didn't mount but led Snep, Merizel walking alongside Topik, the twins inspecting their clothing and equipment with new interest.

With the river so high they didn't have to walk far. There it was. It looked less like a river and more like a strait between two land masses. The water flowed lazily past, heavily laden with brown silt from upriver. In the distance could be seen the far shore with cliffs rising seemingly from the water's edge, indistinct with the early morning sun behind them. In the foreground was a shallow beach of mud with three stone slipways disappearing into the water. Astride each slipway - there was no other word that could be used - were the strangest craft Garia had ever seen, and two more were moored to pilings in the river, waiting their turn to load.

Each vessel seemed to be made of two Viking long ships in a catamaran arrangement. A flat deck went from one side completely over the gap to the far side of the other. Each hull had two masts with a long Arabian-style yard slanting upward on each. On the outer side of each hull were oars, raised now while the craft were docked. Presumably the rowers had a space underneath the main deck. She could not count the oars but guessed twelve to fifteen each side.

From the central part of the decking, over the gap between the hulls, a ramp came down to rest on the slipway. Garia could see that the crew were already coaxing a dranakh and wagon up the ramp onto the deck. She could see another ramp on the far side of the deck, raised for now, and she guessed that the ferry vessels were reversible. A jingle made her turn to find Keren approaching, leading a frayen.

"Well met, friends!" Keren grinned a greeting at Garia, Merizel and the twins. "Are we ready for our river journey?"

"We are," Garia replied. "Can you tell us more, Highness?"

"Of course, you have not made this crossing before. What about you girls?"

"We have journeyed to Dekarran once before, Highness," Dalenna answered.

"It was some years ago," Terissa added. "We do not remember much of the visit."

"Oh. Okay." It was strange for Garia to hear him say it, but it was inevitable as he spent so much time in her presence. "We'll probably be using four of these ferries, if not all five today. We have to get everybody and everything loaded before the tide turns. The fact that this part of the river is tidal is the only reason we can cross it so near the sea. We'll be split up, I'm afraid. Actually, we won't, but you two girls will be."

Dalenna nodded gravely. "We understand, Highness. It is a necessary precaution."

"What do you mean, Keren?" Garia asked. "What's going on?"

"It has been many years since we last lost a ferry but the precautions are still taken, especially with such a large and important gathering as this, and especially during the flood," he explained. "I'll travel on one ferry, probably with Garia, but father will be on another and mother on a third. That way, if there is any trouble, we don't lose everybody at once. Similarly, the twins will be on separate ferries and their parents will be on another two. You see?"

Garia nodded. "Yes, of course."

It's like when the President and Vice-President travel anywhere, they always go separately. I guess that's the kind of disaster that only ever happens once before people take precautions.

"So, which one of us would you like to accompany you, Highness?" Terissa asked.

Keren shrugged and smiled. "Doesn't matter to me. I'm going to disappoint one of you whoever you choose."

The twins looked at one another and something passed between them.

Terissa said, "I'll go and find father, tell him our decision."

She walked off just as Captain Merek approached. "Highness, Milady Garia, Milady Merizel, you have been assigned ferry number one, which is to your left. If you would begin leading your beasts to the ramp."

"As you wish, captain. Oh, and Countess Dalenna will be accompanying us this crossing. Her sister is informing her father."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Merek saluted and then turned to find his next group of travelers.

The ramp was quite steep but there were thin cross-slats nailed to it which gave them all grip as they climbed. Garia thought that the task might have been more difficult if their animals had been horses, but neither frayen or dranakh had hooves so grip was less of a problem for them. When they reached the deck they found six wagons occupying the center of the space. A bare-footed crew member directed them to the left, to the side away from the other ferries. Here they found posts and rails to secure their beasts to, arranged so that they could brace themselves as the craft rose and fell while crossing. Outside those were seats for passengers, facing outwards. The deck had side rails about waist high.

Garia found a seat which was directly in front of Snep, who responded by poking his head over her shoulder. She reached up an arm to rub his neck.

"You're making that animal soft, Garia," Keren observed.

"You're probably right," she replied. "But I'll likely get more out of him than you will with yours."

Dalenna watched this byplay with interest. "Is that how you are able to ride, Garia? By treating him as a pet?"

Garia grinned. "Yes and no, as always, Dalenna. I could probably ride any of these mounts now, now that I am familiar with the type of animal, but Snep respects me because I respect him. He doesn't just do what I tell him to, he does what I ask, and that could be an important difference in the future."

Dalenna nodded. "As you say, Garia. I can see we are going to have a long talk with you about how you manage to ride beasts. Did you have much difficulty getting permission?"

The others all laughed. "You could say that," Keren said, grinning. "Mother was in favor, father against, and you can guess who won. The discussion was quite... spirited at times, shall we say. It helped that mother had ridden herself, on a previous visit to Dekarran. Apparently it is quite common for women to ride in the lands of her birth."

"Oh! I didn't know that." Dalenna grinned. "A useful argument, Highness. We may not be so easily refused it if is something the Queen has practiced, can we?"

"Perhaps not." Keren returned the grin.

Garia noticed a tall wooden construction set back from the shore a little way. "What's that, Keren?"

"I would imagine that it's one of your semaphore stations," he replied after a moment. "It looks vaguely like those drawings you and Parrel put together. I remember father saying to Uncle Gil that he wanted this crossing to be where the first ones were constructed so that the two parts of the kingdom would never be isolated again."

"Well, yes," she said dubiously, "but it's considerably taller than I expected."

"Don't forget this is a river crossing. There can be low mists in the mornings and evenings. I don't know, really. Where's Parrel? He'd probably know. Is he coming with us?"

"I saw him being shown to another ferry, so we wouldn't get an answer till we reach the other side. More people are boarding, look."

A number of guardsmen were leading their frayen up the ramp and soon the deck was filled with men and animals, with the wagons in the center. With them came four of Garia's armsmen including Feteran, who saluted.

"Where are the others, Feteran?"

"With the Queen, milady. And one of our wagons, the other being here."

There were shouts, Garia saw that the ramp was being raised, and shortly afterward the tips of the oars, visible from where she sat, disappeared as their wielders lowered them into the water. A drum sounded from somewhere nearby, there was a slight shuddering, and they were afloat and moving away from the shore.

"How long will it take, Highness?" Merizel asked, looking warily down at the brown water.

Keren shrugged. "Any time from two bells to all day, Merry," he replied. "It just depends on how well we can get across the current."

"Do those poor men have to row the entire way? It must be very hard work."

"Nobody is rowing who isn't capable of it," he said. "It is true that some of them are convicts working their sentences off but it is their pride which will carry the ferry across."

The bows of the catamaran swung sharply to the left, upstream, and Merizel gasped.

"Maker! We're being taken off course! Is this what you meant by current, Highness?"

"No, no, calm yourself, Merry. This is deliberate. Normally at this time of year the river flows too heavily for craft to cross against the current, especially here where it is so wide. We are not so far from the sea, however, and because of the tides the flow partially reverses for nearly half of the day. We use the incoming tide to help us get part way across, where we shall meet the fastest currents, and then as that carries us downstream again we cut across it to the north shore. That is the time when the rowing becomes hardest."

It seemed to Garia that they were being swept far upstream but Keren's explanation made sense. The river was in flood so the current would be too strong for boats to cross it, except here where the tide would cancel most of the flow out. She decided to stand and stretch her legs.

At the rear of the deck was a pen which held a single dranakh. She had noticed a similar pen at the front with two of the draft beasts and assumed there were more on the other side. Walking round the pen to a position near the rear ramp she could see the other two ferries following them some distance behind. Beyond them the fourth ferry was being hauled to a slipway to take the excess wagons, beasts and people. She sensed that the others had joined her.

"Is this what you expected?" Keren asked.

"Not really. But then I didn't know what to expect. We have one or two rivers this size at home but as I mentioned before we just build bridges over them these days. I've never seen anything like these ferries, even in books."

"We're good at solving problems," Keren said, "providing we realize that the problem exists." He mused then added, "Perhaps that's our real problem, as it were, we only do enough to fix whatever is wrong, we don't have the imagination to think into the future."

She smiled at him. "I hope I can inspire you - all of you - to think a little more freely than you have done up till now. The change of attitude is just as important as the knowledge, perhaps more so."

The ferry crabbed over the river until it was well past halfway and the cliffs of the far shore loomed higher and higher, beginning to cut off the direct sunlight. Up until now their passage had been relatively smooth but now the craft hit choppy water, the bows beginning to rise and fall. There were shouts from the look-outs in the bow and suddenly the craft twisted in the water, its direction swinging from upriver to directly across as the main current caught it. The tempo of the drum making the beat suddenly raised and she could feel the difference as the oarsmen changed to a faster stroke.

Turning, she noticed that the two other craft were now well upstream from them and becoming more distant by the moment. Keren noticed what she was looking at.

"We must have caught an eddy or something. We may have entered the main current too soon, in which case we'll be swept straight past North Slip and have to wait for the next tide to get back. If we're lucky, that is."

"Oh, no. Are we safe?" Merizel asked.

"Oh, yes. We'll probably be very tired and bored by the time we land, so I suggest we go back and sit down again."

It turned out that their crew knew what they were doing, however. The far shore approached at such an alarming rate that Garia thought that they would be smashed on the rocks but the ferry turned smoothly to slip along the current barely twenty or thirty strides from shore. There were further shouts and the bows turned again, lifting them out of the current and into quieter waters along the shore, and finally into a little enclosed harbor where two slipways awaited them. Docking was handled with impressive speed and efficiency.

As the crew lowered the front ramp Garia watched the other two ferries. One beat its way out of the current with little to spare before the harbor mouth opened but in doing so it blocked the way of the third craft which was forced to slide past and disappear downstream. She turned to Keren in concern.

"A pity," he said. "There is room for all three ferries in the harbor even if it is possible to unload only two. They will have a struggle to beat their way back against the current now. Perhaps they will have to cut across to the middle again and let the tide carry them back upstream, try again."

"One of those will have you mother or father on," she reminded him.

He nodded. "I know. They will be safe, but whichever is on that ferry," he nodded to the vessel now docking beside them, "will wait here for the other to arrive." He sighed. "The world can be dangerous, Garia, and we all know the risks."

"Milady," Jenet said from the other side, "shall you change now?"

"Of course, Jenet." Keren looked at her curiously. "I want to change my tabard and put my swords on, if Uncle Gil is going to be meeting us."

Understanding showed in Keren's eyes. "A good idea." A thought came, and he grinned. "He hasn't seen you since you started riding, has he?"

She grinned back. "No, he hasn't. This could be interesting."

It was relatively easy for Garia to swap tabards but settling the sword harness took longer. This was because she also had a diagonal sash to consider. In the end it went over the front harness straps but under the two scabbards. Jenet straightened the various items of clothing and she turned to Keren.

"How do I look?"

"As always, Garia, you look amazing. You manage to combine a perfectly feminine look with the appearance of a battle-hardened warrior. It suits you."

"Thank you." She smiled at him. "So, let's go give your uncle a surprise."

Once the ramp had been lowered the crew wanted everybody off before they attempted to unload the wagons. Having dimly remembered Tanon's caravan descending the mountain road, Garia approved. It would have been safe enough for them to wait but they might have been there for a very long time, especially if something went wrong. Garia waited until all the Royal Guard had disembarked before leading her own men, each holding the reins of their own frayen, on to dry land. Once there they all mounted up and walked their beasts up the steep slipway to the road surface above. Keren was waiting with Merizel so they formed up line abreast with him in the center.

"Which way?"

"As we are. There's a small square ahead where everyone congregates to meet arriving ferries. Walk on."

"What about whoever's on the other ferry? Shouldn't we wait for the King or Queen, whoever it is?"

Keren shook his head. "No. Whichever one it is, they won't move from the slipway until the third ferry arrives. Besides, if we stay down there we'd just get in everyone else's way. They'll be unloading the wagons now."

As they reached the top of the steep slope and came into the square they saw that all the locals had gathered to greet their arriving royal family. All were kept on the sidewalks around the edge by local troops, however, which allowed all to see but gave enough room for arriving carriages and wagons to clear the way down to the harbor. A roar went up as their party appeared, a roar which partly tailed away as people understood what they were seeing.

A number of people on frayen approached, stopping in front of them. Two in the center of the line were Duke Gilbanar and his son Count Terinar.

"Great Maker above!" Gilbanar exploded. "Whatever I expected, I hardly imagined this!"

Keren grinned. "Hello, Uncle Gil. Surprise!"

Gilbanar eyed the two women sitting on frayen either side of Keren. "You have been busy since I came north, haven't you? Why don't you all dismount, so that I may greet you properly?"

Everyone climbed off and Gilbanar briefly bowed to Keren before hugging him warmly. Then he turned his attention to Garia, enveloping her in a bear hug also. He managed to give Merizel a hug as well before standing back and inspecting the three of them.

"So. Terys managed to convince my brother it wouldn't be the end of the world, then? And Baroness, I suspect you would not be wearing those things on your back if you did not know how to use them, no? This tale of yours will take some evenings to tell, I guess."

"As you say, Your Grace," Garia said diplomatically.

"We've such a lot to tell you, Uncle Gil," Keren added, then said, "But we will have to wait for one of my parents. One of the ferries could not get out of the current and will have to go round again."

"You were lucky to get two in with the river in this state," Gilbanar said. "There's no reason we should all stand around waiting, though. Terry, why don't you take these fine young people on ahead and get them settled? I'm sure Vivenne and Korizet will be pleased to see them." He nodded at Garia. "Like the color scheme. House colors?"

"Yes, Uncle Gil. And I have my own armsmen now, as you can see."

Gilbanar nodded to the man at Garia's left. "Feteran. Career change, I see. Good choice. Your father on one of these scows?"

"Aye, Your Grace. I'm not sure which one, though."

"He'll be fine. Go on, take the Prince and Her Ladyship up to the castle." He grinned at the party. "Could be an interesting evening, couldn't it?"