[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

he needs to be pushed, and box his ears from time to time when he's being
silly. I see a man who needs me, a man who has always needed me, and a man who
deserves me."
I felt my face heat in a deep blush - I didn't know what to say. Joy simply
hugged me for a moment, then rose to her feat and resumed her seat at the
table. "Tell me, Old Man - whatever became of King Darrak's unicorn?"
"Well... The mare was dying, as I said... But Darrak had fallen in love with
the beast - as had many thousands of people who had come to see it, paying the
admission fee to visit his menagerie. Darrak's keeper was at his wit's end -
he could do nothing. So, Darrak himself made a deal with the beast."
"A deal? What kind of deal?"
"Darrak told the unicorn that he would have his keeper remove the cage, remove
the circle, and allow her to leave at any time she wished. She would stay only
so long as she liked, but while she stayed, she would be treated with love.
And all under one condition - if she chose to leave, she had to promise to
return. She did not have to promise when she would return - unicorns are
immortal, and if she chose, she could take all of eternity before she came
back. She only had to promise to return."
"And what happened?"
"Well, the unicorn promised she would return, of course. And as soon as
Darrak's keeper broke the seal of the circle, she vanished."
"Ah, how sad."
"Well, no - eventually, she did return. About a month later, she came back,
and stayed for an hour. Then, a few months later, she came back, and stayed
for a day. Each time, she was treated with love and kindness, and eventually,
she decided she would simply return once a month, on the full of the moon, and
stay for a day. Darrak himself fed the beast the finest grains when she was
there, to show his gratitude and love, and she would eat them from his bare,
cupped hands. At the Battle of White Creek, he had his court wizard bring him
back briefly so he could feed her for a few moments, renewing his vow with
her. And even today, she still returns. I've seen the mare and spoken to her
once, when I visited the ruins of Darrak's castle, a few leagues up the road
from the ruins of Wilanda city."
"You have?!" Joy said, surprised. "She still returns?"
I nodded. "She said she could do no less for his memory. He was a good king,
and a good man, she said."
Joy smiled dreamily. "Ah, Old Man..." she said, then grinned at me. "How can
you tell a beautiful story like that and wonder why I love you?"
I sighed deeply. "Joy... I'm sorry. I've always thought of you as a friend,
and I love you as a friend... But... I'm sorry, Joy, that is all."
"And, in truth, you can't believe that I would truly love you, much less lie
with you," Joy said, gazing at me, then nodded. "Alright, Old Man. If that's
what it takes, then I shall make a deal with you, as well," she said, and rose
to her feet, stepping over to my closet.
"What deal?"
"I know you, Old Man," Joy replied, going through the things in my closet.
"You have spent the last seventy years trying to come to terms with never
having another true love in your life, never being touched again... It's the
way you are. Now, you look at me, and because in your heart you are a man, not
a woman, you can't understand how I could fall in love with you out of
friendship, gratitude, respect, and appreciation for who you are and all that
you have done for me. So, I will make a deal with you - I will prove myself to
you, Old Man, just as I proved myself to Darian, and to Softhand. And all you
have to do, in turn, is let me do it. Ah, here it is!" she said, and pocketed
something small. "And what's this?" she asked, opening a box and lifting out
the suit of magic chain I'd ordered, decades ago.
"It's part of a suit of armor I ordered from Taliad, about seventy years ago.
Page 154
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
The whole suit took about ten years to complete, though the armor-smith
misunderstood Taliad's explanation and threw in another nephní that I didn't
really need along with it. You see, I-"
"Ah! Splendid, Old Man. I'll need armor if I'm to be by your side from now on.
I've a feeling the next time Yorindar calls, it will probably be just as
dangerous as the last, if not more so."
I rolled my eyes. "Joy, it's as I told you seventy years ago - you still don't
know how to fight!"
"Of course not," Joy replied, looking at the rest of the armor. "You'll have
to teach me, Old Man. It will be difficult, of course, and I'll probably get
many bumps and bruises while you teach me all the little tricks I would need
to know, and I'll probably end many a day feeling utterly wretched. But, it's
necessary," she said, and put the armor away again. "Besides - once I've
learned, I'll be a far more useful companion to you. Particularly since I'm no
longer limited to simply five cubits of height, thanks to you," she said, then
grinned at me. "And you just try to tell me it wouldn't be useful to have an
armored and battle-trained giantess by your side when next you need to fight
Yorindar's enemies, Old Man!"
I started to object, then paused. "Well, no, you're right. But there would be
far more, of course. We would have to work on your fear of ghosts and the
undead, Joy. An enemy could turn that against you - the wars the gods wage are
not merely physical conflicts, but conflicts of time, space, spirit, and
emotion."
Joy shuddered for a moment, then steeled herself and gazed back at me firmly.
"I will do it, Old Man."
"And you'll need a decent weapon... You can't face everything with just your
fists. And it will probably need several enchantments, as you're not a
spellcaster, and I can already envision several situations where you'd be
utterly helpless despite everything I might train you to be able to do. That
might take years to complete."
"I can wait, Old Man. Besides, I can think of a few things myself, as well,"
Joy replied, and smiled. "And yes, I can see the question on your face, Old
Man. Yes, I have been giving this a lot of thought over the years. I made my
decision as to what I would do seventy years ago, when I first told you that I
would return, and be your companion. I heard your voice, I looked at your
face, and as my heart melted with love for you, I knew what my destiny was."
I paused, gazing at her. "You're really serious about this."
"Very, Old Man. It's as I said - I know you. I've been your friend for one
hundred and forty years. If the gods are willing, I'll be your companion for
the rest of eternity. And if you are willing, I'll be more than that, as
well," Joy replied, and placed her hands on her hips. "So, is it a deal? Will
you let me prove myself to you?"
I wasn't sure what Joy had in mind, but just having her back in my life again
was like a breath of fresh air, blowing away the dark clouds that had
overshadowed my soul for decades. I smiled. "Alright, Joy."
Joy grinned. "Good! Now I know you haven't been caring for my garden for the
last seventy years, Old Man, so I sincerely doubt there's any vegetables for
our dinner. So, conjure us some food, Old Man - and not that gruel you usually
conjure, either! Make it a nice dinner, for once! Take your time about it,
too, Old Man, I'm going to go get ready." And with that, Joy turned and walked [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]