Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Called by the Skill

Some people say that assigning such a mission to Junqi is a conspiracy by his stepmother, Queen Lunian, because she wants him to die in the line of duty.Others said it was because Shrewd wanted his eldest son out of the sight and authority of his new queen.Prince Verity was forced to stay at home because of his young age, but he made a request to Shrewd every month, hoping that his father would allow him to follow his brother on missions.And Shrewd's efforts to arouse Verity's interest in doing his duty were in vain.Prince Verity did his job, but he never forgot to make everyone think he'd rather be with his brother.Finally, on the twentieth birthday that Prince Verity had requested monthly for six years, Shrewdly reluctantly agreed, allowing him to be by his brother's side.

From then on, until the four years when the Knight abdicated and Verity took over as Crown Prince, the two brothers had worked together to draw borders, treaties, and trade agreements with the neighbors of the Six Duchies.Prince Junqi is good at getting along with people, whether it is an individual or a group, it is not a problem for him.Verity's specialty was working out the details of treaties, drawing precise and detailed border maps, and supporting his brother's rise to power like a soldier and a prince. Prince Regal, the youngest son of Shrewd and the only son of the Queen of Desire, spent his youth at home and at court while his mother did everything in her power to raise him as a candidate for the throne.

I returned to Buckkeep with great relief.This isn't the first time I've been on such a mission for a king, but I've never been interested in my assassin errands.I was delighted by the way the heroine humiliated and seduced me, because it made my mission go smoothly.However, she was always a beauty and an excellent warrior, so I was not at all proud of this task, just obeying the king's orders.That's what was on my mind as Soot drove me up the last incline home. I looked up at the hills and could hardly believe what I was seeing.Kettricken and Regal rode side by side, as if depicted in Federon's finest parchment.Regal was dressed in bright red and gold, with black boots and gloves, and a riding cloak that fell from one shoulder, revealing a bright contrast of color in the morning wind as the two marched side by side.The wind gave his cheeks an outdoor rosy look and tousled his stiff curly hair.His deep eyes gleamed brightly, and he looked remarkably human astride his steady horse so valiantly.I thought so.He could choose to be that instead of a languid prince addicted to alcohol and sex.Another waste.

Ah, but the lady next to him was another matter.Compared to her entourage, she bloomed like a rare exotic flower.She rode in baggy trousers, and the dye vats at Buckkeep couldn't get that saffron purple.Vibrant, detailed embroidery adorns her trousers, which are securely tucked into the tops of her boots.Burrich would have admired the utility of her boots, which reached nearly to her knees.Instead of a cloak, she wore a bomber jacket trimmed in rich white fur with a high collar to protect her neck from the wind.This fur should be white fox, I thought, from the tundra beyond the mountains.She was wearing black gloves, and her long golden hair was blowing playfully in the wind, and it was tangled on her shoulders when it fluttered.She's wearing a knitted skullcap in every bright color I can think of.She held her mount upright, the way the Mountain People did, and made her horse named Light Step feel like he should prune instead of just walk.The little silver bells on the bridle of the sorrel mare jingled sweetly, ringing like icicles in the lively morning.Compared with the other women in their long skirts and cloaks, she looked as agile as a cat.

She conjures up images of exotic warriors from the North, or adventurers from ancient legends, distinctly different from her ladies.She was not like a high-born and gorgeously dressed woman flaunting her status to the lower-ranking royals, but like a hawk in a cage with the birds, and I'm not sure she should be like that in her appeared before his subjects.Regal rode beside Kettricken and chatted with her, talking and laughing. Their conversation was lively and accompanied by laughter from time to time.I told Soot to slow down and approach them, and Kettricken reined in the horse and tried to greet me with a smile, but Regal just nodded coldly and nudged his horse to a trot, But Kettricken's mare didn't want to be left behind, so she hoofed up to keep up with her.

The princess and the prince's entourage greeted me briskly, and I stopped to watch them pass, and then continued on to Buckkeep with an uneasy heart.Kettricken's face was full of vitality, her pale cheeks were flushed by the cold air, and the way she smiled at Regal was as sincere and happy as the smile she occasionally smiled at me, but I couldn't believe that she was so naive, that she It was so easy to trust him. As I thought about it, I unsaddled the saddle from Soot's back and stroked it, leaning over to inspect its hooves, aware that Burrich was watching me over the stable wall.I asked him, "How long has it been?"

He knows what I'm asking. "He started like this a few days after you left. He brought her over one day and said to me rightly, it was too bad to keep the Queen at Buckkeep all day, because she's used to the hills being open." and a vigorous way of life, and said he was persuaded to teach her how to ride in the lowlands. Then he told me to put the saddle Verity gave her on Lightstep, and the two rode away .Then look, what can I say, and what can I do?" He asked me fiercely when I turned to look at him suspiciously. "As you said, we are my prince's people who swear allegiance, and Emperor Zun is the prince of the Zhanyuan family. Even if I refuse him unfaithfully, the princess still expects me to bring her horse over and put on the saddle."

I waved my hand a little, reminding Burrich that his words sounded very treasonous.He went into the stable and stood beside me, thoughtfully scratching Soot behind its ears after I settled it. "You really have no choice." I reluctantly admitted. "However, I must understand his real intentions, and why she puts up with him so freely." "His intentions? Maybe just to wag her head and tail to please her. It's no secret that she's languishing in the castle. Oh, she's straight with everyone, but she's so honest that people Believe she is happy when she is sad."

"Maybe!" I reluctantly admitted, then looked up like a puppy at a whistle. "I must go. Crown Prince Verity..." I babbled, not wanting to let Burrich know that I was called to the Skill.I slung my saddlebag over my shoulder and set out for the castle with a bag of scrolls that took so much trouble to transcribe. I didn't stop to change or warm myself by the kitchen fire, but went straight to Verity's map room.The door was ajar, I knocked and went in.Verity leaned over the map pinned to the table, barely looking up to greet me.The mulled mulled wine was already waiting for me, and there was a great plate of cold meat and bread on the table by the hearth, and he straightened up later.

"You can really block." Verity said as if greeting. "I've been urging you to come back these three days. Also, when did you finally find yourself being called to the Skill? When you were standing in my own stable. I tell you, Fitz, we have to get out Time is good for me to teach you some ways of mastering the Skill."