Chapter 42 Chapter 42 The way she defends herself

"Forged people." I told her calmly. "The tempered ones," she repeated in bewilderment, and then steadied her voice, "they are really insane, just like what I heard. Am I such a bad sacrificial sacrificial person, so bad that I will attract death disaster?" We heard the sound of horns in the distance, a search party. "They're going to kill everyone who walks by," I told her. "To them, this is not an attack on the princess, and I doubt if they know who you are." I kept my mouth shut tightly to prevent myself from accidentally revealing the inside story of Regal.If he didn't want to harm her, he wouldn't have put her in such a dangerous situation.I don't believe he's showing his so-called "sport" by riding a horse across snowy ridges at dusk chasing foxes, he's doing it on purpose to get her killed.

"I think my husband will be mad at me," she said like a frustrated child.As we circled the hill, a group of knights with torches approached us, seemingly responding to her predictions.At this point another trumpet sounded louder, and in a short while we joined them.They were in the vanguard of the main search party when a girl galloped back on horseback to report to the crown prince that his princess had been found, while Verity's guards cheered in the firelight and held light steps on their necks. Cursing at the blood, but Kettricken calmly assured everyone that it was not her blood, and spoke quietly of how the Forged had attacked her, and how she had defended herself.I watched the soldiers admire her more and more, and I heard her describe for the first time the most daring assailant who jumped from a tree to attack her, but she killed him first.

"She killed four people, and she didn't hurt a hair!" said a gray-haired veteran joyfully. "I beg your pardon, my queen. I mean no disrespect." "If Fitz hadn't killed the man who was holding on to Qingbu's head, things wouldn't be what they are now." Kettricken said calmly.Instead of showing off her victories, she made sure I got the attention I deserved, and everyone respected her even more. They congratulated her loudly, and then said angrily that they would search all the forests of Buckkeep tomorrow. "We soldiers should be ashamed that the queen can't ride safely!" one woman declared.She held the handle of the knife and swore that she would kill those who were tempered the next day, and let them pay back their blood. Others followed suit, some bluffed, others breathed a sigh of relief for the queen's safe return, and the conversation As a result, the atmosphere became more and more enthusiastic, and the voice became louder and louder.It was a triumphant return, until Verity arrived.He rode a sweaty horse galloping from a distance as if desperately.I knew then that the search had been going on for a long time, and one could only guess how many roads Verity had ridden since learning of his wife's disappearance.

"Why are you so stupid and lost in such a far place!" This was the first sentence he said to her, and his tone was not very gentle.I watched her lower her head in arrogance, and I heard people around me muttering comments.Things have gone from bad to worse since then, and he didn't lecture her publicly, but I saw him frown as he listened to her blunt account of what had happened and how she had killed herself in self-defense. He didn't like her speaking so frankly about a group of Forged people in public.Not only did these people dare to attack the queen, but they were also likely to stay in Buckkeep. To put it bluntly, Verity hoped that everyone would keep silent about this matter from tomorrow onwards, especially not to mention that the person they dared to attack was the queen herself.Verity looked at me fiercely, as if I had caused it all, and then rudely conscripted two unridden horses from his bodyguard so that he and the queen could ride back to the buck as quickly as possible. fort.He suddenly pulled her away from the guards, and then took her back to Buckkeep on horseback, as if the sooner he arrived, he would be safe. He didn't seem to understand that by doing so, he was depriving the guards of escorting the queen home safely. glory.

I myself rode back slowly with the guards, trying not to listen to the unhappy words of the soldiers.Instead of criticizing the crown prince entirely, they went on to praise the queen for her bravery, and were sad that she wasn't greeted with a hug and kind words from Verity, even if anyone thought of what Regal had done, no one dared to say so. Later, when I tended Soot in the stables, I helped Burrich and Hand to settle Lightstep and Verity's steed, Truth, and Burrich complained that the horses were suffering badly.Lightstep was slightly injured in the attack, and its mouth was inflamed from breaking free from its restraints, but neither horse suffered permanent damage.Burrich sent Hand to prepare warm porridge for them, and then he said calmly that Regal had brought the horses into the stables earlier, but had gone to the castle without mentioning Kettricken.It wasn't until a stable boy asked where Lightstep was that Burrich was alert.When he ventured to question Regal himself to learn the truth, Regal replied that he thought Kettricken had returned with her guards.So Burrich was the one sounding the alarm, and Regal was vague about when he left the road, and where the fox took him afterwards, let alone Kettricken's likely whereabouts. "He knows the route well," Burrich murmured when Hand came back with the porridge, and I knew he wasn't talking about the fox.

I walked back to the castle that night with heavy steps and a heavy heart.I didn't want to think about Kettricken's feelings, or dwell on the gossip in the guardhouse, so I went back to my room, changed clothes, lay down on the bed, and fell asleep at once.Molly was waiting for me in my dreams, and that was the only way I could be at peace. After a while, someone knocked on the locked door and woke me up.I got up and opened the door, only to be met by a sleepy-eyed page who said Verity wanted me to go to his map room.I told him I knew how to go, and sent him back to bed, and hurriedly pretended to go downstairs, wondering what disaster was about to befall us.

Verity was there waiting for me, and the fire seemed to be the only source of light in the room.His hair was messy, and he wore a nightgown over his pajamas, and he looked like he had just woken up.I mustered up the courage to wait for him to share whatever news I had. "Close the door!" He ordered succinctly, and I obeyed and closed the door, then walked over and stood in front of him, not sure whether the twinkle in his eyes was anger or amused, but he suddenly asked: "Who is the lady in the red dress? Dreaming about her all night?" I didn't know how to answer, I was very eager to know how he probed my private dreams, and my whole body felt dizzy with embarrassment, even if I stood naked in front of the whole group of palace troops, I would not feel so helpless like this moment hidden.

Verity turned her head away, and coughed a few times as if she was about to giggle. "Come on, boy, I understand. I didn't mean to pry into your secret, but you pushed it hard on me yourself, especially these last few nights. I need sleep, but I don't want to sleep because... You're burning with love for that woman." He stopped talking suddenly, and my face was burning hotter than any fire. "So," he said uncomfortably, and suddenly after a while, "sit down. I'm going to teach you to guard your thoughts like a secret." He shook his head. "It's strange, Fitz, you can sometimes completely block my skill transmission, but you reveal your most private desires like a wolf howling at night. I guess it's Galen's persecution that made you like this. Although we hope It never happened, but it is a fact that cannot be changed. So I have to teach you as much as possible, and I will teach you as soon as I have time."

I didn't move, and suddenly we couldn't look at each other. "Come here," he repeated gruffly, "sit here with me and stare intently at the flames."