Chapter 6 Chapter 6: The Shadow of a Horseman

There are two traditional views on the matter of giving royal children names that refer to various virtues or talents.One of these, the most commonly believed, is that there is an unaccountable binding force about these names, and that if a child who is to be trained in the Skill is given such a name, the Skill will exert some power to bind the name to the child. A blend of personalities, he or she must grow up to develop the virtues that his or her name stands for.People who firmly believe in this first traditional view are very inclined to take off their hats when they see minor nobles. Another, older tradition holds that such names are sheer coincidence, at least initially.It is said that the Taker King and Ruler King - the first and second Outislanders to rule the lands that would become the Six Duchies - were not so named at all, but because they were The original name in the native language is very similar to the pronunciation of "taker" and "ruler" in the languages ​​of the six principalities, so later generations use these two homonymous words to call them instead of their original names.But as far as royal considerations were concerned, it was better for the common people to believe that if a boy was given a noble name, he would grow up with a noble nature.

Two days later, I was quite surprised to hear that Federon asked me to do his errands for a day or two.To my greater astonishment, he gave me a list of all kinds of things he wanted me to buy in town, and gave me enough money to do so, and an extra two coppers.I waited with bated breath, expecting at any moment that Burrich or one of the other masters would not let me go out, but all they told me was to hurry up and do some errands.Basket in hand, I walked out of the gate of the fortress, dazed by the sudden freedom.I thought back to the last few months since I'd been able to slip away from Burrich, and was shocked to find that it had been a year or more.I immediately decided to re-strengthen my familiarity with the city.No one told me when to go back before I left, and I was sure I could steal an hour or two of my time without anyone knowing.

Federen's list was full of oddities and had me running all over town.I can't figure out what a clerk wants to do with dried "mermaid hair" or a bunch of "forest nuts", guess maybe he wants to use these things to make colored inks!I couldn't find these in the normal shops, so I went down to the market by the harbor, where you could call yourself a merchant if you had a rug to spread on the floor and something to sell.Mermaid hair I bought this kind of seaweed soon, and I was told that it is a common material for seafood soup.It took me a long time to find the nuts, because they are produced inland rather than by the sea, and there are fewer merchants selling inland things here.

But at last I found it, and the same stall held baskets of pens made of porcupine quills, carved wooden beads and nut pits, and fabrics made from pounded bark.The stall keeper was an old woman whose hair had not turned white or gray, but silver.Her nose was straight and hard-lined, and her eyes seemed to be set in racks above her cheekbones.The racial profiling seemed strangely familiar to me, and I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine knowing she was from the mountains. "Kipei," said the woman from the stall next door when I was shopping.I glanced at her, thinking she was talking to the old woman who had just taken my money, but she just stared at me. "Kippe," she said again, quite firmly, and I wondered what that word meant in her language, it sounded like she was asking for something or something, but the old woman just looked coldly down the street, So I shrugged apologetically to the younger woman and turned away as I loaded the basket with nuts.

I had only walked a dozen steps when I heard her scream again, "Kipei!" I turned my head and saw two women wrestling into a ball.The old woman held tightly to the wrists of the younger woman's hands, and the latter beat and kicked to break free. The other businessmen around her stood up vigilantly and put their things away so as not to be affected.I wanted to walk back to watch the excitement, but another more familiar face appeared in front of my eyes. "Little face!" I yelled. She turned to face me, and for a split second I thought I had misunderstood the person.The last time I saw her was a year ago, how can one person become so much?Her dark hair, which used to be braided neatly behind her ears, fell over her shoulders, and instead of a leather vest and slacks, she wore a blouse and skirt.This adult costume made me speechless for a while. I wanted to turn around and pretend that I was calling someone else, but she looked at me provocatively with her black eyes and asked coldly, "Little face?"

I stand my ground. "Aren't you Molly Painted?" She picked up a hand and brushed a few strands of hair from her cheek. "I'm Molly Candlemaker." I saw a look of recognition in her eyes, but her voice added coldly: "I'm not sure I know you. What's your name, sir?" Confused, I acted without thinking, and searched her mind.I found her tense and even more surprised to find her fearful, and I tried to soothe her with my thoughts and my voice. "I'm new here." I said without hesitation. Her eyes widened in surprise, then she laughed, taking it as a joke.The barrier she had erected between us burst like soap bubbles, and suddenly I knew her as well as ever.We have a warm camaraderie that always reminds me of Big Nose.A growing crowd gathered to watch the two wrestling women, but we turned away and walked up the cobbled street.I complimented her on the dress, and she calmly told me that she had worn it for several months and found it better than trousers.This skirt was left by her mother, and she was told that such a fine wool material could no longer be found, and the red color was not as bright as it was.She complimented my dress, and it occurred to me that perhaps I had changed as much in her eyes as she had in mine.I was wearing my best shirt at the moment, my trousers had been washed a few days ago, and my boots were as good as soldier's, though Burrich was always protesting that my feet were too long. Quick, it won't take long to wear it again.She asked me what I was doing in town, and I told her I was running errands for the scribe at the castle, and that he needed two beeswax candles.This latter point was a complete fabrication of mine, but so I could continue to walk with her through the winding streets.She talked, and our elbows touched in a friendly way from time to time.She herself had a basket on her arm, and in it were packets and handfuls of herbs, which she said were for scenting candles.She thinks that beeswax absorbs aromas much better than oil does.She makes the best scented candles in town, even the other two candle makers in town admit it.This, you smell this, this is lavender, it smells very fragrant, right?Her mother liked lavender best, and so did she.This one is "Crushed Sweet" and that one is Honey Bee Single.This one was "Thresher's Roots," which she didn't like very much herself, but some people said candles made from it were good for headaches and winter blues.Mavis Snippet told Molly that Molly's mother used to use it mixed with other herbs to make a wonderful candle that would calm even a baby with colic, so Molly decided to try it out. Fan, to see if she could find other herbs to recreate her mother's formula.

She showed off her knowledge and skills to me so calmly that I was eager to impress her. "I know the thresher's root," I told her, "someone uses it as a poultice for shoulder and back pains, that's how it got its name. But if it's distilled into a tincture, poured into wine and stirred It's even, you can't taste it when you drink it, and adult men will sleep for two days and one night after drinking it, and children will not wake up after drinking it. She listened to me, her eyes widened, and when she heard the last sentence, a look of fear appeared on her face.I fell silent, feeling that sharp embarrassment return. "How do you know such a thing?" she asked me breathlessly.

"I... I overheard a traveling midwife talking to our castle midwife once, "I made it up on the spot," she said... a very poor story about a man who was injured and was given Drinking this helped him rest, but his kid got it too. It's really pathetic." The look on her face softened, and I felt her warmness towards me again. "I said this just to let you know to be careful not to leave that grass root within the reach of children." "Thanks, I will be careful. Are you interested in herbs and grass roots? I don't know clerks either Care about these things."

It dawned on me that she thought I was the clerk's helper, and I saw no reason to tell her I wasn't. "Oh, Federon used many kinds of things for dyes and inks. Some of the things he copied were very simple and plain, but some were very ornate, full of birds, cats, turtles, and fish. He gave I've seen an illustrated herb book, and the margins are decorated with green leaves and flowers from every herb in the book." "I wish I could see that book." She said sincerely, and I immediately started to move Brain, thinking about how to get the book out of the fort for a few days.

"Maybe I can help you get a copy... I can't give it to you, but I can let you study it for a few days." I said hesitantly. She laughed, but there was a slight displeasure in her laughter. "It's true, and I can't read! Oh, but I think you have learned to read some words by running errands for the clerical staff?" "I have learned a little bit." I said and showed her my shopping The list, admitting that I can understand all 7 words on the list, I was surprised to find that there was a look of envy in her eyes. She slowed down in a sudden fit of embarrassment, and I noticed we were almost at her family's candle store.I was wondering if her father still beat her, but I didn't dare to ask.At least she didn't have any marks on her face.We walked to the door of the store and paused. She suddenly made a decision, pressed one hand on my sleeve, took a breath and asked, "Can you read something for me? Even if it's just a part of it?" "I'll give it a try," I said.

"I... Now that I start wearing skirts, my father gave me all my mother's stuff. She was a lady's dressing lady in the castle up there when she was young, and they taught her to read. I have a few copies of her writing Something, I want to know what it says." "I'll try it." I repeat. "My father's in the store." That's all she said, but there was a certain feeling she conveyed that was enough for me to understand what she meant. "This is where I bought two beeswax candles for Federen the clerk," I reminded her. "If I don't get it, I'll never go back to the castle." "Don't act like you know me well." She warned me, and opened the store door. I followed her in, but slowly, as if we had just met at the door by chance, but I needn't have been so cautious, her father was fast asleep in a chair by the fire.I was astounded by how much he had changed.He was thin enough to be nothing but a handful of bones, and his face looked like the underbaked crust of a lumpy fruit pie.Chade taught me well, and I looked at the man's nails and lips, and even though he was far across the room, I could tell he wasn't going to live long.Maybe he stopped hitting Molly now just because he didn't have the strength to hit people anymore.Molly gestured for me to be quiet, and then disappeared behind the curtain between the store and the house, and I looked at the store. The place felt nice, not too big, but with higher ceilings than most of the shops and houses in Buckkeep.I think it's Molly's diligence that keeps the shop so tidy, full of the scents and soft lights of her trade.A candle was wrapped around each end of a wick, so that her wares hung in pairs from long wooden pegs on a shelf.Another shelf holds practical chunky candles for the store.There are even 3 oil lamps in glazed clay for those who can afford such things.In addition to the candles, I discovered that the store also had jars of honey, which was a logical by-product since she keeps several hives of bees in the back of the store to provide the beeswax for her best products. Then Molly reappeared, beckoning me over.She took a few candles and a few pieces of wood and walked to a table, put the things on the table, and then took a step back with her lips tightly pressed, as if wondering if she was doing it right. The wooden tablet is made in a traditional way. It is cut into simple wooden boards along the grain of the trees, sanded and smoothed, and the words and sentences are carefully written on the board, and then coated with a layer of yellow rosin to make the writing penetrate into the wood.There are 5 wooden tablets in total, with very beautiful handwriting, 4 of which described several recipes for making therapeutic candles in detail and accurately. I read it softly to Molly, and I could see that she was trying her best to memorize the content while listening.When it was the turn of the fifth piece, I hesitated. "This isn't a recipe." "Well, what's that?" she asked in a low voice. I shrugged and read to her. "'Today my daughter Molly" was born, she is as sweet and lovely as a bouquet.In order to relieve the pain of labor, when I gave birth to her, I lit two bayberry long candles, and two cup candles, which were made of two small violets that grew near Duowei Mill and a handful of chopped red roots. Made with incense.Hopefully she will do the same when she has a baby of her own, that her birth will be as smooth as mine, and that her baby will be as perfect as mine.I believe it will. '" That's all I wrote above. After I finished reading, the silence gradually grew and blossomed.Molly took the last tablet from me, and held it in both hands, staring at it, as if reading between the lines something I hadn't seen.I moved my feet, and the rustling sound reminded her that I was still here. She silently put away the five wooden tablets and disappeared behind the curtain. When she came back, she went quickly to the shelf and took two long beeswax candles, then took down two fat pink candles from another shelf. "I just need to—" "Shhh. I'm not charging you for any of these. These two candles from Wildberry Blossom will make you sleep soundly. I love the smell and I think you will too." Her voice Friendly, but when she puts something in my basket, I know she's waiting for me to go.She walked me to the door anyway, opening it gently so as not to wake her father. "Goodbye, newcomer," she said, and gave me a real smile. "Little Bouquet. I never knew she called me that. The kids on the street called me Painted Face, and I think the older kids heard her name for me and thought it was funny, and then they probably Totally forgot that my name wasn't Pinky. Well, I don't care, it's mine again now. My mother named me." "It suits you," I blurted out in a fit of gentlemanliness, and then She stared at me, my cheeks burned, and I hurried away from the store door. I was surprised to find that the afternoon was coming to an end, and it was almost night, so I rushed to buy the rest of the things.The last item on the list, weasel skins, I bought after begging for half a day outside a store through the closed sash, and the owner opened the door angrily, complaining that he couldn't eat dinner while it was hot , but I thanked him non-stop, he probably thought I was a bit stupid. I was hurrying down the steepest part of the road to the fort when I heard the sound of horses' hooves behind me.The horses had come from the docks of the city, and their riders were driving them furiously.This is outrageous.No one in the town kept horses, because the roads were too steep and rocky for horses to use, and the whole town was crammed into a small space, and horses were more vanity than convenience.So it must be a horse from the stables in the castle.I stepped over to the side of the road to see who had the audacity to risk Burrich's fury by riding so fast on such slippery and uneven gravel and in such dim light. I was horrified to discover that the two men riding Burrich's favorite and proudest pair of black horses were Regal and Verity.Regal carried an official staff with a plume in it, such a staff was carried by messengers to Buckkeep with messages of great importance.Seeing me standing silently by the side of the road, the two of them reined in the horse suddenly, the movement was so sudden and violent that the horse that Regal was riding slipped sideways and almost fell to his knees. "Burrich's going to freak out if you break that horse's knee!" I yelled, running towards him. Regal screamed, and after a moment Verity laughed at him loudly, but the laughter lingered. "You thought he was a ghost as much as I did. Come on, boy, you gave us a big jump, standing here without saying a word, and looking so much like him. Don't you think so, Regal?" "Verity, you are such an idiot. Don't talk nonsense." Regal yanked the bridle of the horse resentfully, and then straightened his jacket. "What are you doing down the road so late, little bastard? What the hell are you trying to sneak into town at this hour?" Regal always treated me with contempt, I'm used to it, but it's new for him to be so fierce with me, usually he just avoids me, or stands away from me, as if I were fresh compost.Surprised by his scolding, I replied quickly, "I'm going back to the castle, not out of it, my lord. I'm in town today to do some shopping for Federen." I held up my basket in proof. "Yes, of course." He sneered sarcastically. "That's true. What a coincidence of you, little bastard." He tossed the word at me again. I must have looked hurt and confused, because Verity snorted in his usual curt manner, "Don't mind him, boy. You just gave us both a jump. A riverboat just came into town." Come on, hang the flag that represents a special message, so Emperor Zun and I rode down, who knew it was someone sent by Patience, saying that Junqi was dead. Then we rode all the way up, and finally saw another one exactly like him The boy stood in front in silence, and of course it was easy for us to think—" "You're an idiot, Verity." Regal spat. "The king doesn't know the news yet, so you yell for the whole city to hear. Also, don't let this bastard think he looks like a horse, according to what I heard, He's got enough rambling ideas in his head, and it's all thanks to our dear father. Come on! We've got a message to go." Regal yanked the horse's bridle again to bring the horse's head up, and the spurs kicked forward.I watched him go, and I swear for a moment all I could think of was going around to the stables when I got back to the castle, and seeing how consumptive the poor horse's mouth was.But for some reason I looked up at Verity and said, "My father is dead?" He sat still on his horse.Although he is bigger and heavier than Regal, he still looks more stable and presentable when sitting on a horse. I think this is because of his military qualities.He looked at me in silence for a while and then said, "Yes, my brother is dead." That moment he gave me the acknowledgment that we were related, that he was my uncle, and I think my opinion of him has changed since then . "Come up and sit behind me, boy, and I'll drive you back to the castle," he suggested. "No, thank you. Burrich would have skinned me if I rode two horses on a road like this." "That's right, boy," Verity agreed graciously, and then said: " I'm sorry to hear you this way. I didn't think much of it just now. It just doesn't feel real." For a split second I caught a glimpse of his real grief, and he leaned forward and said to the horse After saying a word, the horse raised its hooves and ran forward.After a while, I was alone on the road again. Thin rain and fog began to fall from the sky, and the last ray of skylight disappeared, and I was still standing there.I looked up at the castle, its black silhouette against the starry sky, a little light here and there.For a moment I wanted to drop the basket and run away, into the dark, never to return.If I run away, will anyone come for me?I wonder.But I just switched the basket to the other arm and started slowly, hard, up the hill.