Standing along the barrier fence of the tilting yard, the five of them were watching prince and future duke spar from horseback with blunted swords. Both men were laughing, and Ahern let out an exuberant «Aha!» as he scored a stinging hit on Richard's shoulder with the flat of his blade, much to Richard's consternation and delight.

Se smiled and nodded, watching every move of both men. «There's precedent. Over a century ago, there was a King of Gwynedd who mostly fought on horseback. Javan Haldane was his name. He was born with a clubbed foot, so he had to wear a special boot — which made him not very nimble when it came to swordplay on the ground, but on a horse, there were few who could match him. Mounted, his actual sword and lance work were excellent, and he was a superb bowman.

«Very sadly, none of that could save him, in the end. He was betrayed by his former regents, ambushed in the field. Archers shot his horse out from under him and then cut him down without mercy, along with two of his closest friends. I believe one of them was a distant cousin of yours, Lady Zoë».

«Charlan Kai Morgan», Zoë said, nodding quietly. «My father shares a middle name with him. I remember being taken to his grave when I was a child. He'd been King Javan's squire when he was still prince. He died at Javan's side, trying to defend him».

«Then your father is the latest in a long tradition of loyal Morgan service to the Haldanes, isn't he?» Jovett said admiringly. «Aside from Duke Richard, perhaps, I can't think of anyone I'd rather have at my back in a fight than Sir Kenneth. Well, maybe Se», he amended, with a teasing glance at the other young knight.

«Well, now that Ahern is making such an amazing comeback, we will make a rather formidable trio, won't we?» Se said easily.

All of them gasped as Ahern evaded a particularly deft maneuver on the part of Duke Richard and wheeled his mount for another pass.

«Would you look at that?» Jovett cried.

«It's all thanks to you and Se», Alyce said, unable to take her eyes from the field.

«No, it's all thanks to Ahern's determination», Se countered. «We simply encouraged him to do what only he could do — and we bullied him occasionally, in the beginning, when the frustration made him falter. But his recovery has been a result of his own hard work. A lesser man might have sat back with his leg propped up and rested on the laurels of his valor at Ratharkin. But just look at him!»

He gestured toward the field, where Ahern and Richard were engaged in an astonishing display of horsemanship, breathless with the sheer joy of partnership between rider and steed, wheeling their mounts and darting, feinting, neither ever managing to land a blow on the other.

«What more could one ask of any man?» Se went on. «Especially one who has answered the challenges he has done. And he is still only sixteen. What will he be two years from now? I have little doubt but that Richard will urge the king to grant him the accolade. On that day, you may be certain that Jovett and I shall be present».

They stayed but another day in Cynfyn before heading back for Rhemuth, arriving early in October. The children of the royal household all were thriving, especially the newest prince, but the choicest gossip stirring the queen's household was the news that the Lady Elaine, wed in June to the son of the Duke of Cassan, in distant Kierney, was expecting their first child the following May.

«Goodness, they didn't waste any time!» Alyce said, as she and Marie joined Vera in her room for a snack of cakes and ale, to share the news from Cynfyn. Since Zoë was also with them, and had not been told of Vera's true parentage, the three sisters took care to guard their speech.

«Well, Jared will be duke someday, so he needs to secure the succession», Vera said. 'The same could be said about your brother. I don't suppose his eye was caught by any of those pretty maids in Coroth?» she added, with a twinkle in her eye.

Alyce shook her head. «Not that I was aware of. He seems to have been far more focused on getting back his health — and he's succeeding marvelously!»

In ever-more-delighted detail, she described Ahern's dexterity on horseback, and his skill on the field with Duke Richard.

«We talked about little else on the way back from Cynfyn», she concluded. «Duke Richard was most impressed by how far he's come».

«It sounds like he'll receive his accolade after all, then», Vera said. «That's wonderful news. Now we just have to find him a lovely girl to be his future duchess. How about you, Zoë? Alyce, wouldn't you and Marie love to have Zoë for a sister?»

«I would», Marie said promptly.

Zoë blushed furiously, flattered by the compliment, but Alyce's smile of agreement had a more thoughtful cast to it. In fact, she had noticed Ahern watching Zoë more than once, when he thought no one was looking — and Zoë herself had seemed somewhat taken by the young earl, and certainly dazzled by his horsemanship and sheer determination.

«I would say that such a development is not beyond the realm of possibility», she allowed. «He did seem — attentive».

«Alyce!» Zoë protested, blushing even more.

«I predict nothing…», Alyce said, raising both palms in a protestation of innocence. «I merely comment on what I have noted, when neither of you thought I was watching. And I would be willing to bet that a letter from him will arrive before the month is out».

«Oh, you!..»

«No, you!» Alyce countered, as she glanced at Marie and Vera and the three of them pounced on Zoë for a bout of tickling that continued until all four of them were breathless with laughter.

«Oh, stop, stop!» Zoë begged. «You'll have Lady Jessamy in here, wondering what on earth is going on!»

Her caution was enough to deflate their brief digression into childishness, though all of them were grinning as they ranged themselves against the fat pillows piled at the head of the bed and caught their breath.

«How I do love all of you», Alyce murmured, when she had caught her breath enough to speak. «Promise me that we shall always be friends and sisters — regardless of who Zoë marries!»

«We promise», the others said in unison, taking Alyce's hands and joining them, clasped in their own.

«Friends and sisters forever!» Vera added. «No matter what happens».

Once returned to Rhemuth, the four friends settled quickly back into the routine of the court, now with Vera as a welcome part of their circle. Now relieved of some of the tutoring duties that previously had occupied her, Alyce found more of her time freed up to pursue her own interests, returning to her explorations or the royal library and in the scriptorium. And these were interests shared by Zoë.

During their absence in Cynfyn, the first returns had begun to trickle in from the king's commissioners of inquiry, and were being compiled by a battery of scribes and copyists now filling the chancery and several additional chambers in one of the garden wings. As she and Zoë became acquainted with the compilations now starting to take shape, and recognized the scope and importance of such a survey, the two of them began to conceive a fitting acknowledgement of the king's foresight in ordering such an undertaking.

«This really will be an incredibly useful document», Zoë said, when they had pulled out several scrolls from King Malcolm's commission of inquiry and compared selected entries against the current commission's findings.

«It will, indeed», Alyce agreed. She leafed through another packet of parchment scraps bundled together by baronies and townlands. «I wonder if the king might like to have a special, illuminated extract of the collated returns from some small area, perhaps with fine calligraphy and some illumination-nothing too ambitious. If we started right away, we perhaps could have it ready to present to him at Twelfth Night court».