Page 31 of Fox of Fox Hall

Fox, who hadn’t asked her to explain herpresence, nodded politely anyway. Byr Shine continued to chat,rather open in nature… or pretending to be.

“I’ve yet to see the capital, so this is myfirst experience with court life. Not that I mean to imply anythingby saying that,” Byr Shine added quickly, her tail all over theplace. “I’m just getting used to it. I trained to be a knight. Bookstudies and people matters I left to my brother or Falnya.”

“People matters,” Fox echoed faintlybefore looking up at her. Knights tended to be tall and the oneswho weren’t broad managed to seem so even when barely dressed. “Inormally wouldn’t dream of offering advice to a byr,” he pausedthere, expecting a haughty sniff or a rude remark, and got wideyellow-brown eyes fixed eagerly on him, “but if you want to do wellat court, or at least want Byr Falnya to do well, you should learnthat telling strangers your secrets can be dangerous.”

Byr Shine gawked at him. “Secrets?”

“Consider everything you are feeling andthinking to now be a secret.” Fox smiled but it was bitter.“Especially when around other byr at court, or anyone who mightserve them. It is… not a friendly place, although of course, I amnot byr, so perhaps I shouldn’t speak for you. Additionally,” hecleared his throat, “did they teach you tail positions when youwere brought up? Because they use them here and in thecapital.”

Byr Shine seemed to have trouble swallowing hersecond egg. “Didyoulearn tail positions growing up?”

Fox picked at the last of his bread beforeanswering. “I am not byr and I did not grow up in the capital.”

“You said no telling secrets,” Byr Shinereminded him and actually seemed serious about it.

Fox rolled his eyes. “That is no secret. Youwill hear that information whenever my name is mentioned. You don’tneed to act as if you don’t know the gossip, although thank you fortrying to be polite about it.”

Knights were byr, but they did seem to havetheir own rules of behavior.

Or Byr Falnya had sent her to try to learn moreabout Fox. Fox sighed, all his energy from his good sleep and goodfuck rapidly disappearing.

“I do know the gossip,” Byr Shine admitted,moving on to the rest of her food like a starving horse, which washow knights always seemed to eat. They could not be fed enoughhere. “Everyone does. We’d heard the stories even before the royalhousehold sent out feelers about fertiles in the family. Then ofcourse, after that, our parents demanded to know all of thestories.”

Fox wasn’t certainhewould want to hearall of them. Probably not. He was not the first lover Domvoda hadhad and wasn’t the last either, but he got most of the infamy.

“That’s what made it funny to see you,” ByrShine went on, ignoring all of Fox’s advice. “Oh, not that Ilaughed! I was far too nervous even though I knew I wouldn’t beexpected to really talk to anyone. The king, the Dragonslayerhimself, then you. I’m not like Falnya. Every thought went rightout of my head.”

Fox looked at her again, disbelieving. He couldhave said many things, but instead took an egg from his plate andhanded it to her. “Did Byr Falnya request that you accompanyhim?”

Byr Shine bobbed her head as she ate the newegg. “Oh, yes. He knew I wanted to try my hand at the King’sTournament. It was a kindness, although I expect I shall lose myevents. If I’m fortunate enough to return next year, I willhopefully do better. By then, I might be used to the court and theking—and Byr Conall—watching me, and my nerves will havecalmed.”

She’d seemed calm enough the other night whendemonstrating her skills for the court, but Fox wouldn’t have knownif she hadn’t been. He’d have to ask Conall.

“And that made it funny to see me?” Fox tried tofollow, he really did.

“The King’s Clever Fox,” Byr Shine said thenickname with hushed awe. “In some stories, he saw you on thestreet and was captivated.” Fox snorted. Byr Shine actually seemeddisappointed at that reaction, but not for long. “In others, he canbarely leave your side.” Fox’s tail dropped with his shock; he’dnever heard that one, although it was blatantly untrue. “But in allthe stories you are beautiful and talented and smart. And youare; I just didn’t expect the stories to be true. But at thesame time, you’re smaller than I thought, and mostly you playmusic—which you do wonderfully, though I’ve no ear for song. But Ithought you’d be reading or saying witty things all the time. Andyou sleep amongst the knights, not with the king, and—oh, Ishouldn’t have said that.”

Possibly a deliberate mistake, the kind of thingbyr did to be catty. Fox stared into her wide eyes and wonderedabsently if Byr Falnya had truly brought Byr Shine here for thetournament or because it was reassuring to have someone around whowas not good at lying.

“My point is,” Byr Shine insisted with a hint ofstubborn determination, “that you aren’t from the court either, butyou don’t have any nerves to get in your way. Which was funny to mebecause I am byr and an invited guest and yet I’m nothing butnerves. You don’t seem intimidated at all.”

Fox handed her his last egg. He gave himself amoment, then another one, before shaking his head. “If you wantwise words about rising above fear, you will need to talk to one ofthe more experienced knights. If you want gossip or usefulinformation, I don’t have any for you. And you’ve already ignoredwhat advice I’ve given you.” The wrinkled brow in response to thismade Fox sigh, just a little. “But I understand what you mean aboutthe court, and the king, and Byr Conall. I’d heard of him longbefore I ever saw him.” The king too, but ‘king’ was an idea. Thereweresongsabout Conall, several of them.

Byr Shine was eyeing the rest of Fox’s plate asthough the kitchens were not still directly behind them. “Were youintimidated?”

Fox had been terribly intimidated. But he wasn’tabout to admit that to anyone, let alone a suspiciously friendlyknight who did not know what discretion was.

“The Song of the Dragonslayerwas one ofthe first songs I played for audiences when I got a lute of myown,” Fox murmured. “My original lute,” he added. “Serviceable andbarely dinged up. Cost me what I considered a fortune in thosedays. But I was not even twenty then,” not even close, “and had yetto walk to the capital.”

Byr Shine gasped with some revelation. “How longago was that? Am I older than you? I expect I must be. That’s funnytoo. From the stories, I would have thought you’d be the king’sage. But you’re not, are you? He’s got a decade on you atleast.”

“I am twenty-five,” Fox informed her crisply,although that was more of a guess. Twenty-four or twenty-three werealso possible. The families who had taken him in after his parents’deaths had been concerned with more things than remembering theyear of Fox’s birth, and Fox had always been small.

“A decade at least,” Byr Shine said again,clucking her tongue. “I’m strugglingnow. I can’t imaginebeing here on my own at twenty-two or so.”

“I’m always on my own,” Fox muttered.

Byr Shine gave up lusting after Fox’s plate togive him a puzzled frown. “But Byr Conall speaks highly of you, soyou must have gotten over being frightened of him.”

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