Page 65 of Fox of Fox Hall

“With money?” someone asked from the crowd, tonedripping with disdain. Fox thought it was Matlin Loriloft butdidn’t look away from Conall to find out.

“With freedom,” Fox explained faintly, knowingthat of the byr, only the knights would understand. “Money issecurity. Money means havingchoices. But you mustn’t.Conall, you need this and they will exaggerate this story or lie tomake me seem grasping and greedy.”

“The scandalous legend Fox,” Conall respondedevenly, as if he’d thought of that already too, “who blushed a rosypink while the Dragonslayer offered his heart to him before thecourt. Imagine the tales they will tell. I might be a fool, and youmight be scheming, and people will laugh. Or I might bepassion-struck and pining, and you might be sweetly flustered todiscover it, and people will sigh over this moment. Your name willlive on in songs long after you are gone, lovely. That, I can alsogive you.”

“I didn’t hear Fox ask for either of thesethings,” Domvoda observed, cutting.

It was a signal to the byr that they might saywhat they pleased, as it would have been a signal to Fox only a fewdays ago to be clever to amuse Domvoda. It might still have beenmeant as a signal to Fox, but Fox was slow to tear his gaze fromConall and slower still to think of anything but Conall showing Foxwhat love was.

Fox tried to summon the witty response expectedof him, but he was warm about the face and neck. “I didn’t ask forthem. That’s why Conall chose them. He’s a sly creature.” Fox’sheart beat too fast.

“Or the Fox grows even bolder,” someonesuggested, with echoes from the other byr. “The king is not enough,now he will have the Dragonslayer as well?”

“What will he get from whatever cock he jumps onnext?” That was asked with a whispered laugh that clearly intendedto be heard.

Fox dropped his gaze.

Domvoda looked to the speaker. Whatever he mighthave said, if anything, was lost when Conall put himself betweenFox and the rest of the room.

Fox raised his head but Conall’s back was tohim.

“Do no byr in this room respect whatpassion-struck means anymore?” Conall asked quietly, looking overthe crowd. When no one dared answer, he twisted around to addressDomvoda. “This is no place for me as it is, my king.Yourcourt is no place for me. Do you understand?”

Fox dropped the purse to the dais behind him andreached out.

A hiss from the dais stopped him though hisfingers were barely on Conall’s arm.

“What is the meaning of this display?” Domvodasilenced the room. His glare froze Fox in place. Fox was caughtwith his fingertips on Conall’s armor and the tip of his tailcurled around the tip of Conall’s.

Fox saw their tails and startled backward,nearly tripping on the edge of the dais as he used his hands topull his tail away.

Conall twisted toward him, his gaze lit fromwithin at the drag of their tails before they slid apart.“Fox.”

“Conall,” Fox answered weakly, as if hehad any kind of explanation for why he could never control his tailwhen Conall was near.

“First you make a scene,” Domvoda did not soundbored now, “then you cannot even keep your tails apart.Foxcannot keep his tail from yours.”

He bit the name out through his teeth.

Fox’s stomach quivered.

Conall looked at no one but Fox.

“I’m sorry,” Fox whispered, keeping his tailbehind his back. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

The light in Conall’s eyes grew brighter.“Ididn’t mean to embarrassyou,” he returned, as ifhe had been the cause of Fox’s inappropriate display. “I would haveyou as my mated one. Might not mated ones touch tails if theyplease?”

He continued to say things. Fox put his hands tohis face, although there was no hiding that he would have gone frompink to red. “Not in public,” he protested. Not even commonerstwined their tails together where others could see as Fox had done.“And we are not….” The words stuck in his throat. “That is, we havenot had a mating. You are still byr, Conall.”

“You said you did not dream of that.” Domvodawas close to snarling, or possibly actually snarling; Fox couldn’tturn from Conall to determine which. “That you had never imaginedbeing mine because you were not byr.”

“He didn’t dream of it because he didn’t know hecould,” Conall tossed over his crooked shoulder. “Tell him why sohe can dream of it now.”

“You presume.” Some of those watching this hadto be trembling to hear the open anger in Domvoda’s voice. Fox wasdistantly surprised thathewasn’t trembling. Conall gaveFox the look he used to soften painful truth, telling Fox to bebrave, so Fox tried to be.

Conall only actually looked at Domvoda after Foxtook a small breath.

“Explain why you didn’t tell him.” Conall didnot seem to care that he addressed the king. His tone was not coldor harsh, but he didn’t lower his voice or offer to speakprivately. “You gave him up. He assumed it was because you are byr,because you’re the king. Domvoda,” Conall finally spoke with somegentleness, “Fox doesn’t know you’re scared of him. He’s neverknown.”

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