Exile's Honor

'And he has to know how to fill in when the man to his side falls,' Dethor seconded grimly. 'Alberich's right, Talamir. We haven't had a King go into combat in—glory!—over a century. More, I think; I never was much good at history. We haven't had a battle guard in all that time. I don't know the strategy except from books.'

'But trained the Sunsguard is, for such a thing,' Alberich told them. 'Sunpriests, Red Robes, and Archpriests and Hierophants we must guard, if not the Son of the Sun—for into the vanguard they will go. When know you Sendar's battle guard, to me send them. Selenay's battle guard, I will choose. And Selenay's battle guard and bodyguard, I will lead. Remain here, I will not.' He was slightly appalled to feel his spirits rising a little at the prospect of a fight at last, and something he could do. Action, rather than sitting.

But that was just it, really; it was a fight at last. No one could deny him his right to be in the thick of it now. He would be the leader of Selenay's battle guard; no one could stop him now.

'So far as the Palace Guard members are concerned, I would just as soon that you chose for both Sendar and Selenay,' Talamir said thoughtfully. 'You are the best judge of them, since you work with them all the time.'

'Then, not solely Palace Guard it will be, but City, too.' He honestly didn't think that there would be enough men in the Palace Guard who were young and fit enough to supply what he wanted for two sets of bodyguards. And that wasn't being snide either—so many of the Palace Guard had resigned their posts to serve down South that men who had retired had come out of retirement to fill their places. Those old men were perfectly fit to stand indoor guard duty at a door; if their reflexes were a little slower than in their youth, they had a world of experience to take the place of fast reflexes. They might even be good enough to fight with the army as a whole. But they couldn't march like younger men, couldn't run like younger men, and hadn't the stamina that was needed for this job.

'Whatever, whomever you want,' Talamir told him. 'I'll see to it that you get it. Or him.'

'Or her. She-Heralds and she-Guards for Selenay, can I get them, half and half with men,' said Alberich, and grinned fiercely to see the surprise on both their faces. 'Tcha! Think, you! No thanks from the Princess, would there be, for clumsy men in her tent trampling. And with her, they must be sleeping! And follow her other elsewheres, that a man should not go!'

'You mean to guard her that closely?' Talamir asked, his face reflecting an interesting mix of shock and approval.

'One man, with a knife, all our efforts can overset,' he pointed out to them. 'Sendar your charge is, Talamir. Selenay is mine. And, say I, guarded she will be in every moment of every night and day. Battle guard there will be, but also bodyguards, will she, nil she, waking and sleeping.'

He did not say that he expected Sendar would rebel over being so closely watched and would disregard anything Talamir had to say on the subject. But Selenay would listen and obey his orders once he'd explained them, thanks be to the One God. She wouldn't like them, but she'd obey them.

Unlike her father, she could not disregard orders. He could and would have her tied up and locked into a secure tower if he had to. He hoped it wouldn't come to that, but at the moment, he thought he could count on her good sense. Especially when she saw her father being less than sensible.

Tcha. All it takes for a youngling of that age is to see the parent doing one thing, and it is certain they will try and do the opposite. How refreshing to have youthful rebellion working for him instead of against him! And perhaps, when Sendar saw his daughter being sensible, he would be shamed into sense as well. Not likely, but he could hope.

'You'll want Heralds Keren and Ylsa,' Talamir said thoughtfully. 'Neither of them will be in the least impressed with rank and birthright; they saw Selenay as a first-year Trainee and helped me whip her into shape.'

'Women there are in the City Guard as well—' And he couldn't help the wry smile. 'Locasti Perken, Berda Lunge, and Haydee Dellas.' His spirit rose a little at the thought of recruiting those three to his bodyguard. Selenay would have to be a deal older and craftier before she could outwit or overawe them.

Dethor raised an eyebrow. Talamir chuckled. 'Oh, I believe I know those names,' the King's Own said, matching Alberich's smile. 'They have night patrol around the Compass Rose and Virgin and Stars, don't they?'

'And just last week frog-marched young Lord Realard back to his father, then delivered a lecture to the old man that fair pinned his ears back,' Dethor said, with a nod. 'Or so I heard.'

'Correctly, you heard. Impressed with rank, they are not, either.' Two Heralds, three City Guards, that made five, and with the addition of a Palace Guardswoman who came to his practices who was called Lotte—if she had a surname, he'd never heard it—that would give him two women at Selenay's side at all times. That would do for close bodyguards; for her battle guards, and Sendar's, he'd want another ten or a dozen. Twenty or twenty-four good fighters; he'd have to think long and hard about who....

'These, I need—' he said, rattling off the names; Talamir nodded. '—those six at once. Special training, will they need. The rest, from Palace and City Guard, I will make a list.'

'Have it to me in a candlemark,' Talamir said, getting to his feet. 'Send it by page. I'll have Sendar sign on it.