The Robin And The Kestrel

'Thank you so much,' Robin replied, with a warm smile. 'I really appreciate your courtesy.'

She made her way past the next four stalls, still smiling, and paying no outward attention to the varied expressions of shock, amusement, and hostility the women there displayed. Interesting that there were only women in the market today. Perhaps the harvest was late.

Or perhaps the men did not consider market-day to be within their purview.

Now, Kestrel was no stranger to small villages or the behavior people who lived in them exhibited, particularly to outsiders, but the feeling here was_odd. By their clothing, by the condition of the buildings, and by the unused state of the road leading to Westhaven, this village was not exactly prospering. The women with stalls here should have been falling all over each other to attract the money Robin was so willingly spending.

But they weren't. The first woman had been actively hostile, and only the woman with the sausages seemed at all friendly_and that was simply because of the quarrel she had with the first stall-keeper. What was going on here?

The last stall held something they could actually use; some nice, freshly dug root-vegetables and two round, golden loaves of bread_obviously the last of a large baking, by the blank places on the cloth where they sat. 'Mother Tolley' behaved in the way Kestrel had expected_she was obviously pleased to see them and their coins, and was only too happy to sell them whatever they wanted. Robin chatted with her about the weather, the terrible state of the roads, revealed the fact that they had come from Birnam by way of Kingsford and that they were on their way to Gradford.

'My, how you've traveled! And you've been through Kingsford! Oh, I wish I could see it some day,' Mother Tolley said, brightly. 'I hear the Kingsford Faire is something to behold!'

'It is, indeed,' Robin replied, nodding. 'I have been there as a performer every year since I was a child of ten.'

'Truly?' Mother Tolley's eyes widened. 'What is it like? Is it as great as they say?'

Robin spread her hands wide. 'Absolutely hundreds of people attend the Faire, from Dukes to Guild Masters to every manner of peddler you can imagine. If there is anything in the world that can be sold, you'll find it at Kingsford Faire. All the best performers in the world come there, and the Holy Services at noon on Midsummer Day are beyond description.'

'All the world comes to Kingsford Faire.' Mother Tolley repeated the old cliche as solemnly as if she had made it up on the spot. 'Well, say, since you are so well-traveled, and a musician and all _' she hesitated a moment, then, with a sly glance at the other women, continued on '_ there was someone I knew once who had a hankering to go to the Kingsford Faire. It was a local child, with so many dreams_well, there aren't too many folk who believe in dreams, especially not here. I don't suppose you've ever heard tell of a fiddler girl named Rune?'

By now, Kestrel would have had to be a blind man not to notice how all the women, even those who were feigning indifference or displaying open hostility, were stretching their ears to hear Robin's reply to that question. And by the look in her eyes and the set of her jaw, Robin was about to give them more than they bargained for.

'Rune? Lady Lark?' she said brightly. 'Why, of course I have! Everyone in all of Rayden and Birnam knows all about Free Bard Rune! Why, she's the most famous Free Bard in two kingdoms except for Master Wren!'

Mother Tolley blinked. Apparently that was not precisely the response she had expected. Kestrel figured she had hoped to hear something good about Rune, but not this. 'Rune! Famous!' she said, blankly. 'Why, fancy that _'

But Robin wasn't finished, not by half. 'Oh, of course!' she continued, raising her voice just a little, to make certain everyone in the market got a good chance to hear. 'First there was her song about how she bested the Skull Hill Ghost_I don't think there's a musician in Rayden that hasn't learned it by now.'

'She_actually _' Mother Tolley was still trying to cope with the notion that Rune was famous.

'Oh, indeed! And she still has the Ghost's ancient gold coins to prove it!' Now Robin was getting beyond the truth and embroidering... and that made Kestrel nervous.

'Gold? The Ghost has gold?' That was one of the other women, her voice sharp with agitation.

'He did, but he gave it all to Rune, for her fiddling,' Robin said brightly. 'But that was just the beginning. Then she became an ally of the High King of the Elves for getting the better of one of the Elven Sires.'

'Elves?' said another, in a choked voice. 'She _'

Robin ran right over the top of her words. 'But of course, what really made her famous was that she won the hand of Master Bard Talaysen himself with her talent and her musical skill_in fact, she was the one who saved him from that Elven Sire she bested. He wedded her, and now the two of them are the Laurel Bards to the King of Birnam, King Rolend, not just Laurel Bards but his personal advisors _'