Elantris

'We each have our own way of dealing with death, sule,' Galladon whispered. 'The rumors say Aanden's insanity was a conscious decision. They say that after being thrown into Elantris he looked around and said, 'There's no way I can face this sane.' After that, he declared himself Baron Aanden of Elantris and began giving orders.'

'And people follow him?'

'Some do,' Galladon whispered with a shrug. 'He may be mad, bur so is the rest of the world-at least, to the eyes of one who's been thrown in here. Kolo? Aanden is a source of authority. Besides, maybe he was a baron on the outside.'

'He wasn't. He was a sculptor.'

'You knew him?'

'I met him once,' Raoden said with a nod. Then he looked back at Galladon with inquisitive eyes. 'Where did you hear the rumors about him?'

'Can we move back first, sule?' Galladon requested. 'I'd rather not end up a participant in one of Aanden's mock trials and executions.'

'Mock?'

'Everything's mock but the axe.'

'Ah. Good idea-I've seen all I needed to.'

The two men moved back, and as soon as they were a few streets away from the university, Galladon answered Raoden's question. 'I talk to people. sule; that's where I get my information. Granted, the great majority of the city's people are Hoed, but there're enough conscious ones around to talk with. Of course, my mouth is what got me in trouble with you. Maybe if I'd kept it shut I'd still be sitting on those steps enjoying myself, rather than spying on one of the most dangerous men in the city.'

'Perhaps,' Raoden said. 'But you wouldn't be having half as much fun. You'd be chained to your boredom.'

'I'm so glad you liberated me, sule.'

'Anytime.'

Raoden thought as they walked, crying to decide on a plan of action should Aanden ever come looking for him. It hadn't taken Raoden long to adjust to walking on Elantris's uneven, slime-covered streets; his still painful toe was a wonderful motivator. He was actually beginning to regard the dun-colored walls and grime as normal, which bothered him much more than the city's dirtiness ever had.

'Sule,' Galladon eventually asked. 'Why did you want to see Aanden? You couldn't have known you'd recognize him.'

Raoden shook his head. 'If Aanden had been a baron from the outside, I would have known him almost immediately.'

'You're certain?'

Raoden nodded absentIy.

Galladon was silent for a few more streets, then spoke with sudden understanding. 'Now, sule, I'm not very good with these Aons you Arelenes hold in such esteem, but unless I'm completely wrong, the Aon for 'spirit' is Rao.'

'Yes,' Raoden said hesitantly.

'And doesn't the king of Arelon have a son named Raoden?'

'He did.'

'And here you are, sule, claiming to know all the barons in Arelon. You're obviously a man with a good education, and you give commands easily.' 'You could say that.' Raoden said.

'Then, to top it all off, you call yourself 'Spirit.' Pretty suspicious. Kolo?' Raoden sighed. 'I should have picked a different name. eh?'

'By Doloken, boy! You're telling me you're the crown prince of Arelon?'

'I was the crown prince of Arelon, Galladon,' Raoden corrected. 'I lost the title when I died.'

'No wonder you're so frustrating. I've spent my entire life trying to avoid royalty. and here I end up with you. Burning Doloken!'

'Oh quiet down.' Raoden said. 'It's not like I'm really royalty-it's been in the family for less than a generation.'

'That's long enough, Galladon said sullenly.

'If it helps, my father didn't think I was fit to rule. He tried everything to keep me from the throne.'

Galladon snorted. 'I'd be scared to see the man Iadon found fit to rule. Your father's an idiot-no offense intended.'

'None taken,' Raoden replied. 'And I trust you'll keep my identity secret.' Galladon sighed. 'If you wish.'

'I do. If I'm going to do any good in Elantris, I need to win followers because they like what I'm doing. not because they feel a patriotic obligation.' Galladon nodded. 'You could have at least told me, sule.'

'You said we shouldn't talk about our pasts.'

'True.'

Raoden paused. 'Of course, you know what this means.'

Galladon eyed him suspiciously. 'What?'

'Now that you know who I was, you have to tell me who you were. It's only fair.'

Galladon's response was long in coming. They had almost arrived at the church before he spoke. Raoden slowed his walk, not wanting to break off his friend's narration by arriving at their destination. He needn't have worried…

Galladon's declaration was brief and pointed.

'I was a farmer,' he said curtly.

'A farmer?' Raoden had been expecting something more.

'And an orchard-keeper. I sold my fields and bought an apple farm because I figured it would be easier-you don't have to replant trees every year.' 'Was it?' Raoden asked. 'Easier, I mean?'

Galladon shrugged. 'I thought it was, though I know a couple of wheat farmers that would argue with me until the sun set. Kolo?' The larger man looked at Raoden with an insightful eye. 'You don't think I'm telling the truth about my past. do you?'

Raoden smiled, spreading his hands before him. 'I'm sorry, Galladon, but you just don't seem like a farmer to me. You have the build for it, but you seem too…'

'Intelligent?' Galladon asked. 'Stile, I've seen some farmers with minds so sharp you could have used their heads to scythe grain.'

'I don't doubt that you have,' Raoden said. 'But, intelligent or not, those types still tend to be uneducated. You are a learned man. Galladon.'

'Books. stile, are a wonderful thing. A wise farmer has time to study, assuming he lives in a country such as Duladen, where men are free.'

Raoden raised an eyebrow. 'So, you're going to hold to this farmer story?' 'It's the truth, stile,' Galladon said. 'Before I became an Elantrian, I was a farmer.'

Raoden shrugged. Perhaps. Galladon had been able to predict the rain, as well as do a number of other eminently practical things. Still, it seemed like there was something more, something he wasn't ready to share yet.

'All right.' Raoden said appreciatively. 'I believe you.'

Galladon nodded curtly, his expression saying he was very glad the matter was settled. Whatever he was hiding, it wouldn't come out this day. So. instead, Rao-den took the opportunity to ask a question that had been bothering him since the first day he came into Elantris.

'Galladon,' he asked, 'where are the children?'

'Children, sule?'

'Yes, if the Shaod strikes randomly, then it should strike children as well as adults.'

Galladon nodded. 'It does. I've seen babes barely old enough to walk get thrown in those gates.'

'Then where are they? I only see adults.'

'Elantris is a harsh place, sule,' Galladon said quietly as they strode through the doors to Raoden's broken- down church. 'Children don't last very long here.'