Paksworld

Just to return to where we are, sort of…

Location: Chaya, in Lyonya, the day after Kieri arrives.  He has gone to see his cohort in the inn where they’re housed.

“Well,” he said.  Their faces struck him to the heart. How many years he had led these soldiers up and down from his steading to Aarenis and back.  How many years they had followed his orders, fought his campaigns and won them.  And now…now he must hand them over to someone else.

But not just yet.  Now was the time to do what they expected, to reassure them–after a night alone in a strange city–that they were safe, that he still cared.  He walked along the lines, as at any inspection.

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#2:  Location: the palace in Chaya, during a fancy reception.   Kirgan Marrakai has been sent as Tsaia’s envoy; he’s very young and Kieri has noticed his attention straying to the women guests–and suggests he go dance with some.   Kieri knows the Marrakai family.

The kirgan shook his head. “No, my lord, please! I am not here to–to prance about with foreign women–“

“That’s what your father said, am I right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, when else will you have the chance? You’re a well-bred, mannerly young man; you won’t do anything stupid. Have your fun–meet them, talk to them. They know as well as you that it’s not serious.”

“But I’m supposed to be Mikeli’s envoy–“

“And you are, and I’ve accepted you as such. Now go enchant some of my younger subjects and keep them from making sheep’s eyes at me.”
………………………………..

Grump!  I would swear I handled the second snippet exactly the same way as the first, but the second was loaded with formatting code and the last lines are a different size and in a different font.   Both went through WordPad.