tow-haired upstart has become almost a part ofour House; even taking upon himself some of the duties of one born tothe blood.Butnot the privileges I trust, Tyrde murmured. Surely, Rohyrdidnt go so far. He didnt, Imcael grudgingly conceded.Well, save for that damnable earring. Tyrde studied Lassen,noting the gold earring set with diamond and heartsfire that hungfrom his ear. In contrast, Tyrde flaunted the white-silver,adamant-adorned earringofan Ardis in addition to his binding ring.Heisnt wearing it now, he remarked. And he has attired himselfquite simply for a royal feast. Methinks hes taken pains to avoidupstaging me. Quite commendable.Areyou defending him? Imcael asked in surprise.Ofcourse not. Im only pointing out that hes apparently willing touphold the dictates of duty and protocol. Perhaps I may findsomething there to work on.Workon?Toconvince him to leave royal service. Rohyr may prove difficult topersuade, but what of his leman?Imcaelregarded him with some amazement. Verily, I never considered that.But I advise you to proceed with caution. Hes no creduloushalfwit. And you must be wary of Rohyr as well. Neither you nor Icould withstand a breaching of our shields were he resolved to knowour minds.Iwont give him cause to read my thoughts, Tyrde assured him.Trust me, my lord. You will have a say in the rule of Ylandre evenif you dont wear the crown.TheHerun frowned. Have a care what you say, Tyr-min.Rohyrs intimates wont hesitate to bring word to him of anysuggestion of treachery.Treachery?I merely implied that I would ensure you returned to your position ofeminence at court. Surely no one can fault me for desiring to recallmy sire from exile.Imcaelpursed his lips. Still, tread softly. You have no allies atcourt.Asyet, Tyrde agreed. Rest assured, I shant waste time makingthem. His eyes wandered to Rohyr who was speaking with guests fromthe Province of Fenycia. Starting with my dear spouse. Hes evenmore beautiful than I remember. Coupling with him will be no hardshipat all.Imcaelhad to smile. And youll not want for a skilled lover either ifthe gossip Ive heard is true.Illknow for myself this very night, Tyrde smirked. And helllearn the vast difference between a spouse and a mere leman, headded, pointing his chin in Lassens direction.Seeingthe hard look in Tyrdes eyes, Imcael suddenly felt a twinge ofsympathy for Lassen. Whence it stemmed, he did not know but it wasunusual for him to feel anything that remotely resembled compassionfor Rohyrs lover. He regarded his son, then looked at Lassenagain, confused by the emotion, fleeting though it was.Meanwhile,the time for the consummation rite came too quickly for Rohyr. Heforced a smile as he rejoined Tyrde and took his hand to lead him outof the hall to a spate of bawdy cheers led by Mahael and Ronuin. IfTyrde noticed that his cousins were a tad more restrained, he did notshow it but beamingly followed Rohyr, displaying his elation at theprospect of bodily union with his handsome spouse.Justbefore he left the hall, Rohyr looked for Lassen. He spotted himstanding a little behind Dylen and Tenryon, doing his best not towatch Rohyr leave with Tyrde. Rohyr silently called to him but Lassenwould not meet his gaze. Or