Love And War (25 page)

The crowd cheered, but the priestess eyed both critically as they approached her.
Hollow-sky gave Riverwind a vicious glare, then stepped forward as Goldmoon extended her
hand to touch his forehead in blessing. But Hollow-sky grasped her fingers and pressed a
lingering kiss on them.

Though this was hardly customary, the crowd cheered again, laughing. There was, after all, that other aspect to these games - finding a
warrior worthy of courting their priestess/princess. Distressed, however, by the ardor in
Hollow-sky's gaze and still angered by the broken poles, the princess was determined to
show him no favor. She held her hand out to Riverwind to give him the same advantage.

Riverwind looked startled at the slender, graceful fingers before him. He took the hand as
though it were very fragile and turned it over, seeming uncertain as to what he should do.

“Well, Riverwind?” Goldmoon said, arching her eyebrows expectantly. Inside, the sudden
fear surged that, for religious reasons, this . . . peasant might refuse to kiss her, and
she would be embarrassed before the whole tribe.

“Perhaps he reads your palm, my princess,” Hollow-sky joked.

Goldmoon was instantly grateful to Loreman's son for breaking the silence and saving her.

“No,” Riverwind replied gravely. “That is not one of my skills.”

“What? You don't even see a long journey?” Goldmoon teased, though inwardly she was
growing just a little nervous - the warrior's grip on her wrist was now quite firm.

Riverwind's countenance grew more serious, though his smile never entirely left his lips.
“A journey you shall have, no doubt. And with my protection it will be a safe one. I
swear.”

Without turning her hand over he lifted it to his lips. Goldmoon's heart started pounding
as she felt him sniff at the scent on her wrist and then, very gently, kiss her palm. Long
after he released it and she lowered it to her side, she could feel Riverwind's warm
breath on her hand.

The Princess Goldmoon spent the remainder of the afternoon in the privacy of her lodge
while the rest of the tribe began celebrating in earnest - eating, drinking, dancing,
arguing, and brawling. The music filtered into her quarters, making the priestess wish
that she could join them, like any other young woman. She sat at her loom, but her shuttle
lay unmoving in her lap. Riverwind and Hollow-sky would be seated with her at the evening
feast, and she was anxious to know what further surprises they had in store for her.

Finally, her father sent a servant, signaling that it was time for the priestess to dine
with the tribe.

A flute and a drummer accompanied her entrance to the torchlit feasting grounds, where she sat at her father's right. The two chosen warriors
then entered as the tribe sang a victory song in their honor. They sat opposite her.
Goldmoon rose and, with a quick wary glance at Riverwind, invoked a blessing over the
food. If the shepherd/warrior objected, he gave no sign. Then the feast began.

Goldmoon hadn't eaten more than two bites, however, before Hollow-sky rose and begged
leave to speak.

“I have a gift to present to you, Princess, in honor of this day,” he announced.

As the young man spoke, his father, Loreman, walked proudly toward the head table. He wore
a ceremonial cloak decorated with feathers, and he was carrying a heavy, ornate leather
book.

Loreman lay the book on the table beside Goldmoon, saying, “It has taken me many long
hours to complete this work. It is a history of the generations of Que-shu since the great
Cataclysm three hundred years ago. I have condensed many old writings and made them into
one book. The last page, you will see, describes the events of this very day. It is for
all the people of our tribe to read, but we give it into the care of the princess, and
hope she is the first to read it.”

There were many murmurs of appreciation from the people seated at the tables near the
royal family. A book was a rare thing, and the gift was completely unexpected, especially
coming, as it did, from Loreman, who was not noted for his generosity. Goldmoon ran her
hand along the smooth cover, delighting in its texture.

Hollow-sky leaned over the table, placing his hand over her own. “Read it carefully,
Princess,” he whispered.

Goldmoon wanted very dearly to see this last page. She wondered if Loreman had anticipated
his two sons winning today's contests, and if he had had to rewrite it. Hawker, seated at
his father's table, did not accept defeat graciously, and did not bother to hide his
scowl. Goldmoon was suddenly very pleased that Riverwind had defeated him.

“We had best keep it from harm by storing it in your lodge right away,” her father
suggested, and he abruptly whisked the book out of her possession.

“Perhaps she would prefer to leave it on display or to look at it further,” Loreman argued.

“Forgive my haste, Loreman, but it may rain, and we would not want it damaged,” Arrowthorn
replied in a tight, sharp voice.

The two men stared at each other in an obvious contest of wills, but a moment later the
historian deferred with a bow and returned to his own table. Arrowthorn summoned some of his own men to convey the book to his daughter's lodge. Goldmoon, anxious to cover the moment's strain, called for the musicians to play. Her father, too, recognized the need for distraction and bid
them, “Play a merry tune, to whet the people's appetite for dancing so that they might not
overeat.”

Laughing at the chieftain's joke, the people began to feast in earnest. Goldmoon noted
that Riverwind had a hearty appetite, if not the most dainty table manners. Hollow-sky, on
the other hand, though well-trained in what passed for courtly graces among the Que-shu,
picked sulkily at his meal.

Less than half an hour into the meal, young people began to rise from their tables to
dance. Goldmoon felt a momentary twinge of envy at their freedom and knew that the emotion
had shown on her face when Riverwind asked, “Would you like to dance?” Once again he gave
her that warm smile.

Hollow-sky quickly interjected, “Chieftain's Daughter does not dance. But then an infidel
shepherd could not be expected to know her as well as a longtime family friend. Perhaps a
short walk would suit better,” he added, holding out his arm for her to take.

Goldmoon gritted her teeth. It was true that she did not dance. If she were to grow
winded, it would be another reminder to her subjects of her mortality, something her
father objected to. But Arrowthorn had left the meal early to throw the bones with his
generals, and since he was free to indulge in the vice of gambling, Goldmoon could not see
what harm there could be in one little dance. There was another reason, as well. She was
determined to show Hollow-sky that he could not make her decisions for her.

“Chieftain's Daughter does dance, she just does not always choose to do so,” Goldmoon
replied coldly. “She chooses to dance now with Riverwind. Later she chooses to walk with
Hollow-sky, for she has a few things to say to him.”

“Alas, lady, but I must rest early tonight if I'm to be a good guardian in the morning,”
Hollow-sky objected. “Then rest well, Hollow-sky,” Goldmoon remarked shrugging. Abruptly, she took Riverwind's arm and moved toward the dancers.

Actually, Goldmoon had NEVER danced in public before. Humming the music, she had practiced in the privacy of her lodge, doing as many of
the steps as she could recall seeing. But REALLY dancing was quite different. As Riverwind
led her away from the tables, she began to stiffen.

A calloused but gentle finger ran down the inside of her forearm, startling her into
looking up at her partner. “The musicians want to know what dance you choose,” Riverwind
said softly.

“Please, choose for me,” Goldmoon whispered back urgently.

“Something simple enough for my great, clumsy feet,” he joked.

Goldmoon looked up into his blue eyes. He knows, she thought, that at this I am not
infallible, yet he is kind enough to cover for me.

Riverwind untied the long, burgundy sash at his waist and held it above his head with a
great flourish. “The princess chooses 'Tiger-hunt,'” he announced loudly.

Goldmoon relaxed. Tiger-hunt was a reel. Very simple. She noted Hollow-sky's sister,
Ravenhair, smiling weakly at her, obviously vexed. But for Goldmoon, Ravenhair had the
highest standing among the women of the tribe. She would have led the dance if the
princess had remembered her place and stayed off the dance ground.

The high staccato notes of the flutes pierced the air as Goldmoon took her place a few
paces behind Riverwind. Riverwind stamped his foot and tossed one end of the sash behind
him. Goldmoon echoed the stamp with a lighter patting of her foot, just short of the
sash's end. Riverwind walked a few steps forward, pulling the sash in a teasing manner, a
hunter baiting a tigress.

Goldmoon pounced forward and scooped up the end of the sash in one graceful motion. She
gave it a tug and Riverwind spun on his heel to face her. The hunter's look was in his
eyes again, and the torchlight glittering in his blue irises made them appear red. Holding
the sash between them, the shepherd and the princess circled one another, Goldmoon
entranced by those eyes.

She had always found this dance a little silly, and never understood its popularity. It
seemed better suited to children's play. Yet, as Riverwind fell to one knee and she spun
about him at the end of the sash, she suddenly understood the dance's true meaning.

Riverwind gave a tug, and Goldmoon began spinning toward him, winding herself into the
sash. As soon as she was within his reach, Riverwind caught hold of her and pulled her self-tied form down to
his knee. With his arm wrapped about her, it seemed to Goldmoon that Riverwind was not as
large as her father, but there was no doubt he was powerful, at the height of his manhood.

There was a pause in the music, and Goldmoon became aware that all about them young men
were taking the opportunity to snatch kisses from their “helpless” partners. Her heart
beat with anticipation. With a flick of her tongue, Goldmoon moistened her lips, but
Riverwind held her stiffly, his eyes averted from her face, staring out into the starlit
night.

Though his face was stem, Goldmoon could tell that he was breathing more heavily than the
dancing's pace warranted, and with her arm pressed against his naked chest, she could feel
his heart pounding.

Goldmoon leaned closer. Riverwind's breathing quickened. He started to turn his face
directly to hers when the flute trilled without warning and the dance resumed.

Riverwind and all the other “hunters” gave a tug on their sashes, sending the “tigresses”
spinning outward like tops. In a flurry of laughter and bright-colored clothes, each woman
shifted around the next man.

“I'll have that flute player flogged!” Goldmoon muttered to herself as she smiled politely
at her new partner, Hartbow, Watcher's son. They repeated the same silly pantomime with
his blue sash. Hartbow's eyes were blue, too, but the light did not catch them the way it
had Riverwind's, and Hartbow's look was not very predatory. He, too, took no liberty with
her as she sat, bound up, on his knee, but smiled shyly at her.

It was the same with all the rest of her partners. Some, she sensed, would have kissed her
if they'd had more nerve. Hollow-sky would certainly not have hesitated, but he had not
stayed for the dance. Still, she found herself irritated that no other Que-shu warrior had
the courage to touch his lips to her own. No one had even held her as closely as Riverwind
had.

“Is Riverwind kissing his other partners?” she wondered curiously. “Does he watch them
with the same hunter's look?” It was impossible to sneak a peek at him, though, and still
pay attention to what she was doing. The pauses in the music and the uneasiness of her
partners became more unbearable. Embarrassed and frustrated, she vowed silently not to
wait until her wedding night for a kiss. . . .

Then Goldmoon was once again only one partner away from Riverwind. He danced with Ravenhair. They held each other as aloofly as possible.
Goldmoon understood that Ravenhair resented Riverwind's defeat of her brother, Hawker. But
whether her escort had been so distant with all his other partners, the princess could not
know.

The last repeat to the dance came with all the original couples together. Goldmoon studied
the lines of Riverwind's back and legs, not truly paying much attention to the sash he
snaked in front of her, so she was a little late diving for it. But when he tugged, she
had a firm grip and tugged back with equal ferocity.

He looked just a little surprised, which made her smile, and if she could have seen
herself, she would have recognized the tigress in her eyes. She spun about him, pulling
hard, watching his muscles strain to hold onto the sash. Then she twirled herself into his
arms. Bound, sitting on his knee with his arms about her, she realized that he was as much
a prisoner as she, hardly able to dump his princess on the ground before the whole tribe.
The tigress had won.

Placing her arms around Riverwind's neck, Goldmoon pulled his head toward her and pressed
her soft lips against his, just as she'd seen the others do but as she'd never done
herself.

Riverwind's arms tightened about her, and he kissed her back with a passion that sent an
unexpected thrill of pleasure through her body. His mouth tasted of the sweet fruit they'd
eaten at dinner, and his bare arms were warm against her sweat-cooled flesh. Suddenly he
pulled his head away from hers, as though he had just realized he was kissing Chieftain's
Daughter before the entire tribe. His face flushed darkly as he heard murmurs and giggles.

Goldmoon, breathing hard, spun out of his sash without his help. She turned abruptly and
walked from the dance ground, leaving her partner behind as the music diminished.

Her father, standing at the edge of the crowd, watched her approach. But before he could
begin to chide her, Goldmoon raised her chin and announced, “I go now to my lodge to pray
for a safe journey to the resting place of my ancestors. Good night, my chieftain.” She
kissed him gently on his cheek and walked past him. Suddenly he didn't seem so very much
larger than Riverwind. For that matter, Riverwind did not seem quite so overpowering
either.