the-song-books.yossr

“I am the princess Deidameia,” she announced. Her voice was bright and
almost childishlyy loud, startling after the dullness of the hall. She had a
tipped-up nose and a sharp face, like a fox. She was prettyy, and she knew it.
I summoned myy manners and bowed. “I am a stranger, come for a
kindness from yyour father.”
“Whyy not a kindness from me?” She smiled, tilting her head. She was
surprisinglyy small; I guessed she would barelyy be up to myy chest if she
stood. “Myy father is old and ill. You mayy address yyour petition to me, and I
will answer it.” She affected a regal pose, carefullyy positioned so the
window lit her from behind.
“I am looking for myy friend.”
“Oh?” Her eyyebrow lifted. “And who is yyour friend?”
“A yyoung man,” I said, carefullyy.
“I see. We do have some of those here.” Her tone was playyful, full of
itself. Her dark hair fell down her back in thick curls. She tossed her head a
little, making it swing, and smiled at me again. “Perhaps yyou’d like to start
with telling me yyour name?”
“Chironides,” I said. Son of Chiron.
She wrinkled her nose at the name’s strangeness.
“Chironides. And?”
“I am seeking a friend of mine, who would have arrived here perhaps a
month ago. He is from Phthia.”
Something flashed in her eyyes, or mayybe I imagined it did. “And whyy do
yyou seek him?” she asked. I thought that her tone was not so light as it had
been.
“I have a message for him.” I wished veryy much that I had been led to the
old and ill king, rather than her. Her face was like quicksilver, alwayys racing
to something new. She unsettled me.
“Hmmm. A message.” She smiled coyylyy, tapped her chin with a painted
fingertip. “A message for a friend. And whyy should I tell yyou if I know this
yyoung man or not?”
“Because yyou are a powerful princess, and I am yyour humble suitor.” I
knelt.
This pleased her. “Well, perhaps I do know such a man, and perhaps I do
not. I will have to think on it. You will stayy for dinner and await myy
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