The Hidden Land

The Hidden Land by PAMELA DEAN Page A

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Authors: PAMELA DEAN
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did not mind that particularly, but he had a fleeting hope that everyone in the room would not do the same.
    “Stand up,” said Fence, kindly. Ted did; and remembering his instructions now, he backed to the far side of the stage. Randolph knelt and swore fealty to him, with a grim emphasis on the words “faith and truth” that made Ted shiver. Randolph must have sworn the same oath to William, but his hands between Ted’s were quite steady. Saying, “that I will requite,” Ted thought of the rose garden and shivered again.
    “Put thy mind at ease,” said Randolph before he kissed Ted; “all may yet be very well.” He dropped down from the front of the platform and joined the crowd.
    Benjamin swore next; he seemed delighted, which was comforting, if not understandable. Then people began coming out of the crowd. Ted was glad it had not been his task to figure out what order they should come in. For some time he did not know any of them: men, women, children his age and younger. He began to wonder what Randolph had meant by “useful age.” Most of them did not kiss him. In the midst of a group of girls who looked as if they would have liked to, Ruth showed up; she was grinning so hard she looked as if she might cry any minute. She did kiss him; the crowd chuckled a little. Over her bowed and braided dark head, Ted saw Randolph set his mouth, and wished she had not done it.
    After Ruth, more and more of the faces were familiar. Ted’s counselors—or William’s, really, he thought—began to show up, most of them with people Ted took to be their wives and children. Matthew, Celia, and a yellow-haired girl around Ellen’s age came together. She must be the notorious Margaret, and Matthew and Celia must be married. Ted felt like congratulating them, but restrained himself. He was getting a little light-headed. Andrew came and went, so quietly and gracefully that he was an insult, and Ted no longer found it hard to believe that he was Claudia’s brother. He looked for Claudia, but she did not come. Ellen came after Andrew, doing everything with a demure flourish that made Ted grin, and saying her oath as if she meant it, which made him nervous.
    Ted wondered where Laura was. Perhaps she was not of useful age, poor kid. Or maybe it wasn’t “poor kid.” She probably wouldn’t take kindly to swearing to obey him; she would be sure that he would take advantage of it when they were back home. And it would, in fact, be tempting. Ted felt a little cold. He should not have let Ruth and Ellen swear fealty to him. No one except Fence had mentioned any titles in the oath: it was just, “I, Ruth, do become your liege man”; and he had not accepted the oaths as King of the Hidden Land, but only as Edward.
    Walking very tall in his green tunic and white cloak, Ted’s cousin Patrick came up the room, knelt, and bowed his head—which, Ted noted, somebody had made him comb—and held his hand up for Ted’s.
    Ted caught him by the wrists and said in an urgent whisper, “Don’t do that!”
    Patrick looked up at him with the startled and irritated expression of someone who has been interrupted in the middle of a good book. “What?”
    “Stand up!” hissed Ted, pulling at him. He most emphatically did not want to be Patrick’s liege lord.
    Patrick got reluctantly to his feet. “What’s wrong?”
    “Shhh! I don’t want you doing this!”
    “I have to,” said Patrick, practically, just above a whisper. “It’ll look funny.”
    “I guess I can favor my younger brother if I want to.”
    “Younger brothers are usurpers,” said Patrick. “I don’t want to be poisoned for my own good.”
    Ted was furious. “Randolph wouldn’t do that.” He was acutely aware of Randolph and Benjamin, in the front of the crowd, staring.
    “It wouldn’t have to be Randolph.”
    “I don’t want you swearing fealty to me,” said Ted.
    “I’m swearing fealty to the King,” said Patrick, “and as long as you are King, I might

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