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“Spin wool?”
She hesitated.
Gil gave his head the slightest tilt, encouraging her to answer.
“I'm out of practice,” she said, opting not to bend the truth. “But again, with the right tools. And perhaps a bit of time to refresh my memory.”
“Hmm.” The woman sniffed. “No children?”
A furious blush heated Thea's cheeks. “We're newlyweds.”
“But we pray,” Gil added.
Her blush grew so bright, she suspected one could light a candle by touching it to her face.
The woman sniffed again. She had no stamp, but she produced a quill and a bottle of reddish-brown ink and penned something in both passports. “Light willing, then. I believe His Majesty will have you, but the final say is his. Your appointment will be one hour before the dinner bell.” She slapped the passports down on the counter and pushed them forward.
“Thank you,” Thea said with a frown. “But if the bell hasn't been rung, how will we know what time it is?”
The woman stared at her as if she didn't know what to say.
Gil swept the passports into his bag. “We'll just wait. Is there assigned seating for audience seekers?”
“The antechamber of the King's Hall. You will be asked for your appointment time. Tell them, and the steward will call for you when it's your turn.”
“Thank you.” He took Thea by the shoulders and steered her toward the door. “Oh, one last question. We came by horseback. Is there a stable where we may let our animals rest?”
“We haven't many horses,” the woman admitted. “So we haven't any facilities. Ask about the fort proper and you'll find someone to see to them, I'm sure.”
Gil nodded and urged Thea out the door.
She shrugged out of his grasp. Guiding her hadn't been a condescending action, but protective. Part of her relished it, but they didn't know what waited ahead. She had to convince him to focus elsewhere, to move onward without worrying about her. She welcomed his touch, but she would not become a distraction.
“Where do we go from here?” Rilion asked as Thea reclaimed her horse.
“We're supposed to ask around for somewhere to stable the horses. The clerk inside didn't know where they could be put.” Thea patted Molasses on the shoulder.
“I will walk around and inquire after somewhere they may be kept,” Gil said. “I will return shortly.”
Rilion snorted softly. “Try to temper your aristocratic tongue while you're at it.”
Gil said nothing and paced off across the rocky courtyard.
Thea gazed after him as he stopped to talk to person after person and explain what they were after. They couldn't just stand outside the clerk's office forever, so she drew her mare into a slow, easy walk. Rilion followed with the two horses he led. It wasn't as if they'd be hard to find. They were the only people with a team of horses.
“So,” she said after a time. “Should I call you Ril now?”
“People don't refer to each other by name very often,” he said dismissively.
“That wasn't what I asked.”
“I am aware of that. You may call me what you wish. I don't think my name is any hazard, even here. It's rather common.”
“So I've heard.” She turned her head. Gil was walking with someone now, headed toward what she assumed was a storage building of some sort. Surely they weren't to tie up the horses there.
Rilion volunteered no further information. It was just as well; they'd have to be mindful what they spoke of now.
They completed a circuit of the main courtyard before Gil returned with two young men trailing at his heels.
