The Heirs of Hammerfell (13 page)

"As well as I know my own sons," said Lord Valentine, looking searchingly at Conn.

"Now I look closely at you, I can see little differences; your walk is somewhat different than his, and your eyes are set a little differently in your face. But you are very much like him indeed." Valentine's face was lit with excitement, "Tell me why you have come to Thendara, then, Conn―if I may call you so, as a kinsman."

He stepped forward then arid took the younger man into a kinsman's embrace, saying,

"Welcome to my house and my home, my dear boy."

Conn blinked; to find an affectionate kinsman, where he had expected to find a stranger, was a shock, though not an unpleasant one.

"You spoke of my mother―she is living near here, then?"

"To be sure; I dined at her house but last night," said Lord Valentine, "and even before you tell me why you came here to Thendara, I would suggest that you go and make your presence known to her. With your permission, I would like to go with you and be the first to give her this news."

"Yes," said Conn, visibly shaken, "I certainly must first see my mother."

Valentine went to his desk, seated himself and scribbled a few hasty lines; then

summoned a servant, and said to him, "Take this message at once to the Duchess of Hammerfell, and say to her that I shall be there within the hour. But we must give her time to ready herself to receive guests; let me at least offer you a little cold meat and bread; you have traveled a long way and we can eat before we ride."

Conn, however, could eat but little. As they rode together through the streets, Lord Valentine said, "This is a joyous day for me; I am truly eager to see your mother's face when first she looks upon you. She has long mourned you as dead. Why did you never come in search of her before now? Where have you lived?"

"In hiding, on my father's lands, believing myself

the last of Hammerfell's line," said Conn, "with no living kin but my father's old paxman Markos."

"I remember old Markos," said Valentine. "Your mother believed that he, too, had perished; he must be very old indeed, now."

"He is, but he is strong and hearty for such an old man," said Conn. "He has been like a father to me, and more than many kinsmen."

"And why have you come here now?" asked Valentine.

"To appeal for justice from the Hastur king," Conn said, "not for my people alone; but all through the Hellers. The lords of Storn are not content with destroying my family and my line, but they are trying to starve or kill my clansmen and tenants by burning them out and driving them from lands they have farmed for generations―so that they can use the land for grazing, sheep being more profitable and less troublesome than tenant farmers."

Valentine Hastur looked troubled. He said, "I do not know if King Aidan can or will do anything about that, my boy. It is a nobleman's privilege to do as he likes with his own lands."

"And where, then, are people to go? Are they to starve or die for the convenience of a noble lord? Are they not more important than sheep?"

"Oh, I agree with you," Lord Valentine said. "I have set myself firmly against any such thing on Hastur lands. Nevertheless Aidan will most probably not interfere―in fact, cannot by law interfere with his nobles, or he would not long hold his throne."

This gave Conn much to think about, and he fell silent, deeply troubled. When they arrived at the house where Erminie had lived for many years, they

passed through the gate, and Conn said, bemused, "I know this place; but I thought it was nothing but a dream."

As they passed into the courtyard, an old dog came stiffly into the paved space, and lifted her head in a sharp inquiring bark.

"I have known her for years," Valentine said ruefully, "yet to her I am always a stranger.

Here, Jewel. Good girl, it's all right, you silly creature―"

The dog sniffed at Conn's knees, then in a perfect frenzy of wagging her tail, jumped stiffly around him. Erminie, coming through the door at the far end, said, "Jewel, behave yourself, old girl! What―" and, raising her eyes, she looked straight at Conn― then crumpled, all but fainting, into a garden seat.

Valentine rushed to catch her, and after a moment she opened her eyes.

"I saw―did I see―"

"You were not dreaming," said Valentine Firmly. "It was a shock to me, too, and I cannot imagine how it happened, but it is your other son, and he is alive. Conn, my boy, come here and prove to your mother that it is you and you are real."

Conn came and knelt beside her chair, and she clutched at his hands hard enough to hurt.

"How did it happen?" she demanded roughly, tears wetting her cheeks. "I searched for you and Markos in the wood all night."

"And he for you," said Conn. "I grew up on the tale of that search. I cannot, even now, understand how it could have happened."

"The important thing is that you are indeed living," said Erminie, and raised herself to kiss him. "There, Jewel, you recognize him, too? If I had not

believed, Jewel would have convinced me; I used to leave you two with no other to guard you―she was as good as any nurse for looking after you."

"I think I remember," said Conn, letting the old dog swarm into his lap and hugging her close.

A series of sharp small yips came from the corner of the room and a furry half-grown puppy rushed at them, nipping Conn with her sharp small teeth. Conn laughed and

playfully held the little dog away.

"No, you shall not make your lunch off my fingers, pup! Come now, be friendly," he coaxed, and Erminie said sharply, "Down, Copper!" Jewel barked her deep-throated bark, trying to push the puppy away, while Conn insisted laughingly, "So you don't like me as well as old Jewel, do you, puppy―Copper, is it? A fine name for a fine little dog."

They sat on the floor in a heap with the jumping, playful dogs, while from the door a voice Conn found as familiar as a dream, said, "I heard the dogs and came at once. Is all well, kinswoman?"

Floria came to pick up the puppy Copper, gently scolding her; Conn, unable to move, sat with his eyes fixed on the woman he never believed could be real.

"I dreamed of you," he said in a daze.

He was too untrained as a telepath, and therefore too unskilled, to hold back from the impulsive touch; for an instant he felt that his whole soul, his history, his being flowed out to embrace hers, and for just that instant he felt her impulsive response. Floria's eyes held his, and her hands went out to him; then, remembering that although she felt she knew Conn as well as she knew her own self, she had never actually set eyes on him before, startled and uneasy,

she drew back, as was proper in the presence of a stranger.

She said shakily, "You are very like your brother."

And he replied, "I am beginning to believe that; so many people have said so. And Mother came near to fainting when she first looked on me."

"I had thought you dead for so many years," Erminie said, "and to recover a living son after half a lifetime―Alastair is eighteen and that was my age when you were born."

"When shall I meet my brother?" Conn asked eagerly.

Floria said, "He is putting away the horses; he will be here in a minute or two. We rode together this morning outside the city wall. Father allowed it because he said it was understood now that we should soon be married."

Conn heard this with a shock but knew he should have foreseen it; it was clear now that his flashes of city life―as well as his first sight of Floria―had come from the twin brother he had not known survived.

Erminie, who had observed the unspoken exchange between Conn and Floria, said to

herself: Oh, dear; what can possibly come of this? But it was only a first encounter; and her newly-met son seemed to be a decent and honorable man; indeed, if Markos had

brought him up, he could not be otherwise. He would hardly be the kind to approach his brother's promised wife, once he understood the situation. Yet, aware of the depths of Conn's feelings, she realized the heartache which lay ahead for him and wondered what she could do.

"And you came to Thendara without even knowing that we lived, Conn?"

"I should have known my twin brother lived, at least," he said, "for I have heard, from those who know more of laran than I, that the bond between twins is the strongest of all bonds; and for the last year or so, I have been plagued by images of places I have never been, and faces I have never seen. Do you know much about laran and the art of the starstone, Mother?"

"I have been a technician in Thendara Tower," she said, "for these eighteen years; though I have been thinking that when Floria is better trained and can take my place there, I may soon decide to leave the Tower and marry again."

Floria colored and said, "No, kinswoman, Alastair will not have it so."

Erminie said, "That's for you to say, child. It would be a pity if you left your work because of a man's selfishness."

"It's true we've had but little time to talk of it," Floria said. She raised her eyes again to Conn and asked, "And you, kinsman, you are a telepath; have you yet been trained in a Tower?"

"No," he said, "I have lived in the mountains and had no such opportunity; and I have had other things on my mind, such as defending my people from Storn's evil purposes."

Erminie realized that the conversation had strayed considerably from what she had intended to ask. She said, "Then Storn knows that you live?"

"Yes, and the feud's alive again, I'm sorry to say, Mother. For many years he thought that all our clan were dead."

"I thought―I hoped―that Storn believed us all dead, and therefore the feud would die out," Erminie said, "although I have sworn to help your brother regain our rightful lands."

"It might have died out, Mother, had I been content to lie hidden and let our people be abused," Conn said, "but I made it known to him not forty days since that if he continued his looting and burning, he would reckon with a Hammerfell." He explained the raid on Stern's burning-party.

"I cannot fault you for that, my son," said Erminie warmly, leaning over to embrace him, and it was at this moment that Alastair entered the garden. He saw the women sitting on the path with the dogs and Conn in his mother's arms, and instinctively knew at once what had happened.

To do him justice, his first emotion was one of warmth. He whistled to the dogs and they came, leaving the people on the floor unencumbered. Erminie sprang up at once, saying,

"Oh, Alastair, the most wonderful thing has happened!"

"I met with Lord Valentine in the courtyard," he said, and smiled at Conn, his frank and charming smile.

"So you are my twin," he said musingly. "Welcome, little brother . . . you know that I am elder?"

"Yes," said Conn, thinking it rather odd that Alastair felt the need to bring that up before they had even become acquainted, "by twenty minutes or so."

"Twenty minutes or twenty years―it is all the same," Alastair said oddly, and embraced him.

"What do you in the city?"

"What I hope you will be doing in my place,"

Conn said. "I came to ask the aid of the Hastur king to recover our lands and protect our people."

"There again I am ahead of you," said Alastair, "for I have already spoken to King Aidan about this, and he has pledged his help." He smiled at Conn and the twins, like rough and refined mirror images, stared at each other.

"It was you, then!" Conn exclaimed. "I thought it was I who was to ask for his aid."

Alastair shrugged, not understanding what Conn's laran had conveyed to him.

"I am glad you have made yourself known to our mother," he said. "And to the Lady Floria, my promised wife; soon to be your sister-in-law."

And again, Conn thought, why is he rubbing it into my face that he is my elder and mil come ahead of me in all things? Well, he is truly Duke of Hammerfell, and while I presumed his death, I had every right to conduct myself as duke; but now that I know he lives, I must do my best to support him. He bowed and said in his courtliest fashion,

"My brother and my lord."

Alastair hugged him hard and said, "No need for such formalities between us, brother; time enough for that when I reign again at Hammerfell with you by my side." Then he smiled and shook his head, "But where did you get that clown's suit? We must have something fitting your station made for you at once; I shall send word to my tailor this afternoon."

Conn was rattled by this; did his brother have no manners at all? He said stiffly, "This suit is new and of good cloth; it would be a waste not to wear it."

"No need for waste; give it to the butler, it's fitting • for his station," said Erminie in support of Alastair.

"It will do well enough for me in the Hellers," said

Conn, defensive but proud. "I am no city dandy!"

"But if you are to have audience with King Aidan― and he must know there are two of us," said Alastair more diplomatically, "you cannot go before him dressed like a farmer fresh from the turnip fields. I think you had better wear some of my clothes in the city; you're not too proud to borrow clothes from your own twin, are you, brother?"

At his disarming smile, Conn felt welcomed again and charmed; after all, it would take time to know his brother properly. He smiled at Alastair in turn and said, "All Gods forbid! Thank you―brother!"

Erminie got up and said, "Now come into the main room, Conn, and tell me everything about yourself . . . and perhaps we can find out how it happened that we did not recover one another until now! What has been happening all these years at Hammerfell? How fares Markos? Has he been good to you, my son? Floria, dear, you will stay with us and dine, of course. Come, my sons―" and she stopped and sighed, a sigh of pure but disbelieving pleasure. "How it fills my heart to say that again after all these years!" And, stretching a hand to each, she led them into the other room, followed by Floria and the dogs.

9

Little was talked of that summer in Thendara but the strange and romantic story of the loss and restoration of the second son of the Duchess of Hammerfell. Even Erminie got tired of repeating it, though she was proud of the attention given to her new-found son, and she grew so fond of Conn that there were times when she felt disloyal to Alastair who had been so kindly and thoughtful a companion for all those years.