Vossik shrugged. "Alured didn't ask you. The mage told Alured that he'd seen proof of Alured's ancestry."

"It seems to me," said Erial, "that it's extra trouble to hunt up ancestors like that. What difference does it make? Our Duke got his steading without dragging in hundreds of fathers and fathers' fathers."

"Or mothers," muttered Barra. No one followed that up.

"You know they're different here in Aarenis," said Stammel. "Think of Andressat."

"That stuffed owl," said Barra. Paks had almost begun to understand what Vik meant about Barra's prickliness. She could not let anything alone.

"No—don't be that way, Barra. He's a good fighter, and a damn good count for Andressat. Most other men would have lost Andressat to Siniava years ago. He's proud of his ancestors, true enough, but they could be proud of him."

"But go on about Alured, Voss," said Stammel. "What happened?"

"Well, he already believed he came of noble blood, so he sailed back to old Aare with this fellow. Then—now remember, I got this from the Fallo troops; I don't say it's true—then the mage showed him proof—an old scroll, showing the marriages, and such, and proving that he was in direct descent from that Duke of Immer who was called back to Aare in the troubles."

"But Vossik, any mage could fake something like that!" Erial looked around at the others; some of them nodded.

"I didn't say I believed it, Erial. But Alured did. It fitted what he wanted, let's say. If Aare had been worth anything, it would have meant the throne of Aare. It certainly meant the lands of Immer."

"And so he left the sea, and settled into the forest to be a land pirate? How was that being a prince or duke or whatever?" Erial sounded scornful.

"Well—again—this is hearsay. Seems he came to the Immer ports first, and tried to get them to swear allegiance—"

"But he'd been a pirate!" Paks agreed with that emphasis.

"Yes, I know. He wasn't thinking clearly, perhaps. Then he hired a lot of local toughs, dressed them in the old colors of Immer, and tried to parley with the Duke of Fall."

"Huh. And came out with a whole skin?"

"He wasn't stupid enough to put it in jeopardy—they talked on the borders of Fallo. The Duke reacted as you might expect, but—well—he didn't much care what happened in the southern forest, as long as it didn't bother him. And, his men say, he's longsighted—won't make an enemy unnecessarily."

"But what about Siniava?" For Paks, this was the meat of it: whose side had Alured been on from the beginning?