It wasn’t until late that night, in a conference around her bed while Anonoei nursed the baby, that she helped the two rulers work out the terms of the new arrangement. Frostinch would go home to Gray, accompanied by all his agents. In case he was tempted to cheat a little, Anonoei carefully named every single one of Gray’s spies, including a few of his father’s old agents that Frostinch hadn’t even known about. Both nations would be free to put into each other’s ports to buy provisions, and any ship in distress would be well-treated by the people of the other land.

It was all written up and signed before anyone went to bed, and at noon the next day, Frostinch led his thousand men and women down to the docks of Kamesham. King Prayard made sure they were well supplied on their journey, and he made sure that the ships’ captains knew that they must deliver this cargo safely to ports in Gray, without any unfortunate incidents on board ship.

There was an hour in the late afternoon of the following day when Anonoei sent everyone out so she could be alone with her new son.

Wad came almost at once. “You did it better than I would have thought possible,” he conceded at once. “Though I still don’t trust Frostinch as far as I can spit.”

“No sane person would,” said Anonoei. “But I can promise he won’t betray me.”

“I see Bexoi’s lips move, and her voice make that promise,” said Wad. “But she would mean that she meant to kill Frostinch at some opportune moment before he could break his word.”

“Naming this boy,” said Anonoei, changing the subject before he remembered that Anonoei would still deprive Frostinch of any freedom of choice. “I thought of naming him after the son of yours that Bexoi murdered. It’s so unfortunate that you called him ‘Trick.’ That name just wouldn’t sound right to the people of either kingdom.”

“It’s sweet of you to think of naming him that way,” said Wad, his eyes filling with tears even though Anonoei had done nothing to enhance his emotions. “But no child can replace my little boy. I knew him well, and I doubt I’ll have much chance to know this lad of yours.”

“Well,” said Anonoei, “not mine…”

“Not a child of your original body,” said Wad, “but a child of the body you have now and for the rest of your life. And you will raise him to be the best man he has it in him to be.”

Anonoei nodded. “But what about my own sons? My first two sons? The ones that were really made by King Prayard and me?”

“They’re remarkable boys. Very smart and highly talented. When things become clearer, we’ll both know whether they should remain in Mittlegard.”