“You will credit my sour nature with envy of her energy and competence,” Maris said, but a smile shaped her mouth. “She has been like that—as if she were born entirely Marrakai, which she is not—since girlhood. Everyone thinks her children favor their father, but that so-called Marrakai character comes as much from her.”

Arian did not want to think what Maris had been like as a girl. She turned to the girls of the day. “Naryan, you said you liked swordplay with longswords. Do you practice?”

“Not since … Beclan…” the girl said.

“Lady Maris, would you permit Naryan to engage in a brief lesson with my Squires and me?”

“Here?” The formidable brows rose.

“Here. We have blades enough. I know Naryan has riding gloves…”

“But no mail. Not even a banda. I do not choose to see her spitted and sliced.”

“Please,” Naryan said, her face alight.

“We will take great care,” Arian said.

“My lady, we do have bandas,” Lieth said. She grinned. “The thought came to us that you might enjoy a bit of swordplay out in the sunlight, on natural ground.”

Maris threw up her hands. “Well, then, Naryan, if you choose to set yourself against those who are far better than you—take your chances.”

“You?” Arian said, looking at the younger girls. Vilian and the Serrostin girl were head to head, whispering as fast as they could. They shook their heads.

The impromptu sword practice drew others to the area they’d marked off. Naryan, tense and serious, did a few preliminary stretches, then a few paces forward and back as Arian and the Squires put on bandas. The girl was stiff at first, but soon excitement took over. She had had, Arian decided, a little good instruction but not enough. She would benefit from more, but at the moment she would benefit most from being seen as both competent and acceptable to the foreign visitors.

Soon some of the other young people were eager to join in. Arian quickly assigned two Squires to serve as armsmasters—to have no more than two bouts going on at once, while another supervised footwork drills. Within the next two turns of the glass, more women and children moved closer. Lady Marrakai and Lady Serrostin had merged their broods, asking Vilian and Tiran to supervise the younger children so the eldest could take part. Other peers’ wives chatted with one another and approached Arian when she was not fencing to ask questions about Lyonya and customs at that court.

By the time the shadows had lengthened and it was time to return to the city, Arian saw that Maris and the two Mahieran girls were no longer isolated at all—several peers’ ladies were chatting with Maris and suggesting plans for including the girls in activities with their children.