The three mounted; Arian rode as if born in the saddle; her mount also looked to be a near-match for Banner in stride length. “What do you think, Aliam?” Kieri asked.

“She rides really well—oh, the horse. Definitely one for you. So is that one—” Aliam pointed at the third horse in the group. “The second one’s not as good, I think.”

In another half-glass, Kieri had found six grays that suited him. “Keep the others,” he said to Ganeth, “as mounts for my Squires. Arian’s right: I do intend to have more Squires and they must all have good mounts and reserves, for I intend to use some of them as couriers.”

“Very well, Sir King,” Ganeth said.

“And Arian, you can tell the others I will begin interviewing those who wish to serve as King’s Squires tomorrow. They should meet me in the salle at sunrise.”

“Thank you, Sir King.”

On the way back to the palace, Estil said, “Now, that’s a nice young woman.”

“I’m not marrying a child,” Kieri said. “She can’t be more than twenty-five at the most. Find me someone nearer my age, and still able to bear, since all anyone cares about is an heir.”

“It’s not all I care about,” Estil said. “I want you to be happy.”

“And in the meantime, I want to talk to Aliam—and you, of course—about the defense of the realm.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Aliam listened to Kieri’s concerns with the same attention and intelligence he had always shown. “I’ve said the same to my brother for years,” he said. “But the Council’s so set against a standing army—though you’re wrong about the effectiveness of the forest rangers. And I would not want to march my formations into the face of the Royal Archers’ blackwood bows, either.”

“I know that Pargunese woman says she wants peace,” Kieri said, “but she doesn’t rule Pargun. Their king does, and after we killed his men in that battle in Verrakai country—and the border skirmishes we’ve had—I still think attack across the river is a possibility.”

“I agree,” Aliam said. “And I agree you need something more substantial up there, but how can you move rangers from the west while Tsaia’s still dealing with Verrakaien and Konhalts? How secure is that border?”

“Precisely why I wanted to talk to you,” Kieri said. “If you’re not taking troops to Aarenis, what about lending them—for a fee of course—to the Crown?”

“And insult the Royal Archers?”

“It’s not an insult,” Kieri said. “They don’t know our kind of fighting … I could send them north as well, to back up the rangers there. That might even give us reasonable coverage of the shore between the towns. Put a cohort or two in the rear, ready to respond in any direction—”

“It’s not a bad plan,” Aliam conceded. “But you won’t get the Council to agree.”

Kieri grinned. “I realized that, when I was talking to them before the coronation. But now … I’m not just someone they agreed might be, or could be, the king. Now I’m the crowned king, and under the Compact, they will all have to oppose me if they want to stop me.”