"Ah," she said, her eyes clearly disappointed. Then she filmed to Zakath. "And thou, my Lord?" she asked. "Art thou espoused, as well or betrothed, perchance?"

"Nay, my Lady," Zakath answered, sounding puzzled.

Her eyes brightened.

Garion stepped in at that point. "It is time, my friend, for thee to consume yet another draft of that admittedly foul-tasting potion."

"Potion?" Zakath asked in a baffled voice.

Garion sighed. "Thy malady worsens, I perceive," he said, feigning a sorrowful voice. "This forgetfulness of thine is, I fear me, a precursor of the more violent symptoms that will inevitably ensue. Pray to all seven Gods that we may conclude our quest ere the hereditary madness, the curse of thy family, o'erwhelms thee quite."

The determined-looking young lady backed away, her eyes wide with fright.

"What ore you talking about, Garion?" Zakath muttered.

“I’ve been through this before. The girl was looking for a husband."

"That's absurd."

"Not to her, it wasn't."

And then the dancing started. Garion and Zakath drew off to one side to watch. "It's a silly pastime, isn't it?" Zakath observed. "I’ve never known why any sane man would choose to waste time on it."

"Because the ladies love to dance," Garion told him. “I’ve never met one who didn't. It's in their blood, I think." He looked toward the throne and saw that King Oldorin was unoccupied at the moment. He sat smiling and tapping his foot in time to the music. "Let's find Belgarath and go talk with the king. This might be a good time to ask about that chart."

Belgarath was leaning against one of the buttresses, watching the dancers with a slightly bored look on his face. "Grandfather," Garion said to him, "nobody's talking to the king right now. Why don't we go ask him about that map?"

"Good idea. This party's likely to last well into the night, so there won't be much chance for a private audience.”

They approached the throne and bowed. "Might we have a word with thee, your Majesty?" Garion asked.

"Of course, Sir Knight. Thou and thy companion are my champions, and it would be churlish of me indeed not to lend an ear to thee. What is this matter that concerns thee?"