Garion leaned forward to speak quietly to Eriond, who sat across the banquet table from him. "At least he protected your anonymity,” he said quietly.

"Yes," Eriond agreed. "I'll have to think of some way to thank him for that,"

"Restoring Poledra to him is probably all the thanks he can handle right now. It's going to come out eventually though, you know your identity, I mean."

"I think it's going to need a bit of preparation, though. I'll need to have a long talk with Ce'Nedra, I think."

"Ce'Nedra?"

"I want some details on how she got started when she raised the army she took to Thull Mardu. It seems to me she began on a small scale and then worked her way up. That might be the best way to go at it.”

"Your Sendarian background is starting to show, Eriond." Garion laughed. "Durnik left his mark on both of us, didn't he?" Then he cleared his throat a little uncomfortably. "You're doing it again," he cautioned.

"Doing what?"

"Glowing."

"Does it show?"

Garion nodded. "I'm afraid so."

"I'll have to work on that."

The banquets and entertainments lasted well into the night for several days, but since nobles are not customarily early risers, this left the mornings free for Garion and his friends to discuss all that had happened since they had separated at Rheon. The accounts of those who had remained at home were filled with domesticity children, weddings, and affairs of state. Garion was quite pleased to hear that Brand's son Kail was managing the Kingdom of Riva probably at least as well as he might have himself. Moreover, since the Murgos were preoccupied with the Mallorean presence in southeastern Cthol Murgos, peace by and large prevailed among the western kingdoms, and trade flourished there. Silk's nose began to twitch at that information.

"This is all well and good," Barak rumbled. "But could we possibly skip over what's happening back home and get down to the real story? I'm dying of curiosity."

And so they began. No attempt to gloss things over was permitted. Every detail was savored.

"Did you really do that?" Lelldorin asked Garion at one point after Silk had luridly described their first encounter with Zandramas, who had assumed the form of the dragon in the hills above the Arendish plain.

"Well," Garion replied modestly, "not her whole tail, only about four feet of it. It seemed to get her attention, though."

"When he gets home, our splendid hero here is going to look into the career opportunities available in the field of dragon-molesting. “ Silk laughed.

“But there aren't any more dragons, Kheldar,” Velvet pointed out.

"Oh, that's all right, Liselle." He grinned. "Maybe Eriond can make a few for him.”

"Never mind," Garion told him.

Then, at a certain point in the narrative, they all had to see Zith, and Sadi rather proudly displayed his little green snake and her wriggling brood.