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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cerebral Paladin" data-source="post: 3072641" data-attributes="member: 3448">The journey back to Canberry was uneventful.  Ilsbet largely kept to herself in camp, but gradually relaxed a little around the knight-banneret.  Most of the younger knights had the sense to steer well clear of her and her ever-ready knife.After several days of travel, they turned onto better maintained roads through larger settlements.  Ilsbet noticed that the knights kept their lances more ready, not less, and tensed whenever they saw other companies on the road.  “Are we passing through a foreign land?”“Not exactly.  We are in the Duchy of Brightspan.  The Duke of Brightspan is a vassal of the Archduke of Canberry, just as my lord the Duke of Broadfields is.  But where Broadfields is ever loyal, we dare not trust Brightspan fully.”Ilsbet drew her knife.  The corners of the knight-banneret’s lips twitched upwards, but he said nothing.  “Do you expect war, then?”“I think we will avoid that, even with the new Archduke.  If the Archduke’s father had lived to inherit… he was a womanizer, but a good man, and he had the respect of the nobles.  There would have been no danger then.  With young Alistair, though, matters are more difficult.”“If the Archduke’s father had inherited… your realm would let a male inherit?” Ilsbet asked increduously.  “Oh, but you said he womanized himself.  I can understand why, in the absence of a proper heir, you might let a male become legally a woman to inherit.”The elderly knight barked in laughter.  “I think he would have been very amused by that.”  He decided that trying to explain would be more effort than it was worth, and they simply rode on.After a few days of riding, they left Brightspan, and the knights relaxed in safe lands.  A few more days beyond that brought them to the outskirts of Canberry City.“This is the capital of Canberry.  You will be able to find help resettling here.  Until you can make arrangements of your own, you may stay either in an inn I know of that frequently takes in poor young men and women newly arrived-- they will ask you to help with the kitchen work and the like, but nothing worse-- or at a hostelry for young women run by the nuns of the Order of the Silvery Veil.”“The hostelry,” replied Ilsbet.Taking it as a question, the knight began to explain,“A hostelry is a place of lodging…”“I know what a hostelry is,” snapped Ilsbet with a sharp tone in her voice.  “I was saying that I wanted to stay there, not at the inn where there are males as well.  It would be safer.”The knight nodded, thinking of the curious glances that Ilsbet had cast at the young male knights in camp.  “Yes, I can see how you would view it as safer.  Much less danger of meeting someone…”  He broke off at her frown and simply guided the column to the hostelry.  Ilsbet thanked him for his kindness, doing her best to be civil and friendly.</blockquote>

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