do.”
“Hmm. I wonder then what you would think of leaving it.” Akeela looked at her hopefully. “Am I making myself plain, my lady?”
Cassandra understood perfectly. “Is this a proposal, my lord?”
“Would you accept if it were?”
“I would. But I don’t understand why you would ask, when I have already been given to you. It is your choice to accept or decline, not mine.”
Akeela said, “I want a wife, not a slave. I want you to enter this marriage willingly, or not at all. I want to hear the words from you.”
“Do women decide such things for themselves in Liiria?” asked Cassandra. Because she was a princess, and her father’s favorite, he had given her a choice. But that wasn’t always the case in Reec. Her country had a long tradition of bartering women away.
“In Liiria people don’t always have choices,” said Akeela. “There are barons and dukes who make decisions for them, who decide where they will work and how much wheat they’ll produce. It’s been that way forever, I think.” He came closer to her. “But I’m going to change that, Cassandra.”
“Are you? How can you?”
“I’m serious,” said Akeela. A strange light came on in his eyes. “I’m going to reform Liiria. I’m going to make it the greatest country on the continent.”
Cassandra grinned. “Ah, you want to be a great king.”
The Liirian shook his head. “No, that’s not it at all. I don’t care about myself or what history will think of me. I care about changing things, the entire social order. Why should a woman marry a man she doesn’t love? And why should a man work a field his whole life, just because a baron says he should? I’m talking about freedom, Cassandra. The ability to do whatever you want. Do you see?”
It was a difficult concept for Cassandra. What good was freedom without food? Someone had to work the fields. But she was intrigued by the man and his bold ideas, and wanted to hear more.
“How will you do this?” she asked. “How will you make these changes, my lord?”
“It won’t be easy. There will be people who oppose me, strong landowners mostly, and old aides of my father who think things should stay the same. There were many who didn’t even want me to make this peace with Reec. They said it couldn’t be done, but I’ve proven them wrong. And I will prove them wrong about all my ideas.” He rubbed his hands together, satisfied with himself. “I have dreams for Liiria, Cassandra. Great dreams.”
She closed the gap, the last few inches separating them. “We all have dreams, Akeela,” she said softly. “Tell me yours. What will you do in Liiria?”
Akeela loved being close to her. She could sense it in him. “There is one thing,” he said. “My biggest dream of all. My Cathedral of Knowledge.”
“Cathedral? You mean a temple?”
“No,” laughed Akeela. “That’s just what I call it, my Cathedral of Knowledge. I’m talking about a library. The biggest, most extensive library in the world!”
Cassandra frowned, confused. “How will that help Liiria, my lord?”
“Don’t you see? It’s knowledge that changes things, Cassandra. How many people in Hes can read and write? Not many, I’d bet. Probably half the servants in this castle have never even held a book. That’s just plain wrong; it’s keeping them ignorant. They need to be educated. Knowledge gives people power.”
The idea was scandalous. “My lord, knowledge is a dangerous thing. If all the commoners had knowledge, what would they need with kings and queens? Such ideas are for the royal, surely.”
“Why? Why should you and I and our privileged families be the only ones to read and write? Why can’t a farmer become a teacher if he wishes to?”
“Because . . .” Cassandra fumbled for a reply. “Because it’s the way of things, that’s why.”
Akeela’s smile grew sly. “Ah, that’s the very thinking I’ll have to battle, Princess. The thought that just because things have
“Hmm. I wonder then what you would think of leaving it.” Akeela looked at her hopefully. “Am I making myself plain, my lady?”
Cassandra understood perfectly. “Is this a proposal, my lord?”
“Would you accept if it were?”
“I would. But I don’t understand why you would ask, when I have already been given to you. It is your choice to accept or decline, not mine.”
Akeela said, “I want a wife, not a slave. I want you to enter this marriage willingly, or not at all. I want to hear the words from you.”
“Do women decide such things for themselves in Liiria?” asked Cassandra. Because she was a princess, and her father’s favorite, he had given her a choice. But that wasn’t always the case in Reec. Her country had a long tradition of bartering women away.
“In Liiria people don’t always have choices,” said Akeela. “There are barons and dukes who make decisions for them, who decide where they will work and how much wheat they’ll produce. It’s been that way forever, I think.” He came closer to her. “But I’m going to change that, Cassandra.”
“Are you? How can you?”
“I’m serious,” said Akeela. A strange light came on in his eyes. “I’m going to reform Liiria. I’m going to make it the greatest country on the continent.”
Cassandra grinned. “Ah, you want to be a great king.”
The Liirian shook his head. “No, that’s not it at all. I don’t care about myself or what history will think of me. I care about changing things, the entire social order. Why should a woman marry a man she doesn’t love? And why should a man work a field his whole life, just because a baron says he should? I’m talking about freedom, Cassandra. The ability to do whatever you want. Do you see?”
It was a difficult concept for Cassandra. What good was freedom without food? Someone had to work the fields. But she was intrigued by the man and his bold ideas, and wanted to hear more.
“How will you do this?” she asked. “How will you make these changes, my lord?”
“It won’t be easy. There will be people who oppose me, strong landowners mostly, and old aides of my father who think things should stay the same. There were many who didn’t even want me to make this peace with Reec. They said it couldn’t be done, but I’ve proven them wrong. And I will prove them wrong about all my ideas.” He rubbed his hands together, satisfied with himself. “I have dreams for Liiria, Cassandra. Great dreams.”
She closed the gap, the last few inches separating them. “We all have dreams, Akeela,” she said softly. “Tell me yours. What will you do in Liiria?”
Akeela loved being close to her. She could sense it in him. “There is one thing,” he said. “My biggest dream of all. My Cathedral of Knowledge.”
“Cathedral? You mean a temple?”
“No,” laughed Akeela. “That’s just what I call it, my Cathedral of Knowledge. I’m talking about a library. The biggest, most extensive library in the world!”
Cassandra frowned, confused. “How will that help Liiria, my lord?”
“Don’t you see? It’s knowledge that changes things, Cassandra. How many people in Hes can read and write? Not many, I’d bet. Probably half the servants in this castle have never even held a book. That’s just plain wrong; it’s keeping them ignorant. They need to be educated. Knowledge gives people power.”
The idea was scandalous. “My lord, knowledge is a dangerous thing. If all the commoners had knowledge, what would they need with kings and queens? Such ideas are for the royal, surely.”
“Why? Why should you and I and our privileged families be the only ones to read and write? Why can’t a farmer become a teacher if he wishes to?”
“Because . . .” Cassandra fumbled for a reply. “Because it’s the way of things, that’s why.”
Akeela’s smile grew sly. “Ah, that’s the very thinking I’ll have to battle, Princess. The thought that just because things have
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