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Authors: Gerald Morris
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out of bed, but I could see."
Gaheris cleared his throat. "I've some fine memories, too," he said, "though I don't know that I'd pick the blight as the thing to dwell on just now. But I think we're straying from the real point. I'm not asking your advice. I'm telling you what I've decided. In a few minutes, I'll go out and give myself up. I want you to gather your families and things and get ready to leave. Lynet, that means you too."
"I say we fight," cried a man's voice.
"If you fight, you'll die!" Gaheris snapped.
"Could be," agreed Daw.
"Ay," said Mak, nodding. "Seems a likely bet."
"And if you do what I say, you'll live!" Gaheris added.
"Ye think so?" asked Mak. "Runnin' off and goin' on wi' your own life, knowin' that ye left the best man ye ever knew to dieâthat's what ye call livin'?"
"Maybe he's mixed up livin' and breathin'," suggested Daw.
"Nay!" Mak protested. "Sir Gary's not a simpleton. Shame on ye, Daw!"
"What about your women and children?" Gaheris demanded.
"I'll see to them," Lynet said. "When you and the men go out to fight, I'll take them out the back way to hide in the woods. I'll do what I can to keep them safe."
Gaheris shook his head with frustration. "What are you talking about, Lynet? Who said anything about going out to fight?"
"Nobody had to, milord," said a tall villager named Coll, the man who had been making the coffin for Douglas. "We won't let you go out alone, and that's all there is to it."
"You would disobey the direct command of your liege lord?" Gaheris demanded.
"Ay," said Daw. The other men nodded among themselves.
"See?" Mak said to Daw. "I told ye he wasn't a simpleton."
"Maybe not, but he
did
seem to think at first that we'd go along wi' this daft plan," Daw replied. "So he's not what ye'd call quick-witted, either."
Gaheris sighed. "Let me think about this for a minute." He glanced at Lynet. "Well, Miss Helpful? You want to suggest something else?"
Together they made their way back up to the wall and looked out at the field before the castle. Sir Breunis had seen the white flag, and he had gathered three knights on horseback to accompany him to the parley. "Looks as if he's planning to take you prisoner right away," Lynet said. "He's bringing reinforcements."
"Three knights to take me prisoner," Gaheris mused. "Either he hasn't heard about my skill with weapons, or he's an amazing coward."
"The coward theory seems most likely," Lynet replied.
"Any one of those three could take me without breaking a sweat. Especially that big fellow in the..." He trailed off.
"The one in the middle?" Lynet finished. "On the big black?"
Gaheris was silent.
"What is it, Gary?"
"Lynet, my love," Gaheris said after a minute. "I know you're the most hopeless duffer at casting hexes, but do you by chance have a spell for changing people's appearance?"
"What do you mean?"
"Could you change my features, for instance, to look like someone else?"
"If I could, do you think I'd have left you looking like that all these years?" Lynet said at once. Then she shook her head. "Sorry; that was reflex. You
did
leave quite an opening. What do you have in mind?"
"Is there such a spell?"
"Not really. I can change hair color and add or take away birthmarks, but not much else."
Gaheris turned his back to the approaching knights. His face was thoughtful. "Sir Breunis has seen me only once, for a few minutes yesterday and from a distance. Do you think that if you changed his hair and dressed him up, you could make young Douglas's body pass for mine?"
Lynet stared, uncomprehending, but at last said, "You're about the same height. It might work. You want us to tell Sir Breunis that you died during the night and give him Douglas's body?"
"No, if he's got orders to kill me, he'll want to see it happen. But I might see a way out of this. Go work on Douglas. Make him look as much like me as you can and then put him in one of the matched suits of armor. One of the silver suits, I think."
"What
Gaheris cleared his throat. "I've some fine memories, too," he said, "though I don't know that I'd pick the blight as the thing to dwell on just now. But I think we're straying from the real point. I'm not asking your advice. I'm telling you what I've decided. In a few minutes, I'll go out and give myself up. I want you to gather your families and things and get ready to leave. Lynet, that means you too."
"I say we fight," cried a man's voice.
"If you fight, you'll die!" Gaheris snapped.
"Could be," agreed Daw.
"Ay," said Mak, nodding. "Seems a likely bet."
"And if you do what I say, you'll live!" Gaheris added.
"Ye think so?" asked Mak. "Runnin' off and goin' on wi' your own life, knowin' that ye left the best man ye ever knew to dieâthat's what ye call livin'?"
"Maybe he's mixed up livin' and breathin'," suggested Daw.
"Nay!" Mak protested. "Sir Gary's not a simpleton. Shame on ye, Daw!"
"What about your women and children?" Gaheris demanded.
"I'll see to them," Lynet said. "When you and the men go out to fight, I'll take them out the back way to hide in the woods. I'll do what I can to keep them safe."
Gaheris shook his head with frustration. "What are you talking about, Lynet? Who said anything about going out to fight?"
"Nobody had to, milord," said a tall villager named Coll, the man who had been making the coffin for Douglas. "We won't let you go out alone, and that's all there is to it."
"You would disobey the direct command of your liege lord?" Gaheris demanded.
"Ay," said Daw. The other men nodded among themselves.
"See?" Mak said to Daw. "I told ye he wasn't a simpleton."
"Maybe not, but he
did
seem to think at first that we'd go along wi' this daft plan," Daw replied. "So he's not what ye'd call quick-witted, either."
Gaheris sighed. "Let me think about this for a minute." He glanced at Lynet. "Well, Miss Helpful? You want to suggest something else?"
Together they made their way back up to the wall and looked out at the field before the castle. Sir Breunis had seen the white flag, and he had gathered three knights on horseback to accompany him to the parley. "Looks as if he's planning to take you prisoner right away," Lynet said. "He's bringing reinforcements."
"Three knights to take me prisoner," Gaheris mused. "Either he hasn't heard about my skill with weapons, or he's an amazing coward."
"The coward theory seems most likely," Lynet replied.
"Any one of those three could take me without breaking a sweat. Especially that big fellow in the..." He trailed off.
"The one in the middle?" Lynet finished. "On the big black?"
Gaheris was silent.
"What is it, Gary?"
"Lynet, my love," Gaheris said after a minute. "I know you're the most hopeless duffer at casting hexes, but do you by chance have a spell for changing people's appearance?"
"What do you mean?"
"Could you change my features, for instance, to look like someone else?"
"If I could, do you think I'd have left you looking like that all these years?" Lynet said at once. Then she shook her head. "Sorry; that was reflex. You
did
leave quite an opening. What do you have in mind?"
"Is there such a spell?"
"Not really. I can change hair color and add or take away birthmarks, but not much else."
Gaheris turned his back to the approaching knights. His face was thoughtful. "Sir Breunis has seen me only once, for a few minutes yesterday and from a distance. Do you think that if you changed his hair and dressed him up, you could make young Douglas's body pass for mine?"
Lynet stared, uncomprehending, but at last said, "You're about the same height. It might work. You want us to tell Sir Breunis that you died during the night and give him Douglas's body?"
"No, if he's got orders to kill me, he'll want to see it happen. But I might see a way out of this. Go work on Douglas. Make him look as much like me as you can and then put him in one of the matched suits of armor. One of the silver suits, I think."
"What
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