Read Online Water by Peter Dickinson, Robin McKinley - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Peter Dickinson, Robin McKinley
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long rays of afternoon set the
wave on fire, and rainbows fell from every drop of water.
The wave did not wet her nor her horse nor her hound this time, and when it drained away again,
a different seaman stood on the bridge. He looked very much like the sea-man she had seen
before, but not so much that she did not recognise the one from the other; this one was younger
and plainer and had no bitterness in him.
She said before she could stop herself: “You are the sea-king’s son.” She said it as he was
saying: “You must be Jenny.”
“Yes,” they said, again simultaneously, and both smiled; and each saw how the other’s rather
ordinary face lit up with gentleness and humour and intelligence.
“ I wished to say thank you,” said the sea-prince, and Jenny looked at him blankly, feeling that
they were still speaking simultaneously, although she had said nothing more aloud.
He smiled again at her puzzled look. “I was born after my father’s curse was laid on this harbour,
and I grew up knowing that my father was weighed down by some sorrow that grew heavier each
year; but I did not know what it was, for neither my father nor my mother nor any of the court
would tell me. My parents would not because they would not, arid their people would not
because my parents forbade them, and they loved my parents enough to obey, no matter how
much I teased them. But my father told me the story at last, just these few short weeks ago, with
the breaking of the curse when he let you go free—And I have not been able to put the thought of
you out of my mind since, and so I determined to meet you if I could.
“But could I? I have been haunting this bridge lately as closely as it has been haunted in all the
long years of the curse; and very lonely I have found it too. Not even the fish come into this
harbour voluntarily, and my horse once tore his bridle free where I had tied him, and ran home,
which he has never done; and my favourite hound will howl, however often I tell him to be still.
I thought perhaps I was deluding myself, that there was no purpose in my coming here; but I
could not believe this, I felt sure that you would have to come here again, you would come here
at last.” He took a deep breath, and she noticed that there was a slight hissing or rattling in his
breathing, but she forgot this at once because he smiled again as he looked at her. “You did
come,” he said, and sounded as delighted as a boy who has just had his first pony ride.
She felt more ashamed of herself than ever. “I told myself that I wanted to thank your father for
sparing me, but when I got here I thought that that was not the reason I had come at all.” She
went on slowly: “I have dreamed of a land under the water, and of a people who live there, with
silver-blue horses and grey-green hounds, and fish that nest in the trees. I have dreamed of this
every night since I stood on this bridge, and your father set me on my horse and told me to ride
home to my parents.”
He looked surprised. “That I cannot explain; I do not know of anything like that happening
before. Although it is true that we have stories saying that you of your shore-bound land and us
of ours were once the same people, and lived as neighbours and friends, and not merely fellow
merchants, with no bonds of kindness, in the way that ended so badly for us all. And I know
there are people among us who dream of the land, as you have dreamed of the sea, but I have
always thought it was just a kind of longing, a wish for adventure, or an escape from something
that troubles them.” But Jenny turned away at his last words, and “Forgive me,” he said at once.
“My parents have long tried to school me in thinking before I speak, and say that I will be a
disastrous king if I do not learn better manners. I have talked to you too much in my head, you
see, these last weeks, waiting for you; I did not tell anyone about wishing to meet you. I
wave on fire, and rainbows fell from every drop of water.
The wave did not wet her nor her horse nor her hound this time, and when it drained away again,
a different seaman stood on the bridge. He looked very much like the sea-man she had seen
before, but not so much that she did not recognise the one from the other; this one was younger
and plainer and had no bitterness in him.
She said before she could stop herself: “You are the sea-king’s son.” She said it as he was
saying: “You must be Jenny.”
“Yes,” they said, again simultaneously, and both smiled; and each saw how the other’s rather
ordinary face lit up with gentleness and humour and intelligence.
“ I wished to say thank you,” said the sea-prince, and Jenny looked at him blankly, feeling that
they were still speaking simultaneously, although she had said nothing more aloud.
He smiled again at her puzzled look. “I was born after my father’s curse was laid on this harbour,
and I grew up knowing that my father was weighed down by some sorrow that grew heavier each
year; but I did not know what it was, for neither my father nor my mother nor any of the court
would tell me. My parents would not because they would not, arid their people would not
because my parents forbade them, and they loved my parents enough to obey, no matter how
much I teased them. But my father told me the story at last, just these few short weeks ago, with
the breaking of the curse when he let you go free—And I have not been able to put the thought of
you out of my mind since, and so I determined to meet you if I could.
“But could I? I have been haunting this bridge lately as closely as it has been haunted in all the
long years of the curse; and very lonely I have found it too. Not even the fish come into this
harbour voluntarily, and my horse once tore his bridle free where I had tied him, and ran home,
which he has never done; and my favourite hound will howl, however often I tell him to be still.
I thought perhaps I was deluding myself, that there was no purpose in my coming here; but I
could not believe this, I felt sure that you would have to come here again, you would come here
at last.” He took a deep breath, and she noticed that there was a slight hissing or rattling in his
breathing, but she forgot this at once because he smiled again as he looked at her. “You did
come,” he said, and sounded as delighted as a boy who has just had his first pony ride.
She felt more ashamed of herself than ever. “I told myself that I wanted to thank your father for
sparing me, but when I got here I thought that that was not the reason I had come at all.” She
went on slowly: “I have dreamed of a land under the water, and of a people who live there, with
silver-blue horses and grey-green hounds, and fish that nest in the trees. I have dreamed of this
every night since I stood on this bridge, and your father set me on my horse and told me to ride
home to my parents.”
He looked surprised. “That I cannot explain; I do not know of anything like that happening
before. Although it is true that we have stories saying that you of your shore-bound land and us
of ours were once the same people, and lived as neighbours and friends, and not merely fellow
merchants, with no bonds of kindness, in the way that ended so badly for us all. And I know
there are people among us who dream of the land, as you have dreamed of the sea, but I have
always thought it was just a kind of longing, a wish for adventure, or an escape from something
that troubles them.” But Jenny turned away at his last words, and “Forgive me,” he said at once.
“My parents have long tried to school me in thinking before I speak, and say that I will be a
disastrous king if I do not learn better manners. I have talked to you too much in my head, you
see, these last weeks, waiting for you; I did not tell anyone about wishing to meet you. I
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