"Then come with me!" Sir Guy cried. "In Ibile, you and I could prove ourselves formidable indeed together!"
"Aye." Stegoman nodded his great head.- "But I must not."
"Must not?" Matt frowned up at the dragon. "Why?"
"Because I have sworn fealty to thee, Lord Wizard. Where thou goest, so go I; and where thou stayest, stay I"
"Ah, but you cannot go with him now," Sir Guy said. "For he will be going to his home, across a void which none but he may cross. He returns to that time and place from which he came. And you and I remain."
"Is this true, Wizard?" the dragon demanded.
Matt was saved from answering by the appearance of a young soldier before him: "The queen would speak with you, Lord Wizard." His tone hinted at fear of addressing one so powerful.
So she had finished all other business and finally deigned to remember him! Matt nodded and strode across to the tent.
He found her alone, seated before a rough desk. Her head snapped up as he entered; then she rose wearily to her feet.
"You wanted me, your Majesty?" he asked.
Her head dipped in a slight nod. "To render our thanks to you, Lord Wizard. We are deeply grateful for your part in our inevitable victory." Her voice held all the gratitude of a man. paying off a collection agent, and her face was a mask.
"Your victory didn't seem so blamed inevitable when I asked you about it," Matt reminded her. He was tired of the deep-freeze treatment. Maybe it was time he got out of this whole business. "Or does your infallibility work only by hindsight?"
Answering anger sprang into her eyes, but she held her voice level. "And would you have fought so well had you known we must win? Nay, I'd not weaken my forces by announcing victory before it was achieved."
She had a point, he had to admit reluctantly to himself. And this wasn't getting either of them anywhere. He'd made his decision. Now he might as well get it over with. "I'm leaving, your Majesty. I'm going to return to my own world."
She nodded, stone-faced. "Aye. As I knew you meant when you would not swear to remain, but did choose instead to attend only to my wound. Why, go then, sirrah! I'd not have a reluctant champion!"
She turned away. But now that he had been dismissed, Matt found himself unwilling to leave without some explanation.
"It's the obvious solution to the problem the abbess pointed out," he told her, "one she couldn't see. Emotions can't be banished - however much you may delude yourself - but I can be, even if I have to do it myself. Simple, isn't it?"
"There was another choice," she reminded him.
"To get married, or some such? Fat chance! You've made it plain enough that there's no hope of that."
"You did never ask me! Or do you also profess infallibility, to know the course of events before they come?"
He took a step toward her, then forced himself to relax. What did it matter if she had to have the last word? "All right," he said.
"If it will make you feel better to make it plain that you reject me, consider yourself asked."
She swung about to face him, and her smile would have curdled the milk of a unicorn. "Most nobly and courteously asked, Sir Knight!" Her short laugh was like a saw on thin metal. "But such asking, so I had believed, must come from the heart!"
He stared at her, anger and desire boiling together in him until they fused into one. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "All right, damn it! If you've got to draw every bit of satisfaction from seeing me make a fool of myself, have it your way! Contrary though you choose to be, I love you! Now will you marry me?"
Then she was in his arms, drawing him closer and turning her face up to meet his lips.
Stegoman found them a few minutes later, but he had sense enough not to interrupt. There was a broad smile on his face as he lumbered away to report to Sir Guy that Sir Matthew, Lord Wizard, would obviously not be leaving them.
The End