I did not even pause. I took the rough crown from his hands, held it aloft, and said quietly, ''In the name of the Winds and the Lady," and placed it on his head.
His soulgem lay again on his forehead, framed by silver hair, beautiful and heart-piercingly familiar.
There were no more words. We all walked together into the golden sunlight of the dying day and down to the Council chamber.
I have never since done so hard a thing as to walk through the aisle my people made for me to the dais of the Council chamber. Idai had told them the tale and Shikrar came behind to add his word, but what would you? Full of wonder, they stared in disbelief, in silence, for what words had ever been made for such a thing?
I climbed awkwardly onto the platform and stood with La-nen's help. What had been a slight ledge was now become an obstacle, taxing my fragile coordination and balance. I stood shakily before my people and a sea of souls looked back. I could see they all bore the sorrow of Rishkaan's ending, yet still from old habit they reached out to their King, to me, even as I stood in my small, helpless Gedri shape, as to a sheltering cave in deepest winter. Most stood in Wonder; some held to Disbelief, though that could not last. And over all there was the faintest hint, like the green haze of earliest spring, of something very near to hope.
I did not know what to say. I feared I had lost the truespeech altogether with my Dragon-form, but now my soulgem lay in its proper place. I had to gather my thoughts like the veriest youngling to be heard—this body of mine was not accustomed to such effort—but to my soul's deep delight, I found that I still had the Language of Truth.
''My people, I greet thee with the love of thy King,'' I said. It was the broadest kind of truespeech that all could hear, but it was undeniably the Language of Truth, and my mindvoice though weakened was unchanged. I understood, though, why Lanen so reluctantly bespoke anyone if she could avoid it. It immediately caused an ache behind my eyes that threatened to grow worse. Still, I knew that only thus would they believe.
"I am the soul you have known as Akhor, the Silver King. My people, I stand before you changed beyond all possibility; and I cannot tell you how or why this has happened, for I do not know. My love and care for you have changed no whit, but I am shaped now by the Winds into the semblance of a man, and must so live. I return to you the kingship you gave me so long ago, and desire you to choose another to serve.
"I am no longer Akhor the King; I am become Varien the man. My fate is in your hands, whatever may befall; but I ask you for old love to spare my dear one, Lanen Maransdatter.''
I leaned against her, my strength spent, the pain of true-speech too great.
It was enough. There was no more to be said.
I held him and waited. There was nothing else to do.
The silence seemed to last forever. The tension in the air bore down upon me like a heavy cloud and time slowed to a crawl. I felt an hour pass between each breath, and in that time there sped through my mind any number of wretched ends to this mad act of the gods, each worse than the last; but I began to wonder when the silence stretched on still unbroken, and I yet breathed.
And finally I began to think that perhaps they had all had enough of death and destruction and had no desire to do us injury. I could not be certain, but among the various Attitudes they stood in, I did not seem to see Condemnation. It seemed rather the opposite.
Hope?
And in the moment I knew, as though the Lady had told me herself, that the taking of the soulgems of the Lost and Rishkaan's dying had wrung their hearts as it had wrung ours, and that in the Lost they saw their own future if naught else was changed. Their saving, so dearly won and now so dearly paid for, was become the saving of the Kindred; our hope was become their hope, standing before them now on two legs in a rough black tunic and ill-fitting crown.
And all their longing was like to my longing, to hold communion with the eternal Other and make a place for it in the heart.
And the silence was broken at last by a single voice like the music of heaven, high and gloriously triumphant, and it cried out, "Long live King Varien! Long live the King!"
And hundreds of throats joined to it their music, voices raised in wonder and glory. "Long live King Varien! Long live the King!"
And the King knelt, humbled, before them.
And in the center of that music I found a remembered silence, and in the silence heard music still, wild and deep with wonder beyond all knowing, and bright with rejoicing beyond all hope.
I never dreamt such a thing could happen. I knew even as they called my name that I could not be King in truth, but the blessing of their acclamation overwhelmed me. When once again there was silence I stood, with Lanen's aid, and bowed to them in the manner of the Gedri. I tried once again to speak in the Kantriasarikh, for the return of truespeech had made me hope, but my tongue and jaw made mockery of it. I concentrated, ignoring the pain that truespeech brought.
''Dear my Kindred, I will carry this memory to my death, and ever in my heart I shall hold it dear. We have all grown, my people, and the Word of the Winds is the seal to the learning, but I will not leave you without a King. It grieves me, but I cannot even speak to you in the Kantriasarikh. If you would be guided by me, for old love, I here offer unto you Hadreshikrar to serve in my place.''
"He is Keeper of Souls, Lord Varien," said Erianss respectfully. "Surely that is more than one soul should be asked to do."
"It is, Erianss, you speak truly, and I had considered it. I therefore would ask Shikrar to surrender his position as Keeper of Souls to his son Kédra, who has already shown a facility for the Kin-Summoning and a constant and deep respect for all life."
There was a silence, broken at last by Shikrar in the Language of Truth. "These are deep matters and will require much thought and much time. For the moment, if it is agreeable to the Council, I will remain as I am and guide the discussions as Eldest, which is not open to debate.'' There was some scattered laughter. ''In any case, both Lord Varien and the Lady Lanen must soon leave us to go east with the rest of the Gedrishakrim. Has the Council considered the Word of the Winds regarding Lanen Maransdatter?"
Somehow I had never thought of my fate being different from Varien's. Just for a moment my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach.
''The Winds have spoken, Shikrar, and we dare not ignore their words,'' said a voice in my mind, and I turned in surprise to Idai. "She is the beloved of our King, and for her sake the Winds have given him new life in the shape of the Gedrishakrim. How then should we speak against the Winds? It is my thought that she be honoured as Varien's beloved, and sent back to her people with him.''
I held my breath. After some few minutes of silence, Shikrar said, "Is there a voice to dissent?"
None spoke. Shikrar turned to me and bowed, that lovely sinuous wave of his long neck. "Be well, Lady Lanen, and go with the blessing of the Kantrishakrim," he said aloud in my own language.
"I thank you all, O people of my beloved,'' I said, finally breadiing again. ''Never has one of my race been so honoured, and never blessing was more precious.'' I turned to Idai, my eyes awash with unshed tears. ''And to you, lady, I say that more generous soul never lived.''