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“He’s so tall,” said Ginger in a newly speculative tone, “and you’re so short.

I’d think he’d squash you flatter than a bug. Plus both his arms bein’ hurt.

However are you two going to manage, tonight?”

“Dag’s very ingenious,” said Fawn firmly.

Filly poked her and giggled. “How would you know, eh?”

Ginger snickered. “Someone’s been samplin’, I think. What were you two doin’, out on the road together for a month like that?”

Fawn tossed her head and sniffed. “None of your business.” She couldn’t help adding smugly after a moment, “I will say, there’s no going back to farmer boys, after.” Which won some hoots, quickly muted as Nattie bustled back in.

Ginger set her a chair by Fawn’s bench, and Nattie laid out the cloth in which she’d wrapped the braided cords; she’d just delivered Dag’s to him, together with the other, surprise present.

“Did he like his wedding shirt?” Fawn asked, a bit wistful because she couldn’t very well ask Nattie How did it look on him?

“Oh, yes, lovie, he was very pleased. I’d say, even moved. He said he’d never had anything so fine in his life, and was in a wonder that we got it together so quick and secret. Though he said he was relieved for the explanation of you girls with your measurin’ strings yesterday, which had evidently been worryin’

him a bit.” She unrolled the wrap; the dark cord lay coiled in her lap, the gold beads firm and rich-looking upon the ends.

“Where is he wearing his cord? Where should I wear mine?”

“He says folks mostly wear them on the left wrist if they’re right-handed.

T’other way around if not, naturally. He’s put his around his left arm above the harness, for now. He says when the time comes for the binding, he can sit down and you can stand facing him, left side to left side, and I should be able to do the tyin’ between you without too much trouble.”

“All right,” said Fawn doubtfully, trying to picture this. She stuck out her left arm and let Nattie wrap the cord several times around her wrist like a bracelet, tying the ends in a bow knot for now. The beads dangled prettily, and she twisted her hand to make them bounce on her skin. A little of her most secret self was in it, Dag said, bound in with her blood; she had to take his word.

Then it was time to get her dress on, the good green cotton, washed and carefully ironed for this; her other good dress being warm wool for winter.

That Dag would remember this dress from that night in Glassforge when he had so gently and urgently removed it, unwrapping her like a gift, must be a secret between them; but she hoped he would find it a heartening sight. Ginger and Filly together lowered the fabric carefully over her head so as not to muss her hair or crush the lilies.

A knock sounded at the door, from someone who did not wait for permission to enter; Whit, who looked at Fawn and blinked. He opened his mouth as if to fire off one of his usual quip-insults, then appeared to think better of it and just smiled uneasily.

“Dag says, what about the weapons?” he recited, revealing himself as a messenger sent. “He seems to want to put them all on. He means, all of them, at once.

He says it’s to show off what a patroller is bringing to his bride’s tent.

Fletch says, no one wears weapons to a wedding, it just ain’t done. Papa says, he don’t know what should be done. So Dag says, ask Spark, and he’ll abide.”

Fawn started to answer Yes, it’s his wedding too, he should have some of his own customs, then instead said more cautiously, “Just how many weapons are we talking about, here?”

“Well, there’s that great pigsticker that he calls his war knife, for starters.

Then there’s one he slips down in his boot, and another he straps on his thigh sometimes, evidently. What he wants with three knives when he only has one hand, I don’t know. Then there’s that funny bow of his, and the quiver of arrows, which also has some little knives stuck in it. He seemed a bit put out that he didn’t have a sword by him—seems there’s one he inherited from his pa back at his camp, and some ash spear or another for fighting from horseback, which he also doesn’t have here. Fortunately.”

Ginger and Filly listened to this lengthening catalog with their faces screwing up.

Whit, nodding silent agreement at them, finished, “You’d think the man would clank when he walked. You wouldn’t want a patroller to fall into water over his head on his way to his wedding, I’ll say.” His own brows rose in gruesome enthusiasm. “You suppose he’s killed anybody with that arsenal? ‘Spect he must have, sometime or another. That’s a right sobering collection of scars he has, I saw when we were down washing up. Though I suppose he’s had a long time to accumulate ’em.” He added after another contemplative moment, “Do you think he’s getting nervous ‘bout the wedding? He don’t hardly show it, but with him, how would you tell?”

With Whit as a helper, it was a wonder Dag wasn’t frenzied by now, Fawn thought tartly. “Tell him”—Fawn’s tongue hovered between yes and no, remembering just what all she had seen Dag kill with those weapons—“tell him just the war knife.”

In case it was nerves and the weapons a consolation. “Tell him it can stand for the rest of them, all right? We’ll know.”

“All right.” Whit did not take himself off at once, but stood scratching his head.

“Did the shirt fit him good?” Fawn asked.

“Oh, yeah, I guess.”

“You guess? Didn’t you look? Agh! Useless to ask you, I suppose.”

“He liked it fine. Kept touchin’ it with his fingertips peekin’ out of those bandages, anyhow, like he liked the feel. But what I want explained is—you know, I had to help him button and unbutton his trousers. So how in the green world has he been managing them for the past week? ‘Cause I haven’t never seen him going around undone. And I don’t care how much of a sorcerer he is, he has to have been doin’ the necessary some time…”

“Whit,” said Fawn, “go away.”

Ginger and Filly, thinking this through, looked at Fawn’s flushing face and began to giggle like steam kettles.

“Because,” Whit, never one to take a hint, forged on, “I know it wasn’t me or Fletch or Pa, and it couldn’t have been the twins, who didn’t warm to him a bit.

Suppose it could have been Nattie, but really, I think it must have been you, and how—ow!” He ended in a yelp as Nattie smacked him firmly and accurately across the knees with her cane.

“Whit, if you don’t go find yourself a chore, I’ll find you one,” she told him.

“Don’t you go embarrassin’ Fawn’s patroller with all your supposing or you’ll have me to answer to, and I will be here tomorrow.”

Whit, daunted at last, took himself out, saying placatingly, “I’ll say just the knife, right.”

Outside, Fawn could hear the sounds of hoofbeats and creaking carts coming up the lane, and calls of greeting, more folks arriving. It felt very peculiar to sit still in this room waiting, instead of being out bustling around doing.

Mama came in, wiping her hands on a towel, to say, “Shep Sower and his wife just got here. They were the last. The sun’s as close to noon as makes no never mind.

We could start most any time.”

“Is Dag ready? Is he all right?”

“He’s clean, and dressed neat and plain. He looks very calm and above it all, except that he’s had Whit switch out his wooden hand for his hook and back again twice now.”

Fawn considered this. “Which did he end up with?”

“Hook, last I seen.”

“Hm.” So did that mean he was getting more relaxed, to let himself be seen so by strangers, or less, to have the most useful tool and maybe-weapon ready, as it were, to hand? “Well, it’ll be over soon. I didn’t mean to put him through such an ordeal when I agreed to stop back here.”