Despite their rather peculiar and uncertain status whenever they left their suite to roam the castle, the newlyweds thoroughly enjoyed their relative privacy for the first two or three nights after Peren left. By the time the fourth night came with no sign of his return, however, they began to worry somewhat. Their uneasiness grew steadily throughout the next day, as Peren still did not appear; quite aside from their own concern about their friend, the inhabitants of the castle, from King Derneth himself right down to the chambermaids, seemed to be treating them with mounting suspicion. They were officially still guests, but it was obvious that they were also now prisoners; guards eyed them closely any time either of them stepped out into the courtyard, and it was made plain, silently but unquestionably that they would not be permitted to leave the castle. No one spoke to them unnecessarily; on one occasion Tobas glimpsed the Princess Alorria being herded quickly away by the Lord Chamberlain, lest she might have spoken to the foreign wizard.
Alorria, judging by the expression Tobas thought he saw, was not at all happy to see him, though he was unsure whether that was because she believed him to be a fraud, because she was frightened by him, perhaps embarrassed somehow, or possibly, because she resented the fact that he had married someone else.
Tobas and Karanissa retired early that night, too worried to enjoy each other’s company properly. Simply being together in the great canopied bed was soothing, however; as an hour or two wore slowly by, though neither of them slept, they both calmed down considerably. Nonetheless, midevening of this fifth night after Peren’s party had gone to fetch the dragon’s head found them both still lying awake.
Shortly after their arrival they had hung the tapestry on one wall of their bedchamber, being extremely careful not to touch its surface. By unspoken mutual consent, both had wanted it hung, but neither of them intended to use it immediately. Once the hanging was securely in place, they had hidden it with the simple drapery that had covered that wall before their arrival, this concealment being necessary to prevent unwanted questions from servants or visitors and, far more importantly, to prevent anyone from accidentally touching it and winding up at the gates of their castle. Now, reaching out from the bed, Tobas had pulled the drapery back, and both of them were staring at the tapestry.
“I think I miss the place,” Karanissa admitted after a few moments of silent contemplation.
“I know I miss it,” Tobas replied. “It was all ours, with no chamberlains or kings to worry about, no princesses and peasants staring at me every time I go out. And the servants did what we told them without trying to beg for favors, constantly apologizing for everything, or acting as if obeying me were beneath their dignity. If I knew my way around here better and were welcome into the kitchens, I think I’d rather not bother the servants at all.”
“It’s not just the servants; everybody here is suspicious. They seem to think we’re here under false pretenses, as if there’s anything here we would bother defrauding them of!”
“I know. The castle in the tapestry, strange as it is, is finer than Dwomor could ever have been.”
“It was so lonely, though, before you arrived,” Karanissa said, snuggling closer to him under the quilts.
“It was never lonely for me,” Tobas answered, his arm encircling her shoulders. “You were always there.”
“Do you think we should go back?”
“I don’t know. We can get back out now, if we want to. Both tapestries are working.”
“But we can only get out way up there in the mountains, and it’s almost winter. The snows could come any day now.”
“We’ll need to go back some time, at least for a while; the only position they could possibly give me here is court wizard, and for that I’ll need the Book of Spells and some of the supplies and ingredients from Derithon’s study. I don’t think I’m going to find hair from unborn children or mummified bat wings here in Dwomor Keep.”
“Maybe I’m just being cowardly, wanting to slink back to my refuge instead of facing the World,” Karanissa said bitterly.
“No, that’s not it!” Tobas was shocked at her words. “You survived there alone for four hundred years; you’re no coward!”
Impulsively she hugged him, then nuzzled him silently for a moment. He returned her embrace. She smiled up at him, then said contemplatively, “You know, if I did go back, I’m sure that within a month or two, at most, I’d want to get out again, to see the sun and the moons and the stars and other people and green fields and trees and mountains and streams and all the rest of it.”
“Of course; so would I. There’s nothing wrong with that. Nobody wants to stay cooped up at home all the time.”
“It is really our home, isn’t it?” Karanissa’s tone was wistful.
“Yes, of course, you lived there for so long, how could it not be home?”
“But you didn’t live there very long!”
Tobas shrugged. “I haven’t got any other home; I got kicked out of the one I grew up in and burned down the next. And the castle had you in it, wherever you are would be home.”
She punched him lightly. “Oh, stop flattering! I’m trying to be serious.”
“I’m being serious!”
“Really, Tobas, should we just get up right now and walk through the tapestry?”
“You’re asking me for advice? You’re the one who’s centuries old; I’m just eighteen,” Tobas said. Before she could make any retort, he quickly went on. “But no, we shouldn’t. It wouldn’t be fair to Peren when he gets back. Besides, the Dwomorites might not like it, and this is the place I know how to get to from the wrecked castle; when we came back out, they might take offense. And we can use that money. The wine cellar is empty, among other things. No ale, no oushka, no figs or pomegranates. Some of Derithon’s supplies are about used up, and others have gone bad with age. If you’re not picky, I suppose the castle does have all the food we’ll ever need, really, but we’ll want either money or magic to add some variety, and for any number of things. And if we have children, we don’t want them growing up all alone in there.”
“I hadn’t thought about children.”
“Don’t you want any?”
“I hadn’t thought about it, really.”
“Well, you probably should,” he said, smiling. “If we keep on as we have, they’re likely to happen.”
“Let them happen, then!” She giggled. He hugged her to him for a moment.
“Then we shouldn’t cut ourselves off in the tapestry,” he said. “Not if we’re going to lead a decent life and have children.”
“You’re right,” she agreed. “Besides, I want to see the World.” She paused, considering, then asked anxiously, “It isn’t all like Dwomor, is it?”
“Aha! So that’s what’s really bothering you! No, it isn’t all like Dwomor. This is one of the least pleasant places I’ve seen, as a matter of fact. I think you’d be impressed by Ethshar of the Spices; it’s not as primitive as this place. Or even the beaches near Telven...” His voice trailed off.
“What is it?”
“I just realized; I can’t stay in the tapestry! I owe someone an apology and a new boat. And besides, I promised Peren I’d put curses on the people who robbed him if he wanted me to.”
“Well, it’s settled, then. We’ll just have to learn to deal with the World. We’ll get the money, and you’ll take the position here, and we’ll travel and see Ethshar and Telven and buy those people their new boat, and whenever we want to get away from it all, we can just step into the tapestry.”