Celerity was clearly displeased. But her father nodded slowly to my words. “I see the wisdom of your words. My daughter, I fear, sees only the delay.” He looked at Celerity’s pout, smiled fondly. “Someday she will understand that the people who seek to protect her are the people who care for her.” He ran his eyes over me as if I were a horse. “I believe,” he said quietly, “that Buck will stand. And that Verity’s child shall inherit the throne.”

I left him with those words echoing in my mind. Again and again, I told myself I had done nothing wrong. If I had not reached forth to claim Buckkeep, another would have.

“Who?” Chade demanded angrily of me some hours later.

I sat looking down at my feet. “I don’t know. But they would have found someone. And that person would have been far more likely to cause bloodshed. To act at the King-in-Waiting ceremony, and jeopardize our efforts to get Kettricken and Shrewd clear of this mess.”

“If the Coastal Dukes are as close to rebellion as your report indicates, then perhaps we should reconsider that plan.”

I sneezed. The room still smelled of bitterbark. I had used too much. “Brawndy did not come to me speaking of rebellion, but of loyalty to the true and rightful King. And that was the spirit in which I responded. I have no wish to overthrow the throne, Chade, only to secure it for its lawful heir.”

“I know that,” he said briefly. “Otherwise I would go straight to King Shrewd with this … madness. I know not what to call it. It is not treason, quite, and yet …”

“I am no traitor to my king.” I spoke with quiet vehemence.

“No? Let me ask you this, then. If, despite, or save us all, because of our efforts to save Shrewd and Kettricken, they both perish with the child unborn, and Verity never returns. What then? Will you still be so eager to cede the throne to the rightful King?”

“Regal?”

“By the line of succession, yes.”

“He is no king, Chade. He’s an indulged Princeling, and always will be. I’ve as much Farseer blood as he does.”

“And so you might say of Kettricken’s child, when the time came. Do you see what a dangerous path we set ourselves on when we set ourselves above our places? You and I, we swore to the Farseer line, of which we are but random shoots. Not to King Shrewd alone, or to a wise King alone, but to uphold the rightful King of the Farseer line. Even if he is Regal.”

“You would serve Regal?”

“I have seen more foolish Princes than he become wise as they aged. What you contemplate will bring us civil war. Farrow and Tilth—”

“Have no interest in any kind of a war. They will say good riddance to us and let the Coastal Duchies go. Regal has always said as much.”

“And he probably thinks he believes it. But when he finds that he cannot buy fine silk, and that the wines of Bingtown and beyond no longer flow up the Buck River to his palate, he will think better. He needs his port cities, and he will come back for them.”

“So what are we to do? What should I have done?”

Chade sat down across from me, clasped his mottled hands between his bony old knees. “I do not know. Brawndy is desperate indeed. If you had loftily refused him and rebuked him with treason, well … I don’t say he’d have done away with you. But remember he had no hesitation about dealing quickly with Virago when she represented a threat to him. This is all too much for one old assassin. We need a King.”

“Aye.”

“Could you Skill again to Verity?”

“I fear to try. I do not know how to guard against Justin and Serene. Or Will.” I sighed. “Still, I will try. Surely Verity will know if they ride with my Skilling.” Another thought intruded. “Chade, tomorrow night, when you lead Kettricken to escape, you must find a moment or two, to tell her of what has transpired, and assure her of my loyalty.”

“Oh, those will be reassuring tidings to give her as she flees back to the Mountains. No. Not tomorrow night. I will see that word reaches her, when she is safe. And you must continue to try to reach Verity, but beware of having your Skilling spied upon. Are you sure our plans are unknown to them?”

I had to shake my head. “But I believe they are safe. I had told all to Verity when first I Skilled him. It was not until the end that he said someone tried to spy upon us.”

“You probably should have killed Justin,” Chade grumbled to himself. Then he laughed at my outraged look. “No, no, calm yourself. I will not rebuke you that you refrained from it. Would that you had been so circumspect with the scheme that Brawndy brought you. Even a breath of this would be sufficient for Regal to have your neck stretched. And were he ruthless and foolish, he could try to hang his dukes as well. No. Let us not even think of that! The halls of Buckkeep would run blood before that was done. Would you had found a way to turn the conversation, before ever he made you such an offer. Save, as you say, that they might have found another. Ah, well. We cannot put old heads on young shoulders. Unfortunately, Regal could remove your young head from your young shoulders all too easily.” He knelt and put another piece of wood on the fire. He took a breath and sighed it out. “Have you got all other things in readiness?” he asked abruptly.