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head for weeks after but I could never remember all the verses."
    "The Lay of Araman" it is, then."
    Seregil cleared his throat and launched into the song, his voice a rich, lilting tenor. After a moment Alec joined in. His voice wasn't as fine, but he could carry a tune.
    "Across the sea sailed Araman, a hundred men he led. His ship was black as Death's left eye, her sails were deep bloodred. They sailed to Simra's distant shore to answer Honor's call. A hundred men sailed out to sea, but none sailed home at all.
    For Honor's price is blood and steeland Death will be your brother. A soldier's life is full of strife, but I swear I'd have no other!
    On the city walls stood King Mindar,
    he watched the ship draw nigh.
    Five hundred men were at his back and gave the battle cry.
    Then marched they to the battle plain to meet the seaborne foe,
    While Araman and his hundred men came all ashore below.
    For Honor's price is blood and steel
    and with your life you'll buy it. But the ladies love a fighting manand there's none that will deny it!
    Then Araman strode on the field and Mindar stepped to meet him. "Your lying tongue has brought us here!" cried Araman to greet him. "I see your force is greater, you have numbers on your side, But by my sword, I'll see you dead 'ere the turning of the tide."
    For Honor's price is blood and steelthough flesh won't stop a sword. The glory of a soldier's death will be your last reward!
    Then on the plain the armies met and sword rang out on shield.
    Helms were cloven, limbs were hacked,
    yet neither side would yield,
    Until the generals found themselves alone upon the plain.
    Six hundred soldiers, brave and bold,
    would never fight again.
    For Honor's price is blood and steeland well the widows know The worth of Honor to the lads now lying down below!
    Then toe to toe and blade to blade the two fierce warriors fought. To steal the heart's blood of his foe was each one's only thought. From their wounds the blood flowed down to stain the trampled sward And when the tide was turning Mindar fell to Araman's sword.
    For Honor's price is blood and steelfor churl and lord as well And generals often lead their men down to the gates of hell!
    Bold Amman, the victor now,
    lays his blade aside.
    From his wounds his life flows out just like the sea's great tide.
    The price of Honor paid in full with blood and steel and lives.
    On an empty plain by an empty shore
    the rightful victor dies.
    For Honor's price is blood and steelso harken well, my son. Honor's a damned expensive thing if you're dead when the battle's won!"
    "Well sung!" Seregil applauded. "With a good apprenticeship, you might make a passable bard yourself."
    "Me?" Alec said with an embarrassed grin. "I can imagine what Father would have said to that!"
    So can I , Seregil thought, having decided that the dead man must have been a pretty dour sort.
    They passed much of the afternoon ride trading songs. As soon as Seregil discovered how Alec blushed at the bawdy ones, he made a special point of including plenty of those.
    For two days they traveled hard and slept cold, but the time passed quickly. Seregil proved as fine a wayfaring companion as Alec could have hoped for, happy to fill the long hours of riding with tales, songs, and legends. The only subject he proved stubbornly reticent about was his own past, and Alec quickly learned not to press. Otherwise, however, they got on well enough. Alec was particularly intrigued by stories of life in the south.
    "You never finished telling me about why the Three Lands fight so often," he said, hoping for another story after a particularly long silence that afternoon.
    "I do tend to get sidetracked, don't I? What would you like to know?"
    "About that priest king and all, I guess. It used to be all one country, you said, but now they're three. What happened?"
    "Same thing that always happens when someone thinks someone else has more land and power than they do—there was a war.
    "About a thousand years