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."Wondering, Orgoru touched the door, It swung open to reveal a huge room with cream-colored walls and deep blue trim and curtains.Even the people in the pictures on thewalls wore blue clothing, and they were all lords and ladies, gods and goddesses, with afew servants here and there to remind him of his station in life."Enter, Your Highness, enter!" the duke urged."Yes, enter," the countess echoed, with smoldering eyes.Orgoru looked into them,swallowed heartily, and entered.The crowd tumbled in with him, vying for his attentionas each showed him a new marvel."This is your sitting room.Here you can be alone in luxury as befits your station!""Behold your hearth!" An older noblewoman gestured at the small fireplace in the corner."You'll never need it for more than decoration, of course-these rooms stay warm allaaTTnnssFFffooDDrrPPmmYYeeYYrrBB22.BBAAClick here to buyClick here to buywwmmwwoowwcc.AAYYBBYYBB r rthrough winter, cool all through the summer!""If you wish to dine," said a tall young man in scarlet clothes, "here is your table." Hetouched a horizontal bar in the wall, and it slid out, extending legs to become a tableindeed "Only speak aloud what you wish to eat, and you shall find it on the table when itappears!""It seems a pretty picture-frame, does it not?" Another beautiful young noblewoman-theywere all beautiful, all these people, as he had known they would be, but none seemed asbeautiful to him as Countess Gilda-gestured at an ornate but empty picture-frame."Butspeak the word, and it will fill with moving images, images that show a whole story.Picture! Show me The Romance of the Rose!"The picture came to life, with gloriously clad men and women moving about, straight andcourtly, the very paragons of gentility.Orgoru fixed the title of the picture in hismemory-he felt lumpen and awkward among these people, and wanted to make sure heknew how to move properly."Though there are also books!" A fellow prince gestured toward a floor-to-ceiling casefilled with leather-bound editions."Amazing!" But Orgoru's stomach sank-how could he admit to these cultured people thathe didn't know how to read? "This is the most marvelous of all!" The countess plucked aslender volume from a waist-high shelf, opened it, and held it before Orgoru."See! Itspeaks!"He stared down at a pointed shape with a crossbar, while a voice from the book intoned,"This is the letter A, sometimes pronounced `ah.' ""A treasure," Orgoru said with feeling, and his heart went out to the countess.Howgracious, how tactful of her, to show him that he had the means to learn to read at hand!And how deep her insight, to know that he needed it!She closed the book and slipped it back onto the shelf, then turned to a door, saying,"Here are more wonders." This door opened at her touch, and the crowd ushered him intothe chamber.It was half the size of the sitting room, floor hidden by another azure carpetwith designs of leaves and flowers, with a huge four-poster bed centered in one wall.Orgoru gawked, imagining lolling in such luxury when the most he had ever known wasa pallet stuffed with straw.He felt a hand touch his, and looked down to see CountessGilda smiling up at him with mischief in her eyes.He stared back, frozen, pulsehammering, but she laughed and spun away to another door."Your dressing chamber!"They hurried him in, still vying with one another to show him its wonders.There was acupboard that made the dirt fall from him, a tub that filled with hot scented water by itself(they assured him that it was safe, and baths within its waters were restorative and weredelights in themselves), and another cupboard that always had clean garments for him(old ones dropped on its floor simply disappeared by morning).Instead of a razor, therewas a cream to spread on his skin, and when he wiped it off, his beard would be gone-andwould stay gone for a month!aaTTnnssFFffooDDrrPPmmYYeeYYrrBB22.BBAAClick here to buyClick here to buywwmmwwoowwcc.AAYYBBYYBB r r"Refresh yourself," the duke invited, "then come join us in the great hall.Only say whereyou wish to go, and a spot of azure will appear on the wall, and move before you to guideyou to us.""Do not make us wait long," Gilda breathed, reaching out to touch him one last time asshe stepped through the door.They all went out behind her, laughing and joking, rejoicing that there was one morenobleman among them-and another of royal blood, tool Orgoru's heart overflowed withgratitude to them all, for taking him to their collective bosom so quickly, and withoutquestion.Yes, surely he would come to join them as quickly as he could! But not in thesepeasant clothes, this disguise that had helped him escape from bondage.He closed thedoor to the dressing chamber, kicked off his heavy shoes and his tunic, and stepped intothe cleaning booth.He was amazed how fresh and new he felt when he came out, and that without a drop ofwater touching his skin! He wiped away his beard as they had shown him, then openedhis closet-and discovered doublet and hose that were so beautiful they took his breathaway.They were silver with azure embroidery and a short azure cloak with azure boots.Over them hung a short linen garment that was strange, but after puzzling over it for alittle, he drew it on and up about his hips, where it clung as though alive.It was a strangeand not entirely pleasant sensation for a man whose loins had always gone ungirded, butif it was the custom here, he would accept it.Then he pulled on the glorious doublet andhose and stood in front of his mirror, amazed at the transformation.Here was no dumpyunkempt peasant, but a tall, lean aristocrat with shining hair and a severe, handsome butnoble face that he scarcely recognized as his own.He strode to the door, feeling ready to take his rightful place among the glittering people.When the sun neared the horizon, Gar turned off the road into a small woodlot."Time tothink of camping, my friends.""It does look like the best shelter we're apt to find," Dirk sighed."Of course, there mightbe an inn at the next village."Miles shuddered."By your leave, sirs, I'd rather not stay at an inn.I know it's foolish ofme, but I feel as though if I stay a whole night within reach of the Watch, they're morelikely to catch me." Again, he was amazed at his own temerity in speaking to gentlemenbefore he was spoken to.But they didn't seem to notice."I can understand that all too well," Dirk said, "and I'dhave to say you're smart
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