"Raymond E. Feist - Kingdom of the Isles 1 - Prince of the Blood" - читать интересную книгу автора (Feist Raymond E)

were narrowed in concentration, a gaze that seemed to
miss nothing, in the opinion of many who served the
Prince. Thoughtful, even brooding at times, Arutha was
a brilliant military leader. He had rightfully won his
reputation during the nine years of the Riftwar—which
had ended the year before the twins' birth—after tak-
ing command of the garrison at Crydee, his family's
castle, when only a few months older than his sons were
now.

He was counted a hard but fair ruler, quick to dis-
pense justice when the crime warranted, though often
given to acts of leniency at the request of his wife, the
Princess Anita. And that relationship more than any-
thing typified the administration of the Western Realm:

hard, logical, evenhanded justice, tempered with
mercy. While few openly sang Arutha's praises, he was
well respected and honored, and his wife was beloved
by her subjects.

Anita sat quietly upon her throne, her green eyes
looking off into space. Her royal manner masked her
concern for her sons from all but those who knew her
most intimately. That her husband had ordered the
boys brought to the great hall for morning court, rather
than to their parents' private quarters last night,
showed more than anything else his displeasure. Anita
forced herself to be attentive to the speech being given
by a member of the Guild of Weavers; it was her duty
also to show those coming before her husband's court
the consideration of listening to every petition or re-
quest. The other members of the royal family were not
normally required at morning court, but since the twins
had returned from their service upon the border at
Highcastle, it had become a family gathering.

Princess Elena stood at her mother's side. She looked
a fair compromise between her parents, having red-
brown hair and fair skin from her mother but her fa-
ther's dark and intelligent eyes. Those who knew the
royal family well often observed that if Borric and Er-
iand resembled their uncle, the King, then Elena re-

Prince of the Blood

sembled her aunt, the Baroness Carline of Salador. And
Arutha had observed on more than one occasion she
had Carline's renowned temper.