"Raymond E. Feist - Kingdom of the Isles 2 - The King's Buccaneer" - читать интересную книгу автора (Feist Raymond E)

Turning away from the practice, Nicholas walked back toward the palace, Harry
felling in at his side. "I have always been the youngest, the weakest, the ...
cripple."

Harry's eyebrows went up. "Some cripple. I've got more bruises and cuts from
sword practice widi you than everyone else combined, and I don't think I've
touched you more than twice in a year."

Nicholas's crooked smile made him look like his father as he said, "You've
scored a point or two."

Harry shrugged. "See. I'm not bad, but you're exceptional. How could you be
considered a cripple?"

"Do you have the Festival of Presentation in Ludland?"

Harry said, "No, it's only for the royal family, right?"

Nicholas shook his head. "No. It used to be diat every noble child was
presented to the people thirty days after birth, so that all could see the
child was born without flaw.

"It fell out of practice in the Eastern Realm a long time ago, but it was
practiced widely in the West. My brothers were presented, as was my sister—all
the children of the royal family, until me."

Harry nodded. "All right, so your father didn't wish to show you off to the
people. What about it?"
Nicholas shrugged. "It's not what you are, sometimes; it's how people treat
you. I've always been treated as if there was something wrong with me. It
makes it hard."

"And you think things will be different in Crydee?" said Harry as they left
the precinct of the stadium and reached the gate to the palace.

34 Raymond E. Feist

Two guards saluted the Prince as he passed, and Nicholas said, "I don't know
my uncle Martin well, but I like him. I think I may have a different life in
Crydee."

Harry sighed as they entered the palace. "I hope it's not too different," he
observed as a particularly pretty maid hurried past. He watched her until she
vanished through a side door. "There are so many possibilities here, Nicky."

Nicholas shook his head in resignation.

THE ROWERS PULLED and the longboat backed away, as heavy lines ran out to the
stern of the ship. Upon the docks Arutha, Anita, and a .host of court
functionaries stood, bidding Prince Nicholas good-bye. Anita had a glimmer in