Sunday, October 2, 2011

Chapter 1 of The Riddle-Master of Hed, Read-Through

“Morgon of Hed met the High One's harpist one autumn day when the trade-ships docked at Tol for the season's exchange of goods.”
These are the words that begin the Riddle of Stars series.  One sentence, one event, that shapes the destiny of a young, strange Prince of Hed. 

When a boy spots the ships arriving with the season’s goods, he runs to Akren to inform the Prince of Hed.  Morgon quickly begins to relay orders making the mistake of mentioning that the last time the ships came he nearly traded three plow horses for a harp with no strings.  His brother, Eliard, quickly says that if Morgon is going to get a harp, he wants a horse from An.  Tristen, Morgon’s sister, pipes in that she wants various materials to make herself clothing.  When Morgon objects asking what she thinks grows in their fields, Tristen replys she knows what grows in their fields, but she also knows what she has been sweeping around the last six months.

This soon leads to a discussion of the Crown of Aum.  Morgon gives evasive answers to how he obtained the crown leading to a fight between himself and Eliard.  After the fight, Morgon informs them that he won the crown in a riddle game with the ghost Peven in Aum.  He won this crown by mentioning a riddle Peven of Aum did not know about Kern of Hed.  He had journeyed there soon after the death of their parents.  Soon things are worked out and Morgon travels down to the docks in Tol.  A trader offers him a harp and allows him to keep it for a while to make up his mind.  He soon meets Deth, supposedly the High One’s harpist.  Deth tells Morgon that the High One instructed him to convey his sorrow at the death of Morgon’s parents, but he got delayed by a stubborn winter in Isig, a seige in Caerweddin, and an urgent message from Mathom.

Deth tells Morgon that the harp he is holding was made by Uon of Hel.  Soon, however, Morgon is asking Deth to play something on his own harp.  The High One’s harpist plays him the Ballad of Belu and Bilo.  Afterwards, Morgon tells Deth how his parents died, mentioning at the last that he had journeyed to An.  Deth begins to ask why; however, it soon becomes apparent to him that Morgon must of obtained the Crown of Aum from Peven.  The urgent message from Mathom had been about Peven and the winner of the game against him.  Morgon is confused about why this is so important to Mathom.  It is from Deth that Morgon learns that Mathom made a vow at his daughter Raederle’s birth.
"The King made a vow at her birth to give her only to the man who took the crown of Aum from Peven.”
Morgon, at first unsure, brushes the hair from his face allowing a sea wind to pull it straight back.  This reveals the stars on Morgon’s forehead.  Deth’s face goes suddenly still, our first indication that he knows what these stars mean.  Morgon decides he will go to An and ask Raederle to marry him.

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