She smiled and gave the nod in cursory fashion from her perch high up
on her prancing mount, and started to look away...
And looked back suddenly, for there in their midst, sitting by the
wayside in the city gates and clothed in a robe of coarse burr-lap, was
Habrunt!
Si'Wren's heart pounded like thunder as she abruptly pulled the reins
suddenly, halting and wheeling her black steed as she turned him out of
formation and walked the high-stepping stallion skittishly up in front
of him. Then she adroitly slipped a leg over the top of the saddle and
plummeted down with a sudden rush of air to alight on her feet and
stand smiling impishly down at him with her little fists on her hips.
Habrunt peered narrowly at up her, and she bowed ceremoniously to him,
an unprecedented gesture of respect from such an exalted member of the
Emperor's royal court to a mere beggar, which caused no small commotion
among the other elders sitting around them.
Habrunt's dull eyes grew slowly wide as he took her in disinterestedly
at first, and suddenly stared at her in dumbstruck disbelief. All of a
sudden, he was struggling with his walking stick to rise to his feet.
"Si'Wren!" he said in a hoarse voice. "Can it truly be you?"
Si'Wren nodded vigorously, and stood beaming cheerfully at him as
Habrunt wrapped his burly arms around her with an inarticulate
exclamation of joy, and suddenly Si'Wren found herself weeping, crying
and laughing all at the same time, heedless to the sea of faces
surrounding them cheering the Emperor in a continuous deafening roar.
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