Today it was made from the snickings of scissors and the clack of a loom, with the high-pitched giggle of a woman winding through it. "So. Had another fitting this morning, did you?" I asked the Prince. He was not dazzled. He knew how I had deduced it. He nodded with weary tolerance. "Both Thick and I. It was a long morning."

Thick nodded emphatically. "Stand on the stool. Don't scratch. Don't move. While they poke Thick with pins."

He added the last severely, with a rebuking look at the Prince.

Dutiful sighed. "That was an accident, Thick. She told you to stand still."

"She's mean," Thick ventured in an undertone, and I suspected he was close to the truth. Many of his nobles found it difficult to accept the Prince's friendship with Thick. For some reason, it affronted some servants even more. I suspected some of them found small ways to vent that displeasure. "It's all done now, Thick," Dutiful consoled him.

We took our customary places around the immense table. Since Chade had announced that he and the Prince were beginning Skill-lessons together, this room of the Seawatch Tower had been furnished well. Long curtains framed the tall windows, now unshuttered to admit a pleasant breeze. The stone walls and floor of the chamber had been well scrubbed and the table and chairs oiled and polished. There were proper scroll racks to hold Chade's small library as well as a stoutly locked cabinet for those he regarded as highly valuable or dangerous. A large writing desk offered inkpots and freshly cut pens and a generous supply of both paper and vellum.

There was also a sideboard with bottles of wine, glasses, and other necessities for the Prince's comfort. It had become a comfortable, even indulgent room that reflected Chade's taste more than Prince Dutiful's. I enjoyed the change.