Tian gave a shout of laughter, and raised his cup in salute. "Quite true, Lady. More must be seen. In three days I'll come and see your valley. Afterwards, you yourself may come with me to Riverfort and see my court and army there—if you wish, of course."
"Army? Then this is not all of it?"
Tian laughed again, and gulped the wine. "No, no: only my personal guard. We keep a thousand men under arms, not counting the local levies in wartime." ...But a wretched, ill-disciplined lot. Only my guards deserve the name of soldiers—but she need not know that. Women know nothing of soldiering; easy to hide such flaws from them.
"If Riverfort lands are so poor, how can you feed and clothe a thousand men to do nothing but wait for war?"
Clever girl. "Ah, the lands are also vast. A tenth of a poor l
