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came out of his mask like a breath of damp air from a cave, and it felt like the sound of a window breaking at midnight. "A fair hand at monsters and such as well. But no general. No man will gladly follow me, nor take orders from me. You would need a separate General of All the Armies, but still, I seek the post of Captain of the Guard."
    King Boniface nodded soberly. He knew how much the job of General of All the Armies had come to mean to Cedric. He had thought that he might well wish to divide the functions of Captain of the Guard and General of All the Armies, thus giving Cedric the job he loved on a permanent basis and at the same time getting himself a proper bodyguard, for Cedric sometimes failed to post truly first-rate troopers to the job, preferring to keep them on duty at the barracks. Thus the Twisted Man was proposing what King Boniface himself had already been thinking, and impressing the King very much.
    "And," Boniface said, preventing Golias from any longer introductions, "I presume the young lady would like to seek employment as the Prince's Personal Maid, and no doubt has splendid qualifications." He tried for just enough irony to amuse the Court without hurting the girl's feelings; as usual, since he was King, no one revealed enough feeling one way or another for him to judge what effect he was having. Really, it was irritating.
    "Majesty," the girl said softly, and her voice was so melodic that everyone leaned forward just a little to hear it better, "my name is Psyche. I have no qualifications except that I know how to do things, I work hard, and I usually like children, though to tell you the truth it depends a great deal on the child, for you know they are not all alike."
    This was the first time Boniface had heard any candidate admit that not all children were equally suited to her, and instantly he liked her for that.
    Amatus nearly clinched it then by bouncing up and down and saying, "Nice lady. Is she going to stay?" and then Psyche did clinch it by grinning.
    After all, a year and a day is an auspicious time in a fairy tale, the King said to himself. Still, he knew the rules, and sure as he was that these were the right ones, he said, "I am well-disposed to all of you. Would you be so good as to undertake a project each to demonstrate your skills?"
    Golias nodded. "Indeed, Majesty, we had thought we might propose such projects to you. Mortis and I should like to undertake to manufacture the Wine of the Gods."
    A gasp ran through the Court.
    Boniface frowned. "I tell you now, I would not like you to fail through mischance, and if you are little experienced, so many things can go wrong that through no fault of your own—"
    A gasp ran through the Court again.
    "The gasping is getting quite distracting," Boniface said, crossly. "Nobody asked anybody not to mention the Wine of the Gods, to my knowledge. If you have all been trying not to, I wish you would give up in that effort. I broke my arm falling out of a chestnut tree as a child, and no one went to any special trouble to avoid mentioning chestnuts in my presence. Amatus can bear to hear it mentioned; indeed, I doubt that he remembers he ever had a left side."
    "Right hand," Amatus said, holding it up. "No left hand."
    No one quite knew how to react to this; when the King looked at Psyche, she had a little upward turn in her mouth, not a smile unless he wanted it to be. He smiled himself, and then it was. "No matter how well we know them, there's always more to know," Psyche said.
    The King beamed at her.
    "Are you sure," Cedric said, clearing his throat, "that you wish to engage in anything as difficult as manufacturing the Wine of the Gods? I think that we all want you to succeed."
    Mortis answered. "We are not just suitable, but perfect. We will show you that; we would not want you at any time in the future to have the least doubt about us. I myself am powerful enough to retain this appearance despite being many generations of men old; I will