"No one gives this sort of secret away — " he began.
"Except in tales," she interrupted. "And here you be, in the middle of a tale. Say, you've earned it. I'm sure ye've done a mort of good works in the past. Say, there's someone partial to you in the Palace, maybe some lady who's taken a fancy to you. Say or think whatever you like, but Old Maggie thinks you won't be the only ones getting help. So you might as well have it from me."
The men exchanged a quick glance. "Well, there was that first Prince I saw, and he had a sorceress bringing him. I doubt she's confining herself to just giving him a ride," said Siegfried doubtfully. "And I'm sure the others have all manner of charms and things. Magic armor and swords...maybe more, too."
Encouraged, she thrust the square of folded paper into Siegfried's hand. "Ye have a friend in Old Maggie," she said, and tried to simulate a cackle. "Old Maggie will see to it." She failed miserably, managing only a giggle, and on that note, she slipped back through the hedge. Now to get back upstairs and return the cloak.
On the whole, she thought that her performance had been rather good. The giggle was only a little slip, and whoever said old ladies didn't giggle? They wouldn't suspect a thing.
"That was no old lady," Siegfried said solemnly, before the bird could. "I've never heard an old lady that sounded like that, ever."
"Not with that voice," agreed Leopold. "It was a good disguise, though. Magic, do you think?"
"Probably. This kingdom is thick with it. Practically nothing is what it seems to be." Siegfried unfolded the paper and looked it over. Unfortunately he had the same difficulty he'd had with the Inn sign. He couldn't read it. This was very frustrating. He looked at the bird.
"Don't look at me," the bird said cheerfully. "I can't read. Period."
Mutely he handed it to Leopold, defeated. "What do you make of this?"
"Well, this sounds normal enough," Leopold began. "A race in full armor on a warhorse. That's better than a footrace in full armor."
"Much," Siegfried agreed, but then Leopold exclaimed in dismay.
"What?" he said with outrage in his voice and incredulity in his gaze. "This is insane! What kind of a contest is this? What does this have to do with — with — well, anything?"
"What is it? And keep your voice down." Siegfried drew Leopold with him behind the hedge. Leopold had crumpled up the paper in his fist, he was so upset; now he smoothed it out again and shook it at Siegfried, as if the Northerner was somehow to blame for what was written there.
"It says here that at the end of the first stage of the race, we're to herd three sheep into a pen — three sheep? Are they insane?" Leopold looked very much as if he wanted to punch something. "Is this some kind of joke? Are they trying to make fools out of us? What kind of a test is that? And then, as if that isn't bad enough, we're to gather up a dozen eggs while wearing gauntlets — "
But Siegfried nodded wisely, because he could see the sense in it. It was like all the seemingly tedious chores he'd been forced to do by the Dwarf who had taught him forging and the old man who had taught him fighting. They seemed tedious and as if they had nothing to do with the task he was supposed to be learning, but when he looked back on it all, he'd been strengthening his muscles, getting coordination and learning patience. Oh yes. Patience. "The eggs? That's to prove you've got patience. If you rush things, you'll break the eggs, and you know they'll take points off your score if you do. The Dwarves made me do that. The trick is that you don't pick them up. You put one hand flat, then roll the egg into it. Then you put it down like this — " He mimed cupping his hands together, then carefully separating them so that presumably the contents settled slowly into place.
Leopold looked momentarily convinced, then he looked down at the notes, and exploded again. "But sheep! Sheep!"
"You were herding sheep," Siegfried observed.
Leopold looked at him as if he had lost his wits.
"When the King died and these silly court people were panicking. They acted without thinking, in their minds, running in circles. Like sheep, frightened by wolves." Siegfried shrugged. "You were herding sheep."
"That was a meta — that was diff — that was — " Leopold stuttered to a halt, and stared at Siegfried.
"That was what you did. And you herd real sheep the same way." Siegfried nodded. "Unless you have a dog to help, that is. The dog is fast enough to herd them by frightening them just a little to make them move the way he wants them to. You watch a herd-dog — he acts like a wolf, barks, jumps — they run away from him. But a man alone can't move that fast, so you don't frighten them more than they already are. In fact, you don't frighten them at all if you can help it. You just get them moving and stand where you don't want them to go, blocking them from going there, then move slowly and keep them moving. The one thing sheep want to do is stay together, so if you can get one moving in the right direction, they all will go. If your horse is well-trained, you can do what a dog does. Or you can lead them if you can manage to find the one you can lead. But you don't chase them, because that will only frighten them more and make them harder to herd." He took a deep breath. "And that's why herding sheep really is showing something important. That is what a leader does. He gets sheep to do what he wants them to do by giving them no other choice, but does it in a way that does not frighten them."
"But that — but I — " Leopold opened his mouth and closed it a few more times. He scratched his head, looked around for a bench here on the servants' side of the hedge and sat down in the shade. "You're...right."
Siegfried nodded, then added casually, "Of course, the shepherds will be there on the side, with their dogs. I see nothing in this that says you cannot go to them and give them money to herd the sheep for you. Or I suppose you could hire a shepherd and a dog and take them double with you on the horse. That is also what a leader does. He finds people that know how to do what he needs done, then he puts them in charge of doing it so he doesn't have to."