Meanwhile, poor Reginald was having a time of it. Apparently he had decided simply walking away from the dog Would Not Do, since Susan had only asked him to withdraw for the moment, and one did not disobey the wishes of a high queen, even if she was entirely grubby and looked as though she'd been on the road for two weeks. So he kept shuffling back and forth, ever so slightly, in hopes of avoiding dog hair on his impeccable black pants.

For Susan, however, what Gendry said did make a certain amount of horrible sense. She knew her history and her fairy stories.

"Oh. I'm sorry you didn't know your father," she said, sensing she was swimming in deep waters. "I don't know quite how royalty works in your world, but in mine - in England - well. I'm glad you're alive." Illegitimate children of royalty were often killed so they couldn't make claims on the throne - then again, so were legitimate children. She felt that things were getting tangled up. "Anyway, what I mean to say is that I'm sorry that came out as an accusation. That wasn't fair of me."

She held out her hand then paused for a moment and added awkwardly, "I don't suppose they shake hands where you're from?"