Resenting the Hero by Moira J. Moore

world.
    And the ugliest. I had to say that. The buildings in High Scape were hideous. Possibly because none of them matched. So much of the city had been torn down and rebuilt over the centuries, and it appeared that every time they needed a new building they hired the most demented apprentice architect they could find to design it.
    A pathetic effort had been made to brighten things up. There were banners hung from windows, arches, and every likely anchor that could be found. Streets were obstructed with gaily decorated platforms and stalls boasting goods of the frivolous variety. And the people seemed to be moving around a lot, full of excitement.
    I frowned as I remembered the date. Ah, hell. Damn, damn, damn. The Star Festival. It was around that time. I’d forgotten all about it. There’d been no preparations going on at the last village we had ridden through, but different places celebrated at different times.
    The Star Festival, when we celebrated the First Landing, when the first people came from who knew where and started living on our world. For most people it was just a time to get together and eat and dance and get drunk for a few days, with no other significance. Which was fair enough, as no one knew the exact date of the First Landing anyway.
    I’d never celebrated the Star Festival outside of the confines of my academy. Unbonded Shields did not go to public festivals. The combination of the general excitement, the activity, the drinking, and the music could be extremely dangerous, driving a Shield to unimaginable acts of violence or sex, sometimes sending them cowering in fear. Some Shields even suffered hallucinations. At the academy the activities, beverages, and music had been carefully chosen to keep the Shields calm. In public festivals, no such care was taken. Only bonded Shields could attend, because their Sources were there to keep them under control.
    I studied Karish’s back. He had done nothing—yet—to suggest he was irresponsible, but he was a Source and an aristocrat, and he lived to satisfy his passions. How could such a creature be expected to forgo his own pleasure just to make sure someone else didn’t behave inappropriately?
    I’d beg off that night, claiming fatigue, which was true enough. He would be relieved, free to chase pretty young things. I would worry about the next day tomorrow.
    That settled, I kept my eye out for the Triple S residence, where Pairs posted in High Scape lived. Again, High Scape was different than other posts, in that it required all of the Pairs to live together. Most sites had only one Pair, and each in a Pair was permitted to find his or her own accommodations. I supposed there would have been complaints, however, if fourteen forms of accommodation had been demanded without payment in one city.
    I had to ask for directions to the large, sprawling building with the Triple S emblem over the door. We left our horses at the hitching post, and I pounded on the entrance.
    The door was opened a few moments later. A plump woman with graying brown hair and the white braid of a Shield looked at us, and then at our own braids. “Yes?”
    I noticed no sense of recognition in her. “We are Lord Shintaro Karish and Shield Mallorough,” I said. “We’re the new Pair for High Scape.” I dug my hand into my belt purse and pulled at the letter I’d received at the Horse’s Head.
    â€œOh,” she said, sounding surprised. The next words she spoke were delivered in a more moderate tone. “Forgive me, but we weren’t told when the new Pair was arriving, and you’re . . . well, you’re rather younger than we’d been expecting. Please, come in.” She held the door wider, closing it behind us once we’d entered. “I’m McKenna.”
    Karish took her hand. “My friends call me Taro,” he said, smiling. “It’s a great honor to meet you.”
    She smiled back,