Instead, I had, based on some things that Corwin had told me, found a Shadow similar to that of the one he had spent many a year in. I wasn't able to alter every aspect of that Shadow, but I made certain that in time, an Amberite would come to find my son and introduce him to his heritage.
I thought it would be me, and not thirty-odd years later.
It may be too late to change him. He claims to be 19 but his attitude is more that of a preadolescent. At my mention of learning the ways of the sword, his face shows his aversion. By the Unicorn, he doesn't even know how to hold the weapon!
The chances for magical aptitude are lesser still.
It is hard, hard to be so critical of one's own child, but I cannot understand why he will not realize that his position in Amber, his heritage, comes with a price -- vigilance. There are innumerable Chaosites who would gain greatly by bringing back the head of an Amberite. Shadow, while not being reality, is not perfectly safe. Connie has to learn to kill, and to keep himself from being killed.
I can't say I reacted well when I saw in an opponent's eyes the touch of death, the warm wash of blood across my hand as my sword entered his stomach. It's not pleasant, but it is life.
Being a Prince of Amber requires these things. To protect one's homeland, the Pattern...
Connie's more worried about getting back to his Shadow in time for training camp.
Unfortunately, life is not a game. Sometimes you have to play the fence between two brothers. Sometimes you have to get so close to the enemy that everyone thinks you've aligned with him. Sometimes you have to give up thirty years of your life.
Now if he would just give up on Rinaldo's bluster about his parentage. If not, he'll talk himself right out of the throne.