Zuko is not, by reputation, what anyone in a Karsite-turned-Herald-trainee. Too deeply connected to the Karsite elite, too zealous a participant in actions against Valdemar.
Alberich cultivates a particular reputation for himself, and is thus entirely inclined not to trust anything he hears about others. A reputation is easy to craft out of existing rumors, fears, and exaggerated incidents. Most people are not fortunate enough to craft their own, many are saddled with what their enemies make for them, intentionally or not. Alberich only half-controls his, and that only in Haven. He can only imagine what Zuko would have heard in Karse. A witch and a traitor. Likely they say that he set fire to that shed (or maybe it would be a village in the telling), rather than barely escaping from it. Possibly at this point they say he sabotaged the campaigns he led, making his supposed betrayal all-encompassing.
Alberich suspects that Zuko will prove not to be a zealot, nor someone who is simply running away (as some rumors have suggested). He suspects that Zuko will prove to be a young man who throws himself into a cause, and has, perhaps, learned the importance of examining that cause first.
The boy seems as tightly wound as some of the court ladies' hair when he comes in. Alberich is pleased to note the bow, though - there is always a risk with nobility.
:The poor thing's terrified of you: Kantor says with amusement.
:Well, we'll have to find out for which reasons:
"Herald Alberich," he says in Valdemaran. He wants a sense of how comfortable Zuko is with the language before they switch over, if they do. He raises his eyebrows by just a hint. "But I'm sure you already know that."
He turns, gesturing for the boy to follow him. "My office is this way. You will be tested in the salle, but not yet."
I love Sokka the Companion
Alberich cultivates a particular reputation for himself, and is thus entirely inclined not to trust anything he hears about others. A reputation is easy to craft out of existing rumors, fears, and exaggerated incidents. Most people are not fortunate enough to craft their own, many are saddled with what their enemies make for them, intentionally or not. Alberich only half-controls his, and that only in Haven. He can only imagine what Zuko would have heard in Karse. A witch and a traitor. Likely they say that he set fire to that shed (or maybe it would be a village in the telling), rather than barely escaping from it. Possibly at this point they say he sabotaged the campaigns he led, making his supposed betrayal all-encompassing.
Alberich suspects that Zuko will prove not to be a zealot, nor someone who is simply running away (as some rumors have suggested). He suspects that Zuko will prove to be a young man who throws himself into a cause, and has, perhaps, learned the importance of examining that cause first.
The boy seems as tightly wound as some of the court ladies' hair when he comes in. Alberich is pleased to note the bow, though - there is always a risk with nobility.
:The poor thing's terrified of you: Kantor says with amusement.
:Well, we'll have to find out for which reasons:
"Herald Alberich," he says in Valdemaran. He wants a sense of how comfortable Zuko is with the language before they switch over, if they do. He raises his eyebrows by just a hint. "But I'm sure you already know that."
He turns, gesturing for the boy to follow him. "My office is this way. You will be tested in the salle, but not yet."