The Paladin by C.J. Cherryh : 1988 HC DJ and 50 similar items

He was a legend-Saukendar, master warrior-but the old emperor he served has fallen years before. The rightful heir had relinquished his power to the Regent. The Regent held the land in a grip of fear. ? Saukendar had left war and politics behind or so he thought. Broken in body and spirit, he'd built himself a haven on a remote mountaintop to b.... more ».. more »e alone with his memories. His revered name kept bandits away, and the grateful villagers honored him. But no one dared disturb his privacy...until Taizu. Scarred, bitter, Taizu wanted revenge-to kill the Regent's henchmen who had murdered her family--and she begged Saukendar to teach her his deadly skills. Nothing he said or did could convince her of her folly. And in the end, she had her the great Saukendar, bested by the will of a mere peasant girl, joined her on an insane mission that, he was sure, meant death for both of them. Shipped the next day 8/11/24