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Vaughn cleared his throat. Then the extra guard
The Princess waved a dismissive hand. I don t want a bunch of soldiers hovering over me the entire
time. It will draw unnecessary attention.
You mean it will ruin your fun, Talon grumbled under her breath, and Shasta spun to glare at her.
Just having you around is going to be bad enough. If Father hadn t permanently attached you to my
shadow I wouldn t be bringing you along either. Shasta paused, and her tone softened. Really, Talon,
there s nothing to worry about. I m going to borrow some of Erinda s clothes and dress up like a serving
girl. Lyris and Bria, too. We ll pose as the chancellor s attendants, and he ll give us a tour of Ardrenn
dressed like a merchant. No one will have any idea who we are.
Well, the disguise is a good idea, but, Highness, Talon dropped her voice so that only the Princess
could hear her, your brother was killed in full view of the entire court, surrounded by royal guard.
You re talking about walking into the middle of the city with almost no protection.
Well, that s what I have you for, isn t it? Shasta reached for her ladies hands. Come, let s go find
Erinda and put our costumes together.
Talon met Vaughn s eyes helplessly and moved to follow the giggling girls from the lesson hall, but was
stopped by a hand at her shoulder and a low voice in her ear.
You shouldn t be so concerned, Kumire sniveled over her shoulder. I ve been a student of the sword
since I was a child, and I m perfectly capable of protecting Her Royal Highness myself. Between their
disguises and my blade, we won t even need you, Outlander.
Talon fixed Kumire with a cool stare. This entire trip is folly, Chancellor, and it s for that very reason
that I m going. Someone has to protect the Princess from your poor judgment.
She marched from the room, leaving the Monderan chancellor to sputter in her wake.
*
You re so lucky, to be allowed to wear these every day, Shasta mused, straightening the waistband of
the brown roughspun split skirts she d borrowed from her chambermaid. They re so comfortable.
I barely get away with it as it is, the chambermaid replied with amusement, marking a spot on the
waistband with a pin where it needed to be taken in. Most of the palace servants pride themselves that
they don t have to wear them. Nurse always scolds me because of the way I dress, but it s easier to
carry a chamber pot up and down the palace stairs when my legs are free.
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Bria shook her head as Erinda hovered around Shasta, making additional alterations to the borrowed
outfit. Your Highness, are you sure you want to wear those? There are other servants in the palace who
are closer to your size, and their clothes wouldn t need to be taken in&
Shasta flashed her companions a grin. But Erinda s the only one who wears split skirts every day.
Lyris and Bria exchanged dubious glances, and the Princess snickered. What s the matter, you don t
like them? She could easily guess the answer, but unlike the other ladies of court she did not share the
opinion that split skirts were only for the most menial of laborers.
Lyris blushed lightly. It s only that& well, they re not very ladylike.
We thought only servants and farmer s wives wore those, Bria chimed in quickly. Aren t they a
little& common, for you, Princess? Erinda cleared her throat, and Bria quickly inclined her head to the
chambermaid. Of course I mean you no offense, Erinda.
Of course, the chambermaid replied dryly, but there was humor in her tone.
Shasta laughed again. Looking common is the whole idea. And when else will I have the opportunity to
wear split skirts in public without riding horseback? I d wear these things every day if they d let me.
They re so much easier to move in. To demonstrate her point, she gave a kick that nearly toppled the
dressing mirror and produced appalled squeaks of disapproval from her companions. You ll see. When
I become queen I m going to make these the new court fashion.
Bria still appeared doubtful and straightened her own gray dress with a sigh. I do wish we could have
chosen more elegant disguises, she complained. The chancellor gets to be a merchant, so why can t
we?
Lyris patted her sister s arm. Because we don t want to take any chances. It s important to keep the
Princess from being recognized.
Bria sighed again. I suppose. But these clothes are just so& drab, aren t they?
You re just worried because you want to make a good impression on Chancellor Kumire, Shasta
teased.
Bria flushed but made no effort to deny it. You can t blame me for hoping to catch his eye. He s only
the most handsome man in Ithyria.
Talon groaned audibly and closed the book in his lap, interrupting the conversation for the first time.
Bria, what in the name of the Goddess has gotten into you lately? Every chance you get, you re batting
your eyes at the chancellor instead of concentrating on your lessons. You re only fifteen winters in age,
little sister. It s too soon to be sighing over some spineless viceroy s son.
Bria s mouth dropped open. How dare you!
I mean it, Bria. Talon rose from his seat by the window. I want you to stop.
Both of you stop, Lyris interrupted, her voice calm but firm. I m tired of you two arguing about this all
the time. Bria, Talon s right, you really ought to tone it down with the chancellor. He s our tutor, not your
personal Prince Charming. And, Talon, you really have to stop being so overprotective. She touched the
sleeve of Talon s uniform. I know you care about us, and you worry because you care, but the
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chancellor s harmless. Just because he doesn t wear a sword and swagger around all the time doesn t
mean he s not a good man.
Shasta observed this little family spat with a pang of envy. Most of the time the three siblings treated her
like she was one of them, but moments like this reminded her that blood was thicker than water.
Well, personally, I agree with Talon, she said, ignoring Bria s squeak of protest. Kumire may be my
cousin, but I ve never liked him much. He s& slithery. She caught her guardian s amused smile and
returned one of her own before changing the subject. Now come on, let s get dressed for dinner. I m
starved.
*
The markets of Ardrenn were an entirely new experience for the Princess, who constantly turned this
way and that, gazing out from beneath the deep hood of her cloak as their little party wound up and
down dusty streets lined with shops and small carts. It was a cool day in early winter, and the wind had a
slight chill, but the weather was still pleasant enough for business. A thousand intermingled smells, of
cooking food and rotting fruit and horse excrement, blended together in a combination that was as
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