\u201cAll young ladies want to ride their horses,\u201d Olinthess answered patiently, \u201cbut all young ladies must also study how to better themselves for the good of the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cImrell rides her horse three hours a day,\u201d Arjallia complained, \u201cand she\u2019s got three companies under her command.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh? Is it your intention to command armies when you grow up?\u201d Olinthess asked, an admirable mockery of surprise on her face at this news. \u201cI had no idea. We should draw up a schedule for military education. I shall speak with Master Birvellion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arj would have stamped her foot if she were not seated in her chair. It was carved of delicate goldenwood, inlaid with white lining that looked like ground pearls. \u201cI only meant, you can ride a horse and still become someone important.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, you can ride your horse, after you have finished your studies.\u201d Olinthess tightened her jaw for a moment. \u201cYou know, my Lady, many people do not even own<\/em> horses. I do not own a horse, nor does my daughter, who is about your age. Owning a horse is a rare privilege, a privilege that comes with some cost.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo the cost of owning a horse is never getting to ride it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNever? Do you really think the end of your lessons will never come?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt certainly feels that way.\u201d<\/p>\n Olinthess took in a great breath. \u201cFor once we are in agreement, my Lady. Let us continue.\u201d<\/p>\n Pearl was standing on the balcony, overlooking the Square of Suppliants in Old Center. The Old Palace was once a religious structure for some ancient practices before the Viisianars took it from whoever used to live here. Since then, it served as guest quarters for important dignitaries and visitors. Pearl and Arj had both been given great suites, as had three of the Emperor\u2019s more junior margraves. Most of the party from Bazazanil, along with their sisters and brother, were quartered in the Grand Palace at the northeast section of the city. There, the Emperor and his spellers were fervently pouring over missives from the Eastern Front, which had already begun to march in expansion beyond the Pillar. There was word of a magical kingdom farther east called Vaina, that was supposedly almost as powerful as the Old Empire itself, despite being a vassal to it.<\/p>\n These were matters for Imrell and the men, of course. Everia spent her days walking in the gorgeous Tearfall Gardens, which had an actual waterfall pumped in via hardened ceramic tubing connected to the Whip. The enormous pink wisterias, purple rhododendrons, moss-covered beeches, and fire-orange maples had moved more than one maiden to tears, to hear them tell it. Pearl had not yet bothered to visit, though they had been in residence at Ajman for over two weeks. Indeed, she had not been to the Grand Palace at all.<\/p>\n She was not unwelcome. Everia made it a point to invite them every time she visited the Old Palace, nearly every other day. She had even hinted just yesterday that Pearl\u2019s presence might be requested soon. Being polite, most likely. Pearl could not think of a time when her presence had been requested, except to announce her betrothal to Margrave Kreokus, just after her seventeenth birthday.<\/p>\n Suddenly, Pearl looked up to realize they were alone. Olinthess had left, and Arjallia was staring at her own feet. She was wearing a simple dress of black velvet, white silken sleeves and an open collar that kept her from sweating as badly as Pearl surely was. Her golden hair was back in a sloppy braid, curiously loose and like to fall apart at the slightest agitation.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d Arj looked up at her, her eyes leaden and dark-rimmed. \u201cI was\u2026 pondering something. What happened?\u201d<\/p>\n Arjallia\u2019s eyes grew damp, but before a tear could fall she tightened her lips and said, \u201cIt\u2019s so stupid! I just asked her a question. What good is a tutor if you can\u2019t ask them questions?\u201d<\/p>\n It was a fair point. Tutors in general were known for their patience and objectivity, arithmeticians especially. Olinthess, who had been on the cusp of nobility before Calphus\u2019 Conquest, was an arithmetician, historian, and magician of surpassing accomplishment. \u201cWhat did you ask her?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just, she\u2026\u201d Arj stared at her feet again.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did you ask her?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so stupid!\u201d she echoed. \u201cWhy is a Viisianar teaching me Mornal history? She\u2019s never been there. How could she know?\u201d<\/p>\n Pearl pursed her lips. She would not bother telling Arj she was being wrong-headed; the girl already knew that. \u201cCan you tell me who Herbulius was?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe was our grandfather. He was the king of Mornalith, before our aunt stole the crown from our father.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd how do you know that? Have you ever been to Mornalith?\u201d<\/p>\n Arj stood at that. \u201cThen I\u2019ll just read a spell about it! Why do I need someone to recite it to me? I can just read it on my own.\u201d<\/p>\n A flush crept up Pearl\u2019s spine. She had meant to calm her sister, and clever questions usually had that effect. \u201cThere is a difference between spelling something and understanding it. It\u2019s different when you\u2019ve lived something, thought about it, experienced it in your head.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat too!\u201d Arj pointed at her, almost waggling a finger, and for a brief second she resembled their bombastic father. \u201cWhy is Birvellion teaching the boys warcraft? What can a Viisianar possibly now about it? They lost!\u201d<\/p>\n Her eyes widened. This was a side of Arjallia she had not seen before. \u201cArj. What\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just told you!\u201d she nearly shouted, but deflated immediately after, looking down at the floor again.<\/p>\n Pearl stood, and waited, her hands limp against her sides. She was wearing a deep green skirt embellished with white Viisianar whirls and leaves, made of rough wool that felt slightly harsh against her fingers. Her feet were bare, having left her woven sandals at the edge of the balcony, enjoying the cool of the polished marble flooring. She was wearing the same white blouse she had worn into the city a fortnight ago, a simple green vest over it. She felt very green. Briefly, she thought of the hemlock trees, and the moss their father\u2019s unicorn had kicked from the bridge when they first came to Ajman. That bridge had likely already fallen by now, or been disassembled. Perhaps a stone bridge was now being built in its place.<\/p>\n She made a casual gesture at Arj\u2019s head. \u201cDid something happen to your hair?\u201d<\/p>\n At that, a single tear fell from her eye. She wiped it away, furious. \u201cIt\u2019s just stupid hair.\u201d Her anger was fading fast, try as she might to stoke it further.<\/p>\n Pearl thought a moment. Which one did her hair in the mornings? \u201cHas something happened to Hursta?\u201d<\/p>\n Arjallia covered her face with her hands, then balled them into fists and nearly clubbed herself in the sides of her head. \u201cIt\u2019s not\u2026\u201d she muttered, \u201cit\u2019s not\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Pearl strode over, the rough skirt almost scratching against her knees. She reached down and took Arjallia\u2019s hands in hers, then drew her sister back down into the chair. Pearl knelt before her. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe just\u2026 she\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n She nodded a few times, unable to say the name.<\/p>\n \u201cHursta?\u201d<\/p>\n Arjallia hiccoughed sharply, her face in her hands again. \u201cShe left.\u201d<\/p>\n Pearl\u2019s entire body thrummed at that, but she resisted the urge to leap to her feet. \u201cShe left? You mean she ran away?\u201d<\/p>\n Arj nodded again.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re sure?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes I\u2019m sure!\u201d she screamed into her fingers, her golden braid loosening greatly. \u201cI said so!\u201d<\/p>\n Pearl reached out and gently took her sister\u2019s hands again, but this time Arjallia shoved her away violently. She reacted so brutally she actually pushed her chair backward, tipping over and nearly falling. Pearl was on her feet in an instant, grabbing the chair before it could fall, and righted it again. \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d she said. \u201cI should have listened to you. Do you know why she left?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so\u2026\u201d she stopped herself this time. \u201cShe said it was wrong, that she didn\u2019t want to be an Orckid. But she already was<\/em> an Orckid. She\u2019s been an Orckid all her life. What is she even talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d Pearl moved around behind Arjallia and tried to fix her braid. Whoever had done it was a poor replacement for Hursta, but not so talentless as Pearl was. \u201cWords can change meaning over time,\u201d she said guardedly. \u201cBeing an Orckid now isn\u2019t the same as being an Orckid a thousand years ago.\u201d Or twenty-three<\/em>, she thought.<\/p>\n \u201cBut Father said we were all Orckids now,\u201d she insisted. She was still angry, but years of habit kept her still when her hair was being done. \u201cHe said everyone was the same now, that we were all one people.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat is\u2026 a lovely sentiment.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t Hursta want us all to be one people? She heard Father\u2019s speech, I know she did.\u201d<\/p>\n Pearl suppressed a scream. Arjallia was almost fourteen; it was long past time she came to understand the world. Pearl never knew what happened to her own mother, but Arjallia\u2019s mother had been cast aside not long after she was born. She was a noblewoman and unaccustomed to nursing a babe, so the babe was given to a wetnurse and the noble was given to some margrave\u2019s son. Igetus once suggested, rather cryptically, that their eldest brother Tortorus had made use of her once or twice before letting her go. Or so she thought. She was only eight at the time, and it was hard then to make sense of Igetus\u2019 riddles.<\/p>\n Someone cleared their throat. Pearl looked to see a young sergeant standing near the entrance to the room. He was a stout, handsome lad, no more than twenty years, his uniform covered by a tabard of black and purple: the new colors of the new Orckid Empire. The iron pin near his left shoulder was wrought in the shape of a manticore, marking him as a sergeant under command of one of her father\u2019s chief margraves. She forgot which one. Grokmium, perhaps.<\/p>\n \u201cGood morning, my Ladies,\u201d he stammered. His eyes were small, but a gorgeous sea green. Igetus said green eyes came from old Titonic blood, and that the Titons were all mad, but anyone who could achieve even sergeantry in the Imperial army must be stable enough. Pearl found the flush on the back of her neck had returned. Not knowing what else to do, she stood.<\/p>\n \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n The boy\u2019s little eyes widened. Evidently, he had expected a more verbose response. \u201cMy Ladies, that is, my Lady, my father has commanded your presence.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh?\u201d Pearl asked. \u201cAnd who is he?\u201d<\/p>\n His face went gray. \u201cYour<\/em> father! The Emperor. My Lady. Excuse me, please. The Emperor your father, Calphus, has commanded your presence.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt has been said before that he is three men in one,\u201d Pearl quipped. \u201cJust as well that you should style him thrice.\u201d She was curious and more than a little unbalanced, but inside she welcomed the chance to put off this awkward conversation. \u201cJust me?\u201d<\/p>\n The boy\u2019s jaw had gone slack. Clearly, his instructions did not cover how to deal with there being more than one other person in the room. She was reasonably certain he had no idea how charming his stupidity was.<\/p>\n More to keep herself from grinning like an idiot, Pearl spoke again. \u201cMy sister\u2019s attendants are nearby. Please accompany her while I fetch one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, my Lady,\u201d he answered at once, clearly back on solid ground now that orders were being thrown about.<\/p>\n \u201cYour<\/em> lady am I? Are you certain this time?\u201d She offered him a deliberate smile as she walked out, a little salve to his terrified stare.<\/p>\n Arjallia\u2019s six servants, five now she supposed, all lived in a single large antechamber, men and women together, just off the foyer of her chambers. She found two of the serving women there, sitting close and seemingly whispering in each other\u2019s ears. They both bolted to their feet when she entered, and fell over each other agreeing to come fetch their lady. On the way back, Pearl inquired as casually as possible if Hursta had indeed run off, which the women confirmed.<\/p>\n It was an incredible thing. Deserting the army on their journey to Ajman was one thing. Out in the rainforests to the north, a mere hour\u2019s head start could render you unfindable, unless the Emperor turned the entire army after you. Even south, into the savannahs past Barsalam, the lions and leopards and wild unicorns made for unfriendly companions, sure to discourage any search. But to run away within the city walls, surrounded by city guard and nobles wondering where a slave might be headed in such a hurry. To run away was as good as death.<\/p>\n When the three women returned to the classroom, Arjallia had retrieved Pearl\u2019s sandals from the balcony and was smiling as she offered them up. Pearl was curious at this reversal, but decided not to press her good luck. She promised her sister they would speak again that evening, more than half hoping they might both forget those words before the sun died, then followed the sergeant outside.<\/p>\n The miasma of life assaulted Pearl\u2019s senses the instant they left the Old Palace. The Square of Suppliants had not been used as a ritual place since the Conquest at least, meaning it was typically filled with fruit stands, street magicians, and all sorts of people hurrying from one place to another. Indeed, mere seconds after stepping out, Pearl was accosted by a monkey in a little purple vest that danced back and forth in front of her as a Daridan woman sang a spell she claimed would make Pearl fertile. She suspected the spell was meant to dull the senses, as the monkey was very obviously trying to pick her nonexistent pockets. The sergeant gave it a gentle nudge with his foot, and the monkey scampered after other passers.<\/p>\n Pearl was heartened to see a troop of four young corporals approach quickly, dressed in scale byrnies and leather chest plates. It was dangerous for a noblewoman to cross the city with a single guard. Her satisfaction turned to mild amazement when she saw the two mounts prepared for the sergeant and herself.<\/p>\n The first was a tan gelding that she eyed with admiration. A more insecure man might insist on riding a charger or stallion even in the city, cocksure he could control such a beast, but geldings were safer not only for the rider but for the rest of the people as well. More delightful, though, was the creature next to it.<\/p>\n This second horse was even smaller than the gelding, cream and butter colored, with a mane white as a winter sky. Most remarkable was the small bone nub that protruded just above its eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cThey call it a Chuerebese unicorn,\u201d said one of the corporals, clearly much more confident than his commanding officer. His piebald white and brown skin marked him as a likely child of the sacking of Ajman. Just like herself.<\/p>\n \u201cUnicorn?\u201d Pearl half laughed. \u201cTheir horns normally grow out of their snouts. And they\u2019re usually proper horns. I suppose if this one grew any more, the horn might bunch into its skull.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, don\u2019t let the bonehead fool you,\u201d the corporal continued in a friendly jaunt, oblivious to the stares of his more respectful fellows. \u201cButtercup here\u2019s as sharp as Mornal steel.\u201d<\/p>\n Buttercup. Of course. \u201cI am delighted by this kindness, corporal. What is your name?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHathmet,\u201d he said with a white grin. \u201cM\u2019lady,\u201d he added, belatedly.<\/p>\n Definitely born in Ajman. Pearl still had trouble telling one region\u2019s accent from another, but she remembered more than one Hathmet from her childhood. \u201cGoodman Hathmet, I\u2019m afraid you forget yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n His grin froze and faltered, but only a moment. \u201cYes, M\u2019lady. It won\u2019t happen again, M\u2019lady.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m glad to hear you\u2019ve found your courtesies at last, Hathmet, but you mistake me. You should have said \u2018as sharp as Orckid<\/em> steel.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n It was a full two seconds before the corporal caught on. Wisely, he answered her with a simple, \u201cYes, M\u2019lady.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the chastening, Hathmet was still bold enough to offer a leg up onto her mount, though she had mounted horses nearly twice this size without assistance. The splits in her skirt were not made for riding, and the wool made itself known again as she took her seat, the right heft bunching up in her lap as she sat. She was confident she could pick her way to the Grand Palace herself, but allowed the sergeant to lead her on his gelding at an easy pace, the corporals forming a loose square around them on foot.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere did you find this unicorn, Sergeant?\u201d she offered lightly.<\/p>\n Hathmet, marching before her on her right, answered her. \u201cShe was born here, M\u2019lady. The stables have got all manner of\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you a sergeant, Corporal Hathmet?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. M\u2019lady.\u201d<\/p>\n Hathmet was a friendly and gregarious fellow, and she found him more than a little disarming. She also suspected his insouciant airs would get him killed before Summer\u2019s end.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is your name, Sergeant?\u201d she asked as they neared the end of the Square, heading toward what she thought was the wrong byway.<\/p>\n \u201cBarim, my Lady. Barim Alfas.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBarim Alfas<\/em>? Were you born here in Ajman?\u201d It was a foolish question. The boy was Mornal without question. But in the Orckid Empire, second names were given to the nobility rather than the other way round. In Mornal, peasants and slaves had second names to mark who they were, such as Toggo Bricklayer or Grelta Bedslave. When you were an Emperor, Calphus was all people needed to hear. If Barim Alfas was a sergeant, odds were good he was not a mere peasant.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, my Lady. From Ol Ilothrend. That is, from Tauriconia, I mean. My Lady.\u201d<\/p>\n Tauriconia had been Ol Ilothrend before her father took it from the Viisianars. He made it his capitol, resting at the fork of two rivers he called the Crowsfeast and the Crowsfoot, in honor of all the corpses he had made that day. He stayed there for nearly six years, building his armies, conquering towns to the east, putting down rebellions, and siring his third, fourth, and fifth child. His wife Taurisa, for whom he had renamed the city, died giving birth to Imrell. People like to say Imrell killed her mother by tearing her way out, and that was why she was so vicious. Imrell discouraged the rumors, but did not seem especially to dislike them. Calphus marched his armies out of Tauriconia less than a year after the Empress\u2019 death.<\/p>\n \u201cI take it you have not been there for some time,\u201d she ventured. To call it by its old name, at his age, suggested he had never called it home. It also suggested he had more than one friend with Viisianar sympathies, but she let that rest.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, my Lady. My father took me to Lurida, when Margrave Pelcian took it.\u201d<\/p>\n Pelcian, that was it. The manticore was Pelcian\u2019s sigil. \u201cYou are a military family. You are proud, I hope.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy Lady.\u201d Even for him, it was a brief answer.<\/p>\n \u201cTell me, Sergeant Barim, what did you say to my sister, whilst I was away?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour sister, my Lady?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, my sister. The little girl you were watching, whilst I fetched her servants. Not twenty minutes ago. You recall, I\u2019m sure.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. Yes, my Lady.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, my Lady?\u201d She almost screamed, but then he continued. \u201cI told her. I told her not to worry. About her servant.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see.\u201d That hardly sounded convincing enough to have made Arjallia smile. Could this sergeant with the unusually Orckid name have some unique knowledge of Hursta\u2019s whereabouts, or even reason to believe the slaves of Ajman might not fear their masters for long? No, that was madness. Conspiracies and uprisings there likely were, but if Barim Alfas was secretly a rebel agent, a cunning mastermind and informant, then he was also the greatest pretender she had ever met. The Chuerubese unicorn beneath her was likely more full of guile than the sergeant at her side.<\/p>\n They exited the byways into an enormous plaza that put the Square of Suppliants to shame. It had five disproportionate sides, and the far end opened into an enormous road that surely led to the Grand Palace. It was crowded as well, but she also noted much finer clothing here. The peasants were servants, the slaves were in ordered file, and everyone else was clearly someone of importance. A line of corporals stood against the southern edge, staring straight ahead as an ebullient sergeant harangued them. An old Mornal man with long gray hair and vibrant blue robes chattered seemingly to no one as he looked up at the light blue sky, all the while a Viisianar woman in a linen shift wrote down what he said, seemingly switching tablets as randomly as he switched subjects. A Viisianar mother in fine clothing and her three children were distributing oranges to beggars. A lord she thought she recognized was holding a map before him, flanked on either side by two women, spellers, each of them dressed better than Pearl was. Tucked in a far corner, Pearl was shocked to see a withered, skinny Mornal man fumbling with a Viisianar lyre, fruitlessly trying to coax some magic from the unnatural instrument.<\/p>\n \u201cSergeant,\u201d Pearl shouted above the din, \u201cdid my father mention why he wanted to see me?\u201d<\/p>\n She thought he said, \u2018No, my Lady,\u2019 but it was difficult to parse his mumbles out from the crowd. She gave up trying to make conversation. Men like Barim Alfas were made to be looked at, not spoken with.<\/p>\n The huge byway was relatively sparse, the few stragglers found there quickly vanishing under the gaze of Pearl\u2019s escort. Once they had cleared the crowd, the Grand Palace became unmistakable.<\/p>\n An immense structure of cream-colored stone, it looked to be five stories high, with towers at each of its four corners, and a gigantic drum in the middle, topped with a huge bulb that diminished into a single sharp spike. The windows were large enough to dive out of, and more importantly large enough to climb into, betraying a lack of martial consideration that helped explain Ajman\u2019s fall twenty-three years back. The doors, however, were made of heavy Mornal steel, and looked almost brand new. They were being thrown wide at that moment, and out walked Igetus, flanked by a woman on either side, more spellers by the look of it. Igetus was all in black, which was not unusual, but his new felt cap was resting on a recently shaved head. Pearl could not remember the last time Igetus had shorn himself like a warrior.<\/p>\n \u201cFinally,\u201d he said flatly by way of greeting. \u201cWe feared you might not come.\u201d A gaggle of grooms scurried out to take the reins of their horses. One of them offered a leg, which she ignored as she dismounted.<\/p>\n \u201cI see it hasn\u2019t taken you long to learn our father\u2019s courtesies,\u201d she answered. \u201cHe must be proud.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFollow me,\u201d he said, turning around at once and reentering. It was a difficult thing to get a rise out of Igetus.<\/p>\n Pearl watched them lead the unicorn away, taking one last moment to appreciate its beauty, then stepped into the enormous palace.<\/p>\n \u201cBrother,\u201d she offered as they trod on lush, thick carpets of Viisianar weave, past great tapestries of Viisianar design, and under sweeping arches of Viisianar construction, \u201cwe have not seen one another in two weeks. Are you well?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am,\u201d he answered, proving even more laconic than Sergeant Barim.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve shaved your head.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMost men do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMost men, yes. I\u2019ve never seen you do it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow you have.\u201d<\/p>\n She was beginning to look forward to her talk with Arjallia that evening, if only to get a complex sentence out of someone. She cursed herself silently for remembering, willing herself to forget again. \u201cThese tapestries are breathtaking.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre they?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou grew up in this palace, didn\u2019t you, Igetus?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was already a man when we first came here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEleven? Twelve?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cClose enough. We were drilling with swords and sergeants at eight years. Tortorus killed his first man when he was eleven. Fostus when he was fourteen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you?\u201d<\/p>\n He did not bother to answer.<\/p>\n They climbed a great marble staircase up one flight of stairs and into a vast chamber. Pearl was no warrior herself, but she immediately noticed how open and indefensible the interior of the palace was. The stairway was so wide, a full troop of invaders could fight up it. Everything was so exposed. Presumably, the Viisinars had felt that once the palace had been occupied, the fight was as good as over. They had not been wrong.<\/p>\n The chamber walls had standing braziers every eight feet, burning brightly to light the windowless room. An immense red carpet, half the size of the Square of Suppliants, sat unfazed by the burning fires. Bizarrely, a quartet of carved onyx poles sat against one wall, graven into the shape of what she assumed were ancient Viisianar queens, or goddesses. They were beautiful to look upon, but she would have expected her father to crush them when he took the palace twenty-three years ago, or Margrave Dodimar to have done the same when he took up residence in the Emperor\u2019s absence. Yet there they stood.<\/p>\n At the far end of the gargantuan chamber was a large square plinth, draped in gold-lined red fabric. Around it stood four men, and around those men stood five more women, each holding several tablets in their arms. Imrell was leaning against a nearby wall, still wearing her armor after two weeks in the city. She looked up as Pearl approached. Pearl had to suppress a gag of laughter. Imrell\u2019s tusks were now of gold, each one sporting a small jewel near their base. Amethyst, she thought.<\/p>\n Her father was coughing into a fist, and still had not looked up, even as the three other men turned to meet them. She thought she recognized Neevius, thoroughly cleaned up and in crimson robes. The other two men were new, or at least unknown.<\/p>\n One was as old as Neevius and her father, almost unnaturally slim for a Mornal, in violet robes, with a large golden manticore stitched over his chest for all to see. Pelcian, then.<\/p>\n The other was younger, but still old. At least forty, older than Igetus even. He wore a sleeved cloak of white wool in spite of the heat, a red tunic and black trousers tucked into dyed-red boots. He wore a woven belt of cloth-of-gold, whose end dangled almost obscenely between his legs. Despite his fine dress, he had allowed his head to grow stubble. Men were known to let their heads grow a bit on a long march or an active siege, but to come before the Emperor with a stubbled head suggested either great pride or great foolishness. When it came to braving Calphus the Conqueror, the two were often one in the same.<\/p>\n Igetus\u2019 spellers flocked over to the others, then lined up against a wall. Pearl\u2019s escort did likewise, with Sergeant Barim standing a few feet from Margrave Pelcian. Silence followed, and the lords at table glanced back and forth between them and the Emperor.<\/p>\n Igetus cleared his throat.<\/p>\n \u201cThere you are, there you are,\u201d their father grumbled, coughing again lightly before finally standing up and saying, \u201cWell, there she is. Look all you like.\u201d<\/p>\n Pearl examined the lords again. Neevius, if it was Neevius, was already turning back to the map. Pelcian was looking politely, a bored glaze covering his eyes. Igetus crossed between them back to the map, and as he moved away her eyes fell again on the third lord. There was an anticipation on his narrow face, tinged with something like anxiety. She knew that look well. It was a look she had seen on many men, young and old, when they came to see the Emperor\u2019s daughter. They had expected to find a legendary beauty like Everia, like Arjallia would one day be. Terrified of displaying disappointment, a strange sense of desperate wonder would splash across their faces, hoping beyond hope that Pearl herself would rescue them from this awkward disappointment. She never knew if they expected her to be dull-witted or spoiled, cripplingly shy or obnoxiously affectionate. She only knew that they wanted their disappointment to be justified. When she was still a child, she had ached with the desire to give them that. Anything to end that desperate stare. Now, she pitied them almost as much as she despised them.<\/p>\n \u201cWell?\u201d her father grunted. \u201cWhat say you?\u201d<\/p>\n The lord was stirred by this and managed to stammer in a manner that one could almost mistake for charm, if one were inexperienced enough. \u201cI am\u2026 I am overwhelmed, your Excellency.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you?\u201d he answered, sounding remarkably like Igetus for once. \u201cWell, say what you wanted to say.\u201d<\/p>\n The lord swept closer, his white cloak billowing like a warhorse\u2019s barding, his cloth-of-gold belt swinging pendulously between his legs, and Pearl was suddenly seized by the urge to fly from the room. A pleasant scent of flowers hung about him, though she could not say exactly which. Her eyes kept fluttering up to his stubbled head, which must surely be the source of her father\u2019s ill humor with him.<\/p>\n There was a second of silence, awkward enough to fill an hour, before Pearl chose to speak first. \u201cGood morning, my Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n His smile was warm, if formal. \u201cGood morning, Princess.\u201d<\/p>\n More silence followed. Instinctively, she glanced over at Sergeant Barim. The handsome young man was watching Pelcian, eager for an order, any order, that he might enact. Pelcian, meanwhile, was grinning at them. \u201cPerhaps you should introduce yourself,\u201d he offered with an amused edge.<\/p>\n There was a brief but heavy hesitation as the man took in breath to speak. \u201cOf course,\u201d he said after another lifelong second. \u201cWhere am I today, yes. Princess, it is my honor to meet you at last. My name is Margrave Kreokus. And I have the honor of being your betrothed.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cAll young ladies want to ride their horses,\u201d Olinthess answered patiently, \u201cbut all young ladies must also study how to better themselves for the good of the nation.\u201d \u201cImrell rides her horse three hours a day,\u201d Arjallia complained, \u201cand she\u2019s … Continue reading