The Princess

by Andrea Ring

  The last few trickle in. Saphala is at the end of the line.

  “Faaris!” she yells, and she runs to him. Two guards step in front of Faaris and stop her.

  “My lady, you must get back in line,” one says.

  “But I need to speak to him,” she implores. “Faaris, please!”

  “Go ahead,” I say. “We have plenty of guards.”

  Faaris gives me a grateful smile and waves the men away from him. He takes Saphala’s hand and wanders off to a private corner. Unfortunately for them, nowhere in this throne room is private when my ears are open.

  “My lord,” Saphala says, “I have news, glorious news.”

  “What is it?” Faaris asks.

  I start to question the noble in front of me, while listening in to this news.

  “I received a letter from my uncle, Lord Parsa in Bhutan. Apparently, my father felt a bit guilty at sending me away, and he alerted Lord Parsa to help. He captured two of the slavers who held me, and the one…the one who told me I could be sick…he was lying. He is not sick at all. He only wished to torture me further.”

  “You…you’re…” Faaris stutters.

  “Yes! I am not sick!”

  “Oh, Saphala,” he says, and his words are muffled. Perhaps they are hugging. “I’m sorry. So sorry for the way I reacted. You caught me off guard. I didn’t know what to say, and I’m sorry I handled it so badly.”

  “I do not blame you,” she whispers.

  I clear the noble in front of me, and the steward brings another.

  “My lady,” Faaris says, “I would like to make it official. Will you allow me to court you?”

  Saphala doesn’t audibly reply.

  “What is wrong?” Faaris asks.

  “You have been a great friend to me,” she says, “and you’ve taken such tender care of my person and my feelings since the night we met, but you deserve better. You deserve a woman pure of body and soul. We are a poor match, my lord.”

  “That’s ridiculous!” he whispers furiously. “Let me decide what I deserve. You are who I want.”

  Saphala sniffs. “And I want someone who can accept me completely. I respect you, Faaris, but your actions have proven that I am not the one for you. There are no hard feelings, but we must accept the truth.”

  “Is a man not allowed to make a mistake?” he roars.

  “Of course, but that is not the issue. I will not ask you to change who you are for me. That would be a disservice to us both. I…do not follow me. I’m going back to bed.”

  I glance down the room at them. I watch Saphala walk out, and I watch Faaris’s shoulders slump in defeat.

  I clear another noble.

  “Kai, you should go talk to him,” I say, nodding my head in Faaris’s direction. “Saphala just broke things off.”

  “I suspected as much, since she just left.”

  “There is much more,” I say, “so just…assure him this is for the best.”

  Kai nods and makes his way across the room.

  “Are you loyal to the crown?” I ask an old woman. She looks like an eel, with her pointy chin, protruding teeth, and eyes that slip to the side too often.

  “Who else is there to be loyal to?” she says. “Those Chin? They bury their children alive, you know.”

  “Just answer the question, please,” I say.

  “I’m loyal to Jatani. Jagir, he’s done okay, but I’m reserving judgment about the prince.”

  “Why is that?” I ask wearily.

  “He’s done nothing but laze about the palace for twenty-five cycles.”

  I glance at Kai, and the woman follows my gaze.

  “And yes, I know he’s standing right there, and I know you’re going to be married. Excited about that, are you?”

  “He’s a good man,” I say. “He wants to do right by his people, and I look forward to supporting him in that. So, yes, my lady, I am excited.”

  “They say you’re one of the ugliest creatures to ever walk the earth.”

  I blink at her. That’s rich, coming from a talking eel.

  “Do you wish to see my scars so you can make a judgment yourself?” I ask her.

  “I do.”

  I whip my veil off and stare at her hard.

  She stares right back.

  “I’ve never seen a Jatanian with green eyes before,” she says. “Interesting.”

  “Is that all you have to say?”

  “Your hair would look better if you pulled it back and tied it in a knot. Then it wouldn’t be so obvious that half your hair is missing.”

  “I’ll take that under advisement,” I say.

  Then she grins, those buckteeth thrusting out almost violently. “I’m proud of you,” she says softly, placing her hand on my scarred one. “I couldn’t have handled that better myself. Not many women would face ridicule the way you just did.” She stands and bows deeply. “You, I will be proud to serve. I hope your husband-to-be deserves you.”

  And she shuffles off.

  XXIII. PRINCE KAI

  “Is that it, then? We’re finished?”

  Steward Dilip consults his list. “We just have the visitor from Bhutan, a Haady no-Parsa, and the seamstress’s attendants. None of them are in the palace at the moment.”

  I sigh. “You said this Haady just arrived, so it can’t be him, but we’ll question him anyway when we can. Send out a group of guards around the city to find Mita’s servants. Alert those in Dabani as well. They can’t be far.”

  The doors of the throne room creak open, and Manoj’s father strides in. Halfway up the center carpet, he bows.

  “Prince Kai, my lady, I bring news.”

  “You are welcome, sir,” I say, descending the dais and clasping his hand. “What’s happening?”

  “Two women were found murdered about an hour ago near the docks. In the untouchables’ camp.”

  “Two women?” I glance back at Nili, sitting uncomfortably on the ache-inducing throne, and she raises an eyebrow at me. “Have you identified them?”

  “Not yet. But…” and he takes my arm and spins us both around so that our backs are to Nili, “it’s gruesome. Their eyes were torn from their heads. Looks like they exploded from the inside out.”

  “Dear gods,” I say. “Do your best to identify them immediately. We have two women missing from the palace.”

  He nods. “Mita’s servants. They’re the right age. I hesitate to take a woman down there to look at them. The last thing we need is a wailing woman who loses her wits at the sight of blood. Did Mita have any males on her staff?”

  “The healer’s assistant knows them,” Nili calls out to us. “He said as much to me when I questioned him.”

  “Good,” he says. “I’ll take him down right away. We’ve got the bodies waiting on a raft. As soon as we know who they are, we’ll be torching them.”

  “That’s prudent,” I say. “They have no family except for Mita. Do you think we should tell her? Allow her to pay her respects?”

  Manoj’s father presses his lips together. “That should be the king’s call, don’t you think? I can pay him a visit now.”

  “I’d appreciate that,” I say. “Nilaruna and I have been up all night. I’d like her to get some rest.”

  “Go,” he says. “I’ll handle it.”

  XXIV. THE KING

  Charu Mitra is my oldest living friend. Odd to say that, but there it is. We used to steal out of the palace after midnight and visit the brothels along the edge of the forest. We were never bold enough to visit the ones by the docks.

  I doubt Charu would admit to those youthful indiscretions today. He took his service as treasurer to heart and maintains an exacting existence. This shoe in its place. This wife doing her proper duty. This son grown into the spitting image of his father.

  Not that I fault him for that. My vaults are in order because of him. My son has a friend who is a reasoned voice of influence because of him.

  I just wish he could still have a little fu
n. I haven’t had enough fun lately.

  “Breakfast just arrived,” I say as I wave Charu to a seat. “I won’t eat half of it.”

  “We can speak while you’re in bed,” he says. “I didn’t mean to make you get up. You should rest.”

  “Soon enough I’ll have all the rest I need,” I say. “Today, let’s sit like two old friends and share a meal.”

  Charu smiles and takes a seat at my dining table beside the window. I wrap a robe around my chilled bones and sit opposite him.

  “Have you decided what to do about Mita?” he asks, stealing a piece of fried pork off my plate.

  “I’m going to let her rot,” I say. “Sounds harsh, but it’s none harsher than what she did to Silvia.”

  “We found two of her servants this morning, Jagir,” he says. “They were murdered with magic.”

  I close my eyes. “Do you think she did it?”

  “No,” he says. “I don’t see how. They were found by the docks. Can someone do that, you think? Cause death from afar?”

  “I’ve never seen it, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Was it…violent?”

  “Yes,” he says shortly. “It looked personal.”

  “Mita had nothing but love for her servants,” I say. “For all her faults, she cultivated great loyalty. I don’t see her being the culprit, but I’ll have Nilaruna question her.”

  “I haven’t spent any time with Kai’s intended, but Jagir…this is most irregular.”

  “Everyone will just have to get over her appearance,” I say. “You know why we’re doing this.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” Charu says. “I mean the magic. It’s punishable by death, and you’re allowing her to flaunt it.”

  “I want her to flaunt it,” I say. “We need her to flaunt it. Any day now, thousands of magic users could descend on the capital. They have to know that they’ll be met with resistance.”

  “A decree, then. Make a decree. There are many parts of the kingdom where citizens would take matters into their own hands if they saw her exercising her powers. We should let people know that the law has changed before someone gets hurt.”

  “I’ve thought about it,” I say. “But every time I think about anything these days, I get a headache. If you advise me to do it, I’ll do it.”

  “Do it,” he says. “I don’t like it, but I understand it.” Then he chuckles. “What do you want to bet that half the nobles come out with extraordinary powers learned in only a few days?”

  I raise an eyebrow at him. “You ever tried it?”

  “No!” he says, waving a hand. “Not in the last forty years, anyway. You?”

  “Here and there. Nothing really came of it, though. And I’ve had members of the underground seeking a healer for quite some time. Never found anyone powerful enough to heal me. Perhaps we’ve lost the knack.” I sigh. “I always wished I could see through a closed a door.”

  “I always wanted to crook my finger and have my wife come running.”

  I laugh. “You’ve got her well trained without any magic.”

  Charu grins. “Only took twenty years. I’m a good teacher.”

  We nibble on more of my meal, and my stomach turns. I push the plate at him.

  “Did you come here just to get a decree out of me?”

  Charu sighs. “We’re going to set the bodies to sea and burn them. I just thought…perhaps Mita would like to pay her respects. I wanted to give you the option.”

  “One more thing for me to feel guilty about,” I say. “But no. I will not allow her to leave her cell.”

  “As you wish.”

  “You want to know why?”

  Charu shakes his head. “As you said, she doesn’t deserve such courtesies.”

  “She doesn’t, but that’s not all. I don’t do this to deprive Mita of something important to her. I do it to spare myself even more guilt.”

  “How’s that?”

  I blink hard. “I believe she’d simply throw herself on the pyre right along with them.”

  XXV. HAADY

  I stroll around the market early in the morning, looking for something to eat. I have quite a bit of coin. Perhaps I will buy Saphala a trinket.

  A woodcarver has children’s toys set out on display. An itty bitty chair. A miniature carriage with a horse pulling it. A tiny row boat with tiny oars.

  I buy the boat.

  On my way back to the palace, I spy a cloth merchant. He has silks in all the colors of the rainbow. A scarf would look good around Saphala’s neck.

  Particularly if I tied it in a knot and pulled tight.

  I choose a bright yellow one, the color of the sunset.

  And with my packages, I head off to seek a visit with Nilaruna.

  ***

  I go to put in my request with the steward. He is a kindly man, and has been friendly to me, but he seems irritated.

  “Man, you caused me quite a bit of trouble this morning when you weren’t in your rooms. Your presence was requested by the prince.”

  “I only went to the market, to buy trinkets for friends back home. Why would the prince want to see me?”

  “They are questioning everyone in the palace,” he says. “Just a security measure for the wedding. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to remain under guard until they can see you.”

  “Under guard?” I say. “But I’ve done nothing!”

  “I know,” he says, softening. “As I said, every single person here went through it. I believe the prince is abed at the moment, but I will ensure that he sees you first thing. Perhaps you are hungry. Let us start with a bite to eat.”

  Sounds acceptable, since I was distracted by thoughts of revenge and neglected my rumbling stomach.

  I am assigned two young guards, both with pimply faces and gangly limbs. But they are congenial enough, and after a meal, they show me a few dicing games.

  I sigh. I roll some dice.

  This isn’t the best use of my time, but at least the payoff will be a meeting with the prince and his betrothed. And that was the goal anyway.

  XXVI. TANAYA

  I sink down onto the frozen ground and stare across the valley at the dragons.

  I came here with a mission. And I’ve been approaching the dragons with that mission in mind: control them, ensure that they do our bidding.

  I huff a frustrated breath.

  My methods have not been working. I am banging my head against a wall and getting nowhere.

  If instead I had come here with no mission, no deadline, and simply a desire to learn about these creatures and befriend them, things might be different.

  It’s worth a try, anyway.

  I climb to my feet, walk across the stomped-down plain, and stop near the clear leader of the thunder. He’s not the largest, nor the oldest, nor the most fearsome. I cannot yet pinpoint what makes the others follow him, but they do.

  I bow low and wait for him to acknowledge me.

  His long neck twists in my direction and he fixates a yellow eye on me. You want, he thinks to me.

  I shake my head, my body still bowed. I want is not important. I need.

  The yellow eye blinks. You need is not important to me.

  I slowly rise up and meet his eye. What is important to you?

  His neck snakes out, impossibly long, until his head is a pace from mine. I hold my ground.

  I do not frighten you.

  No, I acknowledge. I am in awe of you, but not frightened.

  I could set you aflame, he thinks. I could swallow you whole. I could roar so loud that your head would explode.

  I incline my head. You could. Why have you not?

  I feel the same as you.

  How do you know what I feel? I ask.

  It is one of my gifts. I know what any living creature near me is feeling.

  I nod. This why you lead the thunder.

  He blinks in answer.

  You know that you fascinate me, I think. You feel the same way about us?

  Alt
hough I dislike the circumstances, this is an opportunity to learn. I would be foolish to squander it.

  I lower myself to the ground before him and sit cross-legged. You said need and want. Are these important to you?

  Are they not important to you? If you need something, you will perish without it. If you want, but do not receive, you grow frustrated, but you will not die. The distinction is important.

  What are your needs and wants? I ask.

  We need nothing at the moment. We want to return to our young.

  My heart skips a beat. There is something I must tell you, I think. Your young…they are missing.

  Not missing. They are being cared for. No thanks to your people.

  My mind spins. The dragons know what has happened with their nestlings. Perhaps they are in constant mental connection. Perhaps they removed the spell on the cave from afar. Perhaps they have friends, other dragons, who have helped.

  Thank the gods.

  A tear trickles down my cheek. When I heard the nestlings were missing, I could barely breathe. Thank the gods they are safe.

  The dragon’s head suddenly rears back. You feel relief, and you cry tears? For our young?

  I nod and sniff. I did not set these events in motion. I am one small person with a gift for communicating with creatures other than human beings, and I was tasked with training you. Meeting you all has been the most glorious experience of my life, and also the most horrible.

  Horrible how?

  We hold you here against your will. We are making enemies of you when I long to be friends. I cannot…I will not do this any longer. I slowly stand.

  You would leave us here with no one to communicate with? That is not something a friend would do.

  I will not leave, I vow. I will find a way to release you.

  That man, the one they call Lekh, he will harm you.

  I won’t let him catch me, I think.

  He is eyeing us now. He does not like that you are communicating with me. He senses treachery.

  I glance over my shoulder at Lekh. Indeed, he is giving me a solid stare.

  I turn back. What are you called?

  Rorek. And you are Tanaya.