“Very good Nefret!” Khu praised, clapping his hands together and signaling an end to our training. I was covered in sweat, my armor soaked through. I had not even begun to do the most simple kinds of sparring.

  I “wasn’t ready” yet. If it had been anyone else training me, I might argue, but Khu was the best of the best.

  Today signified nearly two months since my return. There was still no letter regarding

  my engagement, but it was nearing a month of my training with a proper sword. It was hard to allow anything to make my mood sour. In truth, it felt quite nice to sweat. In small amounts, but amounts nonetheless.

  “It’s early,” I said, looking toward the sun. It had not yet hit its highest.

  “Yes, yes,” he said. “But we’ll be having guests soon.”

  “Guests?” I repeated. Mother and Father had not told me of this. Of course, they’d been so busy they hadn’t told me much of anything. Guests could be the reason for that, given how unpleasant they were.

  “Yes,” his eyes moved to the side, taking on that sharpness of theirs once again. “To discuss the mountain lands.”

  “The mountain lands?!” I felt ire rise within me, throwing down my sword. “They have no

  right to even ask about them, after refusing to even aid us in defense against its dwellers. Now they wish to discuss its taming? How could anyone be so… so…” I struggled for the word. “Shameless?”

  “Now Princess,” he said, that smile still on his face. “You know that shamelessness is the sum of their character. Don’t let such people cause even a thought to cross your mind. It has much better things to think on.”

  “Very well,” I looked at the sword I’d thrown down, picking it back up with the care it deserved and wiping the dust from it. I did have better things to worry about. “When are they arriving?”

  “Any day now.”

  Just as he said so, a white man, of the same complexion of my mother, but of different features, came up to the palace. It was clear even from a distance that he carried the same disgust in our presence as all the other shameless peoples were forced to neighbor with, and he was likely little more than a commoner by his own people’s standards, looked down on himself by his own kind.

  “Or today.”

  I was not ready to deal with such headaches today. Oh how I wish Mother and Father would have given me warning of this intrusion. Though I suppose it was my own doing. The excursion to the East that I had asked for so desperately had made quite a mess of things, but it was brought to fruition, and it bore fruit. Still, there were too many matters leftover, and that had built up, for my parents to give me any kind of warning of this minor thing themselves.

  It was not exactly typical to consider meetings with “allies” a minor thing, but these allies were hardly so in anything other than name, and pleasing them and meeting with them was not even desired.

  They were leeches. Shameful enough to even leech off of those they publicly deemed below them. Shameless and pathetic, but yet still above us. It was a most vexing conundrum.

  “You ought to get yourself cleaned up Princess,” Khu said as the man entered the palace. “These lessons may need to go on hold for a few days.”

  “Alright,” I said, taking myself back to my chambers and setting my sword in its place.

  “There you are m’lady,” Ai said, running to me as soon as the weapon was out of my hands. “We must get you ready. We have company.”

  “Indeed,” her mother entered the room.

  Company meant only one thing for me. While my brothers were a force to be sure, not lacking in Blessing, intelligence, or strength of mind and body, I was of another sort. Certainly cunning, but more than anything, a pride and joy. It meant much to have a prince, even more so two, that a people could rally behind and support. It meant much more, in another sense, to be able to have a princess of which the people could simply adore.

  And so I was cleaned and dressed and styled to be admirable. It was important to give these people a sign that the nobility they were striving for was in reach. I was the proof of that. It was truly an important role. My mother had such respect, and was accepted into our kingdom, but I was of our kingdom. If I could obtain it, then we all could.

  I had more to do than simply be pretty, to be sure, but being pretty was quite important, so I made no fuss of it.

  On such occasions, even Zathapy tended to me, though she was no longer my nanny. I was to enter more formal education in little more than a few months, after I reached the age of significance, and her care would truly be no longer needed. For now though, it was still seen as acceptable, and so it was a welcome addition. My hair was pulled up tightly, a wig placed over it, gold beads woven in intricately, and a sidelock dyed blue. The hair stopped at my chin, as I preferred, and I was sprayed lightly in diluted kyphi, too young for the full potency of the smell.

  My kohl was redone, my eyebrows filled in the very same kohl. As it was a special occasion, I was allowed a lightly tinted lip oil, and I dressed in more colorful garments than typical. Blue and gold, the necklace was full of almost any kind of stone that shared the color of sky, and covered my neck.

  A shawl was afforded, as it had not yet gotten warm enough to discard them. Still, it had warmed enough that only a light layer was needed.

  “There’s our little sun,” Zathapy said, smiling, but pushing me out the door. “Go shine for your Mother and Father.”

  Not for the guests, but rather in spite of them.

  I made my way to the hall, where I found my parents standing to greet these guests. Through the open doors, I could see them approaching. The kings and queens from nations who had no business even feigning interest in our lands after refusing to offer assistance in their claiming, or even defense.

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  “Don’t look down your nose,” Father said. “Save that for when they leave.”

  “Akhom!” Mother scolded. “Don’t do it all dear.”

  “Yes Mother.” I lowered my head, and did well to keep the scowl off my face, but it desperately fought to take its place on my face as they entered. The King and Queen of Angla and Pays des Lances, the rulers I despised most of all our allies, of course, were the ones who had found themselves the audacity to bring themselves here.

  And they brought their children.

  Oh how I loathed their children, and for the sake of appearances, I’d be expected to entertain them. Their only form of entertainment consisting of trying to pick me apart and claim some kind of superiority.

  Without Kamose and Madu, I’d have to manage the elder ones too, something I was rarely left to.

  Adrienne found me immediately of course, smiling with no attempt to look truly pleased. Her brother Etienne, was no better. Christophe at least held the decency to let his disinterest be seen on his face. There was another child of course, Laurent, but he of course, would not make an appearance.

  Pleasantries that neither party meant were exchanged, and my Father took to leading them somewhere to meet. He also made it clear that their stay would last no more than a day. His reasoning that he was leaving on an expedition to the mountain lands himself soon. No, they could not join him, there was simply no time to make accommodations in such a short time. They’d have to understand.

  I was left to deal with the children.

  It was only for a day, I told myself. Only for a day.

  “I heard your family was searching for a tutor.” Adrienne said, voice coy as always.

  “Yes, what of it?” I took a sip of my tea, not rising to her instigations.

  “Well, I heard that it was for use of a sword.”

  “Oh, did you?” I asked. “Is that so unusual?”

  “It is when it’s meant for you.” Etienne said, not at all as subtle as his sister, but a pain in his own way nonetheless.

  “What’s so unusual about that?” I asked.

  “Princesses have no need for a sword,” he said.

  “Oh hush Etienne,” his brother said. “You know very well she’s different.”

  “Yes,” his sister agreed. “It’s not as if it's her fault her country lacks military strength. It’s only natural for her to be required.”

  I bit down my indignation. “It’s for no such reason. Our military is perfectly capable, as I do believe our new lands have proven. No assistance was required for the matter.”

  “Hmm,” the elder prince only hummed, not finding himself particularly interested in the discussions of those below the age of ten, while he himself was closer to my elder brother in age, but it was acknowledgement that my jab had landed.

  “What other reason could you have?” Etienne asked. “You can’t be so savage you took it up for fun.”

  “I took it up at the suggestion of a suitor,” I said, supping my tea.

  “A suitor?” He repeated.

  “Yes. That is why I went over the sea.”

  “And you’re engaged now?” Adrienne asked.

  “No,” I said. “Discussing.”

  “Right,” she said. “How are the discussions going?”

  “A letter has yet to arrive,” I said. “The distance is quite long.”

  “Hmm, I suppose,” she said. “But you'd think if they were truly interested they’d have sent correspondence not long after your departure.”

  “Their ships are quite different from ours,” I said. “Even if they did, I doubt they would make it here as quickly.”

  “So you say,” she said, but she too had landed a jab, and it left a sour taste in my mouth. This is why I despised her so much.

  The blow had landed much harder than I allowed her to know. Unfortunately, she was the type of cunning to know this regardless of whether or not I had let it show, and she was torturous in her feigned consideration, making Etienne stop bringing up the subject, because she knew there was no need to, It was humiliating.

  “Father,” I came to my parents room that night, having no desire to wallow alone in my misery. “Have we received a letter?”

  He sighed. “Nefret, please…”

  “We haven’t?” I felt my eyes burning with the shame from the fact that not only had Adrienne bested me, but she’d been right.

  “Oh Nefret, you know how diplomacy goes,” Mother said. “Even if they are interested, they always resort to such things.”

  “He’s hardly the type to do that,” I buried my face in her chest, trying very desperately not allow myself to cry.

  “You don’t know the boy,” Father said.

  “And you do know he’s not the one responsible for managing these matters.” Mother added.

  It did nothing of comfort.

  “Akhom, can’t you see how upset she is.”

  “Can she not see how tired I am?” He asked. “These allies of ours are more exerting than our enemies.”

  “I’m sorry to bring it up now.” My tears no longer restrained themselves, and I meant to push off from my Mother and leave to escape further embarrassment, but she held me tight.

  “Don’t be sorry.”

  Father sighed again. “How would you like to join my expedition, Nefret? Set your mind on matters closer to home.”

  I perked up at that, my tears drying, even if only a little.

  “I would quite like that Father.”

  “Then have Aiko pack your things tomorrow,” he said. “Come here.”

  And I did, falling asleep in the embrace of both my parents.