the coast of Sirlende, albeit many, many leagues away. The winter was their welcome time, when the rains would come and all would be green, if only briefly.
This I recalled, and so much more, but of course reading such things in a book could not match experiencing them in reality. As the days ticked down and the preparations for my departure continued apace, I found myself seized by an ever-increasing restlessness. I wanted to see these things for myself, to taste those strange fruits and the spices that grew in that warm, unfamiliar clime, to see the great city of white marble where the Keshiaari court made its home. All these things occupied my thoughts, but none more than the ruler of that land. What would his voice sound like? His laugh? Was he grave and quiet, or possessed of a teasing humor, like my brother? Of course, when that thought passed through my mind, I realized that the Hierarch probably did not have much to tease about, what with the manner in which he had lost his wife. But still, my mind kept casting forward in time, and I became impatient with the daily routine of my present life. It was as if, now that I had made the irrevocable decision, I only wished to be gone. Yes, there was the interminable packing of those items I could bring with me, and the gifting of those things I could not — Ashara had no use for my gowns, as our coloring was not at all similar, but they were gratefully accepted by her stepsister Shelynne — but still it seemed as if the time was passing more and more slowly, dragging out far longer than it should.
At last, some ten days into Averil, the harbor-master at Marten’s Point came to the palace, gravely informing my brother that the seas had calmed, and it was, in his estimation, safe for the Crown Princess to make her sea journey. I trembled at the news, for as much as I had longed for the weary waiting to be over, now that the moment was here, I realized there was no going back. Very soon, everything would change.
The night before my retinue would leave for Marten’s Point and the great ship that awaited us there, Torric held a great feast in my honor. Lord Hein made sure all my favorite dishes were served, for of course there was a very good chance I would never taste them again. Looking on everyone, all those faces I had known since my childhood, I found myself having to hold back tears. How dear they all seemed to me now, even blustery Lord Keldryn and my cold, sharp-tongued mother. But I had committed myself to this thing, and I would see it through to the best of my ability.
So I smiled, and ate until I felt near to bursting, and exchanged blithe words with my brother and dear Ashara, now growing quite large with child, and went to bed that night knowing it would be the last time I would look out the window of my suite at the lights of Iselfex, or see moonlight reflected in the waters of the River Silth. I did not weep, for the Crown Princess of Sirlende could not been seen embarking on a journey to her new homeland with puffy eyelids and pale cheeks.
And the next morning I embraced my brother and my sister-in-law for the last time, as the doctors had deemed it unwise for her to make such a journey, and I could not ask my brother to leave her alone, if even for a few days. So we made our farewells, and offered brave smiles that probably fooled no one. And after I dutifully offered a cheek to my mother’s cold kiss, bowing my head as she instructed me to always behave as befitted a princess of Sirlende, I at last rode away to Marten’s Point, the harbor where I would take ship and leave my homeland behind forever.
Chapter 4
T he scent of salt caught me first, wild and unknown, and with it came a wind unlike anything I had felt in Iselfex, rough and cool. That wind whipped around us and tugged at my carefully arranged curls, seeming to promise the one thing I had never experienced in all my life.
Adventure.
Not that we had met any on the road, of course. Ours was
This I recalled, and so much more, but of course reading such things in a book could not match experiencing them in reality. As the days ticked down and the preparations for my departure continued apace, I found myself seized by an ever-increasing restlessness. I wanted to see these things for myself, to taste those strange fruits and the spices that grew in that warm, unfamiliar clime, to see the great city of white marble where the Keshiaari court made its home. All these things occupied my thoughts, but none more than the ruler of that land. What would his voice sound like? His laugh? Was he grave and quiet, or possessed of a teasing humor, like my brother? Of course, when that thought passed through my mind, I realized that the Hierarch probably did not have much to tease about, what with the manner in which he had lost his wife. But still, my mind kept casting forward in time, and I became impatient with the daily routine of my present life. It was as if, now that I had made the irrevocable decision, I only wished to be gone. Yes, there was the interminable packing of those items I could bring with me, and the gifting of those things I could not — Ashara had no use for my gowns, as our coloring was not at all similar, but they were gratefully accepted by her stepsister Shelynne — but still it seemed as if the time was passing more and more slowly, dragging out far longer than it should.
At last, some ten days into Averil, the harbor-master at Marten’s Point came to the palace, gravely informing my brother that the seas had calmed, and it was, in his estimation, safe for the Crown Princess to make her sea journey. I trembled at the news, for as much as I had longed for the weary waiting to be over, now that the moment was here, I realized there was no going back. Very soon, everything would change.
The night before my retinue would leave for Marten’s Point and the great ship that awaited us there, Torric held a great feast in my honor. Lord Hein made sure all my favorite dishes were served, for of course there was a very good chance I would never taste them again. Looking on everyone, all those faces I had known since my childhood, I found myself having to hold back tears. How dear they all seemed to me now, even blustery Lord Keldryn and my cold, sharp-tongued mother. But I had committed myself to this thing, and I would see it through to the best of my ability.
So I smiled, and ate until I felt near to bursting, and exchanged blithe words with my brother and dear Ashara, now growing quite large with child, and went to bed that night knowing it would be the last time I would look out the window of my suite at the lights of Iselfex, or see moonlight reflected in the waters of the River Silth. I did not weep, for the Crown Princess of Sirlende could not been seen embarking on a journey to her new homeland with puffy eyelids and pale cheeks.
And the next morning I embraced my brother and my sister-in-law for the last time, as the doctors had deemed it unwise for her to make such a journey, and I could not ask my brother to leave her alone, if even for a few days. So we made our farewells, and offered brave smiles that probably fooled no one. And after I dutifully offered a cheek to my mother’s cold kiss, bowing my head as she instructed me to always behave as befitted a princess of Sirlende, I at last rode away to Marten’s Point, the harbor where I would take ship and leave my homeland behind forever.
Chapter 4
T he scent of salt caught me first, wild and unknown, and with it came a wind unlike anything I had felt in Iselfex, rough and cool. That wind whipped around us and tugged at my carefully arranged curls, seeming to promise the one thing I had never experienced in all my life.
Adventure.
Not that we had met any on the road, of course. Ours was
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