The Princess

by Andrea Ring

  XXXIV. PRINCE KAI

  This is a side of Nili I haven’t yet seen. And it’s quite adorable.

  She managed to down three flagons all by herself, and she’s become a heap of giggles. Nili is a happy drunk.

  I quit drinking a couple of hours ago. I’m not sure Nili’s ever been drunk before, and I wanted to have my wits about me in case she got sick or out of hand.

  We get to talking about the wedding, and I tell her about the dancing we’ll have to do at the feast both before and after. She giggles.

  “Oh dear. I’ll look like a three-legged horse, clomping about. You need to show me.” She pulls me up off the cushions and insists we dance.

  Manoj and Faaris set the beat. They get to their feet and stomp around, clapping and shouting.

  One of Faaris’s guards interrupts us.

  “Sorry,” he says with a grin. “The steward says he has located that visitor, the one from Bhutan who you wished to question last night. He wishes for you to meet him in the throne room.”

  I smile. “We’re not quite fit for questioning anyone. Have him meet us tomorr—”

  “Let’s go,” Nili says, pulling on my arm and grabbing Manoj’s hand. “Then our task will be complete.”

  “Nili,” I say, “you’ve drunk a lot of wine. The man can wait.”

  “Pish posh,” she says, bobbling her head. “I’m fine. Let’s find out what’s happening on the other side of the Fangs.” She heads for the door.

  Faaris grins. “You heard the lady.”

  “You think this is a good idea?” I ask him.

  He shrugs. “I have no idea. I’m drunk.”

  Manoj laughs. “Lets go.”

  ***

  Haady no-Parsa is a fit, good-looking young man. He bows low as we enter the throne room, but Nili quickly waves him up.

  “We heard you’ve been waiting quite patiently all day,” she says, “and I apologize. We were only just made aware of your arrival.”

  Haady scowls briefly in the direction of the steward, who doesn’t flinch.

  “No matter,” he says. “I understand.”

  Nili smiles wide. “Excellent. I am Nilaruna Nandal, and you are Haady no-Parsa. It is a pleasure to have you with us, sir, and we are honored that you will be attending the wedding. We’ve had rumors of someone who wishes to do me and the prince harm, so we’re speaking to each and every person in the palace and asking for honesty. Do you think you can give me that?”

  “I wish I had the knowledge you seek,” Haady says. “But I’ve only just arrived. I don’t know of anyone who wishes you harm, my lady.”

  “Do you wish me harm, sir?”

  Haady’s eyes go wide. “No, my lady. Not at all. But if I did, how would you know?”

  Nili leans in close to him and puts her hand around her mouth. “I have a bit of talent,” she says in a loud whisper. “I know when someone is lying to me.”

  Haady smiles and looks over at me. “Someone’s been celebrating.”

  “We’ve been dodging an assassin, dealing with the political ramifications of our betrothal…we needed a break. But I assure you, my lady’s talents are in no way impaired. Think twice before you try to deceive us.”

  “I have no reason to deceive,” he says, “and I begrudge no one a bit of a break, as you say. Ask me whatever you’d like.”

  “How does your lord feel about my betrothal to the prince?” Nili asks.

  “To be honest, a bit disappointed,” Haady says. “But not because of you, my lady. He has a niece, who he has graciously fostered these past six cycles, and she was hoping for a chance to win Prince Kai’s heart.”

  Faaris jumps to his feet. “Your lord…she was in Bhutan for the last six cycles?”

  I pull Faaris back down. Nili gives him a “Shut your mouth!” stare. Faaris’s mouth hangs open in disbelief.

  Haady looks around at all of us. “Do you know her, Saphala Parsa? My lord sent her to Indrapur with an escort and we heard she made it here safely.” Then he laughs. “It shouldn’t surprise me if you’ve become friends. Saphala has a gift for drawing people to her.”

  “You say that as if you know her quite well,” Nili says.

  Haady nods. “We are of a similar age, and six cycles in a household together…Saphala and I were close.”

  “Close?” Nili says, again leaning into him. “How close?”

  Haady sighs. “I admit, I loved her. You’ve met her, so you know. She’s quite enchanting. We had a falling out before she left…ah, the stupid things men convince themselves of. I am a loyal servant, nothing more, certainly not the equal of a noble. Saphala deserves something…else.”

  “Did you come to Indrapur for Saphala?” Nili asks.

  “I admit, the notion crossed my mind, that perhaps we could have a chat and I could convince her to…see the error of her ways. But I am here in my lord’s stead to attend your wedding. He wishes to express his support for you both, but the journey would have been too tasking for him personally.” He shakes his head. “I have no wish to upset Saphala. She need not know I am even here. If she has become fast friends with the royal family and the nobles here…let her enjoy it while it lasts. Even though the prince is not free, perhaps she can make another auspicious match.”

  “That is most generous of you,” Nili says. “I don’t think I could be that generous, were I in your position.”

  Haady shrugs. “What is the alternative? If I truly loved her, I want her happy, no?”

  Nili waves a sloppy hand in the air. “Such diplomacy, Haady. Let me tell you another secret: Saphala and I grew up together in Dabani.”

  Haady gulps. “My lord never set out to deceive anyone,” he says. “He truly thought Saphala’s beauty would be pleasing to Prince Kai.”

  “And then Kai chooses me,” she says. “Me! Quite the opposite physical specimen from Saphala. I wonder, do people think the prince is blind, or do they believe I set a spell on him?”

  Haady’s eyes slip to me. I raise an eyebrow at him.

  “Magic has been suggested as a possibility.”

  Nili giggles. “I wish I had that skill, but sadly, I do not.”

  Haady bows his head. “As you say.”

  Nili taps her lips with her finger. “Back to Saphala. You loved her, and she didn’t respond in kind. You must be angry about that.”

  “No one likes rejection, my lady,” he says.

  “But you knew Saphala was bound for Indrapur. You knew she wanted more out of life. Why didn’t you take better care of your heart?”

  I mentally wince. A drunk Nili is far less tactful than a sober one.

  “I guess it is the indomitable optimism of the human spirit,” Haady says. “I believed things would work out, no matter the obstacles. You must have the same spirit, my lady, as I’m sure you’ve faced obstacles with the prince that were even greater than mine.”

  “You don’t know the half of it,” Nili says, patting his hand softly. “What do you think about putting an untouchable so close to the throne?”

  “It matters not to me,” he says. “We should all wish for a just and compassionate ruler, regardless of where that ruler was born. Don’t you think?”

  Nili nods. “Your lord seems most progressive. What of the other nobles in Bhutan?”

  Haady shrugs again. “You will have to do some convincing. They feel displaced, and that a lot of their effort in preparing a match for the prince was for naught. My lord and the others wonder how far things will go, and how quickly.”

  “How far what will go?” Nili asks.

  “Rights for the untouchables. If an untouchable can be queen, then surely there will be no limits to what an untouchable has a right to. And while my lord is sympathetic to their rights, he does not want his own trampled in the process.”

  “We understand,” she says. “Nothing has been formally decided, but the lords are correct in their assessment. Things will change. But it will be a process, and I can assure you personally that the untoucha
bles’ rights will not come at the expense of others’.”

  “If I may speak plainly…be careful my lady,” Haady says. “You say that now, and I imagine you have something like transfer of wealth in mind, that you would never take away a noble’s land and give it to an untouchable. But there is only so much land to be had. If you are going to split it among thousands more, surely the nobles will have less. It is a valid concern.”

  Nili rises. “You are remarkably insightful about the ramifications of this marriage, and I value that. Perhaps we may speak again after the wedding? Prince Kai and I would like to explore these ideas further with such a thoughtful citizen.”

  Haady rises and bows low. “It would be an honor, my lady.”

  Nili takes his hand and squeezes. “I thank you for your candor and your loyalty. If there’s anything you need while you’re here, just inform Steward Dilip. We look forward to meeting again.”

  Another bow. “My lady. My thanks.”

  XXXV. FAARIS

  Kai has to physically hold me down with a hand pressed to my shoulder while we watch Dilip lead this Haady out of the throne room. As soon as the doors boom shut, I shrug him off and stand.

  “She lied to us!”

  “We knew that,” Nili says.

  “But we didn’t know the extent of the lie!” I cry. “She made her father seem like a monster. If it hadn’t been for the distance, I would have showed up on his doorstep and hauled him to the dungeons myself!”

  “So she was an untouchable, and since she had noble family, her father sent her to them in hopes that she would become a princess,” Manoj says. “Seems like something a good father might try.”

  “The boat!” Faaris shouts. “Someone was in the boat with her, someone who was not a slaver but an escort. And she pushed him overboard! She’s a murderer!”

  “I don’t want to make that leap,” Nili says. “I’m not on her side, but murder is an entirely different thing than lying. Any number of things could have happened on that boat. Perhaps the escort tried to take advantage, and she pushed him in self-defense.”

  “I have killed men, Nili,” I say. “You have killed men. Tell me it doesn’t haunt you, even though you knew they were evil.”

  “Of course it haunts me,” she says.

  “Do you think her uncle would have sent an escort Saphala didn’t know? He wanted her to get to Indrapur. She’d built a lie such that she couldn’t just return to Dabani — surely people knew she’d been missing — so she needed that escort. Her uncle would have sent someone completely loyal, completely devoted…”

  “Someone like Haady,” she says.

  “You think Haady was the one in the boat?” Manoj asks. “That’s a stretch.”

  “A stretch,” I say, “but not impossible. And maybe it doesn’t matter. My point was that Saphala knew her escort and knew him well. I do not think such a person would try to assault her or force himself on her in that tiny boat in the middle of the night. It makes more sense that this person displeased her, or suggested something that might ruin her plan, so she took care of him.”

  “Like this person professed his love, and Saphala panicked?” Manoj says.

  I shrug.

  “No,” Nili says. “You don’t kill someone because they love you.”

  “Again, it doesn’t matter,” I say. “I do think she’s a murderer, but most likely, we will never know the truth. Saphala is not important unless she is a part of the rebellion, and after all this…I don’t believe she would ever put herself out for someone else’s cause. Saphala is out only for herself. So the question is, why is she here, and without the throne as an option, what is her goal?”

  “She’s here because she has nowhere else to go,” Nili says. “She wants power — that’s all she’s ever wanted. And the palace is the best place to acquire it. She knows she doesn’t have a chance with Kai, but her best option after Kai would be you, Faaris, and she rejected you. I don’t think she would do that unless she had another plan.”

  All three of us turn to Manoj.

  “Don’t look at me,” he says. “She hasn’t so much as said hello to me since we arrived in Indrapur.”

  “Kai,” Nili says, “who else has the power she craves?”

  “No one,” he says. “No one who is unmarried.”

  “She’s a murderer,” I insist. “She doesn’t care if someone is attached or not.”

  “Faaris,” Nili says on a sigh.

  Manoj pops to his feet. “Wait. We didn’t question her, did we?”

  “What do you mean?” Kai asks.

  “Maybe she hasn’t given up on you,” Manoj says. “Maybe she’s the assassin.”

  ***

  We task Dilip with finding Saphala. She is not in her rooms, nor in the nobles’ commons. An extra contingent of guards arrives to protect Nili, and we withdraw to Nili’s rooms to wait.

  If we are correct, perhaps Saphala will come to us.

  Kai leaves just before bedtime to check on his father and returns rather quickly.

  “Wadee says my father is recovering from a spell, whatever that means,” Kai says. “He probably had another seizure.”

  “I’m sorry, Kai,” Nili says, taking his hand.

  “We’re all sorry,” Manoj says. “We could use the king’s wisdom on this.”

  “I’m off to bed,” I say, standing. “If Saphala is found, please wake me.”

  “We will,” Kai says, clasping my hand. “Sleep well.”

  Manoj and I walk the halls back to our rooms.

  “Am I crazy?” I ask him. “Have I created an enemy where there is none?”

  “No,” he says. “There is more to Saphala than simply a desire for a greater life. Is she dangerous? I believe so. Is Nili her target? We just don’t know.”

  “Who could she be after, Manoj? Kai has no other family, no one else in line for the throne. It must be Kai she wants.”

  “There is Zara,” he says.

  I laugh. “She wants to seduce a young girl and somehow attain the throne through her? Come now. Even I wouldn’t have suggested such a thing.”

  Manoj smiles. “You’re right. I was just answering the question. Kai only has two family members.”

  I stop. “You don’t think…”

  Manoj looks at me.

  And then we both laugh.

  “I guess it’s not a laughing matter, but Saphala has no way to even get an audience with the king. His own son can’t wangle a visit.”

  “Too true,” Manoj agrees. “We can rule out the king.”

  XXXVI. TANAYA

  The flap of my tent crackles as I push through it.

  I step gingerly as I pick my way through camp. A fall and a broken ankle are the last things I need.

  The world is coated in sparkling ice. It’s beautiful right now, with only the light of the early-morning cooking fires shimmering off its edges, but when the sun rises, it’s going to be a muddy mess.

  The poor dragons. They had to spend the night in this.

  I make my way down the valley, and the sun begins to lighten the sky beyond the mountains. I spy the dragons all huddled together against the cliffs on the west side.

  Except for Rorek.

  He is still chained — I can see the massive links in a snaking line from the rocks to his ankles — but he has walked as far as possible away from the others.

  I stop twenty paces from him, wrap my furs more tightly around me, and bow.

  Tanaya, he thinks. You feel concern for us.

  You are used to living in caves, I think. Are you uncomfortable out in the open?

  Yes, but not in the way that concerns you. We prefer to be hidden, but we are warm enough.

  Good, I think. I do not want you to suffer. Actually, I need you not to suffer.

  Rorek laughs, a throaty coughing roar of sound. The valley trembles.

  Have no fear, Tanaya. You will not perish if we suffer.

  I smile up at him. I do have another want, I think. I want you
r advice.

  You seek a favor, Rorek thinks, and steam billows from his nostrils.

  I want your advice on how to thwart our enemies.

  Rorek sits back on his haunches. I will give you my advice for a favor in return.

  Ask, I think with a bow.

  You will tell me all about your magic, and that of every human being in the camp.

  I can tell you about my own gifts, I think, but I cannot impart knowledge I do not have, and the knowledge I do have…it is not mine to give.

  Rorek’s head twists. Your talents are a secret?

  It is complicated, Rorek. Magic is seen as evil and unnatural. By law, we are not allowed to exercise our gifts, though some of us have developed them in secret. Our enemies have taken advantage of this. Their gifts are developed, fully, and we are at their mercy. Until I know if you are friend or foe, I cannot divulge anything that could be used against us. I would be named traitor.

  We are seen as evil, then, he thinks. We who wield our gifts freely.

  Most in the kingdom believe dragons are extinct. They view you as mythical and awesome, not evil.

  Who are these enemies? he thinks. And how have they been able to develop their gifts while you could not?

  They are our lowest class of people, I think. Outcasts and those unfit for society. We ignored them, and they were able to grow powerful.

  They are your own people?

  I nod.

  I do not understand, he thinks. Every person in the kingdom is a member of your society. How can they be unfit?

  There are many reasons. Those who wash the dead, for example. They are close to disease and decay. We cannot have them mingling with the rest of the people.

  Why do you wash your dead? he asks.

  To honor them. So they are fit for their next life.

  So the ones who make you fit are seen as unfit?

  I shrug. I did not make the rules. I am only explaining them.

  Rorek stomps his feet. Your enemies are not your enemies, he thinks. I will give you my advice, and I ask for nothing in return. These enemies are the oppressed. They are your slaves. And whatever they do to rise up against you, you deserve.

  I do not disagree, not in theory, I think. But if there is a war…I have family. Friends. People I love. I do not want anyone harmed.