Chapter 14
We acquired three horses and a scimitar, then followed a road that wound between the hills, moving in a northwesterly direction. It would've been nice to sleep in a bed, but it seemed I was out of luck. The people in this part of the world wanted me dead just as much as the people in my part of the world. For someone who had never done anything, other than exist, I was quite unpopular.
"How did you know those assassins were coming to kill you?" Edgerton asked me.
He was riding in the front, I was in the middle, and Bokham was bringing up the rear. I wasn't ready to tell Edgerton about my gifts, so I changed the subject. "How did they find us so quickly?"
"They probably followed me."
"And sat around waiting to see if you came back with a princess?"
"Probably."
"What makes you think there are other assassins out there?"
"There are always assassins out there. Assassination is a way of life in this part of the world."
"I figured the one good thing about coming to this side of the world was that nobody would want to kill me."
"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but no one said being a princess was easy. I assumed your mother taught you that."
"How did they know what you were doing and where you went, not to mention who I was?"
"Spies. All the palaces have them."
"So, someone in the palace overheard you and the queen talking about crossing the desert in search of a princess and sold the information to the King of Dunre?"
Edgerton nodded. "We learned about your country through the merchants from Gibney. When I asked if they could help us find one of these unwanted princesses, they said that they couldn't, but they knew someone that might be able to help. Someone that traded in human flesh."
"The King of the Sugar Islands," I said.
Edgerton nodded. "The merchants acted as a go between, delivering our gold to the King of the Sugar Islands, then telling me someone would meet me once I crossed the Desert of Shifting Sands. When our sand ship reached Adah, we made camp. A couple of days later, Ezerra showed up and took me to your Western Palace. A couple of weeks after that, you arrived."
"You should've come directly to us. You could've had your pick of princesses. Salisha and Iderra would've gone with you willingly, as would have I."
"From what the soldiers at your Western Palace told me about your two sisters, I question whether they're fit to assume the throne of Vassa. They said Iderra was smart, but did not relate well to others. They said Salisha was beautiful, but had little else going for her."
"And what did they say of Bedonna?"
"They feared her. They said she longed to prove herself a great conqueror, even if it meant spilling their blood."
"What did they say about me?"
"They said that you were okay."
"That's it? That's all they had to say?"
"They had nothing bad to say about you. You should take that as a compliment. I did."
We rode in silence after that. We didn't push the horses, but we didn't stop to rest either. We just kept moving, for two days and two nights we plodded along. I learned to sleep while riding, a skill Edgerton and Bokham seemed to have already acquired. Not that they both slept at the same time. One was always awake. Making sure we were on the right road. Making sure we weren't being followed.
As we continued west and climbed in elevation, the hills changed, going from brown to green. The trees also changed, going from palms to dogwoods and weeping willows. There were no mountains in this part of the world, not like we had back in Adah, just a lot of rolling hills. On the morning of our second day, the road we were following hooked up with a stream, running parallel to it. By the end of the second day, that stream had widened into a river. It wasn't big enough to navigate, other then in a canoe or a small boat, but it was a river.
Eventually, the road grew crowded. Most of the travelers dressed like me, but a few wore outfits similar to what Edgerton wore. Every time we passed someone in breeches and a waistcoat, Edgerton's hand slipped inside his coat, reaching for the large knife he kept hidden. Fortunately, we encountered no more assassins and by the time the sun began to set in the west, a large city appeared on the horizon. It was made out of yellow brick and littered with domes.
"Istansada City," Edgerton said. "The capital of Landish. From here on our journey becomes easier."
Unlike the cities in Adah, no walls surrounded Istansada City. The city was in a valley, built at the confluence of three rivers. The three rivers weren't very impressive, but the point where they came together, forming the Istansada River, was impressive.
The Istansada was a good mile wide. It was a deep slow moving river loaded with boats and ships. The ships looked nothing like the triremes found off the coast of southern Adah. They had no oars sticking out of their sides, no way to move except by wind power. The ships contained three square rigged masts. The middle part of each ship's deck sat lower than the foredeck or afterdeck.
"What are those ships called?"
"Caravels," Edgerton said.
"There are no oars sticking out of them."
"No."
"How do they move if there's no wind?"
"They don't. But unlike your triremes, they're shallow draft vessels. So when the wind does blow, they move quite swiftly. Twice as fast as a trireme with one tenth the manpower."
"Do the merchants that sail here from Gibney use triremes or caravels?"
Edgerton laughed. "They prefer triremes. They fear getting trapped out on the ocean with no wind."
As we drew closer to the city, we wound our way down a hillside covered with stocks of corn. Bokham pointed to a caravel flying red and gold flags on the top of its three masts. The flags contained a red field with a golden eagle in flight. The ship itself had been painted black and trimmed with gold paint. It was as large and as fine a ship as I had ever seen.
"That's ours," Bokham said. "The Star of the Sea. The heir's flagship. Your flagship, Your Highness."
"The heir's cabin is located under the foredeck," Edgerton said. "I think you'll find it quite comfortable."
"I'm sure I would. But since I'm not the heir, my sleeping there would be inappropriate, not to mention highly presumptuous."
"There's a couple of guest cabins across the hall from the heir's cabin. Perhaps you would be more comfortable in one of those."
"As long as I'm not kicking you out."
“Hardly. My cabin is in the back, across from the captain's cabin."
"One of the guest cabins will be fine. Thank you, Chancellor."
Even though Istansada City contained no walls, it was easy to tell when we reached the city's edge. Yellow brick buildings lined the road, and the road itself, which had been dirt, became a brick street. Because the city was built at the confluence of three rivers, bridges abounded. Stone bridges arched over the three rivers at a dozen different locations. Only the Istansada River itself contained no bridges.
Most of the men in Istansada City looked and dressed like the two sailors that ferried us across the desert. Some of the women wore outfits similar to the one I had one. Others wore wraparound skirts instead of pants. The length of the skirts varied, with older women wearing longer ones and younger women wearing shorter ones. There were soldiers in the city. They wore black silk balloon pants, red silk vests, and black turbans. The carried scimitars around their waists and traveled in pairs.
When we reached the street that ran parallel to the southern side of the Istansada River, Edgerton breathed a sigh of relief. "Once we reach the ship, you'll be safe. The queen's navy crews the ship. They're good men. The queen herself personally selected each one for this voyage."
After two weeks in the desert, the smell of water filled the air. Gulls cackled overhead as they followed a fleet of small fishing boats that were heading for shore. No one paid much attention to us until we reached the Star of the Sea.
We dismounted, tied our horses to a hitching po
st, and headed out onto the dock where the Star of the Sea was tied. Two sailors stood at attention at the bottom of the ship's gangplank. They wore white shirts and white knee breeches. Red stockings reached up to the knee breeches, while small black shoes covered their feet. Red jackets with a single gold band around their sleeve cuffs completed their uniforms.
"I trust you still recognize me," Edgerton said, bowing to the sailor closest to us.
"Yes, sir." Like Bokham, the sailor was tall and clean shaven. Like Bokham, he wore his long blond hair in a ponytail. Instead of a broadsword, he carried a cutlass on his hip. The other sailor was similar in size and appearance, with a brown ponytail instead of a blond one. Both of them stepped aside, so we could head up the gangplank.
"The three horses at the end of the dock are ours," Bokham said. "Have somebody take them to the nearest stable and sell them for whatever price they can get."
"Yes, sir," the blond sailor said.
We headed up the gangplank and onto the ship, where we were intercepted by a tall man with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His hair was as white as snow, and like everyone else, he wore it in a ponytail. He had a square jaw, a broad flat nose, and deep set blue eyes. The cuffs of his red jacket contained four gold bands instead of one.
Edgerton bowed. "Captain Hubbard."
Captain Hubbard saluted. Like the other sailors, he wore a cutlass on his hip. "My men have spent the last six weeks betting whether we would ever see you again. Looks like some of them are going to be a lot poorer tonight."
"I trust you aren't one of them."
"You know I'd never bet against an old fool like you." Captain Hubbard looked at me. "Can I assume your mission was successful?"
"May I present Princess Lila Marie Haran. Fourth daughter of Bella Justine Haran, the twelfth Queen of Adah."
"My god," Captain Hubbard said. "You actually convinced a princess to come with you?"
Edgerton blushed. "I didn't exactly convince her to come with me."
"He kidnapped me," I said. "Drugged me, bound and gagged me, wrapped me in a carpet, and threw me over the back of a pack horse."
"Fortunately that's all behind us." Edgerton looked at me, to see if it actually was behind us, or if I was still carrying a grudge.
"It's behind us," I said. I extended the back of my left hand to Captain Hubbard. "So nice to meet you, Captain."
"The pleasure is all mine, Your Highness." Captain Hubbard kissed the back of my hand and bowed. "You speak the Common Tongue very well. I was under the impression people didn't use the Common Tongue in your part of the world."
"They don't. Your chancellor taught it to me on our trip across the desert." I wasn't sure how well I spoke the Common Tongue. I suspect I spoke it with a fairly strong accent. An accent nobody could place.
Edgerton beamed with pride. "She learns quickly. Very bright, this one."
"There's nothing to do in the desert but learn," I said. "One can only stare at sand dunes for so long."
Captain Hubbard gave me a tour of his ship, which was his pride and joy. It was quite different from our triremes, especially below deck. There were no oarsmen, just storage space and sleeping quarters for the crew. There were two cabins under the afterdeck, one for Captain Hubbard, one for Edgerton. There were three cabins under the foredeck. The heir's cabin, and two guest cabins opposite it.
"Edgerton tells me you don't want to use the heir's cabin," Captain Hubbard said, after escorting me to it.
"I'm not the heir," I said. "It would be inappropriate."
"Your lady in waiting is using one of the guest cabins. I'll have one of my men prepare the other one for you."
"Your lady in waiting can help you change," Edgerton said. "We brought a selection of gowns with us. I'm sure she can find one that fits you."
"Dinner will be served in my cabin at eight bells," Captain Hubbard said. "As soon as she returns to the ship, I'll send the Lady Wellington to your cabin."
Once my cabin was prepared, I slipped into it and looked around. The room wasn't a perfect square because the ship's curved hull made up its outer wall. There were two round portholes in the outer wall, bigger than a person's head, but smaller than their shoulders. Between the two portholes was a feather bed. Like the rest of the furniture in the room, it was nailed down. Built into the left-hand wall was a writing desk with numerous drawers. Built into the right-hand wall was an armoire. Covering the bed was a red and gold comforter. Like the ship's flags, it consisted of a red field with a golden eagle in flight.
The drawers in the writing desk were empty save for some parchment. The armoire was full of silk gowns. They varied in size, from way too big to just too small. On the armoire's floor was a selection of boots. They reached to the top of the calf and contained wickedly high heels. I wasn't sure what purpose the heels served other than to make one look taller. Tucked into the armoire's drawers was a selection of silk briefs and matching corsets.
I wasn't looking forward to being laced into corsets again, but I was looking forward to sleeping in a bed. After two weeks on a sand ship, and two days and nights on horseback, I was looking forward to it so much that I laid down.
I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew, someone was in my cabin. It was a young woman about twenty-five years old. She was tall, with high breasts, a tiny waist, and round hips. She had straight blond hair that reached to the small of her back. She wore a pale green silk gown that had long sleeves, a high collar, and a tight ankle length skirt. Her feet were shod with a pair of high heeled boots similar to what I found in the armoire. She had a heart-shaped face with a small nose, high cheekbones, and full lips. Her blue eyes were the color of the sky. She reminded me of Salisha.
"I was told to help the princess dress for dinner," the blond said. "I'm Lady Wellington. Tabitha Wellington."
"Pleased to meet you." I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. "I'm Princess Lila Marie Haran."
"Oh my. You don't even speak the Common Tongue. You really are a barbarian."
As soon as she said that, I realized that I had responded to her in my native Adan rather than in the Common Tongue. Being half asleep it was an easy mistake to make. After all, I had been speaking Adan my whole life, and the Common Tongue for just over two weeks.
I dragged myself to the foot of the bed and stood. Tabitha circled me, looking me over.
"You're a pretty little thing, but I have no idea what use Queen Catlett will have for a barbarian that can't even speak the Common Tongue. Perhaps she could breed you with a duke or a baron. You might be capable of producing a child that could assume the throne. As long as they didn't let you raise it."
She was smiling as she spoke to me, probably thinking that as long as she did that, I'd assume she was saying nice things. She saw the scimitar we purchased from the blacksmith still strapped around my waist. "My god! You're carrying a sword. Do you actually know how to use it? Being a barbarian, I suppose you do."
I figured now was as good a time as any to let Tabitha know I spoke the Common Tongue, so I slid the scimitar out of its leather sheath and pressed the blade against her throat.
"As a matter of fact, I do know how to use a sword. I can give you a demonstration if you'd like. I suspect no one would care if you made it back to court. From what I'm told, this part of the world is littered with useless low level royals like yourself."
She retreated until her back hit the door. "You understood me."
I moved with her, keeping the blade pressed against her throat. "Oh, I understand your kind perfectly. You smile to a person's face, then criticize them whenever their back is turned."
Tabitha gulped and glanced at the blade. "Technically, I'm not a royal. My father was the youngest son of a baron, but he didn't inherit the barony. Which means I'm not actually a royal. Just the niece of a royal."
"That's too bad." I stepped back and sheathed my scimitar. "Now, I'll have to find another useless royal to kill."
Tabitha breathed
a sigh of relief. Up until then, she hadn't been sure if I actually intended to kill her. "Do you really know how to use a sword?"
"I've trained with a sword since I was six."
"Women actually train with swords where you come from?"
"Not all women."
"Few women in this part of the world know how to use a sword."
"We ran into a woman two days back that knew how to use a sword. Albeit not good enough to save her life."
"A professional assassin. If you see a woman carrying a sword in this part of the world, she's a professional assassin, rest assured."
"The King of Dunre hired this one to kill me. As you can see. She and her partners failed. Rather foolish of the King of Dunre to think he could kill a barbarian princess that easily." I pulled my scimitar out of its sheath and pointed its curved tip at Tabitha's stomach. "Are you an assassin sent to kill me?"
Tabitha shook her head no. Quite vigorously. She was afraid of me and I liked it. It was the first time in my life that I could remember someone being afraid of me.
"Queen Catlett sent me to help you dress. She wasn't sure what women in your part of the world wear and thought you might need someone to show you how to put on a corset and a gown."
I sheathed my scimitar, unbuckled the scabbard from around my waist, and tossed it on my bed. "We have corsets and gowns in my part of the world. What we don't have are those ridiculously high heeled boots. I can't begin to imagine what purpose they serve, other than to keep you from running away from any assassins that might want to kill you."
"They serve a definite purpose. They . . . ." Tabitha's voice trailed off as she struggled to come up with a reason for wearing the high heeled boots. "They make you taller."
"I'd rather be short and able to defend myself than tall and hobbled."
"I'm not hobbled."
"Prove it."
"How?"
"Let me see you run."
She didn't do it. Not that I expected her to. Her skirt was too tight to run in even without the high heeled boots. "Where I come from, a LADY does not run."
"What do you do when an assassin comes to kill you?"
"Assassins have no reason to kill me. I'm merely the niece of a baron."
"They have plenty of reasons to kill me."
"Does that mean you don't want me to help you dress for dinner?"
I had a feeling that everything I said and did on this journey would get back to Queen Catlett. I suspected that I was already being judged by the queen herself, and if I didn't at least try their fashions, I would be found wanting. "This ship is well defended, so I don't think I need to worry about assassins while I'm on board. As such, you may select a gown and help me dress for dinner."
When we reached Vassa, I would find a tailor and have some gowns made up in the styles my mother preferred, along with some riding skirts and breeches.
While I slipped out of the outfit I had been wearing for the last two days, Tabitha selected a red silk gown. She held it up in front of me and pronounced that it would fit me perfectly. I thought it looked too small, but didn't say anything. She knew these styles better than I did. She added a red silk corset, red silk stockings, and matching silk briefs to the growing pile on my bed. Lastly, she pulled out a pair of boots with the wicked looking heels.
"We have no hot water on board, so you won't be able to take a bath. However, I do have some talc in my cabin. We can sprinkle some of that on you, then scrub you with a cloth. It will be almost as good."
Tabitha slipped into her cabin and returned with a wooden box. Inside the box was a white powder softer than the finest sand. I wasn't excited about having powder tossed on me, especially after my encounter with Ezerra, but I remained silent, figuring Tabitha was no powder witch. She began circling around me, tossing fistfuls of the white powder on me. When I was as white as a ghost, she grabbed two small cloths, handed one to me, and kept one for herself.
"You scrub the front. I'll scrub the back," she said.
I was used to having handmaidens help me dress, but I wasn't used to having someone scrub my naked body. It was especially disconcerting when she finished with my back and started on my bottom. Still, she did her job in a workman like manner and in no time we had the white powder, and any dirt that might have been underneath it, scrubbed off.
The gown Tabitha selected was made out of a single layer of silk with no petticoats. The lacing started at the top of my thighs and ran all the way to the top of my neck. The dress covered me from neck to ankle and was so tight that I couldn't run in it let alone fight. I felt like a sword sheathed in its scabbard.
The skirt was the worst part, tight across the hips, tight across the thighs, and narrow enough around the ankles that I could only take small steps. Between the gown and the high heeled boots, walking was no longer something I could take for granted.
"This is horribly uncomfortable," I said, stumbling around the room and feeling like a horse that had just been saddled, bridled, and hobbled. "Why do you put up with it?"
Tabitha led me to the mirror that hung on the inside of one of the armoire's doors. I looked tall and curvaceous. My breasts were tucked right under my chin and stuck straight out. My waist looked small enough to wrap my hands around, which made my hips look rounder than normal. My bottom also look bigger than normal. It was the first time in my life I looked at myself and thought that I had a big butt. Of course it was all an illusion, created by the corset and the tapered gown. Well, part of it was an illusion. I wasn't as tall as my mother, or Salisha, nor were my hips as round as theirs, but I was just as big in the chest.
"There are a couple of things I need to show you," Tabitha said.
"Such as?"
"Try to sit down."
I hobbled to the end of the bed, tried to sit on it, and discovered that I couldn't. The gown, in particular, the skirt, was so tight that I couldn't sit, not without ripping the gown at the seams.
"There's a trick to sitting." Tabitha glided to the writing desk and pulled out the captain's chair that went with it. I felt jealous watching her move in her boots and gown. She made it look effortless, like she had been doing it her whole life, which I suppose she had. I felt like an old plow horse standing next to a sleek race horse. "Now watch."
Instead of just sitting in the chair, she bent at the waist, pushed her bottom out, then fell into the chair, letting her legs kick out in front of her.
"When you push your bottom out like that, it looks like you're putting on a show," I said.
"You are putting on a show. You're saying to all the handsome and eligible men that are watching you, see how curvaceous I am, see how fertile I am. I can bare you many fine sons. Sons that will grow up to be big and strong. Sons that will care for you in your old age. Sons that will defend your land and your name and your honor."
"And here I thought you were saying, see how big my butt is. See how many pies and pastries I've been eating. If you marry me, I'll eat you out of house and home and castle."
Tabitha giggled. "Lucky for us, men don't think that way. There's also a trick to standing up."
She grabbed the arms of the chair and pushed herself up. At the same time, she kicked her legs up and down. Somehow, she managed to rise out of the chair while looking both graceful and elegant. There was no way that I could do that and still look graceful. I was definitely going to visit a tailor.
Tabitha moved to the side of the chair. "Now, you try."
I moved to the chair, bent at the waist, and thrust my bottom out. "So what am I saying right now?"
"You're saying, see how round and firm my bottom is. I can bear you many strong royal heirs." Tabitha giggled. "Either that or . . . . "
I never had a chance to hear what else she was going to say because we were interrupted by a knock on the door.
It was Bokham. "Your Highness, we have a bit of a problem, you're going to have to come up on deck."
I straightened up and moved to the door as quickly as my outfi
t would allow. Bokham had also changed, donning a clean version of his red and white uniform. His scabbard hung from his left hip and his right hand was gripping the hilt of his broadsword.
"What's wrong?" I said.
"The man whose hand you cut off followed us, then went to the local authorities, claiming we murdered his friends. The local authorities have come to ask us some questions."
I sighed and stepped out of the cabin. So much for a peaceful dinner.