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“It’s all so beautiful,” I murmured.
“You’ll see a lot of the castle while you’re here, but sometimes I like to sneak up in this tower to watch the city. It’s always so alive.” Saga smiled, and I got the idea that, though she was a princess, she’d rather be elsewhere.
“See that?” She leaned closer and pointed. As she did so, our sides touched and something heavy hit my leg.
I glanced down. The princess’s dress had oversized, slightly gaping pockets. In one, she carried a small book.
I noticed she had caught me looking and I lifted my gaze. Instead of meeting her eyes though, I focused on her pink hair.
Fae, as a varied magical order, might have all different colors of hair. Dryads and nymphs were often born with tresses of vivid blues and pinks and any other color one might imagine. Faeries, however, were normally born with hair in shades of white, silver, brown, black, red, or blonde.
“I have to ask, Princess, is that your natural color?”
Her eyes twinkled. “I wish, but no. I see a colorist and they magic it pink about every six moons.” Her gaze flitted to my hair. “Actually, my natural color is white, like my father’s. Yours too, I suppose, though yours is more silver than mine.”
“Well, the pink is lovely.”
“Thank you.” She beamed and turned to face out the window again. “See that island in the distance?”
I squinted in the direction she was looking. “I think so? It looks quite small.”
“It’s rather large, but it is also very far away,” she answered. “That’s Sayyida’s home.”
Mentally pulling up the map Clemencia had shown me time and time again, I located the island where the Lady of Ships and the head of House Virtoris lived.
“It takes forever to get to the island on a ship.” Saga sighed, continuing on in her own world. “The winds are atrocious. Not as bad as in the far north, but still strong.”
“And then there are the pirates,” a voice came from behind. We turned to find Sayyida, a few paces back, waving at us. “Heard you talking about me.” She winked.
Saga cleared her throat. “Nothing bad.”
“Did you tell her about that time you blessed a ship, and we got overrun by pirates?” Sayyida’s tone dipped into a conspiratorial whisper.
“Another day,” Saga hissed, though a spark flashed in her eyes that told me whatever happened that day hadn’t been all bad. “We cannot talk about that now. My mother was furious, and bringing it up again will . . . Well, people will talk.”
“They always talk. Anyway, the table is ready.” Sayyida met my eyes. “How are you at nuchi, Neve?”
“I haven’t played it.”
“Huh,” Sayyida mused, clearly surprised. “You really must be from a backwater. Everyone in Winter’s Realm grew up playing this game. I’ve even heard that it’s played as far south as the Spring Court.”
But I wasn’t from here and hadn’t even been in the Winter Kingdom until a few days ago. “My family did not approve of games.” I figured it made a good excuse.
“Ah, like the Warden of the East.” Sayyida’s full lips pursed as she spoke. “A pity. My Lady Mother is fond of anything that can earn her a bit more coin. Not that she needs it. But that isn’t the point, is it?”
A laugh left my throat. Something about Sayyida eased me and amused me in equal measure. “I suppose not.”
“Sit here.” Saga pulled a chair out, one of three seats in a row.
As the princess took the middle one, I felt put on display. She showed me kindness, placing me next to her, but I wasn’t sure I wanted that. Then again, I could not ask others to rearrange themselves.
“Thank you.” I sat with a grace that still did not feel natural.
“Should I go over the rules?” Marit, daughter of the Warden of the North, leaned forward, excitement on her pale face.
“Drink first.” Sayyida grabbed a bottle that had been sitting on the table. “Anyone up for a bit of Dragon Fire?”
Marit paled, making her brownish-red freckles stand out more, but the rest, even Calpurnia, appeared intrigued, so Sayyida passed out a few small glasses of the liquor. When one landed in front of me, I leaned back. The drink smelled potent, hot even, though I didn’t know a drink could smell like that.
