Chương 131: Chapter 128: The Most Uninvited Guest.

I stared at the Princess for a very long moment. She was more or less exactly as I remembered her. She wore a brown riding cloak a size or two too large. The hood was thrown back, and her golden hair was free in a messy tangle. I doubted it had started that way in the morning. She was sprawled across the seat of my carriage like she owned it. Which, I supposed, in the strictest technical sense, she did. Across from her, Ser Aziah Storm sat perfectly still. Katarina was already talking.

"Oh my gods, you're going to join the King's Tournament? How does nobody know about this? That's so exciting! But wait, you're a Hero, and you can't use your Godblade, so how the hells and why the hells is-" I stepped back out of the carriage while she was still mid-sentence. I turned. I pointedly closed the door. There was a silence. Everyone was staring at me. Estovan looked vaguely pained. Violet looked delighted. Sere looked confused. The door popped open. Katarina leaned out.

"Come on, don't be like that! I've been waiting out here for hours. I was so bored! Aziah said you were probably doing something important, so I didn't want to interrupt." That was an odd amount of consideration. What did she even do for the time it took us? I both wanted and did not want to know. Violet stepped forward.

"So you're the damn Princess, are you?" she growled.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Were you following us? Who the hell do you think you are?!" I winced. Being rude to the First Princess of the Kingdom was probably unwise at best and suicidal at worst. My eyes went to Aziah. If there was anyone who would punish an insult to the First Princess, it was probably her. The First Sword did not move. I was fairly certain she did not even blink. Katarina's mouth slowly closed. Violet pressed on.

"Get the hell out of our carriage. And stop bothering her, you no good-" The Princess's grin went wide. Then she lunged forward on the seat and seized both of Violet's hands. Violet blinked.

"What."

"Oh my gods, you're Violet Indri, aren't you?!" Katarina was shaking her hands so hard Violet's whole arms moved with them.

"I saw you in some of the pictures too! They say you smashed that dragon with a giant warhammer. There weren't any pictures of you actually doing it, but you still looked so cool. You were all like-" she let go of Violet's hands to gesture vaguely at her own clothing." -you were all covered in blood and stuff, but you still looked super cool and brave! Hey, hey, your mother was Scarlet, right? She was amazing. I've read so much about her. I guess it's just in the blood or something, right?!" Violet stared at her.

I watched my friend short-circuit in real time. Her mouth opened and closed. Then she coughed loudly. When she turned toward me, her face was very red.

"I, uh… I think there's no harm in letting her tag along," Violet said.

"She seems nice. Come on?" I stared at Violet. Then I stared past her, at the grinning Princess. Somewhere in the back of my mind, Vaelin laughed. I was fairly certain it was the first time he had ever actually done that. How creepy. They had already gotten into our carriage without Estovan sensing so much as a breeze. Leaving them behind would accomplish exactly nothing. They would simply be inside whatever I rode in next.

"I don't think we have a choice…" I finally murmured. Katarina beamed at me like she had won something. Which, I supposed, she had. We collected Damian from my manor. My father was asleep when we arrived, which was good, because I had absolutely zero idea how to explain this if he was awake and wanted to see me. I also did not wake him up just to give him a heart attack.

"Is… is she still looking at me?" Damian asked. He was busy staring at his own hands, his head was slightly bowed. I think he was trying to be respectful. I looked from him to the Princess, who was beaming at him.

"Yes, Damian," I said.

"Yes, she is."

"Hey, hey- you were there too, right?" Katarina thrust her hand out toward him.

"On the expedition, I mean! Sorry, I don't know your name! What is it? Come on, tell me." It was the third time she had tried this since we'd left the manor. Damian stared at the offered hand as if taking it might burn his arm off. I sighed and made the introduction myself.

"Damian Everstand," I said.

"My retainer. And yes, he was with me on the expedition. Damian, you should shake the Princess's hand." Damian muttered to himself, but he shook it. Katarina pumped his arm twice and immediately began asking him about his role in the expedition.

"My lady, if I may ask. How did you enter the carriage? I was certain I sensed nothing." Estovan asked, sitting next to the First Sword. Ser Aziah Storm looked at him.

"The Princess bid me get her inside without anyone knowing."

"… And so you did as she asked," Estovan said. Aziah nodded slowly, as if that explained everything. I was quite sure that explained absolutely nothing. It became more confusing still when Estovan nodded back. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I gave up and looked down instead. Sere was curled at my side, doodling.

Her current subject was the First Princess, whom she had chosen to render as three different people, all standing in a row, each with its own speech bubble that hadn't been filled in yet. It was rather good commentary.

"Is that the shadow?" I paused and looked up. Aziah was watching me. Then her gaze moved to Sere. Sere froze under the look. Then she folded her hands in her lap and nodded. Aziah regarded her for a moment. Then she tipped her head.

"My apologies," she said.

"I did not realize your shadow would be so… young. Had I known, I would have given the praise before the criticism." Her voice gentled by a degree.

"But be more careful, child. A hidden blade is only useful while it is hidden. Otherwise, one may as well carry a sword." Sere blinked. Then she blushed and hurriedly nodded. And when she snuck a glance at Aziah next, there was wonder in it. Not you too, Sere! The carriage rolled on. We moved from the Veyne District and toward the Thalos District. I was listening to the Princess talk. Or rather, there was nothing else to do. And I started to notice something. I had assumed the girl just talked for talking's sake.

About everything and anything. It wasn't that. The Princess was shrewd. Her questions pried, but they never pried too much. If she asked a question that made the questioned uncomfortable, she moved on easily. She asked Damian about his brother once, caught the way his jaw set, and quickly moved onto something else. When she spoke to Violet about her father, she saw Violet's enthusiasm dim. She never brought up her father again.

When she spoke to Sere, she showed not one flicker of confusion that Sere wrote instead of speaking. And from then on she asked questions that were easy to answer in a few words. By the time we crossed into the Thalos District, even Damian looked almost comfortable. Perhaps this girl was the First Princess for a reason. Vaelin hummed in vague agreement. Not you too, Vaelin!

"So why are you entering, anyway?" Katarina said.

"The Tournament I mean!"

"It would be every noble child's dream," I said absently, looking out the carriage window.

"To enter, and to win. You could ask for anything you wanted." Pointless lie. Vaelin murmured. It's hardly pointless, Vaelin.

"Hmmm." I looked at Katarina. She'd tilted her head.

"Didn't really strike me as the glory type," she said. And for a moment her gaze was very sharp, as if she were trying to see through me. Katarina shrugged, and turned to Sere.

"Ooh, is that me? Wait- why am I three people? Hey, draw me heroic this time! Give me a sword. No wait, give me three swords-" For a moment I wondered if I'd just imagined that look. I sighed and turned to look out the carriage window again, watching the streets roll past. It seemed she was the first Princess for a reason after all. A few more turns and the carriage stopped. I peeked past the blinds. It was busier than I had expected.

A line of people stretched along the street, feeding steadily into a large oval building.

"More people than I expected," I said.

"Not so surprising, my lady," Estovan said.

"These are among the final days of registration. Many who put it off are only now signing before the deadline closes."

"Then I suppose it's a good thing we didn't put it off any longer," I said. We stepped out one by one. Violet hopped down first and turned and held out her hand, and I took it. On the other side, the First Sword offered the same gesture to the First Princess.

"My princess," Aziah said.

"Your hood."

"Hmm?" Katarina tilted her head.

"What about my hood?" Aziah sighed. She reached over and pulled the hood up over the Princess's head herself.

"If you are recognized," she said, "we leave."

"Awh! I don't want that!" Katarina grabbed the hood's edges and tugged it down snug.

"Fine, fine, hood it is! Besides, I bet I look all mysterious and stuff with it, don't I? Hey, Esra! Do I look all mysterious and stuff?" I looked at the Princess. The cloak was too large for her by a size or two. With the hood up, she looked like she'd stolen her father's clothes. Which…might have been the case. I needed to say something more polite.

"Err…" I said.

"You look-""We need to get you some real armor," Violet said, folding her arms.

"If you wanna look mysterious, you need style. Like…" she paused, and seemed to genuinely consider it.

"Like some dark armor. Or- ooh. Armor the color of blood. Bet it'd go great with the yellow." The Princess's eyes went wide beneath the hood.

"Really?"

"Yes," Violet nodded seriously. I wondered what the sentence was for corrupting the Kingdom's First Princess. And whether it was the kind of crime one could commit against an enthusiastically willing participant.

"My lady." Estovan gestured toward the line.

"Shall we go in?" I nodded. Sere stepped in at my left. Damian took my right. Estovan led the way, and we began cutting through the line. Behind me, I could hear Katarina, who had moved on to swords. Violet was answering enthusiastically. I elected not to listen too closely, for the sake of my own peace. It didn't take long at all for the people in the line to notice us. Or well, notice me.

"Hero," someone said.

"What's she doing here?"

"Shit- isn't that the other one?" That last one presumably meant Violet. I glanced back. Violet had heard it too, she had visibly stood straighter. Well, at least being who I was meant I didn't have to stand in lines. Truly the only benefit of my station I would refuse to part with. I had to remind myself that I was here for something important. That we barely had forty days. And that signing up for the tournament and winning it was a different thing entirely. I stood straighter and kept walking.

Vaelin stirred as we neared the front of the line. My hand twitched at my side so violently I almost drew the blade. I stopped. The Godblade had leaned forward. That was the only way I could describe it, but toward what? I looked around the line. I would not have noticed them at all, if Vaelin didn't hum the moment I laid my eyes on them. A boy and a girl stood near the entrance, right near the end of the queue. They both wore flowing white robes, with faint blue markings. The boy's head was shaved.

His head was down, and he was looking at nothing at all. The girl's hair was cut so short I almost thought she was bald too. Her gaze drifted lazily. It found mine, and sharpened. She looked away. Dangerous. Vaelin murmured. I stared at them. They could be no older than I was. What is it, Vaelin? I asked. The Godblade did not answer, though the mental pressure was still there.

"My lady?" Estovan had turned. The whole group had stopped to look at me. Only one person did not. Aziah Storm looked out to the side, towards that same pair. The First Sword pulled her gaze away and met my eyes. She shook her head. Well, if the First Sword was sure. I would have to ask her about this if there was time.

"It's nothing," I said, and headed inside.