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Ahnna blinked. “Pardon?”

“Why have you come?” Virginia repeated. “To Harendell.”

Ahnna opened her mouth, then closed it again, confused by the question, given the answer was obvious. “To marry your brother.”

Virginia crossed her arms, clearly unsatisfied with the answer, so Ahnna added, “To fulfill the treaty formed between my mother and your father, which included the promise of marriage between myself and William to forge a lasting and secure alliance between Ithicana and Harendell.”

The princess’s eyes narrowed. “So you are here because you must be here. You are marrying my brother because you must marry him.”

Ahnna considered the other woman’s tone, hearing the edge of protectiveness in it and suspecting the motivations behind the line of questioning. “I am here because I want to be here.”

Virginia’s face softened ever so slightly. “You were given the choice?”

“Yes,” Ahnna answered, because though there had been no choice in her mind, Aren had certainly given her one. “I chose to come to Harendell.”

“Why?”

A more difficult question. “Because I hope it will give me the opportunity to do some good.” She hesitated. “A union with Prince William will allow us to achieve good things together.”

Virginia was silent for a time, and then she said, “I am very protective of my family, Ahnna, but most especially of my brothers. James has the fortitude of an ox, but William is sensitive. Easily hurt, and as you have seen, my father is not always kind to him. If you wish to be on my good side, then you will serve as a shield between William and my father, for you are possessed of qualities my father admires. Make my brother’s life better, and I will support you. Harm him, and you will find yourself with a very dangerous enemy.”

Though she didn’t care for the threat, Ahnna admired Virginia’s forthrightness, so she only inclined her head as the other woman rose.

“A word of warning,” Virginia said. “If you think I am overprotective, know my mother is thrice so. There is nothing she won’t do to protect Will from harm, and she has been more than clear that she does not see you as a suitable wife for him. Don’t give her a reason to get rid of you, as my mother has a fondness for permanent solutions to anything she sees as a problem.”

The princess left the room without another word.

Crossing the space, Ahnna latched the door, then walked on silent feet through the sumptuous suite, which was all pale-blue velvets and polished wood, until she reached the door adjoining her rooms to Taryn’s. Twisting the knob, she pulled it open to find both her cousin and Bronwyn holding water glasses to their ears, clearly having been eavesdropping.

“You’re a terrible influence on her,” she said to Bronwyn. “At least tell me if you heard everything and spare me the dry throat I’ll get from explaining it all.”

“We heard,” Taryn said, pushing into the room, where she immediately began to examine everything from top to bottom. Her cousin had served as one of Aren’s bodyguards for years, so she knew her business.

Bronwyn went to the sideboard holding decanters of water, wine, and a darker spirit. She sniffed the contents of all three. Then, before Ahnna could stop her, she took a large mouthful of the wine.

“No!” Ahnna yanked the decanter from the woman’s hand, splashing wine over her wrist. “Are you mad? They could be full of poison!”

“My sisters often question my sanity.” Bronwyn shrugged. “Truthfully, I doubt anyone would be so obvious as to poison the wine in your room. It’s more likely to be in your gloves, on the hilt of a weapon, or on something you’ll touch in passing. Harendell’s poison craft is rivaled only by Amarid, and Serin made us study their delivery methods at length. That’s the real art, you know. Not the toxin itself, but methods of deploying it that don’t fall back on the poisoner. That’s the reason my father made such a fortress out of the inner sanctum in the Vencia palace—to control everything that went on around him, which we cannot do. If anyone in the Sky Palace wants you dead, there isn’t much we can do to prevent it other than to leave.”

“I’m not leaving.”

“I know.” Bronwyn flung herself down on a chair, tucking her long legs beneath her. “What did you make of Princess Virginia warning you about her mother?”

Ahnna sat on the same chair as she had before, but this time, she leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. “Keris warned me that Alexandra was against my betrothal to William when he was in Eranahl, so it wasn’t a shock.”

“You never told me that,” Taryn grumbled, straightening from where she’d been looking under the bed.

She hadn’t told anyone. Hadn’t wanted to give Aren or Lara more leverage in trying to dissuade her from coming to Harendell, but now she wondered how much they’d known and hadn’t told her.

Bronwyn exhaled slowly. “Well, that’s concerning. Keris certainly knows all the gossip, but he’s not one to trade in anything he doesn’t believe is factual. If the information came from him, it’s good.”

“We should leave,” Taryn said. “Aren wouldn’t want you here if he knew your life was at risk from Alexandra.”

“I’m not leaving.” Ahnna sat upright, resting her elbows on her knees. “You know as well as I do how dire the situation is in Ithicana. We’re broke, Taryn. The people are hungry and homeless, and the only nation with the power to make an immediate difference is Harendell. We need their trade. Need their navy. Need their alliance, and if I run home with my tail between my legs, we’ll have none of those things. Especially if they do have plans that will reduce their dependence on the bridge.”

“At least you’ll be alive.”

Alive, but the thought of returning to Ithicana having failed her people yet again made it a worse proposition than dying in the attempt to make a difference. “I’m not leaving.”

“At least write to Aren and explain the situation,” Taryn finally said. “Put it in code, and Jor or I will track down one of our own spies to deliver it. Aren should know everything we’ve learned.”

Part of Ahnna worried that Aren would bodily drag her back to Ithicana if he knew the risks, but keeping the information from him was reckless, so Ahnna shrugged. “Fine. You write it and I’ll sign it. But if you’d both excuse me, I need to get ready for this banquet.”

Taryn gave her a long look that said, You’re an idiot, but abandoned the room for her own, Bronwyn following on her heels. A moment later, Hazel entered with an armload of folded fabric. Beyond, Ahnna could hear Jor coughing in the hallway, the ferocity of it making her frown. Stepping through the door, she looked at the old man. “You all right?”

“Fine,” he growled. “It’s their terrible weather. I’ll be right in a day or two once I adjust.”

He shouldn’t be here, Ahnna thought, but this wasn’t the time to argue with him. “Can you hear anything through the door? Taryn checked the rest of the room.”

“Nah, you’re good,” he said, leaning against the wall. “Place is solid stone and oak, but still, take care in other rooms. They drill holes behind artwork and that sort of nonsense.”

Of course they did.

Giving him a tight nod, Ahnna retreated into the room, only for three young men carrying steaming buckets to come up the hallway and enter behind her. They all bowed, murmuring, “My lady,” then proceeded into an antechamber. Water splashed, and then the trio exited, shutting the door behind them.

Curious, Ahnna entered the room to find Hazel arranging soaps and sponges next to a large copper tub before a blazing fire. Ahnna allowed Hazel to undress her, then stepped into the bath, wincing at the temperature as she lowered herself into the water. “Do they need to heat water for every bath in the palace?”

“Yes, my lady. We have vast kettles in the kitchens dedicated to the heating of bathing water brought up from the river.”

Ithicana was rife with natural hot springs, so the thought of going through so much effort for a warm bath was entirely unfamiliar to her. “The price of living in the sky, I suppose.”

“Yes, my lady. In Harendell, inconvenience is a marker of privilege.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Ahnna saw Hazel bite her lip, obviously regretting her words, and she gave the girl a wink. “If they had to draw their own water for a day, they might make better choices of where they build their palaces.”

A ghost of a smile appeared on the young woman’s lips. “Even so, my lady.”

Hazel unraveled Ahnna’s braids, then poured warm water over the curls and set to scrubbing.

“What should I expect tonight?” Ahnna asked. “The king mentioned that this was a dinner for close friends and family.”

“Yes, my lady,” Hazel answered. “Though the count I heard in the kitchen was some two hundred guests.”

Ahnna choked. “Two hundred?”

“Yes, it is not an event to be missed. The nobility has been arriving in Verwyrd throughout the past week, and everyone is eager to meet Your Highness.” She hesitated, then said, “Ithicana’s mysteries have long been a matter of intense speculation, and the unveiling of its secrets is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

It was hard not to stiffen, for those secrets were what protected Ithicana. “Unless they’ve an interest in snakes and sharks, there isn’t much to tell.”

Hazel made a soft humming noise. “Would you like me to explain the order of a Harendellian banquet?”

She’d learned the protocols in her youth, but a refresher seemed prudent. If she was to embarrass herself, she’d rather it be on purpose. “Please.”

Hazel poured information into Ahnna’s ears until her head spun and the water began to cool. Stepping out of the bath, she toweled herself off and donned the velvet dressing gown Hazel held out for her before following the woman into the other room.

“I’ve been working on garments that matched your instructions, my lady,” the young woman said. “Garments in the style of Ithicana but with Harendellian fabrics. I hope they are as you envisioned.”

“May I see them?” Ahnna plucked the garments from Hazel’s hands, the fabric incredibly smooth. The trousers were the same cut she usually wore, but of the finest dove-gray silk with delicate silver embroidery running up the sides. The tunic was of a darker gray that verged on blue with embroidery to match, the cuffs bearing silver buttons. “These are beautiful. So much better than I imagined.”

“Thank you, my lady.”

Swiftly donning the undergarments that Hazel handed her, Ahnna then put on the clothing, which fit like a glove, the silk rich and cool against her skin. New black boots polished so that she could see her reflection in the leather came next, then a belt made of silver-wrapped leather, on which was sheathed one of her longer knives. Ahnna sat while Hazel wove her hair into elaborate braids and then applied a hint of cosmetics before giving a nod of approval. “You are beautiful, my lady.”

Moving in front of the mirror, Ahnna’s breath caught, for not in all her life had she looked like this. Like a princess in truth, not just in name, and she did not see how the Harendellians could laugh at her now. Even James would have to bite his tongue. “Thank you, Hazel.”

A rare smile formed on the young woman’s face, and she said, “If you will not join them, then you shall beat them, yes?”

“Yes.”

A knock sounded at the door, and when Hazel opened it, Jor and Taryn stood outside, her cousin dressed in her usual clothes but armed to the teeth. Bronwyn was nowhere to be seen. “They say it’s time. His Highness is waiting for you at the grand staircase,” Jor said, looking her up and down. “Delia would be proud, girl. She fought hard for this moment.”

Ahnna’s cheeks flushed, warmth filling her chest at the idea of making her mother proud, only for the sentiment to fade. That pride would have nothing to do with Ahnna herself and everything to do with achieving the dream her mother had of opening Ithicana to the world. A dream Aren had shared, the pair of them spending hours discussing how it might come to pass while Ahnna had stood on the outskirts, praying to every higher power that the day would never come to pass.

But it was here.

You have what you wanted, Mother. I hope it is all you dreamed of.

Striding down the corridor, Ahnna squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. Let the Harendellians do their worst. She was Princess Ahnna Kertell of Ithicana, and she’d faced down warriors from every kingdom north and south and come out victorious. If they thought to break her with laughter and snide comments, they had another thing coming.

Yet for all her brave words, her palms felt like ice, because Jor had said that it was His Highness who was waiting for her. Which meant that finally, she was going to meet the man she was supposed to marry. Dread pooled in her stomach, any anticipation she might have felt in meeting William long since burned away by what she’d been told about him.

It doesn’t matter if you like him, she reminded herself. It doesn’t matter if he likes you. This is a political alliance, nothing more.

Yet the words meant little, for unlike every other political alliance she’d made, this one would begin and end in a bedchamber.

The artwork on the walls to either side was a blur, her heels making soft thumps against the thick carpets as she strode. The end of the curved hallway appeared ahead, the top of the grand staircase visible. Just before she reached it, Ahnna sucked in a deep breath, praying that Hazel’s efforts would pay off.

Then she stepped out into the open, her gaze going down the grand staircase to where a uniformed figure stood with his back to her, tall and broad of shoulder. He slowly turned, and Ahnna’s breath caught as her eyes fixed on his face.