Page 19 of Settle Down, Princess

“Name it,” my grandmother said in the hard tones of an experienced negotiator.

“I don’t want to be queen of… anywhere. If I succeed in killing the King of Khean, I want to be free to choose my own fate.” I shook my head. “As free as a woman can be in this world.”

My words affected my grandmother in a way I didn’t expect. Her face lit up with a smile that was genuine, unrehearsed. She gazed upon me with real pride, then walked forward, handing the walking stick to my mother so she could lift both hands to my arms.

“If you manage to pull off this plan, then I think you’ll find many doors open for you, Granddaughter. Doors that have been closed to all other women.” Grandmother squeezed my arms then stepped back to stand beside my mother.

For a moment I stood looking at them, feeling the weight of everything I’d encountered since yesterday morning—from the dramatics of the ceremony, and escaping the castle, to the passion and exertions of last night—and knowing that I would face even more challenges before the moon rose again. I straightened my shoulders and lifted my chin.

“Well, then, am I to ride out of Stormare in yesterday’s underdress?” I asked, lifting my brows.

“Goodness, no,” Mother said, starting to fuss. “We’ve time for you to bathe in the temple’s sacred pools. I’ve sent for your travelling clothes and made sure your trousseau is packed. You’ll have everything you need to be able to dress here.”

My mother had organised new outfits for me? Of course, she had. Every special occasion needed a brand-new dress to mark it and commencing an assassination attempt was no different.

I soaked in the sacred pools for as long as I was allowed to, and the thermal springs helped ease some of my aches and pains. My mother and grandmother performed the roles of maid and dresser. They didn’t cinch me into a corset, though, for which I was grateful. Instead, they gave me a pair of soft stays for support which I would be able to lace up myself. Then, once my underwear was in place, my grandmother handed me an unexpected accessory. I stared at the knife in its sheath, as though she’d procured a rabbit from the air before me.

“It straps around your thigh,” she explained.

“I know how it’s worn.” My response was unforgivably rude, but the sight of my grandmother giving me a weapon had stripped all sense from me.

“Then show me how to put it on, Granddaughter,” she said, her tone echoing mine, although when I looked up from the knife, I saw her lips twitch.

As I fastened the knife belt in place, my mother explained the features of my new travelling dress.

“There are buttons up either side.” Mother demonstrated, pulling them open with ease. “If you’ve a need to get to your knife, you can do so without having to haul up your skirts.”

“And… I’ll need my knife, shall I?” I ran my fingers along the smooth bone handle, trying to imagine the action of reaching for it.

“Men always insist we go unarmed,” Grandmother said. “And we should never allow them the opportunity to constrain us in that way. If you have any trouble with your guards, you now have the means to protect yourself, but…” She turned to my mother, who was looking through a travelling bag.

“This will ensure you do not have trouble with any of them.” Mother pulled out a small wooden box and opened it. The scent that drifted through the air was rich, dark, and floral.

And familiar.

The roseblood I’d been given at the docks had been nowhere near as smooth in perfume as this, but it was distinctive enough for me to recognise.

“Roseblood!” I looked at her in confusion. “You want me to give the guards roseblood?”

“They use it as a condiment in the palace of Khean, so it will go undetected in their food,” Mother explained. “But this…? This particular kind was procured from the deep southern kingdoms. The rosewoods grow wild there and the grove is protected by the women. It is potent in ways that no powder found here or in Khean can match.” She offered the box to me, and I took it without thinking. “Roseblood is a powerful aphrodisiac. It can—”

“I know what it does, Mother.”

Both my mother and my grandmother blinked at my sharp reply, then different versions of the same knowing smile crossed their lips. Not the response I was expecting.

“Then you know the effect it can have on a man. It will turn his blood to fire until you decide to douse the flames,” Grandmother said. “That can be a powerful thing. But be careful, Jessalyn. Too many men think that if a woman inspires passion, it is her responsibility to put it out.”

“And if she is not willing…”

For the first time in my life, I saw my mother’s composure crack. The corners of her lips dipped down and her eyes filled with tears as she reached for me and pulled me close. I’d stopped receiving hugs from her when I’d read my first words, because apparently that marked the point where the girl ended and the princess started. Unsure of what to do in response to her emotions, I simply endured the embrace. It was over almost as soon as it began, and she patted my shoulder, dashing away her tears before smiling at me.

“You are strong, darling. Your father always said you would have made the most marvellous of sons, but your gender is no deterrent to you. Use your strength now, to protect yourself and other women who are not able to protect themselves.”

Once I was dressed and Mother checked then rechecked that I had everything—and ensured that I knew where to find all the elements I would need for my endeavours—we were loaded into a carriage waiting at the foot of the temple steps. Once we arrived in the castle courtyard and had stepped down from the carriage, my father gestured for us to join him at the grand entrance to the palace.

“You’ve cut it a bit fine, haven’t you?” he muttered at Mother as we reached him. “I appreciate that the girl needed to complete the appropriate religious observances, but we can’t afford to irritate the king’s envoy.”

As if summoned by his words, four men rode into the courtyard, side by side, a horse and carriage at their back.

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