Page 1 of Ties of Dust

Chapter

One

Flora turned her head as she held her own gaze in the floor-length looking glass in front of her. It was a beautiful mirror, the gilded edges proclaiming wealth without being showy. It was, in fact, fit for a princess. There was a rueful edge to the thought in Flora’s mind, although the description was perfectly apt. The mirror belonged, after all, to Princess Miriam of Siqual. In whose royal suite Flora was currently standing, staring into the looking glass like she had nowhere to be, which was far from true.

She straightened, pulling her eyes from her face and taking in her attire. She was neat and orderly, everything in place for the journey ahead. She fixed a wayward strand of hair that threatened to mar the image she was creating, then gave a decisive nod.

“Are you ready, Flora?”

The princess’s voice floated to Flora from the next room, and Flora turned.

“Yes, I’m ready. You?”

“Ready to leave for the border? No. Ready for you to help me do up this blasted gown like you promised? Yes.”

“Whoops.” Flora winced in apology as she hurried into the bedchamber where the princess waited. “Sorry, Mim.”

Miriam waved a hand. Princess she might be, but there was nothing imperious in her reproach. She’d been Flora’s closest friend since their years at the Ladies’ Academy in the neighboring kingdom of Torrens, and their respective stations didn’t enter into it.

“Stars above, you were right,” Flora commented, as she wrestled with the buttons that ran the full length of Miriam’s glorious, magenta gown. “It is absurdly fiddly. This is what you’re supposed to travel in? It’s a four-hour ride to the border, at least!”

Miriam sighed. “I won’t be able to ride in this. We’ll have to travel in the carriage, so it will take even longer. It seems that taking away my betrothed’s breath with my extravagant wealth and beauty is more important than any practical considerations of travel.”

“I think it’s your breath that will be taken away,” Flora said in a prosaic spirit. “I’m going to have to tighten your corset if we’re to do these buttons up properly.”

Miriam groaned, but it was a resigned sound. “Do what you must. Better you than the maids I kicked out earlier. They’d have my waist cinched in so tight I wouldn’t be able to breathe. The life of a princess, I suppose.”

“If you say so.”

Flora said the words with a grin, the expression broadening as her friend narrowed her eyes in predictable irritation.

“One of these days, your impertinence will catch up with you,servant,” she said.

Flora just chuckled, taking the quip in the spirit it was intended.

“I’d better get used to it,” Miriam said, a wistful note toher voice. “In a matter of weeks I’ll be the princess of two kingdoms, so I don’t think there’s much reprieve from royal duties in my future.”

Flora sobered at once, taking in her friend’s somber air. “Are you nervous?”

Miriam shook her head, her mouth shut tightly. She’d been very unwilling to discuss her betrothal with Flora, which was uncharacteristic. It told Flora that Miriam wasn’t even ready to face her emotions herself yet, let alone say them aloud. Flora felt the familiar discomfort squirm in her stomach. She hated that her friend was being pushed into marriage. It was, indeed, the life of a princess, she knew. It was all but inevitable. But she still hated to watch it play out.

“It could be worse,” she said tentatively. “We’ve never heard anythingbadabout Prince Cassius.”

“I don’t know if you could say that,” Miriam disagreed. “He’s from Carrack, so I think we can safely assume that he’s proud and haughty. In fact, I believe I have heard that said of him specifically.”

“Better proud than cruel,” said Flora, still trying valiantly to be positive. “I think we could still say we’ve never heard anything truly bad about him.”

“High praise,” Miriam said dryly. “But honestly, I’m fine.” She contorted her features as Flora did up the last of the buttons. “It’s a good proposal. Father was right to accept it. An alliance between us and Carrack will strengthen Siqual. We won’t have to worry about the rumblings we’re hearing from Torrens anymore—I can’t see Torrens attacking in either direction when they’re sandwiched between two allied kingdoms.”

“I’m not convinced that Torrens would attack anyone,” Flora said, critically surveying Miriam’s elaborate hairstyle. “We were in the heart of their capital for years at the academy, and I never caught a hint of aggressive policies.”

Miriam shrugged. “Things change, I suppose. Regardless, it’s a good alliance for Siqual.”

“It is,” Flora agreed slowly.

Miriam was repeating the official line her parents had hammered into her, but she didn’t sound convinced of her own words. And Flora’s agreement was spoken without much conviction. The alliance wasn’t a bad thing. But why must an alliance require her friend to tether her heart and life to a stranger? Surely there were alternative resources the kingdoms of Siqual and Carrack could trade other than royal sons and daughters. For a moment she grappled with the question, trying in vain to think of a non-human resource that either kingdom sorely needed from the other.

“Mim, there’s a loop of hair that just won’t stay,” she said, giving up her silent attempts. Voicing defiance wouldn’t change anything for her friend. “I’ve just made it worse with these clumsy fingers of mine. Hold still, and I’ll stir up some Dust to fix it.”

---