Page 73 of The Warlord's Princess
“Some days, I rather like it here. It was difficult at first, but the worst of our troubles are over, and even if my job isn’t as respected as Araelya’s, I feel it has value to my people.”
“And you could see yourself continuing with it?”
“I’m sure once I’ve properly supplied enough weaves, they’ll find something else for me to do, so it won’t grow monotonous. And, eventually, I’ll have to take a mate.”
“A mate?” I nearly growl out, startled that she would mention taking someone.
“It’s what we agreed to do, and I’m sure that over time, when the other maidens have been paired off, someone will want me.” She says the last part quieter than the rest, almost wistfully.
A part of me longs to tell her that yes, indeed someone will want her, and that someone is me.
But the princess is coming, and it would be folly to court Asha.
And yet my mind wanders to courtship gifts.
“I can only imagine what Tempest was like with the strange way you incorporate metals into your buildings, and the…never mind.”
She has listened well and not mentioned The Tomb since we took her into it, but it is clear she has not forgotten what she saw.
She finishes eating, and I grab my pack.
“We must leave if we are to make it to the bug dens before tomorrow.”
Asha groans but gets up from her seat and trudges forward at a slow, steady pace.
Back when I was moving through the forest with Amber, her leisurely pace infuriated me, but with Asha, I feel no anger.
As we walk, I mull over the princess’s words. We were never told about the planet’s chances of success before our exile, and nothing regarding it was programmed into our ship or The Tomb.
But if the great princess speaks truth, and I have no reason to believe she does not, our success on this planet is inevitable.
What will the Great Princess Kasmina say when she steps foot on New Tempest and sees the small Penticari? Surely, she will be furious, but would she hurt them?
Never. I will not let that happen.
She will be far from Greater Tempest, and she will not want to struggle during the early years of settling. Grixis will negotiate well on behalf of the women, with the support of our tribes. Or tribe, as by the time they come, we should be one.
My greatest worry is that I know how stubborn the princess can be.
I look over at Asha, trying to see her through the eyes of the princess. How I once saw her myself.
She would not care for her weaves, and Asha’s thin arms would make her laugh. And if the princess knew of our relations, it would not just be death she faced. It would be torture.
I feel heat rise sharply up my chest and my hands turn into two clenched fists.
Breathe out your anger,Grixis often says, which is no easy thing to do when you have good reason to be mad.
By the time the princess comes, the Penticari will have spent several cycles of the seasons with us, becoming far stronger than they are now. Even Asha, who weaves, will have proven herself by then.
Your thoughts are nonsensical,the logical voice in my head says.She is weak and was never meant for you.
I am not often in conflict with myself, because every thought I form is intentionally meant to bring honor to Tempest. Or at least that is how it was before the Penticari landed on the shore.
Before weak Asha made my hut her home.
The sway of her hips as she walks has me wondering if she is trying to entice me. I think not, as she has been stingy with her smiles, but admittedly, I understand little of Penticari courtship.
Not that I am courting her.
