Ederra wrapped the shawl tighter around her neck as a particularly vicious gust of wind fought her hesitant advance down the darkened garden path. Tahni had naturally chosen the route of least likely detection, but that also entailed the greatest risks of spraining one's ankle if one didn't pay very close attention. Since her friend was on home turf now, it was Ederra who faced the biggest challenge while trying to follow Tahni's hurried stride.

"Your mother was bound to have more normal colors," muttered Ederra, not entirely sure whether she intended Tahni to overhear. She did however, and replied cheerfully:

"I don't want normal. I'm telling you, this is the best idea I've had all day!"

Far from Ederra the wish to curtail the other woman's patent excitement, but even she must have realized that this new plan was taking the original idea a bit too far. The trouble had begun after Ederra had made the necessary modifications in order for the garment to better fit Tahni, and it all related to the dye. While she had hoped they would pilfer the laundry inventory to find something serviceable and appropriate - perhaps a dark blue, or a nice burgundy - Tahni had become fixated on those dreadful capsules that had given her the green nosebleed the night before. As it turned out, she had an entire stash, and soon became as enthusiastic as she was stubborn that this would be the only acceptable color for her.

"Just think about it," she'd said dreamily while clasping both hands in girlish wonder, "I'll finally leave my mark in fashion history. And once I'm gone, everyone will know me as the best-dressed thief!"

Ederra had naturally harbored doubts about this declaration, but prudently decided to keep them to herself. Now, she once again found herself playing the role of accomplice to one of her friend's ridiculous schemes, though it did make some sense in retrospect. For the purpose of dyeing the voluminous garb, they couldn't have made use of a simple bathtub because that would have translated to an unholy mess for Tahni's bed chamber. The next idea revolved around breaking into the laundry room, which could have easily been achieved by someone with Tahni's particular skill set. However, that wouldn't do when there existed a far more fetching possibility - at least as far as Tahni believed. But for Ederra, the worries just wouldn't stop coming.

"What if it's too small? We won't get an even coloring while also making a mess."

"I'm sure the grass won't mind," retorted Tahni. "It's already green."

"Alright, then. What if it's too big? We'll end up diluting the color and it might not even last."

Tahni took a while to respond, but appeared no more worried than before.

"They have a regurgitating system for the water, so there's no infinite amount coming through. And those green stains on my dress from yesterday are so difficult to remove, that the washer women threatened to complain to Mother. But she was gone to one of her parties today, so we don't need to worry about that for now."

Ederra wished she could just breathe a sigh of relief and leave it at that. Unfortunately, the reminder that she could be made to answer to Lady Belis for any mishaps involving the royal trials did nothing for her already fraught nerves. In truth, she was starting to regret this entire venture, but it was far too late to turn back now.

"It's right ahead," announced Tahni, and Ederra had to squint in the shrouded moonlight to spot their destination.

It was a fountain, of course, the one Tahni had judged to be the most suitable for their purposes given its isolated location in a rarely frequented and poorly lit area of the gardens.

As they drew closer, emerging into a small clearing with nothing but damp grass giving way beneath their slippered feet, a looming figure materialized above the basin in the center. After finally comprehending the sheer size of it, Ederra halted a few steps away, utterly dumbstruck.

"What is that thing?" she asked breathlessly, clutching at the voluminous sack containing the dress.

"You mean the horse? That's Father's old battle destrier. Mother insisted on immortalizing it, but my favorite part is that the water comes out of its ears."

Ederra regretted not having seen this masterpiece in broad daylight, so she could have properly admired the work put into it.

"Actually, if I remember correctly," continued Tahni, "this was originally supposed to be just a statue. They added the fountain as an afterthought, so it's a little bit small for the horse, but it should be perfectly fine for us."

She let go of the box she'd been carrying and it fell to the ground with a dull thud. Kneeling over it, Tahni pried the lid open and extracted a fistful of the infamous capsules. Turning around, she offered some to Ederra, who shook her head in hasty denial.

"Shouldn't you put the gloves on now?" she reminded her friend.

"Right."

While Tahni had the time of her life popping capsule after capsule into the fountain, Ederra donned a pair of gloves herself and carefully took the dress out of the sack. She hesitated for a second as she considered whether this moment should perhaps feel more difficult for her, but the truth was that she'd never seen the garb as more than a tailoring achievement doubling as a means to facilitate her escape. Now it would serve a different purpose, and she couldn't muster up sadness any more than she could resentment directed at Tahni. Furthermore, if she were truly honest with herself, there was a small part of her that wanted to see whether Tahni's mad plan would actually work.

With a deep sigh, Ederra submerged the gown and started spreading out the billowing folds.

"Push it this way," urged Tahni, who was now done with the capsules and was stirring the water in an attempt to even the color, which she couldn't even see. It seemed that she also felt the frustration of not being able to monitor their progress.

"Mogara take this darkness," she grumbled, as she took hold of a pant leg and helped Ederra spread out the entire former wedding dress, now riding habit.

"All darkness serves the Goddess of Eternal Slumber," recited Ederra in a somber voice, "apart from that which comes to one imagined while one sleeps. For such apparitions belong to Lenga the Deceiver, who would bind us with the folly of dreams forever unattained. Be weary, mortal, and mind your attempts at concealment, for even in the dark these holy eyes may see."

A potent silence lingered after she finished the prayer, but Tahni couldn't contain herself for very long and finally burst out in muffled peals of laughter. Ederra herself was fighting a grin for no discernible reason, since Tahni couldn't have seen her expression and she'd never feared the divine eyes anyway.

"Where did you learn that?" managed Tahni eventually. They had flipped the dress and were now patting it down its length, willing the color they couldn't make out to seep into the fabric.

"I couldn't tell you," confessed Ederra, "because I don't remember. I had a nun-tutor for a couple of years, and she was full of these little gems."

"I should count myself lucky that Mother didn't come across one of those. I honestly don't know if I could have kept a straight face."

They worked on in companionable silence, until Ederra's smile dissolved into a grimace as the coldness of the water seeped through to her joints. Her hands were freezing and the wind made it all so much worse.

Abruptly, Tahni raised her head and turned towards the path they had used to enter the clearing. A sharply indrawn breath alerted Ederra to an unfortunate development.

"What?" she whispered, but soon enough she heard it too, and there was no need for clarification.

Someone was coming.

In retrospect, what they were doing was neither wrong, nor harmful - unless one counted the aesthetic sensibilities of Lady Belis were she to dislike the new green hew of the fountain water. Still, their current circumstances lent themselves so well to secrecy, that being found like this would have been unbearable. Gone would be Ederra's carefully crafted reputation, while Tahni could find herself grounded or assigned a new attendant who would not prove so willing an accomplice.

As would be expected in such situations, instinct prevailed and both women acted swiftly, measuring out their chances of being discovered in the blink of an eye. Running was immediately taken out of the equation, since it entailed traversing a rather broad stretch of ground without cover towards the opposite edge of the clearing, which would have naturally produced a great deal of noise. Then there was the dress to think about, and neither of them felt inclined to abandon their hard work. Consequently, they made use of the only hiding place available - the fountain itself.

Tahni, who had previously stated in no uncertain terms that she would avoid riding a horse at all costs, quickly scaled the stone battle destrier and flattened herself against its thick neck. Ederra couldn't fault her friend for immediately choosing this course of action, since it never even crossed her mind to try it. As far as she could see, there was only one thing to be done, and that was hoping she wouldn't catch her death of cold.

As she stepped into the basin, the rigors of necessity blocked out her body's pressing complaints. She trudged through as quietly as she could, gathering up the dress and taking refuge by the center column supporting the giant horse. Taking a deep breath, she plunged down to her neck, trying to quiet the wild roaring in her ears while painfully clenching her teeth.

She had no time to question her actions, because the two approaching men were now almost upon them. Fortunately, they seemed utterly engrossed in their conversation, and might have dismissed any untoward moan she might have let out while her body slowly turned to ice.

"...moving up the schedule," said one of them, whose voice rang familiar. "We have no guarantees that this state of affairs will endure enough to suit our purposes should we not act promptly."

"I wish I could tell you more, but for the life of me I couldn't pry anything out."

As Ederra had expected, they paused by the fountain, which enabled her to better make out their words, even while the unbearable cold threatened to put her to sleep. She held on tighter to the dress, remembering to push it under water so that the coloring would take. Belatedly, she realized that she was now getting dyed as well, but that was a distant concern. She made herself pay attention to the covert dialogue instead.

"If our dear friend, the younger brother, knows nothing, then one cannot fault you."

Ederra closed her eyes and focused on the particular inflections of that voice, which appeared to belong to an older man. She was convinced she had heard them before.

"It still boggles the mind," complained the other - the younger one - sounding increasingly frustrated. "I'd even say the son might know more about the situation, but I can't be certain."

"And how would you describe the son? Could he be cataloged as a relevant player?"

A significant pause preceded a hesitant reply and Ederra craned her neck so as not to miss out on anything.

"I'd say potential is what best describes him. He's by no means a dimwit, but he has too much arrogance paired with too little experience."

"Is he corruptible?"

"By his own selfishness, perhaps."

"Then he is of little consequence, as opposed to the family as a whole. Once the head has been removed, the body struggles in limbo, believing itself to be yet alive, until a merciful hand retires such fanciful aspirations. We must not allow it time to produce another leader."

"Are they the ones you wish to focus on? With him gone, I'm not sure how long I'll be of use to you."

The older man chuckled and a shiver more bone-chilling than anything Ederra had felt before ran down her spine. She recognized him at last - it should have come as no surprise given their current location - but had to also acknowledge the subtle changes in his composure. Rather than sounding weathered and frail, he was now perfectly in control, commanding and self-assured as only someone who'd spent a lifetime directing conflicts on and off the battlefield could be.

"Do not make yourself uneasy," said Minister Sebek without apparent concern. "The focus of our efforts remains unchanged, as do the wishes of our allies."

"You mean the disgraced Councilor?"

"A charitable epithet, but one we could put to good use. Of course he should retire from the hectic city life for a tranquil period at his estate. Who could possibly fault him for doing so, given his never-ending stream of ill fortune?"

"Time to rest, enjoy some gardening, and gather up the troops," said the younger man drily. "Will they not have him watched?"

"With the events currently unfolding? He may have already been dismissed."

"His daughter, on the other hand, is on many people's minds. They say she's one of the favorites to win."

Ederra breathed in sharply as the wind picked up again and tried to distract herself from the cold by guessing the identities involved in the discussion. She could make no reasonable guess regarding the younger brother and the son, but this so-called disgraced Councilor and his daughter were almost certainly Tersi and Reyoma, the formidable adversary. And then there had been that casual mentioning of troops, which led her to believe that Minister Sebek was nowhere near as placid as most people believed.

"What you are telling me is that our contingency plan is coming out well, though we knew this in advance. It has now become probable that we should no longer require her involvement, as long as we act upon this excellent opportunity. Too many variables have aligned to our advantage, and we would certainly deserve our fates were we to leave them unexploited."

"As you say, my lord."

They both sighed, almost in unison, then slowly resumed their walk. As they drew away from the fountain, their words were lost to the merciless wind. At the same time, gratitude and regret waged a fierce battle within Ederra's heart. She could now finally get out of the water, but she had also lost the opportunity for further eavesdropping.

"You still alive?" came a worried voice from above. Ederra started violently, her shivering picking up again. She had forgotten all about Tahni being stranded there as well.

"That was your father," she whispered back.

"I know. Mother would have his hide if she knew he was out in this cold."

"I think," began Ederra hesitantly, "he might be planning a coup."

It took a while for Tahni to respond, but when she did, she sounded wholly unconcerned.

"I hope he doesn't make Steppo king. Could you help me get down from here please?"

Ederra blinked, her hands frozen in the massive folds of the dress.

"What?" she croaked.

"I might have gone ahead of myself," confessed Tahni. "I'm not sure I can find my way down safely."

"Alright, give me a second."

She let out a deep breath, filing away the fresh reveal of her prospective father-in-law's treachery for future Ederra to worry about. In that moment, she was spoiled for choice as to what she should fear next, apart from the consequences of her own actions. For one, she dreaded standing back up again and was secretly afraid that she might not even be able to do it, which was of course the biggest incentive of all to proceed.