At last, the hour came for them to be on the road once more. Nastasia's muscles groaned as she dragged herself onto the saddle of her mount. Elise hovered close by in case her wobbly limbs gave out, while Josephine watched from Moxie's saddle.

    She had wanted to stand ready to assist Nastasia too, but it was too risky to overlook the proper protocol befitting a Lady and her handmaiden with Sir Gareth's attention constantly following them.

    The Knight hadn't spoken to them again since the banquet that morning, but there was no mistaking his lingering desire to seek out Josephine. Nastasia could only hope that the other Knights would prove useful in keeping his attention otherwise occupied.

    Currently, Sir Gareth and Daryn were accompanying Sir Arlov, Mischa, and Yuri. There was no sign of Danitza which Nastasia found curious, but hadn't bothered to look into.

    Nastasia heaved a sigh and slouched in the saddle, giving her body a brief opportunity to become reacquainted with the position. Sitting on horseback for hours on end was not going to help ease her aches in the slightest.

    "At least this journey will be the shortest one," Josephine pointed out, noticing her discomfort.

    "Yes, it's only six days to Jalil," Elise agreed, and gracefully swung onto her own horse.

    "Queen Nesrine will be leading the procession herself and she's already promised we'll travel at an easy pace so everyone has a chance to get some rest and recover before we reach Seena." Josephine pointed to the head of the group which was already moving down the streets of Hywel.

    Nastasia could just make out the Seenanite Queen's dark head, adorned by a thin circlet of gold. The Queen's horse was surrounded by a group of riders all clad in loose fitting white robes.

    Even their heads and faces were covered with scarves much like Nastasia's own, leaving just their eyes visible. Only their arms were left bare, save for the golden cuffs molded into vipers that banded around their biceps.

    Each rider wore a scimitar blade, identical to their companions', belted to their waists. An osprey's head formed the pommel of the sword while the crossguard was shaped like two osprey wings, paying homage to Seena's coat of arms, an osprey bearing a plaque emblazoned with Seena's royal colors.

    "Who rides with her?" Elise asked, following her gaze. "I've seen four of them accompanying her regularly, but there weren't nearly that many yesterday."

    "The Asem Vipers," Nastasia replied, recalling her many lessons on Seena's monarchy and culture. "They're the Queen's elite guards. The group was formed by the first Seenanite Queen to serve as her most loyal protectors and enforcers."

    "Are they all women?"

    "Yes."

    "Father said some are even Mages," Josephine added in a whisper.

    "My studies said the same," Nastasia agreed. "And it would make sense. Seenanites worship Ismene primarily and Mages claim to be her most devoted servants, so why wouldn't they be respected and given positions of honor?"

    They fell silent momentarily as the group surrounding them began to move. Nastasia ground her teeth against a hiss of pain, her horse's steps jarring her legs. She forced herself to sit straighter and gingerly massaged her thigh with one hand.

    Perhaps I'll spend most of this trip walking, she thought. The stretches and movement will ease my muscles a little, at least. More so than the constant bumping of riding.

    They rode together quietly until their companions resumed speaking and the din of voices grew loud enough to mask their own conversation. Then, Elise turned to Nastasia with another question.

    "Where did you study? I wouldn't think a Nyctolian handmaiden would need to know very much about the inner workings of the Seenanite Court."

    "Elise," Josephine scolded under her breath. "I thought we agreed not to..."

    "It's all right," Nastasia interrupted. "I think we've traveled together long enough to ask each other more personal questions. Besides, I owe you that much for helping me." But still, she found herself mulling over how to answer without giving away too much.

    She didn't doubt that her friends questioned the truth of her identity, but she wasn't going to give herself away without necessary cause. At least if she never confirmed who she was, Josephine and Elise could maintain their innocence in that regard if she was discovered.

    "I've served the Princess for a long time," Nastasia began carefully. "I sat in on lessons with her and would often study with her when she requested it. What about you? What sort of studies did you have?"

    "We studied together," Josephine replied, exchanging smiles with Elise. "We attended the same lessons and shared governesses."

    "Oh, I never thought to ask before. Is your father also a Lord of Blod?" Nastasia faced Elise again.

    She shook her head. "Not a Lord, no, but he has been friends with Lord Anton since before Josephine and I were even born. Father is a respected and well-to-do merchant so he and Lord Anton often worked closely together."

    "If I had been born a boy, I think they would've tried to marry us," Josephine laughed, earning another amused smile from Elise.

    Nastasia pursed her lips thoughtfully. "What about your brother, Elise?"

    "Oh, Emil was certainly considered as a prospect for me until..." Josephine trailed off, all hints of laughter fading from her tone as Elise flashed her a sharp, yet almost pleading, look.

    "But Father will just have to be content with whomever I choose," she continued shortly, forcing a lilt into her words. "Although I'm half-afraid he'll have a heart attack when I decide to introduce Mischa to him."

    "Oh, you're already considering that?" Nastasia teased, pushing aside her questions for the time being.

    "I never said that."

    "You said when you introduce them, Josie," Elise chuckled. "Not if."

    "Did I?" Josephine raised her chin and haughtily swept a few loose curls off her shoulder. "I can't seem to recall." Elise rolled her eyes and Nastasia couldn't help but laugh.

•༻᯽༺•

    A dull ache throbbed relentlessly behind Nikolai's temples as he attempted to focus on what Sir Gareth was saying. If he recalled correctly, the Knight had been recounting the tale of how he first came to be introduced to King Wymond and Queen Lilibet, but Nikolai had ceased actively following the tale within the first five minutes of it.

    He managed what he hoped was a pleased smile when Sir Gareth faced him expectantly, then resumed studying the crowd. He was hoping for another glimpse of Josephine Dahl and her companions. He'd seen them shortly before the procession began to march, but there'd been no sign of the Silent Knight. Just Josephine's strange scarf-covered handmaiden.

    Try as he might, Nikolai couldn't rid himself of the theory that had taken shape in his mind. The handmaiden and the Silent Knight had to be the same person. Now that he knew the Knight was a woman and had pieced more details together, even more clues were standing out.

    The handmaiden had a similar size and build as the Silent Knight. She wore a scarf over her head just as the Knight did. They accompanied the same people and never at the same time. But the Silent Knight was a Nyctolian, wasn't she?

    So why would a Nyctolian woman be a handmaiden to the daughter of a Lord of Blod? Or was that yet another disguise? Nikolai massaged his forehead then ran a hand down his face with a faint sigh.

    "I'm not pleased about leaving so soon either," Sir Gareth chuckled, watching him from the corner of his eye. "Many argued against it, but King Wymond insisted the tournament be moved from Eldon soil as quickly as possible."

    Nikolai glanced at him, brows knit in suspicion. "Do you have any idea why?"

    Sir Gareth shrugged. "Most claim they're afraid to let Emperor Kazimir develop an appreciation for Eldon. We're trying to avoid an invasion after all. The Hills of Brynmor offer us some protection, but they would only slow down the inevitable and make for a rough battlefield when the Andrians finally push through."

    "The whole point of this tournament is to prevent any invasions or threats of war."

    Sir Gareth let out a mocking huff, his head rolling lazily to the side as he tossed Nikolai a disbelieving look. "You don't really believe that, do you, Arlov? Just like the Hills, this tournament only delays the inevitable."

    "We can try diplomacy, bribery, and any manner of threat we can contrive, but it won't matter. Kazimir is an ambitious man. One way or another, he'll see those ambitions through. He'll succeed that much faster with the Moon Blessed Saint in his arsenal."

    "Kazimir isn't a Knight. He won't be able to marry the Princess," Nikolai said, but Sir Gareth merely shook his head, expressing the same concerns he had thought himself even before the tournament began.

    "That won't stop him from using her however he desires. If you want my opinion..." Sir Gareth paused and Nikolai bowed his chin. "This whole tournament was exactly what Kazimir wanted."

    "He's using this somehow, twisting it to fit his schemes, and rest assured, the world's only living Saint will have a part to play as well. The Emperor wants her for something and will destroy anyone who gets in his way. That's why I intend not to win the tournament."

    Nikolai's brows lifted. "You aren't trying to win?"

    "No. I'll stay in the games as long as I can, but when we get to the end, any wise man would lay down his sword before he finds himself run through by it."

    Nikolai closed his mouth and faced forward, not daring to let himself respond. He stroked Temnota's neck and attempted to make himself look thoughtful, as though he were considering the wisdom in Sir Gareth's words.

    And in a sense, he was. It was smart to recognize the risks. Nikolai had little doubt that Sir Gareth's suspicions would be proven true, but the way the Knight intended to handle that situation...

    Nikolai couldn't help but feel relieved. This meant that Sir Gareth was one less Knight to worry about, and yet, what if all of these Knights shared his sentiment? What if the Knight who won Nastasia's hand was also willing to just lay down his sword and hand her over to the Emperor?

    She didn't deserve that. She deserved someone who would bleed and fight for her. Someone who would do whatever it took to protect her, no matter the cost. I can't pretend to be Alyosha Arlov forever, Nikolai thought, but I will find a way to make sure none of that ever happens.

    His gaze fixed on Josephine Dahl and her friends once more. Only a moment later, the handmaiden's head turned and Nikolai straightened as her piercing blue gaze fixed on him.

    "Mischa," he murmured, bending towards his friend who walked at his side. "Can you speak to Josephine now?"

    Mischa tracked his gaze to the group and his lips thinned into a terse line. "I can't ask many pointed questions with Elise and the handmaiden right there."

    "Anything you can learn will be good enough for now."

    Mischa gave a resigned sight but didn't protest. Nikolai held the handmaiden's gaze even as his friend made his way to their group. Josephine greeted Mischa with a warm smile and the two fell into conversation at once. Finally, the handmaiden broke his stare and fixed her gaze on her horse's neck.

    Nikolai watched as she wound a few dark tendrils of the horse's mane between her slender fingers and began to braid them. Pale. Her fingers were so pale. And perhaps he imagined it, but he thought he saw a faint glimmer of light reflecting beneath her skin.

    He swallowed hard, the desire to track down Danitza and demand whatever knowledge she possessed burning through him. Somehow, he managed to hold himself steady and remain where he was.

    There would be time to question the Mage later. Besides, he didn't know what he'd do once he received her answers, and now, he wasn't sure he was ready for them.