She should tell Maelyn about the letter. Ari fell asleep thinking about it and dreamt she told Maelyn everything. Maelyn needed to be warned. That messenger was going to keep on coming.

But Ari also felt – and felt strongly – that Maelyn couldn't bear bad news right now. Only four years ago, their mother had died. Their father had gone two years after. Then the servants had disappeared. Now Uncle Jarrod was coming to yell at Maelyn about it. Maelyn, the image of composure and grace, was perhaps the most queenish among them. Arialain sensed more than saw that her eldest sister was struggling.

The beastly door was waiting when she entered the entry hall, anticipating another boring day. Her wolf stool had been repaired, probably by Briette. Arialain had Laina in her elbow and the wooden sword in her right hand. She would not be idle.

Heidel came around the corner, looking fresher than last night. Her red hair was neatly braided and she wore a gown of deep burgundy with a corded gold trim. "Maelyn wants to see you in the throne room. Before the visitors get here."

Ari lost her good mood. Maelyn had said nothing to her at breakfast, now she was summoning Arialain before the throne. This could only be about Tofer. Arialain tossed the stuffed doll onto the wolf stool, but kept the sword with her.

She directed her steps to the west corridor which led to the throne room. The double doors had been left open to receive her. The throne room was long and bare, with a stark strip of crimson carpet leading up to the throne.

"Come in, Ari," said Maelyn, the empty space expanding her voice.

Arialain kept her eyes lowered until she reached the end of the carpet. Maelyn sat on her throne, four broad steps above her, wearing Mother's ivory cape around her shoulders. Coralina sat on the steps, hugging her knees and smirking. She was second eldest after Maelyn. The two never got along, but they were clearly in agreement about Tofer. None of this was a good sign.

"I hear you're disobeying orders," Maelyn said.

Arialain crossed her hands behind her back, dangling the sword from her fingers. She tried not to feel intimidated, but her heart was already crashing.

"You didn't give me an order," Arialain said.

"I said I didn't like Tofer."

"Still not an order." Arialain wished she could make her voice sound firm and sure, as Maelyn's did. Ari sounded like a scared little girl whenever she spoke.

"Shall I rephrase it then?" Maelyn asked.

"You can't give me an order," Ari said. "You're not my mother. And you're not the queen."

Coralina huffed a laugh, enjoying a jab at Maelyn even when they were united. Maelyn's face grew cold. "I'm in charge of your safety."

"Tofer hasn't done anything!" Arialain cried. "He hasn't!"

"He's rude to every one of us," Coralina said. "And to you – I've seen it. He puts his hands on you constantly. His eyes are nasty and sly. Once I heard him so angry that he growled when he spoke to you. This from the son of a lowly merchant with almost no land. You're a princess, Arialain. Daughter of Dellan. You should demand better."

"You know Mother said princes or kings only," Maelyn said. "You would disappoint her if you married lower."

"He's my friend," Arialain said. "I didn't say I was marrying him!"

"Don't act like it's preposterous, most girls are married by their twentieth year," Maelyn said. "Now is the time to form healthy friendships, Arialain. Tofer isn't healthy. Get rid of him."

"What?" Arialain cried.

"Get rid of him," Coralina said. "Only Sire Above knows what you see in that ugly face."

Maelyn rolled her eyes. "It's not about his looks, Coco."

Arialain had an idea. It was a little risky, but it might work.

"May I bargain?" she asked.

Maelyn became quiet. Ari knew that as a ruler, Maelyn was firm but not tyrannical. She allowed bargaining from her subjects during a dispute. She leaned back in her throne and drew a deep sigh.

"Yes. You may bargain."

"Oh please," Coralina said.

Arialain knew how bizarre it would sound. But she had to try. "If I give up seeing Tofer, you will dismiss – immediately – Willow the messenger."

Maelyn looked confused. "What... what's wrong? Did he bother you in some way?"

"No. But he shouldn't be our messenger, he's not right for it."

"Who's Willow?" Coralina said.

"He's not mine to dismiss," Maelyn said to Arialain. "He's Uncle Jarrod's messenger."

"What happened to Rowan?" Coralina asked.

"Tell Uncle Jarrod he's not good at it," said Arialain. She hated doing this, Willow had been very nice. But it was for the best.

"He seemed adequate to me," Maelyn said.

"He dropped your message. By accident. Left it on the floor of the entry and walked out. I had to run after him with it."

"Oh splendid, so he's a muddlehead," Coralina said. "Now what happened to Rowan?"

"Red Fever," Maelyn said impatiently. She shifted in her throne, uncomfortable. "That's an unfortunate mistake. He still took it?"

Arialain nodded. "But it could happen again. I think he's clumsy."

Maelyn bit her lip. "Hmm. Well... let's not condemn him for one oversight. He is new. And young."

"What's he look like?" Coralina asked.

"Oh stop." Maelyn grimaced. "Point is, it's not in my power to send him away. And I wouldn't get anyone in trouble with Uncle Jarrod unless I had a very good reason. As in life-or-death."

It might be, Arialain thought.

"So we have no bargain," she said aloud.

"I don't want you seeing Tofer," Maelyn said.

"No... bargain."

Maelyn shook her head in dismay. "Well, at any rate, I don't want him here at the castle. Especially not when you're working."

"Working," Arialain muttered.

"And you're not bringing him to the late spring ball," Coralina said.

Arialain didn't care two carrots about the ball. The early spring ball had been stupid enough.

Doom! Doom! Doom!

"Oh, they're here," Maelyn said.

Arialain rolled her eyes and turned back down the carpet, dropping her arms at her sides.

"Remember what I said," Maelyn called after her.

"And put that stupid sword away!" Coralina said.

Always in trouble. Always. Arialain turned out of the throne room. Walked up the west corridor toward the entry. They put her down, no matter what she did. Why couldn't they just...? She didn't know. But they always made her feel this way.

When she turned the corner, Arialain stopped short. Her mouth fell open. During her talk with Maelyn, someone had brought down a large number of underdresses and flung them all over the entry hall. The thin, white shifts of every princess in the castle had been spread out on the floor, hung from the torch brackets, and fitted onto the snarling bear statues. That included the wide ones worn by Heidel, and the scandalous, lacy ones owned by Coralina.

Shulay, Arialain thought. She was probably hiding nearby, choking with laughter.

Doom! Doom! Doom!

Arialain rushed to the door. "Just a moment!" she shouted, hoping they heard her. She dashed around the hall, frantically scooping the shifts into her arms. How many had Shulay brought down here – forty? By the time Ari had twenty in her arms, she was staggering.

She dumped the pile around the corner of the wall, just inside the east corridor. Ran back to grab the rest. The snarling bear statues were tall, and she struggled to pull the underdresses over their heads.

Doom! Doom! Doom!

"I'm coming!" Arialain cried. Grinding her teeth, she pulled hard on the dress and it came, ripping down its seams. Hopefully that one was Shulay's. She did the same with the other statue. The thumps on the door became harsher. With the last of the shifts in her arms, Ari ran to the east corridor and dropped them on the pile, where hopefully they wouldn't be noticed.

She ran back to the door, grabbed the iron ring, and jerked hard. The door swung faster than it ever had.

She curtsied carelessly. "Beg your pardon. Maelyn is waiting for you."

Three friars from Merridell Abbey. Thank goodness she had hidden the shifts! They gave her friendly smiles as if they hadn't just been thumping the door with impatience moments ago. Ari wiped her face with her sleeve as they passed through the hall and turned into the west corridor.

Nasty Shulay. Playing her pranks at the worst of times. Arialain grabbed her sword off the floor where she had dropped it when she discovered the mess. Marching to the nearest bear statue, she swung the sword back and forth, smacking it against the stone. WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! Her hand stung but she continued smacking, clenching her teeth while her eyes pooled tears and dropped them onto her face.

She really, really hated her sisters. And that was no secret.