“Will he be done in time?” Aruna asked while applying makeup to her face. At first, Linea had been surprised about Aruna’s skills with such things, but then she had remembered that the priestess was a ducal princess in exile.

Together with Nora, the three of them prepared in Linea’s chamber for the feast. Minara searched for a dress in Nora’s wardrobe and Tenasia powdered Linea’s face.

“Of course,” Nora answered. “Lady Thudila said he is the best tailor in the city, and if he promises something to be ready in time, he will move heaven and earth to see it done. That’s what she said.”

Aruna just shrugged, but her face gave a clear picture of her doubt.

“If he fails me, then I will mention it to the countess,” Linea just noted. “I have dresses to fall back to, if necessary. It would only reflect negatively on the countess if her recommendation has been… deficient.”

Just as she said that, a knock sounded at the door. A servant of the countess entered together with the girl from the tailor-shop, who had taken Linea’s measurements, and the tailor himself. He was an older-looking man, who must have been even older than High Priestess Nasinia.

“Your Grace, I apologize for my untimely arrival, but perfection takes its time,” the man said with a bow. He motioned to his assistant to present the dress, which was even more beautiful than Linea would have expected from Sarah’s description. The floral pattern at the hem even had the royal emblem - a crescent moon of course - integrated.

Evira entered the room behind him and looked around. A smile crept into her face as she saw Linea’s face sparkle in delight.

“It looks beautiful!” Linea said and brushed over the fabric of the dress. Verenian silk differed vastly from Moon silk, which was more common in Luna’sindra. While Moon silk was always remarkably smooth and fell down like water, Verenian silk was stiffer, which allowed for more pompous clothing, but for the same reason had to be always custom-made as the fabric would not give in to any differences in stature.

It took them a bit of time to get Linea into the dress, but when they were finished, Linea looked unbelievably pretty. The dress took the focus from her basically non-existent breasts and put the onlooker’s view on her bare back. Her jewelry comprised her royal diadem, which was more of a head chain, and large silver earrings with diamonds.

“I’m so envious!” Nora said after Linea was dressed.

“Thank you,” Linea said and smiled at Nora.

‘What do you think?’ she asked Sarah, who had been silent the whole time.

‘It’s even better than I expected,’ Sarah admitted. ‘You sure are beautiful. In a few years, you going to break men’s hearts left and right?’

‘So, I won’t break hearts now?’ Linea ask in an amused, mocking tone.

‘You could if you would be out to do so,’ Sarah answered. ‘But we both know you aren’t interested in boys.’

Linea blushed at the innuendo.

‘Shut up!’

Sarah didn’t follow with another quip but chuckled in amusement.

“Well, at least the countess wasn't exaggerating with her recommendation,” Aruna said and winked at Linea.

The feast was better than Linea had expected. The dishes tasted excellent, and the cook’s skill compared favorably to what Linea was used to. The musicians regularly switched between faster songs to dance and slower songs to relax. Linea sat on a seating arrangement, which allowed women like her to sit comfortable despite the rather stiff dresses. Nora brought her a cup of wine and sat down beside her.

“The wine is excellent, isn’t it?” she asked and passed Linea the cup.

“Like the last cup you brought me,” Linea said and raised her glass as silent thanks.

Linea rested from the dancing, which had been more difficult in her chosen attire than usual. Nora tried to engage in conversation, but Linea was busy analyzing the attending nobility with Sarah. Linea wanted to use the occasion to make Sarah more adjusted to such events.

They didn’t come very far with their lesson however, as the countess and two persons, who were unknown to Linea, approached them.

“Your Grace,” the countess greeted her. “I see you’re relishing my sixty-year-old Talian wine. I hope it is to your satisfaction?”

“Very much so,” Linea said and raised her cup again as thanks. “I appreciate the effort.”

The countess smiled and then introduced her company.

“Your Grace, may I introduce to you The Much Honorable Baroness, Lady Saliara of Evidis from the House Esandi.”

As a trained reflex, Linea stretched her hand out, which the baroness took and made a curtsy. Normally she would have gotten on her knee, but her dress was as inconvenient as Linea’s and didn’t allow for such movement.

“It is such an honor to meet Your Grace,” Lady Saliara said. “I heard a lot about you.”

“Yes, my blessing is on everyone’s lips nowadays,” Linea said and rolled her eyes.

“Oh, I didn’t mean your blessing!” the baroness corrected. “Even though, I heard of it, I was referencing our mutual acquaintance.”

Linea furrowed her brows at that. She couldn’t remember ever having contact with the baroness or her house.

“I see you can’t make the connection,” the baroness said and smiled. “Sir Akundir, your mentor. He is working for me now as a tutor for my twin-daughters.”

“Oh!” Linea exclaimed and smiled at the thought of her old mentor. Until her last birthday, Akundir had taught Linea everything from math, reading and writing to geographic, etiquette and basic magical education. She had a lot of good memories of the mage.

“How is the old man doing?” she asked out of sheer curiosity. “I hope you’re treating him well?”

“Of course, My Lady!” Saliara said and laughed. “I have to admit that my daughters can be quite nerve-wrecking, but he has a special ability to make them focus on things, they would normally find rather boring. It’s fascinating.”

“Well, I suppose mother had similar reasons for hiring him as my tutor,” Linea said and laughed as well.

“Your Grace can meet him, when you’re traveling through Evidis. It’s only a day ride from here,” Saliara explained. “Of course, I would like to invite you stay in my manor for a night.”

“We intended to knock on your door either way,” Linea said with a smile. “But I will gladly accept your invitation.”

The man beside Lady Thudila coughed slightly to arouse Linea’s attention. She frowned, as she thought it to be quite rude, but didn’t want to make a scene on her host’s feast. She motioned the countess to introduce the man to her.

“Your Grace,” the countess said miffed at her guest’s impoliteness. “I may introduce to you Sir Fenandir. He’s a knight in service of your brother, The Prince Tovandir.”

Linea examined the man thoroughly. As he was not a landed Lord Knight but a simple knight, she didn’t offer him a hand. Instead, she showed him her open palm, which was his sign to bend his knee before her.

Which he promptly did.

“It’s a pleasure, My Lady,” he said with a charming smile which made Nora giggle for a moment. Linea on the other hand took a deep breath.

“I would assume it is,” she said with a thin lip. “Can I help you with anything?”

“Not particularly,” Fenandir replied with a seductive voice. “I just thought it to be proper to introduce myself as we will see each other more often soon.”

“And by that you mean…” Linea prompted him to explain further. Linea didn’t miss the hidden innuendo that he would be enjoyed bedding her. A fact that didn’t entice him to her, especially because he must have been more than a couple of years older than her.

“His Royal Highness sent me to monitor the problem of the dark mage and how Your Grace would deal with it,” he explained. “He was surprised and impressed by your initiative. I have the order to not interfere but to observe.”

“So, he wants to see, if I can back up my words?” Linea asked and felt annoyed about her brother. From all her sibling she understood him the least. He could be helpful, if it was beneficial to him, but if you got in his way, he had no qualms about walking right over you. But his motivations and goals were completely unknown to her. At least he was nice and cordial to his siblings. Especially he and Shandir were close.

“I would think so,” Fenandir said. “I will ride ahead and assess the situation before you get started.”

“Thanks for the heads up, I guess?”

“Don’t mention it,” he said. “I wish you good luck and enjoy the rest of the evening. If you want to talk to me again, I’ll be around, and I would appreciate the company.”

‘My, My,’ Sarah threw in. ‘What a charmer. At least he can back it up with looks. Quite handsome.’

‘Sarah, please. Could you not?’

‘Sorry,’ Sarah relented but quickly added, ‘But I’m still gonna look at his ass.’

Linea rolled her eyes and focused back on her company.

The feast was drawing to a close when Linea decided to take a stroll through the garden of the palace. She couldn’t find Evira or Aruna, so she grabbed Nora, who was flirting rather obviously with a young nobleman. She seemed peeved about being interrupted, but when they reached the garden, her mood raised again.

The sun was rising and bathed them in golden light. It wasn’t bright enough to cause them discomfort, but it wouldn’t take that much longer to do so. Linea maneuvered them into a secluded area with a pavilion.

“So, you finally decided to talk to me?” Nora asked with a neutral tone, but Linea knew her long enough to notice that something bothered her.

“What do you mean?” Linea asked.

“About what happened between you and your mother,” Nora clarified. “I know something happened, but you have yet to tell me about it.”

“I’m sorry. Sarah and I already talked a lot about it. It didn’t cross my mind to tell you what happened.”

Nora crossed her arms and looked towards the sunrise.

“I thought as much,” she said after keeping silent for a few moments. “It must be nice to have someone so close to you.”

“That's true,” Linea agreed with a smile. “It’s like having another sister.”

“Good for you,” Nora said.

Again, they fell quiet and Linea realized that something was off, but she couldn’t pinpoint the problem.

‘Sarah? Any ideas?’ she asked her soul-sister.

‘Nope,’ Sarah answered. ‘She is your best friend not mine.’

‘What should I do?’ Linea asked further.

This situation was new to her as she and Nora never had an unspoken disagreement before.

“Nora, what’s wrong?” Linea then directly asked as she hadn’t the slightest idea what this was about. “Sarah doesn’t know either what’s up with you.”

“Yeah, that’s the problem,” Nora answered. “Ever since you got Sarah, you talk less and less with me. Before Sarah, you would always come to me with your problems. Now you’re brooding together with Sarah and… I don’t know. I just feel like, I’m being replaced.”

“Oh…” Linea just said. “I didn’t know you disliked her so much.”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong,” Nora replied and shook her head. “I like her very much. I mean, I can’t talk to her as much as you, but she is funny. However, I don’t like how you’re treating me lately. You’re even hanging out more with Aruna than me.”

“Well, she is my Holy Magic mentor…”

Nora rolled her eyes.

“Not what I meant, but…” she started but sighed. “You know what? Just forget it. I have my duty towards you. If you don’t need me for anything else anymore, it is not my place to complain.”

She stood up and went towards the palace without even looking at Linea.

Linea stayed seated and looked after her best friend with a dumbfounded face.

‘What just happened?’ she asked Sarah.

‘I guess you have affronted her by spending not enough time with her,’ Sarah answered. ‘I think she made that clear.’

‘But I didn’t mean to!’ Linea said desperately. It dawned on her she may have screwed up with Nora.

‘Well, yeah. Don’t tell that to me,’ Sarah said forcefully. ‘Go after her, you slowpoke!’

Linea followed that order and hurried after Nora, which was easier said than done because of her dress getting constantly in the way. She maneuvered herself through the hedges of the garden towards the palace.

Absorbed in her thoughts she didn’t notice a presence, which suddenly appeared behind her. She was pushed to the side and a sudden searing pain raced through her right arm.

Surprised by it, she fell to the ground and her hand rushed towards her arm. She noticed a warm liquid dripping down her arm and she realized that it was blood.

‘We’re under attack!’ Sarah screamed in her mind, ripping Linea from her trance.

Linea noticed a person standing above her with a dagger in his hand. The attacker was a man, but apart from that his features were remarkably unrecognizable, even with the rising sunlight shining into his face. This had to be some kind of magic.

When the dagger rushed down on her again, Sarah pushed them out of the way with telekinesis.

‘Wake up, god dammit!’ Sarah yelled in frustration, but Linea was overwhelmed by what happened. She sat on the grass and couldn’t move an inch.

The attacker on the other hand, even if Linea’s sudden evasion surprised him, tried to attack her again. Sarah ripped the dagger out of his hand with a quick thought. The blade landed only millimeters from Linea’s hand, which sparked the first sense of fear in her. Following her instincts she screamed in panic.

The man winced shortly but tried to grab the dagger from the ground. Luckily, Sarah was faster and pushed it away. The attacker looked after his weapon in confusion, but when they heard running footsteps, he decided not to risk his skin. He ran in the opposite direction, away from the approaching guards.

Not even seconds after he had vanished, Evira showed up, together with a mix of her own and a few of the countess’ guards.

“Princess Linea!” Evira yelled and rushed to Linea. The other guards took the perimeter and secured the area.

“Someone, get Aruna,” Evira said with a firm voice. “This looks like a deep wound.”

Linea’s sudden adrenaline rush abated, and a pulsating pain spread in her arm. The whole attack couldn’t have taken more than a minute, but for Linea it had seemed like the longest seconds of her life.

“Where is Nora?” Evira asked worried, but her voice sounded sharp and angry. “Wasn’t she with you?”

Linea wanted to answer but found herself without voice. She started sobbing instead.

“It’s all right,” Evira said and her tone softened up. “I just need to know, if she is in danger.”

“She- She le-eft for the pa-palace,” Linea got out, but her sobbing stopped her from explaining further. Evira took the hint and sent out two guards to search for Nora. At the same time the countess arrived with even more of her guards and Aruna.

“By Luna’s name! Linea!” Aruna cried out and ran the last meters.

She fell down onto the grass beside Linea and examined the wound. She lay a hand over the bloody gash and murmured a few words.

“Sulani sa Sethano panu Mura fa nurathi.”

Even though Linea was still shell-shocked, she felt the warm energy gather in her arm and the pain subsided shortly after. Aruna breathed heavily but looked over Linea’s body to make sure Linea had no other wounds.

Evira helped Linea to get up and supported her with her walking as her steps were still shaky. They maneuvered Linea back to her chamber trying to avoid the still ongoing party. Linea was not really responsive apart from a few nods and head shakes when asked a question. After arriving in Linea’s chamber Evira sent out everyone except the countess and Aruna. She again tried to ask questions, but Linea still could not form a coherent thought. She just sat there and stared blankly at the tapestry.

After a few minutes in which even Sarah tried to calm down Linea with sending all kinds of positive feelings to her, Nora arrived together with Tenasia and Minara. All three gasped as they found Linea covered in blood and in a consoling hug from Aruna.

Nora rushed to her best friend, just like Aruna had before. She took Linea’s hands and looked her in the eyes.

“Everything’s all right now,” she said with a quivering voice, which didn’t sound overly confident.

When Nora said those words when Linea completely broke down. Sarah sensed it and thought Linea wouldn’t like to embarrass herself even more by crying like the young girl she was. She took over the body and Linea didn’t put up any resistance.

“Everyone, please leave,” Sarah said with a calm voice, which irritated the present people. “Except for Nora. Lady Thudila, Captain Evira, the attacker was male, a head taller than me, but apart from that I can’t tell you more. He ran away but dropped his dagger, which should still be there.”

The sudden mood swing confused Evira, but she didn’t ask further. Instead, she ordered her guardsmen to make sure that no one was to enter the room. Together with the countess who was inconsolable about the fact that the princess had been attacked in her city, she left. On the way out, Lady Thudila assured that the city guard would find the perpetrator. A promise, which Sarah didn’t trust.

When everyone except Nora had left in the room, Sarah spoke again.

“I’m sorry, Nora,” she said. “I couldn’t protect her better. He surprised us, and I didn’t expect an attack.

“It’s all right,” Nora said with a crooked smile. “How is she?”

Sarah connected her mind directly with Linea, who was crying heavily in her mind.

“Not good,” Sarah answered. “She is out of her mind. I thought she was better trained than that.”

The last statement was just meant to be a matter of fact, but Nora got angry about it.

“She wasn’t prepared for it. She is still young. No one can teach you, how to deal with someone trying to kill you! I’m sure, you weren’t any better,” she argued and frowned at Sarah.

“When my parents and I fled from the camps, I was fourteen. They were killed, but I got away. On my escape, I killed a dozen of people, who all tried to kill me. So, yes. I was better than that.”

“Well…” Nora tried to reply but couldn’t find a counter argument. “But she isn’t you.”

“That’s true, because I would have killed that bastard on the spot.”

Nora was furious with Sarah in this moment, but she was more concerned about Linea.

“Can you call her back? She needs someone to calm her down. We can talk about what went wrong afterwards,” Nora suggested.

“Fine,” Sarah said. “But that’s your job. I don’t wanna deal with whiney little girls.”

And with that, she switched the control back to Linea, who now cried for real. Nora hugged her tightly ignoring the blood ruining her own dress. Instead, she held Linea and soothed her.

This was going to be a long day.