Despite the fact that she had promised herself not to fall prey to the exhaustion lurking at the edges of her vision, Oris couldn't help the yawn that slipped past her lips when the carriage finally rolled to a stop. The sun had set long ago and the tea and cakes were all gone.

Her maids had slowly run out of ways to entertain themselves and one by one they tumbled into the land of dreams.

In the end only she had remained awake as the hours toiled along. She just couldn't shut her eyes, unable to relax knowing that with each second that passed she was getting closer to the palace, to her prison, to Hermes.

It wasn't because of nerves, no. It was because her fingers tingled with anticipation, a foreign excitement polluting her bloodstream and making every breath she took feel extraordinary.

Just thinking about it made her blood boil. She would finally be useful to her cause.

In the palace she would be able to help the forces Rodholf was building instead of just being the face behind the rebellion, a figurehead. She hoped by now that he had come in contact with Tristan and Marcka, then he'd know that he now had a correspondent in the enemy's lair. And maybe with time, a powerful one.

She also hoped that hee wouldn't do something stupid out of worry. She hoped he would realized that she was fine. That she was going to be fine.

I am no longer the woman who abandoned her queendom. I refuse to be that helpless any longer. Squeezing her fingers into fists, Oris shook her head lightly. I can do this.

Letting out a breath, she squinted into the darkness around her, able to faintly make out the figures of her maids slumped in their seats. During the course of the journey they had changed positions several times and now all three of them—except Keziah—sat opposite her.

The fond smile growing on her lips banished her other thoughts as she leaned forward and stretched a hand towards the curtain, careful not to disturb Keziah who rested against her.

She knew that they were tired. If not for her overeagerness, she would have been too. Unlike her maids, she held no trepidation towards the coming days.

Oris had confidence in her abilities. If Hermes' selection rejected a woman who was once a queen, she wondered who it would deem suitable as 'wife material'.

Bright lights attacked her eyes the moment she looked out of the carriage. She had to blink a handful of times before they finally adjusted to the absence of darkness.

The moon was full in the sky, its light coating the surroundings in a white light reminiscent of pale, early morning glows, but this was more beautiful, more ethereal. The buildings along the streets, under the moon's gaze, glistened as though adorned with silver.

It made everything look like a scene straight out of a fairytale picture book she had once read as a child but she didn't look at them for long.

The wall directly in front of her, the largest obstacle she had ever seen, was what had tugged on the thread of her attention. Her eyes traced up the layered bricks, her neck craning up in an effort to see where they ended.

She couldn't.

Imbedded into the wall were gates that looked as impenetrable as a large block of steel, or the wall itself. She doubted they were made of wood, and even from this distance she could see glints of gold on the massive doors. They nearly shimmered in the combined illumination of moonlight and the lit torches that lined the bottom of the wall where guards where stationed and patrolling.

Inescapable, the word flitted through her mind before she even realized where she was. Behind the wall was the palace, she knew without being told. It was too impressive a structure not to house royalty.

Bloody stag, she was right, Oris looked at the girl leaned against her in pleasant surprise. She hadn't imagined that Keziah would possess such an astute sense of perception. The maid had not been on the road before but knew that they would reach Heshera before the day's end. It was almost as incredible as fortune telling.

Her curiosity unsated, she looked out again. They had to be parked here for a reason. If not they would already be inside the palace grounds, wouldn't they?

At the palace gates, Faeradaigh stood, talking to a guard. Round and unimposing as ever as he wiped his face constantly throughout the conversation. Several times he motioned to the envoy, the carriage in particular, then went back to speaking passionately.

"It seems that we're locked out," Oris said then sighed before letting the curtain fall again. That couldn't be good.

"Locked out?" Keziah repeated, rubbing her knuckles against her eyes then blinking the sleep away. "What do you mean, Mistress?"

"We're at the palace," Oris said. "You were right."

"The palace?" Andre shot up and started shaking Mayree. "Wake up," she said, excitement radiating off her. "Wake up, we're here."

"I'm up," Mayree grumbled and slapped the girl's hands away. "I'm up," she said again and propped her body up against the seat with a long, undignified yawn. "What did I hear about the palace?"

"We're here," Keziah whispered, "and the guards won't let us in."

"Faeradaigh is at the gate now," Oris said. "We have parked here for a while. Does the palace have a curfew?"

"It does," Mayree tugged harshly on the hairs that had escaped her bun before tucking them behind her ear. "But the gates should be opened for the royal envoy regardless."

"The others will hear of this tomorrow," Seline said, and they all turned in her direction. Oris could tell that the other maids had forgotten about the jeweler's daughter. Even she hadn't been able to tell when the girl had woken up. "Before dawn they will hear of how the royal envoy of the last bride was turned away and forced to sleep outside the palace."

"This is ridiculous," Mayree complained loudly and clicked her tongue. "There are only a handful of reasons why we would not be allowed into the palace."

"What reasons?" Andrea turned to Mayree and started shaking her again, not able to contain her worry.

"An assassination," Seline said softly.

"That," Oris bit the inside of her cheek and glimpsed the grand walls from the gap in the curtains. "Is that even possible?"

"Then that leaves only one more possible option," Mayree said, sending Andrea a glare and pushing her now limp hands away gently. "Someone overruled the Emperor's command."

There was a sharp intake of breath, Oris wasn't sure who from but it was enough for her to feel the gravity of the situation. Someone can overrule Hermes' command? She had not known there was such a figure in the palace.

"The Emperess Dowager." Keziah answered with a tinge of hate in her voice.

A gust of wind hit the carriage and the curtains flapped. For ten long seconds, moonlight poured into the little box, perfectly illuminating the girl's hardened expressions. Oris held her breath, now faced with Mayree's steeled gaze.

"That's right, Mistress," the maid said slowly. "The Emperor's mother blocked us from entering the palace."

"Why would she do that?" Oris couldn't help but blurt out the question without tact, truly confused. "We have no relations with each other at all." At least, I don't think we do.

"Exactly." Andrea nodded hurriedly like everything suddenly made sense. "It is because she has no connection to you that she can be so ruthless. How despicable!"

"She is trying to eliminate you before you even get into the palace," Seline added, distaste lacing her words.

"She is watching for your reaction," Keziah murmured while tugging in her fingers. "She wants to break you on the first day."

"The question now, Mistress, is," Mayree held her head up and looked Oris straight in the eye once again, "will you?"

~