The man sitting on the throne was short, sturdy with red hair and a big red beard that was liberally streaked with grey.
Approaching, the naga bowed deeply.
"Emperor Varsas, please allow me to introduce you to the Princess Etania, emissary to King Alaric of Ayathian. Accompanying her is the Lord Izziah of Ayathian," the emperor's face went red, looking like he might blow up, but Etani curtsied low and going against custom, she spoke up.
"Emperor Varsas, I am here on behalf of King Alaric, however I am also here to beg for your forgiveness." The man's anger fizzled out and he looked confused. "Nayishma and I were close friends, it was my responsibility to keep her safe that night and we were separated. I was unable to reach her in time. Please, please forgive me for not being able to protect her."
At some point the tears had sprung up and her voice wobbled at the end, adding a tragic note to her plea.
The man looked devastated, making the connection to who she was.
"You're Etani?" he asked, sliding off the throne and coming to stand before her. He took her hand and she shivered at the warm humanness of him.
"Yes, your Majesty," she replied, confused by his knowledge.
"Nayishma told me a lot about you, she wrote daily. I am sorry you have suffered as much as I."
"I wish I had been able to reach her; she was my best friend. I loved her," she whispered, not wanting anyone to be able to listen in on their conversation.
"She loved you too," he replied and let out a sigh. "There is nothing to forgive, you are not to blame for an assassin getting through that lazy man's defences."
He moved away from her and sat back down on his throne.
"Please, you have travelled a long way, go relax and we will talk at dinner."
Glad for the escape, she and Izziah were led to their quarters.
***
She was shocked to see the size of the room and the size of the windows, all of which were covered in a fine mesh that seemed to be exceptionally effective at keeping out all of the bugs and she took advantage to remove her veil.
Turning, the naga seemed shocked at her boldness.
"Princess, lord," he bowed his way from the room and closed the large wooden doors behind him.
Turning on Izziah, she glared at him. "You are to stay away from me during this entire trip. If you so much as touch me once, I will break your arm."
With that, she left the startled man alone in the sitting room and retreated to her own room.
Having time to change and remove a few layers of the veil so she could see, she tried to figure out how the bath worked, only to quickly learn that the water came out of a metal spout above her and she squealed as boiling water came down.
Flattening herself against the side of the stall, she used the very tips of her fingers to turn the second knob and the water began to cool.
Finally stepping under the spout, she basked in the novelty of having a hot bath while still standing up, the water washing away the grime down a little hole in the bottom of the stall.
Fascinated, she tried to figure out how the thing worked, but was then drawn back by the heat and spicy smelling oils.
She stayed in there longer than she intended, enjoying it far too much and when she stepped out and got dressed, she only had a few minutes to apply her veil and head out before the knock for dinner came.
Wearing a long silvery white dress that had been picked out for her, she dropped the thinner veil over her face and stepped out into the hall with Izziah close behind, looking as though his bathing experience hadn't been as delightful as hers.
Their guide this time was a reptilian and he didn't speak at all, silently leading them back through the empty throne room and through one of the doors into a corridor that led to a series of large rooms. The smallest of those rooms was still massive, but it housed a large wooden table and a few dozen chairs.
The emperor jumped to his feet at the sight of them and hurried around to pull out Etani's chair for her, blinking slightly as he noticed the change in her veil that gave only the slightest hint of her face beneath.
"Oh princess, please do not stand on custom for our sakes, you do not have to wear the veil while inside the castle."
Immediately she took it off and placed it on the seat beside her, relieved by the freedom. "Wonderful, I wasn't sure how I was going to eat while wearing it."
After blinking at her a few times, he laughed at the jest. "So, what is it Alaric plans to do about this incident?" he said after they had settled, and their glasses were filled with wine and another with water.
"The perpetrators have already been executed, all of them," Izziah said gently, taking a sip of the wine and making a soft noise of pleasure. "It was discovered that a High Priestess had gone rogue and ordered the hit following her belief that a prophecy called for the princess to marry King Alaric."
Etani kicked him under the table and he jumped.
Emperor Varsas looked devastated by the news. "A prophecy? Did the oracle die?"
The question threw them both off and they exchanged a look.
"Not that we have heard," Etani said gently, unsure of the question.
"So, they killed the wrong woman," he said and his eyes fell on Etani.
Her eyes immediately dropped to the table and she heard Izziah suck in a breath of realisation.
"I'm afraid so, at the time Etania's presence was still unknown to most," Izziah said softly.
"Where are you from, princess? Ayathian doesn't have a princess of their own."
"I am from Faerie," she said evasively and the man looked surprised, his eyes going to her ears and then back to her eyes.
"I assumed you were an odd elf," he said and Izziah snorted.
"No, I am one of the Fae."
The emperor nodded and looked to Izziah.
"From The Underneath originally, but I was accepted into the ranks of Alaric's trusted allies along with my brother." He flicked a glance at Etani, not speaking the name aloud.
"Interesting companions I have," the emperor said with a forced cheerfulness.
Dinner was served and the meal was very similar to what Nayishma had always eaten.
It turned out that the meats were large rodents and even larger insects, all of which tasted wonderful and she ate gladly, even if it did nothing for her. She did her best not to think about what she was eating, instead she tried to focus on the taste of it all.
After dinner, they stood to leave when the Emperor asked her to stay.
Agreeing, she watched as a wary Izziah left, his eyes narrowed.
"Princess, I would ask that you join us tomorrow evening for a small party. It is the sixth month anniversary of Nayishma's death and as is custom, we celebrate her life."
"Do you not do that immediately after death?" she asked curiously.
"No, that is a time for mourning, we wait six months and then celebrate. It isn't for a week really, but we wish to celebrate with your presence."
"I would be honoured," she replied sadly and the emperor nodded and smiled just as sadly.
Departing the room, she followed the naga to her room and he opened the door for her, closing it firmly behind her once she was inside.