spent a good portion of the night coming to terms with this. In the course of a few hours I\u2019ve felt alone and scared, victimized and helpless, overwhelmed and anxious, and hollowed out and numb. Now? Now I am just angry: angry at being put in this position, at being trapped, at being fetishized because I am a foreigner, at being labeled as \u201cexotic\u201d. What a backhanded little compliment that is.<\/span><\/p>\n We can\u2019t just leave. It would be perceived as an insult to Prince Batsaikhar, which is something he is not likely to take well. From what we have seen and heard, the people here live in a constant state of low-grade fear that they\u2019ll disappoint, anger, or even just fail to please him. It explains why the attendants here are so enthusiastic to carry out his requests. Most people, given the option, prefer to live. Making him angry gets people killed. That\u2019s the sort of person we are dealing with.<\/span><\/p>\n Ameiko is pretty sure that we\u2019re safe as long as we are his guests, but this position is tenuous at best. Our status can be revoked at any time, and if he really needed a justification to turn on us without breaking the protocol he values, I am sure he can find one. We can\u2019t travel across Hongal with a hostile government at our back.<\/span><\/p>\n That means we are stuck here until the last Feast, and <\/span>that<\/span><\/i> means <\/span>I<\/span><\/i> have to see this through. I have to keep him happy, too, even if it means enduring more\u2026of that. If I slip up, if he doesn\u2019t get what he wants from me, will this be taken out on my friends? Will this be taken out on his <\/span>subjects<\/span><\/i>?<\/span><\/p>\n I can\u2019t do anything about the latter, of course. We\u2019re not here to overthrow a government. Well, okay, we <\/span>are<\/span><\/i>, but not <\/span>this<\/span><\/i> government. In Minkai, Ameiko at least has a divine mandate to rule, and that is supposed to mean something to the people there. Here? We\u2019re nobody and nobodies don\u2019t start revolutions. This isn\u2019t a fight we can even <\/span>start<\/span><\/i>, much less <\/span>win<\/span><\/i>. We\u2019re just going to have to move on.<\/span><\/p>\n Ensuring we <\/span>can <\/span><\/i>move on is now <\/span>my<\/span><\/i> job. Whatever the Prince wants from me, personally, I have to find a way to make him believe he is getting it. If it\u2019s something he can\u2019t have (for example, <\/span>me<\/span><\/i>), I need to refuse without refusing. To give the impression of accepting without accepting. Ameiko and I spent a lot of time tonight practicing, role-playing various scenarios. At first, it just felt like a desperate exercise, but by the end\u2026I have to admit it was a little empowering. I walked away feeling like I could actually exert some control over these events. That I could spin convincing half-truths and use his assumptions to my advantage.<\/span><\/p>\n What does it say about my friendship with Ameiko that it has made me a better liar?<\/span><\/p>\n The point to all of this is to buy time so that we can get away safely.<\/span><\/p>\n And what if I\u2019m right? What if what he wants from me really <\/span>is<\/span><\/i> me? My biggest fear there would be a marriage proposal (no doubt I\u2019d be added to what I am sure is a long list of wives with whom he quickly grew bored and possibly beheaded), but it could be any number of things which are nearly as bad, from joining his concubines to becoming a permanent fixture at the palace for him to beckon and paw. If it comes to this, my best diversion is my Vudrani heritage and customs.<\/span><\/p>\n I think this would actually qualify as irony.<\/span><\/p>\n Vudrani have a fairly structured society: it\u2019s a caste system, marriages are often arranged, and going outside your caste for anything is, while not unheard of, fairly rare. Though I\u2019ve never <\/span>lived<\/span><\/i> in a traditional Vudrani society\u2014the closest I have come is visiting <\/span>dadi<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>dada<\/span><\/i> in Niswan\u2014I know the broad strokes. It sounds awful, and I want nothing to do with it. I am lucky to have grown up in Varisia.<\/span><\/p>\n Dad doesn\u2019t care about any of those traditions. I mean, look who he married, right? And he\u2019s not some black sheep in the family: <\/span>dadi<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>dada<\/span><\/i> aren\u2019t much for these norms, either. It\u2019s not generally known, but <\/span>dada<\/span><\/i> is half Keleshite. My <\/span>aljidu al\u2019akbar<\/span><\/i> was from Katheer, and he met my <\/span>paradadi <\/span><\/i>in, of all places, Sothis. They were married in Absalom. It\u2019s always been a kind of international family.<\/span><\/p>\n Technically, that makes me only three-eighths Vudrani. I haven\u2019t exactly tried to hide it, of course, it\u2019s just that it doesn\u2019t come up, and it\u2019s easier to say \u201chalf\u201d and skip the details. I am actually kind of surprised that no one has ever asked. I mean, it\u2019s obvious from both dad\u2019s name and our family name that there is more than just Vudrani behind him, but I guess that these subtleties get lost north of the Inner Sea, even among the well-traveled.<\/span><\/p>\n My grandparents on mom\u2019s side are pretty progressive, too, especially for Korvosans. It\u2019s almost two cities in one: there are those who long for the days of Chelish rule, and those who recognize Cheliax for the literal hellhole that it is and bask in Korvosa\u2019s independence. Grandma and grandpa fall into the latter category. They are quite <\/span>proud<\/span><\/i> of mom\u2019s marriage. It reinforces their view of Korvosa as a cosmopolitan city and their contributions to it.<\/span><\/p>\n But for the Prince, I need to be half of Vudrani with an orthodox heritage. For anything beyond courtship, I require permission from my father (though, technically, I needed it even <\/span>before <\/span><\/i>that). Ignoring cultural protocol and norms will bring shame to me and my family. Protocol and honor seem to be concepts the Prince understands and respects. And of course, this conveniently and retroactively explains why I\u2019ve needed an escort on both of our \u201cdates\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n The best lies are the ones that are founded in truth.<\/span><\/p>\n Unfortunately, this would only buy time for my <\/span>friends<\/span><\/i> to leave. If it comes to this, they\u2019ll take the caravan out of the city, and once they\u2019re safely away, I\u2019ll escape and catch up. That sounds deceptively simple, but for once it really <\/span>is <\/span><\/i>that simple. A day\u2019s head start is sufficient for the caravan. I can teleport short distances, and that\u2019s enough to get out. Then I can summon a horse\u2014or better yet, conjure a phantom one\u2014and race after them. Time it right, and it will be hours before anyone in the palace notices I am gone. Especially if I repair those little peep holes Radella told us about using magic. We already did that in <\/span>this<\/span><\/i> room.<\/span><\/p>\n Worst case scenario is that I end up being held against my will, and they take my spell book. But the thing is, they can\u2019t take the spells out of <\/span>my head<\/span><\/i>. I will memorize what I need to get away, and regardless, I don\u2019t need my spells for dimensional hops.<\/span><\/p>\n They cannot hold me here.<\/span><\/p>\n W<\/span><\/p>\n e need to prepare the food and entertainment for tonight. <\/span>Traditional<\/span><\/i> food and entertainment from our native land. Qatana got a little excited about this and put together a meal plan that is\u2026a little over the top, so Ameiko offered some suggestions to tone it down. I am actually not too worried either way. As long as it tastes good, we\u2019ll be fine. Those two know what they\u2019re doing, and they\u2019ll have an enormous, professional kitchen and a small army of sous-chefs, chefs, cooks and bakers at their disposal. I\u2019d be pretty stunned if the dinner came out anything less than spectacular.<\/span><\/p>\n For the entertainment part of the evening, we need two performances of <\/span>something<\/span><\/i>. So far, the Prince has treated us to a mix of arts and sporting events, so I suggested we do one of each. More than one person remarked that the Prince wants to see me dance again. Preferably in something with less coverage than I normally wear. <\/span>Yeah, I figured that one out already, thanks. And, fuck you, too.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n My suggestion for an artistic performance was a flamenco dance. I said, \u201cAmeiko can play strings, though we\u2019ll need to procure a guitar or something like it.\u201d Flamenco is emotionally intense, with expressive arm gestures and precise footwork. Done right, it leaves an <\/span>impression<\/span><\/i>. Flamenco is a whole <\/span>experience<\/span><\/i>. And, its roots are Varisian.<\/span><\/p>\n For a sporting event, I thought a mock gladiatorial battle, with heavy weaponry and armor, would play well. What we\u2019ve seen of the people in Hongal so far is what Sparna and Olmas call \u201clight cavalry\u201d. Weapons are light and sharp, and armor is minimal. Lightly armed, but very mobile. While I\u2019m no expert on martial weapons, I\u2019ve learned enough through osmosis over the last few months to know that our fighting styles in Avistan are vastly different. A heavy flail crashing against plate armor both looks and sounds terrifying, and that <\/span>also<\/span><\/i> leaves an impression. And it\u2019s something these people have probably never seen.<\/span><\/p>\n But the idea was vetoed because I don\u2019t know why, and then we bickered for a while over alternatives that ranged from the impractical to the ridiculous. I don\u2019t understand why this needs to be so difficult.<\/span><\/p>\n At one point, Sparna asked, \u201cWhat about Kikonu\u2019s play?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I should have said \u201cno\u201d. I should have, but I didn\u2019t. Now I am stuck here for the next few hours so I can work with the actors once they get here. We can\u2019t do the whole thing, of course, but we can do this one scene where\u2026Never mind. It\u2019s terrible, just like the rest of the thing, only it\u2019s terrible in a way that is almost so bad it\u2019s good. Koya was excited about putting together abstract crow costumes, so this thing is either going to be spectacularly bizarre, or a memorable failure. I count either as a win.<\/span><\/p>\n I think what all of this says is, while I <\/span>should<\/span><\/i> have said \u201cno\u201d, a big part of me <\/span>really wants to do it<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n Chua knocked on the door a little after sunrise to extend an invitation from the Prince to join him for lunch and a tour of the city. Of course, I said yes because I don\u2019t want my friends or half the servants attending to us to be killed. But if I was going to spend the day playing along, then I was at least going to put this place to work <\/span>for <\/span><\/i>us, so we didn\u2019t lose precious time on a glorified scavenger hunt. I sent Chua off in search of a guitar-like string instrument\u2014Ameiko helped here, showing him what she needed, and how it differed from the traditional instruments in Hongal\u2014and some local actors who were comfortable with a little improvisation.<\/span><\/p>\n The latter was actually kind of surreal. Asking about finding actors slipped my mind, and I didn\u2019t remember until after he had left, so I had to go find him. As soon as I called out after him, nearly <\/span>two dozen<\/span><\/i> servants swarmed into the hallway ahead of me, hollering his name in a clamor of \u201cChua! Chua! Chua!\u201d. They practically tackled him in their enthusiasm to help out. This place is just one absurd scene after another.<\/span><\/p>\n I<\/span><\/p>\n t does not mean someone is going to marry you,\u201d my ass. <\/span>He fucking proposed to me<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n Gods! I don\u2019t even know where to start. I can barely think straight.<\/span><\/p>\n If I hadn\u2019t spent all that time last night preparing for this possibility, I\u2019d probably be in a panic right now. A <\/span>worse<\/span><\/i> panic, that is. It\u2019s not like I am taking this in stride.<\/span><\/p>\n He led up to it with compliments and promises about how the city could be mine, and how much it\u2019s been graced by my beauty, how I will always be safe here, and other over-the-top nonsense. Oh, I am sure he meant it all, but so what? We\u2019ve only been here three days. He\u2019s infatuated and nothing more. If I were so naive as to believe this was somehow real, I\u2019m sure I\u2019d be tossed aside and forgotten in time.<\/span><\/p>\n Just as I worked out with Ameiko, I stalled. I feigned nervous excitement\u2014this wasn\u2019t all that hard because the \u201cnervous\u201d part came naturally\u2014and went on about needing to get my father\u2019s permission, with what I hope was a sufficiently frenzied tone. All without ever answering \u2018yes\u2019. He just <\/span>assumed<\/span><\/i> that I meant to, and more or less accepted the delay as a mere formality. That part went flawlessly.<\/span><\/p>\n Less flawless? He wants an answer as soon as possible because we have a wedding to plan! How exciting! Just writing that makes me gag. I said, truthfully, that the soonest I could talk to my parents would be tomorrow because I (intentionally) don\u2019t have the right spells prepared. It will be done in a public ceremony right after the Feast of the Dragon. How dramatic!<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ll actually have to talk to mom and dad <\/span>twice<\/span><\/i>. The first time will be from the privacy of my room so that I can prepare them for what\u2019s about to happen. That should be a <\/span>lively<\/span><\/i> discussion. Frame it right, and they might not even disown me.<\/span><\/p>\nCalistril 19 (Ordu-Aganhei, Early Morning)<\/h3>\n
Calistril 19 (Ordu-Aganhei, Early Evening)<\/h3>\n
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