[b]Dawn[/b]

A bath – that was what she needed – a warm bath with fragrant oils. She would soak herself in water until her skin was pruned, until every trace of contact with the Necromancer was scrubbed clean. Dawn walked with hurried steps along the dark corridors of the castle, her footsteps echoing along the deserted corridors. 

At least he had promised to do something to get her to join the hunting party. It was not her first time, though. She trained in the woods, as much as she trained in practice rooms, to track a prey and eliminate it. The crossbow was her favorite weapon. Tracking people was different from tracking down animals and shooting them down, though, and she always pitied the animals she killed even if it was for her next meal.

It would be over soon.

Dawn entered her room feeling tired yet excited for the morning to come. It would be one small victory for Galorien, one step towards freedom. First the heir, then the Necromancer, until finally the Emperor. 

[b]Sighart[/b]

Risey’s face was easy to read, Sig thought smiling. When he told her the summary of his secret plan, the poor woman’s eyes went wide and her face paled. He said nothing to either reassure her or explain his purpose further. She was needed only to help him get out of the castle. What he would do once he was outside the walls was not for her to know. Sig was not used to being questioned, except by his father.

“Who is this someone special? Is he – or she – a servant as well?” Sig asked. He was the one who always asked the questions. “I assure you that everyone who works in the palace is being fed generously,” he added, then realized how sure he sounded when she was the one who must have known better. The prince paused to study the expression on her face before he continued with a gentle apology. “You may take whatever you want. Does this mean that you are not being fed well? Tell me the truth, Risey.”

But before their conversation on that topic progressed, she was already tugging on the piece of cloth that was wrapped around her neck. He had never seen her take it off before she did in front of him. 

Three parallel scars marked her for life. It must be an injury that had damaged her and made her almost mute. Jan and the Empress had no problem communicating with her, but Sig was leaning forward, straining his hearing to catch what she was saying. He also watched the movement of her lips closely, though he was perhaps not as good as Jan in reading lips. There was no need to be good at it as he always had any help he would require, until that moment when his plan required utmost secrecy. 

He kept his face blank, as if he didn’t notice the scars that she was hiding from everyone else. Judging by the stubborn set of her jaw and the sudden confidence in her eyes, he understood that pity was the least that she needed. He would very much want to know the story behind the scars, but perhaps there was time for that later on after his plan was put to motion.

[i] "I hope...you...do not....mind..."[/i] she whispered.

Sig shook his head and took a sip from his wine. “No, not at all. I would like you to feel comfortable,” he answered with one of his charming smiles. Then she was looking around the room, maybe for a secret passage that he didn’t know was there. His hopes soared. If there was a secret exit from his room, then this would be easier than expected. But she tugged at her clothes and he realized that she was referring to his disguise.

“Do you mean if I would wear a disguise to blend in?” His brows furrowed. This will not be easy. Perhaps he needed to involve Jan after all. “Do you want to dress me up as a woman? I…” Would he go that far? Dressing up as a woman would throw off any suspicious guard if he would pass for a woman. Sighart may have taken after his mother, but his build and the angles of his face were too masculine to pass as a woman. He would look ridiculous. Seriously ridiculous. “I would rather dress as a man. Can you help me then? Bring me something that will help me blend in with the common people and meet me again tomorrow night. I was planning to slip out of the castle tonight, but I cannot appear tired in front of my father’s peers.”