Ever since her performance at the ball, the way the servants reacted to her commands had changed. So when she asked for a hot bath, they responded immediately, as if forgetting that she were lower in the hierarchy than even themselves. Ten minutes later, she was filling the stone bowl in the floor with warm water and shucking off her clothes. She went through her daily routine, scrubbing off the dead skin and sweat, cleaning her hair with the soaps she'd bought and then combing it out, before she drained and refilled the tub so she could soak away the aches and pains of the day.

Her mind was calm. She worried for Aulfr, but ultimately she realized he would succeed and take his rightful place upon the throne. Even if she had to make it happen. She could not live as a slave much longer. Even if Aulfr didn't often point out his hold on her, she felt it. Every time she had to return to their chambers, sleep in his bed, have no personal space of her own. Every time he ordered her to kill this jarl, intimidate that one. It wore on her, and she wanted that invisible leash gone.

She spent a long time in the bath, until the water grew too chilly and her hair had mostly dried. She finally dragged herself out and pulled on the outfit she'd prepared, a pair of trousers and one of Aulfr's tunics. She braided back her damp hair and padded out of the bathroom, tired enough that she didn't notice the khopesh in Aulfr's hands until she'd flopped down on the bed. She raised an eyebrow.

"Your father uses a sword or an axe, does he not? Perhaps you should practice with someone capable of doing the same. Otherwise you won't be prepared for that fight. Or would you like to fight me using your normal weapons while I use the khopesh? That way, you can get a feel for how your father might defend himself against you."