The first day of the Founding Day festivities came and Sayana was not looking forward to it. She knew this was going to be Ethian’s first high feast. She hoped he was ready for it. She ate breakfast and then went into her room to decide which of her gowns she was going to wear. “Midnight blue or dark green.” She continued staring at the gowns as Ardatha and the others came into the room.

“Midnight blue or dark green, my lady?” Ardatha asked.

“That’s the colors of the two gowns I’m debating on.” Sayana turned and looked at her servants. “I’m just trying to decide if I want to wear blue or green.”

“You seem to favor blue and green, my lady.” Faviola pointed out the obvious.

“Blue is my favorite color, and I like green almost as much.” Sayana turned her attention to her jewelry box. “What do I have by way of jewelry?”

They looked over her jewelry collection. “You have a set of moss diamonds you haven’t worn, my lady. This set, I mean. If you wore the dark green gown, you could wear these.” Vai indicated a set that she’d acquired but had never found a gown to wear them with.

“I remember ordering those, but I never could decide on a gown that they worked with,” Sayana agreed, looking over the pieces. “I think I will wear the dark green then. Vai, can you prepare my shower? I want no scent this time. The only smell on me should come from my perfume.”

“Got it, my lady.” Vai dove into the bathroom. She made the adjustments to the shower before sticking her head out the door. “It’s ready.”

Sayana bathed and removed any excess body hair before stepping out onto the dryer. She spat out her hair, smiling as she did so. That was a familiar thing to her and one she’d mostly avoided doing while on Covus because her showers usually resulted in her braiding her hair while still wet.

She wrapped herself in a robe and emerged from the bathroom. She put herself in the hands of her servants and let them take over preparing her for the high feast. Faviola and Vai began curling her hair. That took quite some time because they weren’t just curling the ends. They were curling it almost halfway up. When they were finished, they twisted and tied her hair into a cascade of curls down her back and framing her face, held back out of her eyes by the combs that matched the jewelry she’d picked.

Then they did her makeup. They emphasized her eyes and put a light touch of blush on her cheeks. They put a hint of color on her lips, though they didn’t emphasize those because they were going to be hidden behind her veil. Once the makeup was done, they added perfume on her wrists and neck. Then they helped her into her gown and shoes.

Once the gown and shoes were on, they pulled out the jewelry. Earrings, bracelets, and an ornate necklace were added to the look. A dark green veil was fastened over the lower half of her face. Sayana shook out her skirts to settle them in place.

She turned and looked at her reflection in the mirror. “You look stunning, my lady.” Ardatha smiled in satisfaction at the work she and her sisters had done.

“Thank you, Ardatha.” Sayana glanced at the chronometer. “How long until the high feast begins?”

“It starts in an hour, my lady.” Ardatha didn’t seem fazed by the time.

“I didn’t realize it took so long to get ready.” Sayana knew she was pushing it. The Imperial guards would be there any minute to collect the women.

“It was your hair, my lady.” Faviola gestured at the elegant style. “That’s what took us the longest.”

“I’m not surprised.” Sayana smiled. “Off you ladies go. I’ll call for you when I’m back from the feast.”

“Yes, my lady.” The sisters left her. She took a deep breath and walked out into the common room.

The others were already waiting for the start of the high feast. “Took you long enough.” Angharad sneered at her.

“Just because you don’t take your time to get ready doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t.” Marin chided the woman. “And Sayana’s hair is long enough it probably takes quite a while to style it.”

“It does.” Sayana stood with the other women, waiting for their escort.

“You should cut it.” Angharad gave her a disgusted look. “That way you stop looking like such a freak.”

“She does not look like a freak, Angharad.” Arken came out of the office. “I have to go join the other high lords. The Imperial guards will be here shortly to collect you. Stay close to them. There are rumors flying around the court right now which will put you ladies at risk.”

“What rumors?” Marin’s eyes widened.

“The emperor told the court and council that he plans on marrying one of you next year.” Arken shook his head. “He has not said which one of you it is, so the power brokers do not know who to eliminate to put their choices in place as potential brides for the emperor. They may try to assassinate one of you at random hoping they hit the right one. Stay close to your guards, be wary if anyone offers you food or drink, only eat or drink what the guards clear because they are going to be scanning everything tonight.”

“Yes Lord Arken.” Marin seemed a little disturbed by this pronouncement. He nodded and left.

“The emperor is planning on marrying one of us?” Zarina looked around at the other women. “Which one, I wonder?”

“Probably Marin or Sayana, since he went after them personally.” Angharad was angry. “The rest of us are in danger because of those two.”

“It’s not guaranteed that the one the emperor is going to marry is either me or Sayana. It could be any of us. Just because the emperor sent Lord Tremere to pick the rest of you up and only came to pick Sayana and me up, that doesn’t prove anything. He was still operating under the old council when the rest of you were found. He couldn’t just leave to collect you.” Marin pointed out what was probably obvious to everyone else.

“Whereas it was after he’d stabilized the new council when he found the two of you and could take the time to leave and pick you up personally.” Zarina nodded. “Makes perfect sense to me. He certainly made me feel welcome even though he didn’t pick me up personally. I’m with Marin. It’s not guaranteed it’s either of them. It could be any of us.” She paused. “Except maybe Angharad. I doubt he’d want to marry anyone as sour as her. It would be like being married to Lynet again.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Angharad glared at her.

Zarina didn’t get a chance to answer as the Imperial guards appeared in the room. There were more of them than usual. The women fell silent and joined the guards. They were escorted to the great hall and taken to the courtesan’s table. They sat down and watched as the rest of the court gathered. At the high table, five of the six princes sat, talking quietly amongst themselves.

Sayana had no trouble recognizing Ethian. He was the only prince who took after his father for looks. She didn’t know who the others were, and their appearances didn’t give them away as clearly, though she thought the one with the bright red curly hair was probably Fallon as his hair was similar to Marin’s. “Ethian looks like the emperor.” Marin’s voice was soft, and her lips barely moved.

“Is that Fallon he’s sitting next to?” Sayana asked, her own lips barely moving.

“It is,” Marin confirmed. “Hanzo is next to Fallon. Jair is next to Hanzo. Meinard is next to Jair.”

“Thank you. I wasn’t sure who was who.” Sayana now knew which prince was which. They were all very handsome young men, which stood to reason with their genetics.

“I don’t see Rhys. The emperor must have made good on his threat to ban him from the feasts for starting the fight with Ethian.” Marin wasn’t too unhappy about that.

“Angharad is going to be angry about that.” Sayana could already see that this would lead to trouble.

“Look at her eyes. She’s fuming.” Marin was looking at the blonde woman.

Sayana looked over at Angharad and saw the anger in her blue eyes. It was going to be a rough night in the courtesan wing. Marin and Sayana fell silent, for they both knew they weren’t really supposed to be talking.

The food was served along with the wine. Before any of the courtesans could eat or drink, two Imperial guards stepped up and scanned their food and drink. They were cleared and the women ate and drank. Sayana sipped the wine, knowing she had to drink at least half the glass but not wanting to drink a large quantity at first. She had four courses to get through.

The first course ended, and the first entertainment was brought in. It was a troupe of performers that did a reduced cast play for the court. After the play, the second course was brought in. The guards scanned the food and let the women eat. Sayana ate and drank and waited for the second entertainment. This one was a lone singer accompanied only by a man on a peculiar instrument, not one Sayana recognized. The singer had an incredible voice. She brought the court to tears with her poignant refrain.

The third course came out and this time when the guards scanned the food, they prevented the women from eating. The servants were called back, and new plates were brought out. These were also sent away. A group of guards followed the servants into the kitchen, and a third set of plates was brought to the women. This time they were allowed to eat. The servants were taken to the side and then were led out of the feast by the guards.

The third entertainment was a raucous comedian who kept the court amused for several minutes. Then the fourth course, the desserts, were brought in. Sayana watched Ethian’s face as he realized he would have to eat sweets. He was very much like his mother in the fact that he didn’t care for them. He choked the decadent confection down, sipping the wine he’d been given. Sayana ate her dessert and sipped her wine. She’d drunk just over half the glass and was feeling it.

After the fourth course, a final entertainment was brought in. Sayana didn’t pay attention to the entertainment. She was more interested in keeping her stomach from spewing its contents all over the table. She saw Ethian looking a little pale and realized he was probably doing the same thing. After the entertainment was over, the Imperial guards appeared, and the courtesans were taken back to the wing.

Sayana went straight to her rooms and summoned her servants. “How was the feast, my lady?” Ardatha was always eager for gossip.

“Well, someone tried to poison us.” Sayana shook her head and immediately regretted it as the nausea from too much rich food threatened to overwhelm her. “The servants who served us were taken off by the guards, so I can only assume they were the ones slipping the poison into the food. I have a feeling they’ve been taken to the inquisitors.”

“None of the usual servants are missing, so it’s possible they were hired specifically for that purpose, my lady.” Ardatha would keep watch and report back if she discovered anything. Sayana knew she was good for that. “We’ll keep our eyes and ears open and let you know if we hear anything.”

“Thank you, Ardatha.” Sayana put one hand over her mouth.

“Are you feeling all right, my lady?” Vai was concerned. “Did they serve chocolate again?”

“No, Vai.” Sayana tried to smile at the young woman. “No chocolate, but I haven’t done sweets or a large quantity of wine in fifteen years. I’m feeling a bit nauseous from all the sugar.”

“Let’s get you changed, and then perhaps you can rest a bit.” Ardatha was just as concerned about her as Vai was.

They got her stripped out of her finery and dressed in one of her day dresses. She washed off the makeup and shook loose her hair. They braided and coiled her hair before leaving her to join the other women.

“I can’t believe he actually banned Rhys from the feast.” Angharad was fuming. “My son did nothing wrong and he was banned from the feast.”

“He started a fight with Ethian.” Marin shrugged. “The emperor must have come to the conclusion that he was at fault for it, so decided to punish him for that action.”

“Then why wasn’t Ethian banned from the feast as well for fighting with my Rhys?” Angharad demanded.

“Presumably because Ethian didn’t start the fight.” Zarina shook her head. “Ethian isn’t a bully like Rhys is, so the emperor didn’t see fit to punish him for defending himself.”

“That’s not fair.” Angharad frowned petulantly. “If Rhys was banned, Ethian should have been too.”

“Fair has nothing to do with it, Angharad.” Arken came in from the feast. “It has everything to do with who was at fault. The emperor decided Rhys was more at fault than Ethian. So Rhys was punished, and Ethian was not.”

“Why is everyone treating my Rhys like he’s such a horrible person?” Angharad demanded.

“Because he is a terrible human being.” Zarina gave her an exasperated look. “You raised him poorly and now he’s facing the consequences of that upbringing. You should never have spoiled him.”

“Rhys is the heir to the throne. When he is confirmed as the Imperial crown prince, he’ll have all of your sons put to death.” Angharad glared at all the women.

“He is not the crown prince, Angharad.” Arken shook his head. “While the emperor has not stated which son is his heir, he has made it clear it is not Rhys.”

“Of course Rhys is the crown prince. He’s firstborn.” Angharad looked aghast at Arken.

“Firstborn or last born, it does not matter.” Arken was implacable as he explained the emperor’s thought process to her for at least the twentieth time Sayana had heard since she came back. “Birth order does not matter to the emperor. Personality, moral code, and ethics, do. Rhys has proven he has an abysmal personality, no moral code, and no discernible code of ethics. He would destroy the empire if he were to be named crown prince. So no, he is not the heir.”

“What’s the point of him being firstborn son then if he’s not the crown prince?” Angharad demanded.

“You are the one who made a big deal out of him being firstborn son,” Arken pointed out.

“The rest of us knew that it could be any of our sons who were crown prince, regardless of birth order.” Marin shook her head. “That’s why none of us ever told our sons anything about being crown prince.”

“I don’t believe you.” Angharad glared at Marin. “Rhys is crown prince. He has to be.”

“Angharad, birth order means nothing with the princes. The emperor made that clear some time ago.” Arken repeated yet again.

Angharad burst into tears and ran for her rooms. “I think she was enjoying being the mother of the crown prince. She thought it made her special compared to the rest of us.” Marin observed her as she ran.

“Only she was never the mother of the crown prince.” Arken shook his head. “It was all in her head.”

“I wonder what goes on in that woman’s mind some days.” Zarina rubbed her temples. “She completely ignored the emperor when he told us it didn’t matter what order the princes were born in. His heir would be the one he chose, not based on birth order.”

“I do not know what goes on in her head.” Arken stared at her door. “She was bad enough before you ladies vanished. But ever since you came back, she has been almost impossible to deal with.”

“I still say she was whoring herself out and doesn’t like having to confine herself to one man anymore.” Zarina turned to Arken. “It’s the only answer for how she was able to support herself with no job and the lifestyle she was leading. I almost ran out of money, and I was living a frugal life on a much cheaper world.”

“You are not the first person to bring that up.” Arken gave them all a thoughtful look. “The emperor believes you are right. It is why he does not call for her, among many other reasons. He had the doctors check her for illnesses, and she is clean, but he still does not want to sleep with a woman who has been used by so many other men.”

“Is that why he questioned us so carefully about how we kept ourselves?” Ji-Hye wanted to know.

“It is.” Arken regarded them all with a questioning look. “I trust all of you were honest with him.”

“I was.” Marin glanced at the other women. “And I was gone the longest outside of Sayana.”

“I was honest with him when he asked me about my relationship with Reynard.” Sayana knew their living arrangements could be seen as scandalous by some. “And Reynard is the only man I had any real serious contact with. I chatted with some of the men in town, but that’s it. I never even once considered offering myself up for that. I knew I was coming back one day and wanted to keep myself pure for the emperor.”

“I was the same.” Zarina looked up at Arken. “I had a few offers, but I turned them all down.”

“I didn’t have offers, but I also didn’t go looking for male companionship.” Ji-Hye had a slightly superior look on her face, which seemed to annoy Zarina.

“I didn’t either. I just happened to be accosted by men in town.” Zarina glared at her.

“I had a few offers but like Zarina, I turned them all down.” Renate also glared at Ji-Hye.

“You were all sensible then.” Arken gestured back towards Angharad’s door. “She was not.”

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am going to do some reading before we have to retire for the night.” Marin reached for her pad.

“I think I’m going to go lay down.” Sayana put one hand on her stomach. “I don’t feel good.”

“Are you ill, Sayana?” Arken asked with some concern.

“I’m just not used to the high feasts anymore.” Sayana swallowed hard against the rising nausea. “My stomach isn’t taking to the high sugar content in the desserts. I’m fairly certain Ethian is also feeling sick.”

“He looked like he was ready to throw up.” Marin had seen how pale he’d gotten the same as Sayana had.

“We only had sweets on festival days, and that was because someone else made them.” Sayana felt the need to explain. “I only let him have small amounts because I didn’t want him to be too hyper on sugar on the way home.”

“I can understand that one.” Marin nodded. “I was the same way with Fallon. He got sick during his first few high feasts too.”

“Go lay down, Sayana.” Arken motioned for her to go back to her room. “I will have one of the doctors come give you something for your nausea.”

“Thank you, Lord Arken.” Sayana went into her room and laid down. She closed her eyes and willed her stomach to behave itself.