The first high feast came, and Sayana prepared herself for a long day. The new gowns were surprisingly lightweight, and the fur didn’t appreciably increase the amount of heat. Her dressmaker had done her work very well.  Angharad was the… Continue reading

Sayana woke at her usual time, tired and a little groggy but otherwise unharmed. She’d suffered from a bout of insomnia the previous night and Arken had needed to find her a sleeping pill. She continued lying in bed for… Continue reading

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… Continue reading

Sayana joined the women for breakfast. “Anything interesting for gossip?” Marin asked. “Not really.” Sayana started eating. “It sounds like there was a fight among the boys last night, and the emperor is thinking of banning the instigator from the… Continue reading

The next several weeks passed in much the same way. All the courtesans except for Sayana and Angharad were called for, and the women talked about how distracted the emperor seemed to be. They found it hard to keep him… Continue reading

They landed on the emperor’s private landing pad and Sayana donned her veil once more. She was escorted off the ship. Karis and Ethian were taken in one skimmer, and she was loaded into another. “You have had us all… Continue reading