Talia smoothed the rough homespun skirt over her knees again and glanced across the carriage to where her maid Fioria sat, staring out the window.
It wasn't that she wasn't thankful to have clean, warm clothing to wear, but she couldn't help but to find it odd that the dress was so rough and cheap looking.
Not that she had ever concerned herself that much with clothing or jewels. She liked things that were well-made, of course, but fashions and styles and such seemed to her to be a fixation particular to Unarian women. She had always assumed this was due to them having little else to fill their days with.
However, it was difficult not to compare her plain grey dress with the beautiful blue silk traveling gown worn by her maid. It was almost as though her clothing was specifically chosen to highlight the rich color and careful tailoring of Fioria's outfit.
Fioria caught her eye and smiled genuinely.
"Are you warm enough, my princess?" she asked.
"Mmm... I suppose I am," Talia agreed, careful to keep her expression neutral. "That's a lovely dress you're wearing. Are you warm enough, though?"
"Do you like it? Perhaps you don't recognize it, but it is one of the gowns the dressmaker from the capitol sent after you arrived," Fioria blushed as she explained.
"Ahhh... of course," Talia nodded.
The dresses she had refused to look at and then told her maids to distribute amongst themselves. She had only herself to blame.
"I've brought several new gowns in the latest style, made of much finer fabric, as well," Fioria continued. "I had thought you'd want a selection to choose from when you go before the Emperor."
"Yes. That will be helpful, thank you," Talia agreed, brightening a little. "This dress is certainly warm, but it... well, after my travels through the Empire... it seems... somewhat plain, I suppose."
"Forgive me, my princess. I had heard that rumors of your audience with the Emperor have spread far, and I thought that a simple gown might assist in hiding you from curious onlookers as we travel through the towns," Fioria admitted.
"Oh," Talia nodded, impressed by the maid's foresight. Indeed, she did not like being an object of curiosity. What Fioria had failed to mention, however, was that her own gown would draw many eyes, and that, with their features being so similar, most of those onlookers would likely assume that Fioria was the Princess of Vezda.
This was probably also part of Fioria's plan to shield her from prying eyes, as she had never seen the girl wear such fine clothing before, but the fact that she did not specifically mention it, gave Talia an uneasy feeling.
That, and the way Fioria's eyes continually darted to the window... as though she expected something to pop out of the woods at any minute.
Of course, that might be due to the fact that the girl had not traveled much and was simply excited. As a slave she wasn't allowed to leave... Talia unconsciously clenched her fist as a new realization hit her.
Talia straightened in her seat and fixed a pleasant smile on her face.
"Have you traveled much in the Empire?" she asked.
"No, my Princess. I lived in the east district in the capitol for some time and never traveled beyond it until I took the position in Bludston," Fioria answered.
"I see. I suppose that as a slave you would have had very limited opportunities."
"Yes," Fioria agreed.
"I had also heard that slaves cannot leave the district which they are registered under, even when their masters do," Talia remarked lightly.
Fioria paused, an uncertain look upon her face. Talia was clearly pointing out that the girl had traveled beyond the region of Bludston, which was against the law for a slave.
"That is true," Fioria agreed slowly. "But it is a law often broken and rarely enforced. Sir Ilya insisted that you were in dire need of trustworthy assistance and--"
"I am not chastising you," Talia interrupted. "I am simply curious. You seem nervous to me... the way you sit, the way your eyes keep moving to the window. You are a daughter of Vezda. I may no longer be Vezda's ruler, but I am of House Eosin and it will always be my duty to protect and serve my people."
Fioria swallowed thickly and shifted in her seat as if uncomfortable. Talia could practically smell the guilt the poor girl felt. She only needed to press a little harder.
"Which is why... if you are in any sort of trouble... or if Sir Ilya has demanded you do something which will put my ability to advocate for Vezda at risk... I ask that you speak to me of it. I know that as a slave you have few options and much to fear, but I beg you to remember that like me, you are more than a slave. You are a daughter a Vezda."
Talia ended her speech by looking directly into the girl's eyes. It was a tactic she had employed many times before.
Fioria's face reddened noticeably. Her lower lip trembled. Talia reached across the carriage and set her hand comfortingly on the girl's knee.
"My Princess, I only want to protect you. To serve Vezda by doing whatever I can to keep you safe. I would never... NEVER do anything to harm you. I... I..." Fioria stuttered as her hands twitched nervously in her lap.
A shout from outside the carriage interrupted the confession Talia had painstakingly worked out of her.
The carriage stopped short, throwing Talia from her seat into Fioria's lap.The girl wrapped her arms protectively around Talia and bent over her, shielding her with her own body.
"Let go!" Talia demanded, breaking free of Fioria's arms. She struggled to her feet and reached for the window. Before she could let it down, the door was wrenched opened, and Ilya before them, his face pale.
"Princess, our forward troops are under attack. It appears to be a large group of bandits. I must ask you not to leave the carriage. In a moment, we are going to divert the carriage with a small group of soldiers into the woods as a precaution, and-"
"My daggers!" Talia cut him off. "Give me a weapon at least! Divert the carriage? You must be mad! You don't send a carriage off on its own underdefended and into unknown territory, there could be more of them out there!"
"You will stay in the carriage, Princess!" Ilya ordered, his face becoming very stern.
"I will not go off into the woods like a sacrifice to the water!" Talia scoffed. "Now give me my daggers!"
Ilya turned and stopped a soldier, snatching the spear from the man's hands.
"Secure the carriage doors!" he yelled, slamming the door on Talia's face.
She heard the scrape of the spear against the door as Ilya thrust it under the door handle, effectively preventing it from opening again.
Talia scrambled quickly for the other side of the carriage and twisted the handle, ramming the door with her shoulder. It opened only for a moment, and a soldier shoved back, slamming it shut and securing it in the same way Ilya had with a spear.
With a scream of frustration Talia kicked the door hard a few times and then stopped, taking a moment to clear her head and find a solution.
Fioria had not moved from her seat. Her downcast eyes and slumped shoulders were testament to the fact that she felt more guilty than afraid, which suggested that the attack did not come as a surprise to her.
"What is his plan, Fioria? What does he mean to do?" Talia demanded. "He is sending us away from the rest of the party. Is this a betrayal of Prince Mikhail?"
"No," Fioria answered miserably. "Ilya is loyal to the Prince."
The carriage lurched forward and Talia stumbled and fell back against the seat cushion. She might be able to break a window and crawl out, but had no idea what waited for her in the woods.
"Tell me what his intentions are!" she demanded again. "There is little time now!"
"The Emperor means to take your life! Those are his men disguised as bandits! He wants only your blood-- the blood of House Eosin. Sir Ilya suspected that the summons was a ruse. He said to expect an attack, and if we could not fight them off then I should say that I am the Princess, and I mean to do it, because House Eosin is Vezda, and Vezda must survive!" Fioria cried.
Talia nodded quickly, her suspicions confirmed.
"You're a brave girl, but I ask you to be even braver and trust me now. Hand me your scarf," Talia ordered.
Fioria quickly unwound the blue scarf from her neck and watched as Talia snatched it from her, threw the window open and stuck her arm out. She wrapped the scarf tightly around the sharp spear head several times until it was padded well enough that she could grip it hard without cutting her hand.
It took a few minutes of struggling, but at last she managed to pull the spear from the door handle, and toss it.
"I'm going to jump," she informed Fioria. "I advise you to follow me if you want to survive, but I won't order you to do so. A daughter of Vezda has the right to make her own decisions."
With that Talia threw the door open, took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and leapt from the carriage.