The royal brothel was built in the modern Unarian style-- all red brick with fancy, curving, wrought iron railings, but Grieta had found ways to incorporate traditional Vezdan ideals as well. Thick, dark curtains of heavy fabric hung in every window, even though the sun was not so hot and bright that it was difficult to keep out, and decorative copper gutters lined the edges of the roof-- even though there were not frequent tropical storms that brought daily rains.
Talia smiled to herself when she noticed these details. Prince Mikhail still held her tightly in his arms, as though he was having a change of heart at the last possible minute, and sought to restrain her from meeting with Grieta.
She tapped his arm reassuringly before wriggling free and reaching for the door.
Today she would finally learn the truth about her sister. After years of guessing, of wondering, of assuming the worst, she would at last have answers.
Mikhail caught her wrist, and pulled the hood of her cloak over her head, hiding her face.
"We will use the back entrance, keep your head down while outside, and don't make eye contact with anyone," he warned.
Stifling her excitement, Talia nodded and allowed Mikhail to lead, following him as he left the carriage and headed for an alleyway directly behind the large brick building. Though it was late in the afternoon, they did not come across anyone on the street.
Once inside, they were greeted by a pretty girl in a white tunic who assured the Prince that the lady was waiting for him and his guest. Talia wrinkled her nose at the heavy scent of incense and perfume that was thick enough to make the small, dark hallway they stood in quite hazy.
The girl led them up a stairway to where an imposing yet feminine figure stood waiting in the shadows.
"My Prince," she greeted Mikhail by slightly inclining her head and then gazed silently at Talia.
Realizing that she still wore her hood, Talia slid it back to reveal her face, and saw on the woman's face an immediate expression of both shock and recognition.
"My Princess, last of noble house Eosin, daughter of Alulia..." the woman whispered quickly and fell at once to her knees. She bent forward and touched her forehead to the floor.
Uncomfortable with such formalities, Talia winced and held her hand out to the lady to help her up.
The woman was older by many years than she herself was, and Talia could see silver hairs wound through the thick black braid which Grieta wore like a crown atop her head. The woman was also many years older than Prince Mikhail, which surprised her somewhat.
"Your highness, you presence under my roof is an honor which I do not deserve and-"
"Oh come now," Talia interrupted, still holding her hand out. "Surely you know that Vezdans do not bow before House Eosin."
"Yes, but I am no longer a citizen of Vezda. In Unaria we are required to bow before our royal family and kneel before the Emperor. How could I show any less respect to one I admire far more?" Grieta explained, slowly climbing to her feet.
Talia glanced at Mikhail and saw that he showed no reaction. Perhaps the two were so comfortable together that it was common for her to casually insult him with her words.
"Please your highness, if you would follow me..." Grieta said bowing again.
She led them to a luxurious boudoir covered in thick patterned rugs, with gold framed painting covering every usable inch of wall space. On one side of the room, a massive four poster bed hung with heavy, velvety red curtains embroidered with golden roses stood as silent testament to the purpose of the space. The other side was dominated by an ornately carved table laid out with expensive delicacies on golden plates.
Grieta indicated that Talia should sit and then immediately took the the seat across from her. The woman's eyes never left her face.
"I have see the Princess before at a great distance, but now... seeing you so close up, I understand why...." Grieta paused and glanced obviously at Prince Mikhail. Talia looked just in time to see a dark scowl on his face, which quickly became expressionless again.
"I understand why so many people say you favor your mother. She was known to be a great beauty," Grieta finished smoothly.
With that pause and exchange of glances, some message was communicated between Mikhail and his lover, of that, Talia was certain. It made her uncomfortable, and strangely agitated.
"I did not come here to be flattered," Talia frowned as Grieta reached for a bottle of wine and then leaned forward to fill the Princess's glass.
Moving faster, Talia covered the rim of her glass and slid it out of Grieta's reach.
"Nor did I come to drink or feast," she continued.
Grieta set the bottle down and bowed her head as if chastised.
"The Princess has come to hear what I know of Queen Ora," Grieta confirmed.
"Yes. There is much about Ora... about her life and her decisions that I do not understand, and Prince Mikhail has informed me that you would be best able to answer my questions," Talia agreed.
"Ask and I will answer to the best of my abilities, Princess," Grieta urged.
Talia frowned while thinking to herself. There were so many things she wanted to know, and yet, she hated the feeling that this bold woman with sharp eyes and a knowing smile knew so much more about her own sister than she did-- and perhaps about Prince Mikhail as well.
"I want to know... what was her reason for leaving Vezda in the first place? What convinced her to lay down arms and give herself up so easily?"
Grieta looked surprised at her words.
"Did she not speak to the Princess before she left Vezda?" She asked.
"She said only that she was going to meet with the Emperor to discuss a peace treaty. She did not say that she would marry him. She did not say that she would not return, and she did not say what had convinced her to trust him enough to travel beyond our defended borders. You can understand that from Vezda's perspective, it appeared to us to be foul play," Talia explained.
Grieta nodded slowly, and behind her sharp eyes she could the woman's mind working furiously. Did it mean she was trying to come up with a lie, or was it only that she was surprised to learn the Princess was unaware of Ora's intentions?
"I suppose... I suppose that I... should start from the very beginning of the story as I learned it from Ora," Grieta mused. "Forgive me then, if I tell you things you already know."
Talia nodded her assent, and sat back against her chair, as though settling herself for a long tale.
"Long ago, when I was but a girl newly taken from the border of Vezda, I was bought at the slave market and added to the harem of the late Emperor Alexsi. I quickly became a favorite, and it was quite by accident that I learned of the prophecy.
"You see, I was in his rooms at the time it was given. Emperor Alexsi had for so long looked for a way to end his family's curse. He had two sons by this point, and each had come at great personal expense and sacrifice. His eldest son had taken many wives, but there was no child from any of his unions. The Emperor had already begun to believe that his sons would have no heirs, no matter what price was paid. He searched for a legendary oracle for more than a decade, and after she was found, and the prophecy was given, he had the mystic beheaded so that it would never be repeated."
Talia nodded. She had heard rumors of the prophecy before-- both in Unaria and Vezda. Ironic that even beheading the speaker had not silenced the tongue. Whispers of the mystic's predictions persisted even to that very day.
"The prophecy ordained that only the elder daughter of a king of Vezda felled by a Unarian sword would end the curse of Unaria's royal line. It was, after all, the eldest daughter of a King of Vezda assisnated by Unaria who laid the curse in the first place.
"And so, Emperor Alexsi was determined to have the eldest daughter of Vezda's King for his son and heir, Grigori. But... in order for the prophecy to come true--"
"The King of Vezda would first have to fall by a sword of Unaria," Talia realized. Beside her, Mikhail did not move or make a sound.
"Yes. Emperor Alexsi sent an offer to the King of Vezda for the hand of his infant daughter that was so insulting, that the King could do nothing but refuse. And so, the war began. However, the King of Vezda was no easy target, and the war dragged on for far longer than anyone had predicted. Emperor Alexsi died before the King was assinated, and it was Emperor Grigori who saw that the King was felled.
"At that point, he made a better offer for the hand of Princess Ora, who was by then, a young lady, but as you well know, this was rejected by your brother, King Oleg. After King Oleg's death, he sent more messengers directly to Ora herself, but the new Queen left not a one alive."
"Until Prince Mikhail," Talia interrupted. "She agreed to meet with Prince Mikhail. Why him? He was the man who killed our father, whose sword had spilled more Vezdan blood than any other soldier or general. What convinced her to ever speak to him?"
Grieta's eyes wandered back to Prince Mikhail, and she studied his face as though waiting for him to give permission. Mikhail frowned and glanced away.
"It was you. She decided to speak with him for your sake, Princess," Grieta said slowly.