There was meaning in that, and it was not lost upon Kordas. The Dolls lived as slaves by being merely adequate, and they manifested their resentment of their enslavement by expending not a bit more effort than was required. If they had put extra effort into these shirts, it meant that they considered him to be worthy of it.

I didn’t expect vrondi to be so knowledgeable about humans and our emotions. But Star said that what one knows, they can all know. Maybe they have collectively gained an in-depth understanding of humans?

Star helped Kordas remove the loose shirt he’d slept in, and drew the new stormcloud shirt into place. Kordas ran his hands down its sleeves and sides. “It’s perfect,” he said softly. The cloth was as soft as his comfortably worn shirt had been, despite being new. There was barely a scent of dye, either.

He loaded up on breakfast before dressing in anything more, feeling strangely more “himself,” despite the fact that what the shirt symbolized in his past was not flattering in every way. If I am going to be Kordas, he thought, I should be all of Kordas, not just the pretty parts on the outside.

“Where am I allowed to go?” he asked Star when he had finished.

“You are expected to be at luncheon and the Court afterward,” Star temporized. “There is but a candlemark or two before that.”

“Can I visit my horses?” he asked.

Star quieted, which he knew now meant that the Doll was talking to other Dolls.

“The Chargers have already been sent to the War,” Star told him. “The Fleetfoots have been sent to the racing stables of Duke Holiger, an Imperial favorite. The Sweetfoots are replacing palfreys that have become too old, so you may visit them, and the Golds are in their own special quarters, which you may also visit.”

He really did not want to think about the palfreys that were being “replaced.” Back home, they’d be sent to gentle retirement around the Duchy, as children’s mounts. If Delia had not already had her pony, for instance, he’d probably have sent her a retired Sweetfoot.

Dog food, he concluded sadly. The Emperor had no place for anything that could no longer serve its purpose.

“Have I time for two changes of coat and waistcoat?” he asked.

“Yes, my Lord,” Star replied, and went to the wardrobe, bringing out two of his old garments from Valdemar, as if the Doll had read his mind.

He got the garments on without Star’s help, and entered the antechamber, approaching the Gate. “The stables,” he said, and stepped through.