“No, I’m fine. I’ll just stay and eat until I’m called upon. Thank you.”

Eventually, the attendants left her to her thoughts. She remained in the chair, tapping her fingers against the desk as she stared into the mirror and watched the stranger who stared back at her with impeccably clean hair and goddess-awful clothes. Amaris’s nose scrunched against the sickening smell of florals, as though she’d been bathed in perfume rather than soapy water. If she didn’t get some fresh air, her stomach would be too unsettled to appreciate dinner. She moved from the bed to the desk to the window, trying to find a comfortable spot to relax while she eyed the unfamiliar coastal food.

Amaris opened the doors to her balcony, enjoying the sea breeze that rushed in as it stole the choking scents of flowers and spiced, coastal foods from her room. Satisfied that the breeze would do its job, she abandoned the balcony in favor of the tiny buffet that had been left for her.

Amaris tried to take at least a few bites of the meal, but her gut was already stuffed with apprehension. It was truly a pity, as she hadn’t seen a meal this fine in her entire life. Not only had fishes and cheeses and vegetables been beautifully plated and seasoned, but chilled fruits and hot pies and caramelized tarts and exotic wines dotted the table in a veritable cornucopia of options. She should have been gorging herself. Instead, she was wasting a once-in-a-lifetime dining opportunity on fretfulness.

Amaris reassured herself that the fear was perfectly natural. Everything was fine, she said. Even if the queen was a nightmare and the meeting went awry, she had nothing to fear. Her power had emboldened her for such a time as this. This was her divine purpose. Amaris would simply command Moirai and her men to stop their bloodshed and hunting of northmen. She would command the queen to release her. She told herself her plan over and over again, using it as a meditation. Everything was fine.

Her words were lies, and she knew it. She couldn’t explain her certainty, but every repetition of her false mantra clanged hollowly through her mind.

Amaris gnawed unenthusiastically on her bread but couldn’t stay still to enjoy her meal. She returned to the grand glass doors of her balcony, wandering outside to view the setting sun while she picked at her loaf. It truly was a marvelous view. The sky colored magnificently on the western coast in a way she’d never seen before. The smell of salt and the ocean spray reached her even from where she stood on the balcony. The birds who dove and cawed near the cliffs were large and wild and unfamiliar in their songs, providing a welcome distraction. The sea was the sort of thing children scribbled with blues in their etchings without ever fully comprehending its vastness. She had been like any other peasant, uncomprehending of true infinity before she’d seen how the horizon met the blue line of the ocean. Her fingers continued to absently move her bread to her mouth, nibbling at the simplest of foods provided to her. Watching the sun change the water from gold to pink as it descended while warm sea air drifted up to her perch was a magical experience.