"I want you to watch her. Keep close and follow her. My daughter's not a complete idiot and she won’t take her new position lying down." The queen seemed especially irritated.

Kiana knew people, or at least knew how to observe people. Something old was eating at the Iron Queen and seeing such a powerful woman have a moment of weakness was fascinating.

Also dangerous, she mustn't forget dangerous.

It was that reminder that kept Kiana from speaking her dismay. She was a hero who had completed her journey, she'd been promised honor and esteem, not a position as a spy. She picked her words carefully, "How will we be introduced?"

The queen's eyes flashed, she could tell Kiana had objections. Those green eyes seemed to cut Kiana through, her pride and excitement sliced to the quick, leaving her bare and vulnerable. Fear. The emotion she had determined she would not feel again came slithering back. The cold fact hit Kiana. She had been betrayed—lied to.

Stepping closer, the queen reached out and brushed invisible dust off Kiana's shoulder. "You are the finest weapon ever created and you should take great pride in that."

“I was made to be a hero, not a weapon,” Kiana thought with dismay as the queen continued.

"I see the way you look at other people, you know what makes them tick." The queen's voice was deceptively calm and Kiana suppressed a shiver.

"Is this why you brought me back?" Kiana spoke the words although she knew the answer. There was no resting place here, no life to live, just another game to play. The disappointment was there but it didn't shatter her like she thought it would. That was the truly disturbing part.

“What would you do with a life? You only know how to play a part in other people's, you're a chess piece, a double with no original. “

Those emerald eyes scanned her face again, searching for true defiance.

"You are capable of more than idling away a useless life. You'd be bored out of your mind anyway, I'm doing you a favor. That being said..."

The flicker of steel and then cold metal on her neck. Kiana didn't flinch, it was too easy to separate herself from her body, to take the role of an observer.

Survive to strike.

The whisper of steel slithered about her jaw as the queen continued, "Should you fail me, I will see you broken and reforged. Am I clear?"

"Yes, my queen."

The dagger vanished as suddenly as it came and the queen stepped back, leaning on her desk once more. "Good. As for introductions, I'll leave that in your capable hands. Dismissed." Kiana curtseyed and left the room.

The next few days she studied Princess Fiona.

The princess was earnest, wore her heart on her sleeve and for a while Kiana pitied her. She didn't belong here in the castle of webs and lies.

The princess was kind, going out of her way to help others and was especially tender towards her father. Kiana gathered quickly what kind of a life the man had lived and when his daughter was near, it was touching to watch him bloom like a flower in the sun. Kiana wondered what it would be like to feel such warmth.

The princess was smart, it wasn't long at all before she figured out her mother's game. Kiana watched as horror gripped the princess, realizing how the tables had turned, the father becoming the hostage and the daughter the pawn. Still she didn't break, she maneuvered, toeing the lines to find out exactly where the walls that had been placed around her were.

Lastly the princess was beautiful, she had the same sharp cheekbones as her mother but the bright blue eyes of her father. Her hair was dark gold and when the light caught it, it dazzled.

Yet, despite her resemblance to her mother and the other courtesans of the palace, the princess was clearly out of place. She moved about with some uncertainty, eyes dark with lack of sleep and troubles.

“She needs a friend.”

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The pieces clicked into place, the perfect spot for Kiana to fit into. Kiana waited for her chance.

It came when the princess was practicing her swordplay, an activity she threw herself into with fervor and clearly meant more to her than mere exercise. Kiana waited in the shadows until Fiona stepped out the side to take a break, her naked sword rested idly in her hand.

Kiana hefted the fabrics she'd gathered and once they were high enough to block her face, she walked out at the edge of the courtyard quickly, rounding the corner fast to crash into Fiona.

"Woah, watch out!" The princess's warning came too late and in a jumble of fabric and arms, Kiana toppled into her. Gritting her teeth in the chaos, Kiana leaned, letting her thigh run against the sharp sword.

"Ah!" she cried out and when the swatches of geometric printed fabric fell still, her blood dripped onto them. Fiona got to her knees and leaned forward, sword carefully placed to her side.

"Oh Stars, are you alright?"

"I think I cut myself," Kiana said with a hiss of pain, lifting her torn skirt to show the bloody gash.

"I'm so sorry! Quickly, wrap it up." Fiona grabbed a piece of already bloodstained fabric and deftly held it to the wound.

Fiona finished tying her makeshift bandage. She looked at Kiana with those blue eyes, soft with kindness. "Can you walk?"

Kiana winced but tried to stand, taking the princess's offered arm. It was steady and strong, lifting Kiana to her feet. However, when Kiana took a step, she gave a sharp cry of pain and Fiona bit her lip.

"We're not far from my room, do you mind if I carry you?"

Fiona reached down and picked up her sword, giving it a look before sheathing it at her side. With Kiana’s consent, Fiona swept her up with a grunt. "I'm sorry again, but don't worry, I'll have you patched up in no time. I'm Fiona by the way."

Kiana conspicuously stared at the gold circlet on Fiona's brow and opened and closed her mouth. Fiona gave a shrug, shifting her grip on Kiana. "You can call me princess, or Your Highness if it makes you more comfortable, but Fiona is really fine."

They reached the princess's room, the guard eyeing them suspiciously, and Fiona carefully placed Kiana on the bed. Just as Kiana expected, Fiona shut the door on the guard and moved to treat Kiana herself. As Fiona went to fetch some supplies, Kaina frowned.

"I'm so sorry, princess, I should have watched where I was going."

Fiona waved a hand. "It's alright, I really should have been more careful with my sword. My uncle would be furious if he knew I'd been careless with it." For a moment her face went dark but then she smiled and sat on the bed beside Kiana, laying a small pile of things next to her. "Alright, let's take a look at this."

Gently she removed the makeshift bandage and again Kiana sucked in her breath with only slightly exaggerated pain. With a wet towel, Fiona wiped the wound. "It's not too deep, maybe a few stitches in the middle. Here hold this on, it'll numb you a bit."

Kiana took the proffered piece of fabric smeared with some sort of poultice and held it to her leg, the pain did start to disappear. Fiona stood to hold a needle over a flame before returning to kneel at the bed.

"Is it going to hurt?" Kiana asked in a nervous voice.

Fiona gave her a soft smile. "A bit, but I'll be quick and the poultice should help. There's a piece of leather to bite on if you'd like but it really will be fast."

After a nod from Kiana, Fiona poked the needle through her dark skin. Four or five quick stitches and she cut the thread and patted Kiana's knee. "There we are, you alright?"

With a smile, Kiana answered, "Yes, thank you. I didn't realize Valhym royalty were such good doctors."

Fiona flushed a bit. "Well, I don't know if it's really a royal thing, but my mother has always been a big believer in medicine."

Kiana watched Fiona's face carefully as the princess did the, now familiar, process of forcing herself to not think more on her family before putting another smear of medicinal smelling cream on the cut and wrapping it in a clean bandage.

"Are you new in the palace?" Fiona asked.

Kiana shook her head. "I've been here a few weeks. I'm one of Master Zeke's assistants."

She actually had been working with Zeke for the past few days to establish her cover. The Duskar merchant was handsomely rewarded, properly warned, and helped Kiana look her part. Her old Azir clothes were replaced with more Duskar influenced, even her coiled hair traditionally cornrowed on one side.

Fiona hesitated at Zeke’s name, as Kiana expected, and she filled in the blank, "He's the merchant from the Duskar Archipelago."

With that Fiona's eyes light up with recognition but Kiana put a hand over her mouth in embarrassment. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I mean Zalhym. Forgive me."

Kiana's use of the new name for the Archipelago, the new name for it's Jarldom, put up a small wall between the two girls and Fiona leaned forward, eager to bring it back down.

"Don't worry about it," she said, standing up so she could move to sit beside Kiana. "What are the islands like?"

In truth, Kiana had never actually been to the Duskar Archipelago, although from her dark skin she guessed her parents were from there. Not that she ever knew her parents. Nonetheless, she had done her research and answered with a small laugh. "Very wet. It rains a lot but it's much warmer than here."

"That's what I've read. So Zeke, he sells...?"

"Fabrics mostly." At that Kiana looked up in alarm and Fiona slapped her forehead.

"Oh shoot. Hold on." Fiona ran to the door and stuck her head out. "Hey Donald, could you go get the fabric from the courtyard. Thanks, hopefully no one's stepped on it."

She popped her head back in. "We can go have them washed if they're dirty. I don't want you to get in any trouble." She cocked her head. "What's your name by the way."

"Kiana. My name is Kiana."