“Sure, let’s all bathe together.” Verne snorted, heaving their packs into the room they’d booked. She looked at Aalis and put her hands on her narrow hips. “That wouldn’t have been awkward at all!”

“You made a brilliant excuse for an escape.” Aalis smiled.

“What about you, slipping away before we got to LeMewn’s front door?” Verne shook her head. “Now that was an escape.”

Aalis sighed and sat on the bed closest to her. “How am I going to escape tonight?”

Verne sat on the opposite bed. “I don’t know.” She admitted. “Can you feign illness?”

Aalis shook her head. “I do not need to feign attire. Judd was right. We are not dressed well enough for a supper invitation with a lord.”

Verne laid back on the bed and glared at the curtains. “You couldn’t make something dazzling out of those, could you? Oof!” She sat up and threw the pillow back at Aalis then looked around. “I don’t think we’ll be able to afford to stay here long.”

“It is the nicest place we have stayed.” Aalis admitted. “Verne…how are you going to bathe?”

“Hmm? Oh, those places usually have his and hers bathing rooms. I’ll just duck into the female bath.” Verne stretched her arms then grimaced. “I stink…and all my clothes stink…”

They both sat up at the knock on the door, Verne scrambling for her bandana that helped hide what she thought of as her feminine face shape. Aalis stood up and at Verne’s prepared nod, called softly,

“Who is it?”

“Aalis, it’s me, Judd.”

She opened the door and allowed Judd to come in, still ruffling his hair vigorously. The dampness made his hair even curlier than it was prone to be.

“Giordi not with you?” Verne asked.

“While he insisted on haste, the way he sank into the bath told me he didn’t intend on following his own advice.” Judd shook his head. “You two go and I’ll try to work out what I’m wearing.”

Aalis kept watch as Verne hastily undressed and climbed into the bath. Thankfully it was approaching supper time for most of the families in Quarre so the baths, the female side at any rate, was empty.

“What is it like?” Aalis asked softly. She heard a soft bubbling noise and glanced over her shoulder. Verne had completely submerged herself into the water, all detail obscured by steam. She grasped the edge and drew herself up slightly to lean on the lip of the bath. “Good?”

“Not the cleanest water but so warm. You getting in?” Verne frowned at Aalis’ hesitation. “I’ll close my eyes.”

“I am sorry…I have never bathed with anyone else before.” Aalis heaved her gown off, hanging it from a hook, threw any undergarments she was wearing over her discarded shoes then gingerly slid into the water. “Oh…that is so nice!”

She sank to her shoulders, her hands tying her dreadlocks up into a knot. Verne peeked out of one eye and seeing Aalis was happily situated, reclined in the water.

“You know, when I think of quests, of knights travelling and heroes conquering…I never imagine that they would get dirty.” Verne stuck a foot out of the water and glared at her toenails. “They never have ingrown toenails or stink from days of wearing the same thing…and as for that wretched blood rush every new moon…” Verne saw Aalis look away and sighed. “Sorry…I’m a little blunt. Raised by a father and seven brothers…if I needed to know something feminine there was no delicacy in telling me. And when things like that monthly issue happened…well, all my brothers knew about it. Verne’s in a ladylike way or Verne’s still a virgin.” She tapped her teeth together. “As if any man would have anything to do with someone like me.”

“That is the trade off, is it not?” Aalis rubbed her soap into bubbles. “You have the advantage of not being treated like Sir Egrette treats women but you do miss out on some things.”

“What? Like falling in love?” Verne snorted.

“Well, yes I suppose.” Aalis frowned. “Verne, what if a woman were to approach you?”

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Verne laughed. “I have nothing to worry about. I’d just wait for Giordi to smile at them and they would be distracted by his radiant good looks and ridiculous charm. He has greater accuracy with women than he does with a bow.”

Aalis laughed with her. “I take it archery lessons have not been a huge success?”

“I think if he applied himself, he could be quite good…but he spent half of our last lesson making lovey eyes at the sunset.” Verne scrubbed her hair and scalp until her skin tingled then rinsed it vigorously. “If my brothers ever caught me looking at the sunset like that, I would never have heard the end of it. Ooh, Verne’s gone all girlie again…”

Aalis did her best to dry herself with the towel she was given, dressing in her clothes that felt unforgivably filthy now that she was so clean.

“Verne,” she said softly, “I do not wish to cast dispersions upon your family or the way they brought you up as I know they do love you,” she glanced at Verne who was scraping her fingers through her hair until it was pulled back from her face before she tied her bandana on, “but is it possible you resent your female nature?”

“More than possible really.” Verne admitted quietly, tying the ties of her boots. She had one on then put it down, looking up, staring at nothing. “I used to think, I’ve been born into the wrong body…surely the mistake is not with the world…it’s with me.”

Aalis blinked. “You called it a curse, once.”

“Well…maybe not a curse…” Verne shrugged, stomping her foot into her other boot. “It’s just…I don’t think there’s a place in this world for someone like me. Not a girl pretending to be a boy. Just…me.”

“Maybe there will be, one day.” Aalis said softly. “You can be known as being a woman, as tough and as brave as any knight and as feminine as a queen even in trousers and boots.”

Verne’s blue eyes were cloudy and sad. “That sounds like one of Giordi’s lyrical fantasies.” She sighed and made sure her bandana was in place. “We should get back.”

When Aalis and Verne returned to the tavern, they discovered their beds covered in clothing, Giordi making ‘tutting’ noises as Judd rearranged outfits.

“It’s no use, I tell you,” Judd lamented, “there is no way of rearranging anything we own to make it half decent.” He looked up as they entered. “Nice bath?”

“Yes, thank you.” Aalis felt her skin warm and ducked her head, pretending to study the clothes. “Oh dear…”

“You see our problem.”

“If we had arrived an hour earlier, we might have been able to purchase new shirts at least.” Verne folded his arms. “Although we need new boots…”

“I think there is nothing for it.” Giordi decided. “We’re going to have to come up with one reasonably good outfit…and the rest of us will just cry poor.”

“What about this tunic…”

They all started at the knock on the door. Judd opened it to discover two servants standing upon the threshold. “We have been sent from Lord LeMewn’s house with a gift for Judd LaMogre and company.”

“A gift?” He glanced at the others then back to the servants. “Please, tell His Lordship that no gift is…”

“It is not from His Lordship.” They announced and without asking permission, walked into the room, taking stock of those in it and handing a parcel to each of them. Then they bowed and left, closing the door behind. Without being able to think of a single thing to say, they each unfolded the soft leather parcels.

“No…is this possible?” Judd held up a dark green shirt with an open neck that could be tightened or loosened with a tie and the cuffs were the same way. There was a pair of trousers beneath the shirt in dark brown with ties at the waist, a baggier fit from hips to knees then they tapered in to allow them to tuck into boots. “With a quick polish, my boots might do these justice!”

Aalis looked at Verne who held a white shirt with similar ties as Judd’s although the fit was slimmer and the trousers included were tapered from waist to cuff, with tie lacing down the outer legs.

“You will cut a very trim figure in that, Verne.” Aalis noted. “Giordi, blue is your colour!”

Giordi held the cornflower blue shirt up to his beaming face, his trousers in the same style as Judd’s but in black.

“Very striking.” Giordi chortled.

“Who did this, do you suppose?”

“Not His Lordship, going by the servant’s insinuation.” Giordi mused. “Maybe Her Ladyship…”

“You’re hoping.” Verne rolled his eyes.

“What about you, Aalis?” Judd asked.

“Oh…” Aalis took a breath, grasped the top of the garment and let the parcel fall away. It was a two piece dress with the underdress in calico with long sleeves and a gathered neckline that could be drawn across in a straight line or allowed to rest on top of the shoulders, causing the neckline to turn into a gentle U shape. The overdress was a bodice corset with thick straps over the shoulders, laced loosely or tightly depending on the shape of the woman wearing it and a split skirt, allowing the calico to show through. The bodice skirt was in a similar cornflower blue fabric as Giordi’s shirt.

“You’ll look lovely in that.” The minstrel admired.

“The blue will really bring out your eyes.” Judd added. Aalis just stared at the dress in her hands. Judd cleared his throat, took her arm and led her outside, shutting the door. He turned to her in the corridor, her rapid breathing alarming him. “Aalis, what is it?”

“I cannot do it.” She rasped in a hollow voice. “I cannot go into his house…I cannot dine at the table…they will see me and know what I am…”

“Aalis, Aalis listen to me. You don’t look like a witch!” Judd insisted.

“That is because you have become numb to my presence!” Aalis drew back from him. “Judd, when we first met, what did you think?”

Judd blinked. “That you were beautiful…and lonely.”

Aalis went pink and closed her eyes. “I…I meant afterwards…”

“You have never been a witch to me and I’ll fight anyone who says so.”

Aalis put her hand on his arm. “Please,” she implored brokenly, “I beg of you Judd…do not ask this of me.”

Judd wanted to argue. He wanted to prove her wrong.

“If that’s what you want.” He let go of his own agenda and stepped back.

“It is what I want.”