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They get to Casasha. Shara gets her cream puff and her fruit. Strangers incline their heads to her and call her "pennon"; a few recognize her personally or just know that there aren't any other Swanpennons her age and call her "princess". Casasha is pretty densely populated - there's farmland in parts of it, but the place the wilds spit them out in isn't it; it's a largish city by the source of the river they've been following, and after they spend a night in an inn there - and their horses are more thoroughly seen to than is possible on the trail - they'll be proceeding on a well-trafficked highway to the royal household.
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"Crown lives in the throne room under guard," says Shara, and she leads the way towards the throne room.
There, she proves that she is herself both by looking like herself and by demonstrating that she can do metaravelry and therefore cannot also be doing shapeshifting (she turns her back and Kayam makes a tiny space fold, which Shara finds unerringly on the first try and pokes her finger through to tap a guard on the nose from four feet away). They let her have the crown.
It looks like an inch-tall half-inch-thick ring of mirror-bright platinum, no diamonds at all.
Till Shara goes and ceremoniously kneels before the heir throne to the right of the regnant throne, and puts it on her head.
Then an invisible seam opens up, dividing the ring into a top and a bottom, and it proves to be hollow.
Well, hollow of platinum, anyway. It contains quite a lot of radiant-cut flawless diamonds, which float between the two rings, rolling in a slow languid circle clockwise around Shara's head.
"Is - is it working? I can't see," Shara asks, shaking with excitement.
There, she proves that she is herself both by looking like herself and by demonstrating that she can do metaravelry and therefore cannot also be doing shapeshifting (she turns her back and Kayam makes a tiny space fold, which Shara finds unerringly on the first try and pokes her finger through to tap a guard on the nose from four feet away). They let her have the crown.
It looks like an inch-tall half-inch-thick ring of mirror-bright platinum, no diamonds at all.
Till Shara goes and ceremoniously kneels before the heir throne to the right of the regnant throne, and puts it on her head.
Then an invisible seam opens up, dividing the ring into a top and a bottom, and it proves to be hollow.
Well, hollow of platinum, anyway. It contains quite a lot of radiant-cut flawless diamonds, which float between the two rings, rolling in a slow languid circle clockwise around Shara's head.
"Is - is it working? I can't see," Shara asks, shaking with excitement.
in_tatters
Adarin grins and laughs. "Looks like I don't have to make faces at it after all. Congrats, Shara."
Shara grins from ear to ear and gets up and sits in her throne and flings her arms in the air and whoops.
Her parents and Kayam all rush forward to hug her at about the same time and manage it, more or less.
Her parents and Kayam all rush forward to hug her at about the same time and manage it, more or less.
in_tatters
Adarin's a bit more reserved, and therefore doesn't rush to hug her, but he does grin and look generally supportive.
The crown continues to do its lazy diamond spinning, although it turns out that if Shara tilts her head far enough to her left it will go counterclockwise instead. She hugs back her huggy well-wishers and then gets up and twirls and says, "Well. I have been traveling for weeks. I want an outfit that I have not worn since I left and a not-at-an-inn bath and an hour with a fresh notebook. You," she says, pointing at one of the guards who was previously guarding the crown, "please show my rescuees to some guest rooms and send them a house servant to make sure they're comfortable, and then tell the captain he's not going to need a watch over my crown because it is now spoken for!"
The guard bows to her and says, "This way," to the twins.
The guard bows to her and says, "This way," to the twins.
try_me
"Eeeeeee a palace," says Zeviana brightly. "We go to fun places, now, I like her."
The guard shows them to a pair of guest rooms and sends them a maid who asks if there's anything the rooms don't have that would make them more comfortable as Her Highness's guests.
Also, the maid winks at Adarin when she mentions Her Highness.
Also, the maid winks at Adarin when she mentions Her Highness.
in_tatters
Adarin... Does not know how to feel about this. He goes with not emoting. Not emoting is good.
Then the maid asks if they're going to be attending the heir's announcement party and informs them that if so they're going to need formal wear. There is heavy emphasis on formal: she obviously doesn't believe these people have laid eyes on a sufficiently formal garment in their lives.
try_me
Zeviana looks at her, coldly.
She's low born, certainly, she's pretty sure she hasn't seen a garment formal enough in her life. But despite that - the way she's looking at the maid, she's a fucking queen.
"If I go anywhere," she says archly, "you can be damn sure I'll be dressed for it."
"Excuse me," says the maid. "I only wanted to know if you needed something spare tailored for you."
in_tatters
"That would be great, we'd love to go," says Adarin, awkwardly. "Uh - something spare tailored, please?"
"All right then," says the maid, and she produces a tape measure and measures various parts of Adarin and then looks expectantly at Zeviana.
The maid measures her and then goes away again.
pleating
Kayam, in a change of clothes - out of the riding outfit, into an outfit that is less durable but still features pants instead of a skirt - swings by their hall a bit later. "Hi, guys!"
pleating
"Oh, did you get her name? I know the housekeeper, I can get you assigned somebody else if you want."
pleating
"Well, get her name next time, otherwise I can't do anything. How do you like the palace besides that?"