Anna was right about that, Madia thought, I am almost certain of it. Without doubt this whole unfortunate affair was largely theatrics, all the result of an aging king's boyish posturing, of having too little to occupy his time—a king who would calm himself and come to his senses in due time. He had given her gold enough to live on for several weeks, if she spent it well, but no more. So he apparently planned to come for her long before winter spread across the land. She need only get by until then, prove herself somehow—whatever that involved—and then apologize again to His Pompousness like a good little girl when the time came, as it surely would.
The road curved away from the river then, branching off to the east. She kept to the main way, losing sight of the river as the country c
The road curved away from the river then, branching off to the east. She kept to the main way, losing sight of the river as the country c