Rose Thorns (The Cimmerian Cycle #3)

Chapter 1 - Part 2

He cringed as a door at the far end of the wing was slammed shut. Lady Evrart had done her best to make as big a deal as possible. She was all about performances. She really wasn't angry with Prince Rupert but she had far too much fun watching him apologise afterwards.

She had half a mind to go back to her apartment and complain to some poor servant but she decided that she would go out and enjoy herself. She fiddled with a pin in her long black hair as she walked. She had little care for who the prince's visitors were. As he was the ambassador for his country he was required to business for his countrymen and to be the King of Dayrius' ear in court.

Evrart refused to concern herself with politics. She did simply whatever she pleased, even if it meant breaking the rules.

She swept up the staircase to her small apartment in the east wing. She had lived there her whole life while her other siblings were accommodated in the north wing. It had bothered her at first until she had learnt the truth.

She walked slowly to her floor length mirror that adorned the wall by her beside. She raised a hand and traced a finger slowly across her lips. It was her sister Aysi that was the beautiful one. But Evrart was smarter and she knew it. Her pale blue eyes were brimmed with a burning desire for recognition. Aysi was just a doll for their father to play with.

She fumbled with the hair pin and finally pulled it loose. Her hair cascaded across her light olive skin. Evrart smiled as she checked the height of the neckline of her dress. It was still decent but hovered on the edge of temptation. She took a deep breath. She did not need to change out of what she was wearing to go into town. It wasn't like it would stop her being recognised.

"Pirella," She said to one of her serving women, "Can you please loosen my corset. I can barely breathe."

"Yes my lady," the women rushed forwards and began to adjust the strings. Evrart stared into her reflection. She didn't need to be pretty. She had the gold and the brains and she supposed her cleavage helped a little as well.

"That will be all," she said as soon as Pirella was finished.

"Of course my lady," the woman bowed away.

Evrart didn't turn around to take one last look at her apartment before she left. She was all too familiar with the four poster bed and the black marbled balcony and the rug on the wall which she had covered with little throwing knives.

Her shoes made no noise on the steps down and she already began thinking about how she was going to spend her evening. She knew that there was going to be plenty of wine.

People smiled and bowed to her as she walked past but she ignored them all. She knew what they were really thinking. It did not take Evrart long to find the noisiest and busiest pub in the city. She knew them all off by heart and the streets were her domain. She elbowed her way to the counter of the Haughty Steward Inn and sat down.

"My Lady, how pleasant it is to see you. You are in a little earlier than I expected. Not that you are not welcome of course," the barkeep Tullius said.

"My usual Tullius," Evrart said flicking a gold coin across the counter.

"Right away Lady Evrart," he said as he pushed the coin into his apron and dashed away to his cellar.

Evrart turned around and leant back on the counter. Her father would not approve of her if he saw her now. She figured that what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him and she was certain that he turned a blind eye to her doings anyway.

A young man got up from his table and approached her. She raised an eyebrow.

"Did I overhear him say that your name is Evrart? As in the King's daughter?" he said. He turned around to grin at his friends. All that Evrart noticed was that he was missing a tooth and that his hair was rather slimy.