More Talk

Astra was a little taken aback. She had never thought of herself as being particularly innocent. However it was true that her experience of life outside Aqualaria was very limited, having been confined to a few official visits to neighbouring countries. There had been no chance to meet the ordinary people on those visits. She naturally knew from her studies that Aqualaria's culture was very different from that of other countries, but only now was she coming to realise just what that difference might mean for an ordinary woman.

Zari went on: "Perhaps you wouldn't want to be a courtesan. That's very understandable. But I'm sure that you could do very well as an actress or a dancer."

"Thank you," Astra said, "but I am very happy as a blacksmith."

"Well, I'm sure you know best," Zari said, though Astra could tell that she did not really think so. "So what is a blacksmith doing do far away from home?" Before Astra could say anything, Zari added: "There, everything is ready for you to try on now. I expect that I shall have to make a few minor alterations once I see how the clothes fit you. The other major item that we haven't talked about yet is shoes. Slippers would have been by far the easiest, but if you are walking all the way back to Corona then you will need something more hard-wearing."

"I'll be riding rather than walking, so slippers would be fine," Astra replied, anxious to get away as soon as possible. She slipped on the blouse as she spoke.

"Well, you know best. And it's true that slippers would be easier on those blisters that I've noticed on your feet. Now you were about to tell me about how you came to be in Hespan."

Astra had hoped that Zari had forgotten about that. She stepped into the skirt and pulled it up as she said: "I was paying a visit to my sister. She married a man from Hespan and they live in Corona. I was on my homeward journey when I was robbed."

"I see... I'll have to take in the waist of the skirt a bit, I think, but the blouse seems a good fit. Now if you'd try on the doublet over the blouse, please... But surely you can't possibly have travelled all the way from Gana on your own?"

Astra did not hear the question, since she had suddenly had a horrible thought. If she would be wearing a skirt, that almost certainly meant that she would be expected to ride side-saddle, something which she had never done in her life. Of course, at the moment she did not have a saddle at all, whether of the conventional or of the side-saddle style, and she would be reliant on Gorbeh lending her one. That reminded her of something else that she needed to worry about, namely that Gorbeh must have noticed that her horse did not have a saddle and would surely have thought it very odd. He had not mentioned it to her, though. Not so far, anyway. If he brought it up, would he find plausible an answer that the thief must have stolen the horse's saddle but not its bridle or the horse itself?

"Hello, is anyone home?" Zari asked with a grin, seeing that Astra was lost in thought.

"Sorry," Astra responded. "What was it you asked me again?"

"How you could have travelled all the way from Gana on your own, assuming that you did? It doesn't seem possible. There are so many dangers."

1. Astra comes up with an answer.
2. Before Astra can answer, Gorbeh knocks on the door, then calls: "Astra Khanom, an estate worker has just brought in what must be your clothes, which he stumbled on. They are rather odd, and there was a sword with them."

Add New Option

Go Back

View Forward Story Tree
View Back Story Tree