After dinner had finished, Shae made her way back to her room as they were told to do. Miss Linnath followed her down the hall and into their shared room.

“Tell me when the tailor gets here…if it isn’t too much trouble for you,” she said over her shoulder before going into her bedroom and shutting the door.

With no idea what else to do, Shae went to her room, retrieved her needlepoint, and sat at the table stitching. Her mother would sit and wait like this as well, if told.

She stared at the sun she was stitching into the fabric, which shone down on a vase of blooming flowers. She wondered what their fragrance would be like if they were in the room. The garden she had come across had smelled beautiful. She would have to go again and enjoy it more. Shae wondered how many gardens like that might be within the castle walls. Surely it was not only the one.

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Shae walked around the city until the clock tower announced that it was quarter to six. The marketplace in the lower city was loud and noisy, but there was so much going on to watch.

By the time she made it back to the dining hall, there were already a number of people there. Kwen immediately waved her over to a table that held half of its eight-person occupancy.

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Kwen was so excited about being here, it was a shame things were so boring. She had already completely unpacked her trunk and organized her things several times over. She had straightened a lopsided curtain over her future roommate’s window and smoothed away every visible wrinkle from the bed. There were so many new and unfamiliar smells here.

The rooms were rather small. There was little room to do anything. She couldn’t wait to find out what her roommate would be like. She sat at the desk for a few minutes, then got up and checked on her bedroom, which still looked the same as when she’d left it. Then she scanned the books on the bookshelf. The History of Graymane, The Health of the Body, and Political Dance were only some of the numerous titles. It looked like part of being a candidate was studying. She blanched at the thought.

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It was still several hours until dinner and even the larger sitting room felt small and stuffy. There were no windows in it to open for air, so Shae decided to go out for some while familiarizing herself with the new surroundings. The halls were still rather busy but she just kept her head down and exited the building as politely as she could.

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Shae was reading a book and Kwen was rolling a ball on the floor for Shamal when the letters came. One each was addressed to Shae and Kwen.

Kwen pulled hers open immediately and beamed. “I was accepted!”

Shae hesitated, looking at the blue wax impressed with the queen’s seal. Kwen had been accepted. What if she was denied? How long would it be until she saw Kwen again?

“You going to open yours, Shae?” Kwen asked.

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