The Goatherder

The unfamiliar voice, and its gruffness, immediately startled her. Rache took a step back. "O-oh. Hello?"

She blinked her eyes a few times. The man was staring at her, his head tilted, the sun catching in his long blonde hair. He had some freckles on his face and he had what she considered an unpleasant, unfriendly expression.

It wasn't that she was unused to unfriendliness.

It was simply abrupt, when she was in the middle of such a pleasant interaction with Fiadh and Darry.

"Uh...I..."

"Hello there, sir! The princess here wants to talk with you."

Oh, thank Fiadh.

The man's eyebrows knit together.

She wanted to take a step back, but she knew she couldn't - and that she shouldn't - so she tried to straighten herself up. If she were the actual Airie, this man should respect her position.

And, as he ought to believe that's exactly who she was, it was her best bet.