The Steward’s daughter

Lysana considered herself a simple person. She was not, in fact, very difficult when it came to learning etiquette and whatever else her father considered appropriate for a princess to learn. Never mind she was a princess only by her father's will alone and not by blood. 

In fact, outside her family and maids, no one considered her anything other than the Steward's youngest daughter. 

However, when it came to matters of the court or the sort of political maneuvers her father excelled at, Lysana found herself less than interested. That, however, did not mean she was ignorant of those matters. 

Much to her father's dismay, Lysana preferred the company of books and cats than that of people. She also liked dogs, but they were very noisy and not allowed past the library's front doors. 

And because she enjoyed spending time in the library so much, it meant she often came across unusual books. Like the first hand account of a man who had travelled to the far south and visited one of the monumental lighthouses that dotted the coastline. The lighthouses themselves were mostly a curious relic from a long forgotten past, already old when the first settlers migrated south and built the first villages. But Lysana found herself fascinated by their architecture and function.

There had never been a robust enough trade system that far south to justify the construction of the structures, given the perpetual dense fog that covered the whole region, but there they stood. 

She flipped through the pages, scrutinizing the detailed sketches of the enormous circular stone slabs that had been used to construct them. No one, not even the most dedicated archeologist and scholars, could reach a consensus on how exactly the lighthouses had been built. Or who had built them for that matter. They lacked any significant markings or identifying symbols that could be traced to any of the known kingdoms or ancient civilizations. 

True, the southern kingdoms were less than amenable to allowing outsiders past their borders to explore the lighthouses, so Lysana had to content herself with the scraps of information she had gathered since she had been taught how to read. 

But the book she carried proudly as she hurried out of the library was a treasure she had not even known existed within the library halls. 

"Milady, you must not run too fast," her maid panted behind her, doing her best to keep up with Lysana. "Please, his lordship has already quarreled with you over this rash behavior."

"He quarrels because he thinks it is unbecoming. But I disagree." And with that, Lysana ran faster, feeling a niggle of guilt as her maid was forced to also run faster in order to keeo up. 

She wanted to share her discovery with her father. He might admonish her for her less than appropriate behavior, but he also indulged her never-ending fascination with the lighthouses and the southern glow stones. 

She rushed over the bridge that separated the library from her father's pavilion, startling a few of the servants who went about their business. 

"Sorry," Lysana called back without waiting to see if any of them heard her. 

Her maids' heavy footsteps got more distant as she kept on running. "Milady. Milady!"

Lysana would apologize to the older woman later. Maybe she could venture into town and buy her a box of sweets. 

She approached her father's pavilion from the side, but before she could make her presence known, she heard voices. 

"That brat wants me to go to him," her sister said, huffing out a breath.

"It is merely a show of power. They wish to make us grovel." Her father sighed, his voice sounding uncharacteristically tired. "Accepting your sister's hand in marriage would have been easier, but this was not unexpected."

Lysana's heart tumbled in her chest. She stared, unseeing, at her father's pavilion. Her hand in marriage? Had her father made a proposal to wed Lysana to someone without telling her?

It was not an uncommon thing, she was well aware of that. Especially for the daughters of high-born families. But it still felt like a betrayal that her father, the man who had raised her and her sister by himself, patiently listening to Lysana ramble on and on about old books and strange constructions, would do something like offer her hand in marriage without at the very least letting her know. 

Lysana clutched the book she had discovered to her chest and lowered herself, pressing her body against the wall. 

"Still, I will not marry that good-for-nothing First Prince. Do you know what they say about him?" Her sister asked.

Lysana's body trembled slightly. The First Prince? Her father had offered her hand in marriage to him? 

"Yes, I am well aware of what they say about him. But that is of little consequence to our objectives." Her father sighed again and she heard the sound of clinking porcelain. Tea, they were having tea while they discussed upending Lysana's life as if it meant nothing. As if it were nothing more than just another business transaction. 

Tears threatened Lysana's eyes, but she refused to cry. Not until she knew all the facts and understood better what was going on. 

"So you still intend to go through with it?" Her sister asked. 

There was a pause and Lysana pressed one ear against the wall. 

"Yes," her father finally answered. "Unless you have come up with another solution?"

"Open war is always an option," her sister commented casually.

Lysana's heart felt as if it were being squeezed in one of the book presses she had begged her father to buy when she was younger. Open war? How could her sister suggest something so callous without the slightest hesitation?

"Wars are expensive," her father said. "And I am not yet sure all the Central Lords would support us."

There was an aggressive sound of something hitting wood. Lysana considered if she could get away with peeking through one of the windows, but it was too risky. If they caught her, she might never hear the end of this conversation. Or worse, they would spin lies to try and distract her. 

"All the important houses have pledged themselves to our cause," her sister countered, sounding put off. "Why are we delaying the inevitable?"

Lysana tried to make sense of this side of her sister but found she was unable. Yes, her sister was spoiled and could be petty at times. But which person born into privilege could claim otherwise? Lysana herself could never imagine her life without her expensive books or her maid running behind her. 

"We may control the ports, but we do not have Royal Blood. You know how all those noble houses are about preserving their precious bloodlines." Her father sighed again. "If King Teowan had not given me this title, we would still be grovelling at their feet in the Eastern Capital."

Her sister huffed out a frustrated breathe. "Pointless," she mumbled.

Their father chuckled softly. "Not so pointless, you will see. The few days you suffer on the road will be worth it."

"I still do not understand why Lysana must come along." Her sister's words stole the breath from Lysana's lungs. "She is not aware of our true purpose and she will only get in the way. Mark my words, father."

"It is because she does not know our plan that we need her. And I have spoiled her long enough. Lysana needs to see the real world and understand how it truly works. How is she to find a husband buried under those books all day long?"

Find a husband? So did that mean her father did not intend her to marry the First Prince after all? 

"Perhaps she could marry the librarian himself. I am sure they would make a lovely pair. And with his long years of service, I am certain he set aside a nice pile of gold to enjoy his old age in comfort. Worst case, she would have to suffer him for seven or eight more summers. Ten if she is terribly unlucky." Her sister let out a short laugh.

Lysana's heart contracted at that. Had she been such a terrible younger sister and daughter for her own flesh and blood to treat her so?

"As I said, your sister needs to see more of the world before she can settle down and start giving me grandchildren. Even if the librarian would not be such a bad choice. Perhaps if he is still alive after all of this, I shall consider it."

Lysana covered her mouth to cover the gasp that escaped her. Never mind she had no desire to marry or have children, but the librarian was eighty summers her elder and not attracted to women. Would her father truly not take any of that into consideration in the name of his political maneuvers?

"Milady? Milady?" Her maid called, her voice still distant but growing closer. 

Lysana pressed the book tighter against her chest and her ear against the wall. She only wanted to know when they were leaving so she could prepare herself. 

As if reading her thoughts, her sister asked, "When are we departing?"

"In a few turns, after the hunt to celebrate the First Prince's twentieth summer is done. It would be a shame to spoil the celebrations, after all."