Inscribed In The Stars

Chapter 4

"Did you hear the latest news from the Palace? Word has it that the Amira was seen with the Foreign Prince,"

Dalia almost let the jar of honey slip from her grip. Her eyes dashed to the stall owner and her neighbour, making sure to adjust the Shaila she had wrapped over her nose and mouth.

She had slipped out of the Palace, borrowing from the servant wardrobe to form her disguise of just another one of the many women who worked at the Palace. It was her favourite pastime and a breather from the shackles of her heritage. The Palace had particular farms they ordered from in bulk but she loved discovering the underestimated merchants, granting them recognition when she ordered for the Palace.

But today's trip had been nothing but the opposite. Everywhere she went, the people were chatting away about the latest gossip from the Palace. And of course, it had everything to do with her.

Everyone knew about the marriage alliance.

The neighbour raised her eyebrows and the stall owner nodded furiously.

"And not just that, they seemed quite cosy with each other,"

Dalia almost let out a snort. She shook her head, fully aware of how exaggerated the rumours could get. Despite this, she was still surprised that word had travelled this fast past the city gates. She made a note to bring up the issue of loose lips with Raysa once she returned.

She placed the jar down and moved onto the neighbouring stall which displayed a vibrant selection of dried flowers, herbs and teas. The aroma had already drawn her closer, scents of rose petals, jasmine and lavender buds, tea leaves and chamomile dancing in the early morning breeze, whispering tales of their origins to the winds. Dalia instinctively reached for the buds of Jasmine. She bought it up to her nose, inhaling the sweet scent slowly.

It was her favourite fragrance, and her mother's too.

"Does that mean she has agreed? To the marriage proposal?"

Dalia paused.

"Why else would she be with the Prince?"

It was by chance? She thought, the words hanging off at the tip of her tongue.

"But was she not against going?"

Her brows furrowed. How was it that everyone knew so much about the details of what was going on in the Palace?

Dalia bit her tongue. She couldn't risk giving away her identity. Ever. If her father knew of her secret getaways, his trust for her would be like glass shattering, impossible to piece back together.

"Is it not a relief she is going? An alliance like this is something we have needed for decades," The tea lady hummed, placing a hand on her chin in thought.

"Right, the nation has been tense by the recent division of power around the borders, and it is only making us an easier target to everyone,"

They were referring to her extended family's latest quarrel; the passing of one of the King's brothers had sparked a feud among his inheritors. Dalia had caught a whiff of the drama but never had it occurred to her that the tension was also being watched closely by others.

"We should be grateful that Balqaas have chosen us to ally with rather than attempting to evade us again,"

"And then there are the rumours of foreign threats across the seas,"

Dalia's felt her pulse quicken, her eyes glancing back to the two stall owners conversing. They hadn't noticed her frantic look and continued gossiping loudly, earning weary looks from other merchants nearby.