Still, she thought, looking down at her utilitarian grey dress, I'll bet those cities have more colors. Not Siri's preference she generally found even Bevalis to be a bit busy for her. A grand city in Xaka, Hudres, or even terrible Hallandren might have exotic sights, but it would be crowded with faceless, shouting, jostling crowds, and haughty noblemen. Women chasing runaway geese, men pulling donkeys laden with spring seed, and children leading sheep on their way to pasture. She liked it the way it was, even with the muddy streets, the thatched cottages, and the boring-yet sturdy-stone walls. Judging by the stories Siri had heard from passing ramblemen, her home was hardly even a village compared with the massive metropolises in other nations. While Bevalis was technically the capital of Idris, it wasn't that big, and everyone knew her by sight. She smiled, walking into the city proper. To another, it might have been offensive. The city got along just fine without Siri-in fact, it tended to do a little better when she wasn't around. Yet even her father would have to admit that her disappearance hadn't caused much inconvenience. People would notice, of course, and she would get into trouble. That meant she could disappear into the wilderness for hours at a time. Siri, however, could get away with being unimportant. Vivenna and Ridger had to focus on their studies Fafen had to do her work in the pastures and homes. Either way, Siri-as fourth child-was redundant.

It was a good thing, too, considering the fact that she was betrothed to a god. Beautiful, poised, perfect in most every way. Siri sighed as she walked down the path back to the city.

He would inherit the throne.Īnd then there was Vivenna. Fafen, the daughter just older than Siri, had done the family duty and become a monk. Fortunately, her father had four living children, and Siri-at seventeen years of age-was the youn gest. True, by many people's standards, Siri wasn't 'unimportant.' She was, after all, the daughter of a king. There were great advantages to being unimportant.

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