Ayisulu was not nervous.
She simply preferred to avoid situations where powerful people asked too many questions, stared too deeply, or tried to unravel the secrets she worked very hard to keep perfectly tangled.
So walking beside Prince Arslan was… inconvenient.
Especially because he did not walk like an ordinary noble.
Ordinary nobles liked slow, dramatic steps.
Arslan walked with purpose, speed, and a sense that he was already five thoughts ahead of everyone else.
Ayisulu had to match his pace without looking like she was trying.
A difficult task.
"So," Arslan began as they moved away from the crowd, "your village is small, yet remarkably well-organized."
"It's organized because Akkem the matchmaker threatens to curse anyone who leaves things messy," Ayisulu replied.
"That explains much," Arslan said thoughtfully. "Fear is an effective motivator."
Ayisulu almost tripped. She forgot that he said terrifying things calmly, as if discussing weather.
He stopped near a hill overlooking the steppe.
The wind was cool, horses grazed below, and dark clouds gathered somewhere far in the west.
"I want to understand this region," Arslan said. "Its risks, its people, its culture."
Ayisulu folded her arms.
"Why? We are not important."
Arslan gave her a look. Sharp. Too observant.
"Small places often hide the most interesting secrets."
She did not like that answer.
But before she could reply, someone approached quickly.
Someone dressed in royal colors.
Someone who sparkled even in daylight.
Princess Kanykei.
Her arrival caused a dramatic shift in the air. Half the wind seemed to bow; even the grass looked suddenly more polite.
Kanykei was known across the Khanate:
beautiful,
brilliant,
terrifyingly ambitious.
And currently staring at Ayisulu like she had just found a scorpion in her shoe.
"Oh," she said sweetly, "I didn't realize the prince was conducting political surveys with village girls now."
Ayisulu smiled politely.
She wasn't intimidated—she simply disliked unnecessary drama.
Arslan, however, did not waste a second.
"She is my guide," he said. "She notices things others do not."
Kanykei blinked, then laughed softly.
"How impressive. Does she also interpret bird calls? Count raindrops? Predict when goats will faint?"
Ayisulu considered replying honestly ("yes, actually"), but decided against it.
Instead, she bowed politely.
"Welcome, Princess. If you need help finding the bathhouse, I can show you."
Kanykei's smile froze at the edges.
Arslan's lips twitched—almost a smile.
But before the situation could escalate, heavy footsteps sounded behind them.
Kereg, Arslan's bodyguard, had arrived.
He looked at Ayisulu as if inspecting a suspicious artifact.
"My Prince," he said. "A word."
Arslan motioned for him to speak openly.
Kereg glanced at Ayisulu again.
"…She is unusual."
Ayisulu crossed her arms. "I am standing right here."
"Yes," Kereg said. "That is the unusual part."
Ayisulu had never wanted to throw a rock at anyone more in her life.
The bodyguard continued in a tone that was somehow both respectful and brutally honest:
"She moves quietly. Watches everything. Knows things she should not know. Either she is dangerous… or she is useful."
Kanykei raised an eyebrow.
Arslan stayed silent, analyzing her reaction.
Ayisulu sighed.
"I'm not dangerous," she said.
Then added, just to be safe: "Most of the time."
Arslan finally spoke.
"Kereg is rarely wrong," he said, eyes on her. "But I'm beginning to think you are both."
Ayisulu blinked. "Both what?"
"Useful," he said. "And dangerous."
Kanykei looked offended that she was no longer the most interesting person present.
Ayisulu looked offended because she worked very hard to appear ordinary.
Kereg just nodded, satisfied with his evaluation.
The situation was saved—or made worse—by a sudden shout from Temir, who ran toward them waving his arms like a frightened goose.
"Ayisulu! Ayisulu!" he yelled. "Your grandmother says come home immediately!"
Ayisulu paled.
Arslan and Kanykei exchanged curious glances.
"Is it serious?" Arslan asked.
Temir gulped dramatically.
"She said it was… urgent."
Ayisulu closed her eyes.
Urgent could mean two things:
1. Someone was dying.
2. Someone found out about her dream last night.
She was really hoping for the first.
Ayisulu bowed to the prince and princess.
"I must go. Immediately."
Arslan nodded. "I will continue the survey tomorrow. Meet me at sunrise."
Kanykei smirked. "Do try to bring something more impressive than horse predictions next time."
Ayisulu smiled sweetly.
"Oh, don't worry. Tomorrow's dream looked much more dramatic."
Arslan's eyebrows lifted slightly.
Kanykei froze.
Kereg muttered, "…Dangerous."
And Ayisulu walked away quickly, trying not to think about the dream she had seen last night:
A burning caravan.
A stranger's face.
A blade glinting in the dark.
And Arslan… falling.
She really, really hoped she had interpreted it wrong.