The boats were decorated with the purple bell flowers Leyla had only seen from afar. Wrapped in garlands at the front and back, they gave off a light cinnamon smell that helped distract her from the water that surrounded them. Still, she couldn't help feeling a sliver of nerves at the sight. 

"Are you alright?" Lady Delphine leaned close, trying not to be overheard by the five other passengers in their boat.

"Of course she is! You don't know La- I mean, you don't know the Consort well enough. Fear doesn't exist in her vocabulary." Michael said from her other side. His whisper was loud enough to carry not only to all the other passengers on their boat, but also to those in the boat in front of theirs.

"Be quiet, will you?" Leyla frowned at Michael, then smiled at Delphine's parents and the Book Keeper who were all sending quizzical glances their way.

"Consort, it is wonderful to have a chance to speak to you at last," Delphine's father spoke up from his seat two rows ahead. He was a portly man with a short greying beard and eyes that appeared too large for his face. Delphine's beauty was definitely inherited from her mother, the dainty brunette who sat quietly beside her much larger husband. "We were all astounded to hear that you took the Prorex on a trip to Asch before your return from the Warrior Kingdom. What is it like over there?"

Took him on a trip indeed. Michael had warned her that anything the Leader considered 'private' was kept secret even from his ministers. Apparently that included what actually went down at the Warrior Kingdom and her near drowning yesterday. For an 'enlightened' Kingdom, there sure were many people being kept in the dark.

Not that she didn't understand the need for secrets at times. Leyla herself had neglected to tell Michael about the Leader's blackmail or Annabelle's attempt on her life. It's not that she wanted to lie to him, but one day soon Leyla would leave this place and what would happen to Michael if he wasn't on good terms with the Leader or Raphael because of her? As for telling him about Annabelle, what good would come of him from knowing the truth? Without proof, there wasn't much he could do but wallow in anger. 

"Asch is a big place and I've only seen a little bit of it," Leyla replied after a moment. Then she turned to Michael with a tight smile. "The Curator would be able to explain so much better than I, what with his perfect memory..."

"But of course!" The minister agreed readily,  "The Prorex told us not long ago how helpful your journals were to him during his time on Asch. We have a long voyage ahead, Curator,  please tell us about it!"

Michael gave her a death glare, before indulging the minister and his family with stories about the Jade Palace. Watching him flap his arms in an attempt to explain the motion of Rezeg birds, Leyla settled back into her seat and watched the clouds in the sky.

She had been catching up with Michael when the urgent summons for a Birth Ceremony had sent everyone in the inner keep into a tither. According to the Book Keeper, a Birth Ceremony was possibly the most important event in the Light Kingdom. And that was all Leyla was told, before she was sent to her gratefully empty apartments to change. Delphine turned up in her rooms a little while later and dragged her off to gather some clothes since they would be staying over night.

A Birth Ceremony. It was an odd concept. In the Warrior Kingdom, women performed their duties until they were certain the baby was coming and they were back to their duties shortly after.  Life was so different here, and despite everything she had learned about Light People, she still had no idea what to expect from this ceremony.  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. There was so much to do. She had to gather information on the weapons the Light guards carried before she could route out her escape. She had to get Raphael to take the bracelet off of her arm and she had to way to neutralise Annabelle so the woman could bring no harm to Michael after Leyla left.

But first, she had to make it through this ceremony...and whatever it entailed.