While I sipped on the hot chocolate, Jinky put my hair up in one of her elaborate designs. When she was done, we went to the wardrobe to choose a dress. I intended to make an entrance. “Casual” had been a huge mistake, one I didn’t intend to repeat. I had to command attention. Project authority. I pulled out the most beautiful baro’t saya I found in my closet, a deep-purple-and-gold A-line satin gown with a high, jeweled collar that matched the gems on the bodice and at the edges of the pointy, peaked sleeves,which came with a lace-trimmed silk shawl that would drape elegantly over my shoulders.
My garments made me feel older. Like a queen, not a princess. Exactly what I wanted. I spun a bit in the mirror to watch how the skirt twirled and settled around me.
“Ay! Ang ganda!” Jinky said. She stood back and smiled. She was wearing her favorite dress, too, a light-yellow-and-white empire-waist gown with short butterfly sleeves and matching gloves. It suited her perfectly.
“Thank you. You look gorgeous, too!” Inside, I thought,Yes, let’s stun them.If I was afraid of my own power, others would take advantage of that vulnerability. “Could you please request every available guard to escort us? And the two best to escort me personally? Actually, make it four. Two to march behind me and one for each side. And I’d like them all to carry their swords.”
Jinky looked surprised but immediately left to gather the extra security. Another power play on my part. I wanted to send the message that I was not only well protected, but also willing to use force if necessary.
Once I was ready and the guards were gathered outside my room, we walked down to the front atrium, where two calesas waited. One for me and Jinky, and one for my additional security detail. Elias also rode with us.
“This is the only council meeting until the coronation,” he said on the way over. “It is quite likely they’ll have something to say about how we’re handling it.”
“Like what?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Someone always takes issue with something. The scale of the affair. Which of their representatives are included.Who knows what they’ll come up with? There may even be real trouble like yesterday. That was unwise, Princess.”
“As you’ve told me a hundred times since yesterday’s meeting,” I sighed. “I promise, I won’t do it again.”
The Council of the Courts met in a building past the Market District, right in the center of the four kingdoms—a massive glass dome, probably the size of a city block, that reflected the sky. I did my best to maintain a poker face, as if I saw that type of thing every day in boring, human California.Show no vulnerability,I reminded myself. I had to hold this realm together.
The road circled all the way around the entire building. Where it split from the main avenue, it was paved with silver stones that twinkled like diamonds.
As we got closer, I looked out the window and saw that the stones weren’t silver, as they’d appeared from a distance, but glass or crystal—or maybe even actual diamonds. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they were. However, in line with my personal oath, I was not going to play the ingenue and ask.
The carriage pulled into the circle. There were other vehicles in front of us, carrying representatives from each of the kingdoms. I watched as the occupants emerged and paraded down the wide, deep steps that led into the building. I was glad I went all out on my outfit choice that morning. They were dressed to impress, too—in the most lavish malong capes and jeweled ternos, formfitting all-white ensembles next to head-to-toe black. There was a councilor in traditional datu costume, a multicolored short jacket with matching trousers, with no shirt underneath, a curved sword at his hip.
I was relieved that I was the only one wearing dark purple andgold. Perhaps as in the human realm during medieval times, purple was only worn by royalty.
Finally, it was our turn to pull up to the front entrance. Elias stepped out first and offered his hand to Jinky, then me. The attendees who were congregating near the doors all turned to watch as I got out of the coach, my dress shimmering and flowing around me.
The other carriages had all pulled away, so the entire drive up to the council was full with my security detail, outfitted in their formal white uniforms.
I nodded politely at the curious onlookers as we climbed the steps—slowly. No rushing in as if I was intimidated. Some of the attendees returned the favor and nodded back; others simply stared, even open-mouthed, gawking at the display. It was their first look at the new princess, so I wasn’t offended or all that surprised. It helped that I felt great, too. I knew their staring wasn’t because I was making some kind of faux pas.
Once we reached the top, we entered through a round door that had to be fifteen feet tall. It was held open by Biringan City guards, a special battalion meant to keep the peace between kingdoms during events like these. That seemed to be the theme everywhere I went—lots of guards. Rather than make me feel safe, it was putting me more on edge. If such a place needed so many neutral guards, there was a lot of danger present, and to me, a real utopia wouldn’t require that. Again, I was glad I made the right choices for that day—I definitely met the mood with my personal security detail.
Inside, there was a large round room, brightly lit thanks to the glass dome. I looked up—the glass was nearly invisible; the clearsky loomed over us as if there was no roof at all. Meanwhile, all around, groups of people stood together like they did outside, talking, some of them holding drinks. It felt like a fantasy courthouse. There was even a horse inside, for some reason. And then I saw it stand up on its hind legs and walk, like a human, over to speak with a man wearing a dark-red floor-length gown. Elias saw me staring. He leaned down and said, “Tikbalang. Harmless, mostly. They emerge from the woods of Biringan for the council meetings, but otherwise, we hardly see them.”
“Would you like something to drink?” A servant with a gold tray popped up next to me.
“Sure,” I said. I picked a tall narrow glass from the tray. When he walked away, I sniffed it as inconspicuously as I could.
“It’s only lavender calamansi,” Elias whispered to me.
“I knew that,” I said. He laughed softly. I took a sip. “Oh, wow.” I couldn’t help saying it. “This is really good.”
“Biringan calamansi juice is the best,” Elias said. “Better than lemonade.”
I sipped some more. “You’re not kidding.”
He looked confused. “No, I’m quite serious.”
“Your Highness,” Jinky said, gently touching my arm, “I think they’re about to begin.” She nodded toward the groups starting to migrate into one of the smaller doorways on the right.
“Welp. Here we go.” Reluctantly, I set my calamansi juice on the nearest table. I didn’t think walking in with a sweaty glass in my hand would create the glamorous entrance I was hoping for.
Elias went in first, then Jinky, and finally it was my turn. Standing alongside two guards with the rest behind us, I took a huge, deep breath, waited a beat, then stepped inside.
