As she listened to Ludis’s explanation, Maxi grew increasingly disheartened. She was ashamed that she still knew so little about Anatol when she was the wife of its liege.
“My goodness, why are there so many women at that stall?”
Maxi, who had hung her head in embarrassment, glanced up in the direction the princess was pointing. Fifteen or somaidens were gathered around a stall in a narrow alleyway, bickering amongst themselves.
Clearly intrigued, the princess grabbed Maxi’s arm and rushed her toward the commotion. “What on earth are they fighting over, do you think?”
As they got closer, they could see that the young women were in a heated squabble over what appeared to be heaps of colorful sashes, each wanting the prettiest one. Maxi was once again left tongue-tied; she had no idea what they were. She glanced at Ludis for help.
“What…are those?”
“Sashes used for adornment during the Spring Festival, my lady. The village maidens twist them into a long girdle and don floral crowns when they go out to the fields to sing and dance.”
“Ah…for enacting the role of Wigrew’s dryad lover,” Agnes pieced together.
Ludis nodded. “Legend has it that the nymph seduced the hero by adorning her waist with a colorful girdle and her head with a beautiful wreath, Your Highness. For hundreds of years, each spring, the maidens of Anatol have dressed up as the dryad of the oak tree and celebrated in the fields with song and dance. It is an old tradition.”
The princess’s eyes sparkled with interest. “How exciting. Let us choose one as well.”
“P-pardon?”
“This’ll be your first festival, too, won’t it, Maximilian? We should join the festivities!” Without waiting for Maxi’s reply, Agnes grabbed her hand and squeezed through the young women crowding the stall.
Before she could let out a cry, Maxi was crushed in thethrong. She could feel her hair coming undone and her clothes being pulled into disarray, but Agnes’s grip on her hand kept her from fleeing. Maxi was close to tears.
“How about this one?” Agnes pushed a few maidens aside to dangle a purple band in front of Maxi, who was still half wedged in the throng of women. She frantically nodded, someone pressing painfully against her stomach. The princess tugged at her so forcefully that Maxi feared her sleeve might tear off. All she wanted to do was to escape the crowd.
The princess, however, briefly inspected the fabric before tossing it back onto the heap, evidently dissatisfied with her find, and began searching for another. “I think green is more your color, or maybe yellow. Or you can go with red to match your hair, Maximilian.”
“I-I think…any of them would do, Princess Agnes.”
“Blue usually suits me best. What do you think? Which of these matches my eyes best?”
“I-I…cannot say….”
The women were still vying for a prime spot in front of the stall, and Maxi was on the verge of tears at being caught in the melee. None of the women were pleased that the princess and Maxi had cut in line, and they voiced their disapproval while they pulled at Maxi’s clothes. Maxi had never been stuck in such a situation in her life. It was impossible to collect herself.
After far too long for Maxi’s nerves, the princess decided on two sashes and tossed three derham coins to the merchant. “I’ll take these two! Will that suffice?”
“Of course, miss! Let me get your change….”
“Keep it,” the princess shouted jovially. Then she turnedand broke out of the crowd effortlessly. Meanwhile, Maxi frantically rearranged her disheveled hair and clothes.
Hebaron, watching the action from too far away to put a stop to the princess’s antics, sighed as they emerged from the crowd. “Your Highness, please do not make it difficult for us to protect you. You could have been harmed. Please consider your station—”
Agnes’s smile faded as she lowered the fabric she’d been happily inspecting, and she glared at the knight. “Heavens, Hebaron, are you implying that innocent country girls could have harmed me?”
Hebaron corrected himself at her imperious tone. “Of course not, Your Highness. I have misspoken. It was the maidens who were in danger. You shoved them aside as if they were nothing but reeds.”
The princess snorted, then turned to face Maxi, who flinched, still disoriented from her ordeal. She felt herself tense up, but Agnes only smiled radiantly at her and held out a red sash.
“My gift to thank you for being my guide today. I chose one to match your hair.”
Maxi tentatively took the sash, and Princess Agnes’s lips curled into a pleased smile. Maxi vacantly stared down at the slightly coarse red sash. She was becoming increasingly confused by the princess’s actions. Why was she being so cordial?
“Th-Thank you, Princess.”
Oblivious to Maxi’s bafflement, the princess slipped her own dark blue sash under her belt to show Ludis. “Is this how you wear it?”
