Henrietta's POV

Practically the first thing I did in Thistlecrick was stab the Lamia Chief's son in the throat.

He was wearing a gorget, so I wouldn't have crushed his windpipe even if my perfect execution of a sword thrust had failed… probably.

Honestly, Marik was a good [Warrior]. His spearmanship was excellent and he didn't have to worry about poor foot work because, well…

Ahem, anyways, he deserved it.

After the Naga delegation had been brought out by the guard, I’d introduced myself again and offered up my basket.

That was when one naga from the Lamia Clan had immediately shoved to the front of the procession and accosted me.

Marik was a buff fighter covered in head protection, muscles and nothing else. His scaled snake lower body had lifted him up to loom over me in a rather amusing attempt at intimidation.

He’d been so passionate with his "They say you're a Sword Master so prove it!", that I’d been startled and a single loaf of bread fell out of my basket. Only my high reflexes had saved it from certain dusty doom. However, it did get an indent in the crust where I grabbed it, and I was embarrassed that one of the three ruling families would have less-than-perfect bread.

So now we were having a friendly spar and I definitely wasn't taking it out on him.

"I concede." Marik said from where he lay curled on the floor, or that's what I imagine he tried to say while choking violently from the force of my strike. He may have been suffering from a few cracked ribs too, but he was a fighter - he’d be fiiiine.

"I apologize for my son," Elder Clarissa of Clan Lamia thumped a fist to her heart as a sign of respect. "And thank the Princess for taking the time to show him some pointers." The older woman had the same dark features of her boy, but her eyes shone with golden slits where Marik’s were a deep brown. Two naga soldiers from Clan Lamia helped him up and took him away.

I knew who they were because each of the clans had different heraldry. Clan Lamia was an eye inside an oval egg, Clan Melusine had a twin-tail serpent like an upside-down heart, and Clan Kidna was a serpent head and fang with a single drop of venom.

I shrugged, "Any time. King Keith let me know that you love to battle. I just wasn't expecting to be asked so soon."

"It won't happen again." The other clan leaders looked at Clarissa, who kept a calm face under the scrutiny.

"Thank you again for the gift, Princess," Elder Vance Kidna offered, presumably to move things along. "May we escort you? My daughter Mera would be honoured to show you the hot springs."

Elder Draken Melusine cut in, waving a hand at a young naga teen wearing a beautiful silk vest trimmed with embroidered snake's. "And our Planta would be honoured to show you around the town."

"That sounds lovely," I said, smiling at Planta. Quite a few of the naga were wearing silk, actually. Thistlecrick was right beside the arachnid dwellings and most people didn't realize that spiderkin silk passed through here first. I knew; silk was my guilty pleasure. "Is it alright if I visit the town, then swing by the practice ring? I would love to work up a sweat before visiting the hot springs."

The Elders agreed, Clarissa looking relieved, and I set off with Planta. The young woman was very fiery in a way I'd never experienced before.

"Princess, this haut-pink is a wonder on you and the cut accentuates your hips. You simply must buy it." Planta slithered around me, trying fabric and dresses up against me. We were at a small boutique in a sprawling merchant quarter carved into a cliffside. "I've heard that Grand Duchess Calisto ordered her niece a tea gown in this exact colour. And Their Royal Highness of Peldeep imported a wagon load of this exact fabric from my Clan for their newly renovated Rose Parlour. Can you imagine what it must look like?"

I really couldn't. It was a very… exciting shade of pink. Not that I had time to respond.

"Oh my, I just have to show you the accessories designed for this green day gown. They make you look like a woodland nymph! My cousin Sheila hand crafted the gold. It's real dwarven mined too. We raided an illegal gnome transport vessel from the Kingdom of Baldorin trying to cut through the Dark Enchanted Forest last fall and now we have more gold than we can deal with even after the King's tax."

I will just say that the hour and a half I spent with Planta was more informative, more exhausting and just more than any other social experience in my life. I came out of it with a surprising two full trunks of new dresses, stunning embossed leather greaves, a parasol, four pairs of shoes (alright the black leather boots with silver vine threading made my heart happy) and a small chest of matching jewelry.

My wallet was a bit lighter, but honestly I had been an active Adventurer conquering dungeons for the past ten years, and I had the money to spend. My enchanted Valaria Issued Sales and Accounts card from the continental treasury of Valaria Moniers Guild, let me know that I could spend some more time with Planta and not worry too much. While checking my purchases I noticed something on my account that I had not accounted for.

[January 15-30, Pre-Authorized Deposit of 20 Gold from The Kingdom of Nilheim.]