As Shian and Tao stepped outside Kouha lifted his head.
He leaned against his horse, arms crossed nonchalantly and his gaze piercing. He noticed immediately that Shian hadn't told the man behind her about his identity.
Admittedly it wasn't that grand of a feat given that the man had squealed in shock upon seeing him and was now as pale as the sheets in the hospital wing.

Staring at him blatantly Kouha could now observe a very interesting play of colors on his face as it turned from white to dark red to some kind of ashen grey.
He decided to put an end to the poor guy's misery and pushed himself away from his horse. It whinnied quietly as its master left and sidled about for a bit before deciding that it wasn't worth the effort.

When Kouha approached, Shian bowed her head respectfully, acknowledging his higher rank through the gesture.
That was nothing in comparison to Tao though who, upon seeing the prince draw nearer, flung himself at the ground by his feet.
Now Shian was no stranger to overly devote gestures as she herself tended to overreact in the most inappropriate situations. But speaking just from a visual standpoint – there was a huge difference between a rather fragile not-too-tall woman dropping to her knees and a small but round person just plummeting to earth like a human shaped meteorite.
With an unpleasant thud Tao hit the pavement and both, Shian and Kouha alike, grimaced at the thought of what it must have felt like. They exchanged a quick glance before looking down at the ground again.

Tao had pressed his forehead against the pavement and managed to look rather flat given the circumference of his belly.
"My Lord! What an honor to have you here at my humble abode. I am sorry for not inviting you in sooner; I had no idea-"
He was abruptly cut off by Kouha's quiet but clearly audible sigh.
"Don't bother, it's fine. But you better redeem yourself by taking adequate care of my horse and by getting us something decent to eat. I'm practically starving."

It was rather impressive to watch as Tao heaved himself to his feet so fast that Shian didn't even had time to sigh in relief at the prospect of some food. Once stable on his feet again he bowed again, deeply and long.
"Of course, My Lord. If you'll allow I will lead your steed to the stables while you head inside. Please choose any place you'd like and just tell my assistant what it is you would like to eat."

Kouha just nodded in response and walked right past the hunched over man and over to Shian who still stood near the door kind of awkwardly. She hadn't been sure what to do and now it seemed as if it wasn't necessary for her to take action.
She stepped back and opened the door for the prince, who waltzed right over the threshold and into the crowded taproom.

Instantly everyone got very quiet and all eyes laid on the young man. He was not as intimidating as his oldest brother and still he had the kind of aura that led people to notice him. He was just brimming with confidence and Shian couldn't help but admire Kouha for that.
She herself would have faltered under all the stares long ago.

Hesitantly she followed Kouha inside the inn, closing the door behind her – Tao would obviously not traverse the room with a horse next to him.
As soon as the door clicked, life returned to the guests as they hastily started to shuffle to their feet, eager to pay their respects to their superior – except for a few foreigners who were quite confused as to why their colleagues acted so submissive in front of a lanky teenager in fancy clothes.

Said teenager had watched the commotion with delight, basking himself in all the attention. Before everyone rose fully though he lifted his hands in a stopping manner and addressed the room as a whole. His voice was calm and strong, a clear difference to how he talked with his brothers.
"I honor your eagerness to great me properly but seeing as I am not here to attend to royal issues I will be content with you remaining seated."

His eyes wandered through the room briefly before stopping at a table near the bar where a handful darker skinned people resided – their white hair and airy clothes declaring their country of origin as Heliohapt.
The group consisted of three men and a woman, all middle aged and sturdy from all their travels. They seemed slightly uncomfortable as they didn't know Kouha the way the citizens did and now he was staring right at them.
With swift steps he crossed through the taproom and approached the table, the eyes of the locals and Shian following behind him.

He had put on a smile. It was not impolite or condescending but it conveyed exactly that he saw himself as superior.
"I have business with the owner of this tavern, so a seat near the bar would be advantageous to me."
He hadn't necessarily ordered them to do anything but his intention was clear and not wanting any trouble the traders hurriedly obliged. They bowed their heads and gathered their plates before getting up to search a new place to eat.
For Kouha the situation was resolved with that and he simply plopped himself down on the crude wooden bench, the bar in his view.

Shian on the other hand witnessed one of the better aspects of being human.
While people could be often cruel and unforgiving when it came to strangers and rivals, the other merchants displayed a small but nice gesture of kindness.

The inn was pretty crowded and every table was occupied, so the heliohaptian visitors were standing in the aisle a bit forlorn. Not for long though as the crowd began to shift in unison but silence, as if following an inaudible signal.
They squeezed together, bags wandered to the floor to make space and seconds later all four people had found a new place, the relief apparent on their faces. A moment later the usual chatter started again, albeit a bit more muted, leaving Shian with a small smile on her face.

Finally she turned and sat down across from the prince who seemed oblivious to what had happened.

"So", he started the conversation, "how about we eat something, interrogate the round one and then hopefully head off to find that missing merchant?"
Shian chuckled slightly at his nickname for Tao and nodded.
"Eating something does indeed sound nice. And if Tao doesn't know any information we can still ask the others here, I am sure they will be happy to help."
"Probably", Kouha muttered and turned his head to get another look at the guests.
Some were still shooting him stealthy looks, not scornful but simply curious. Even though he was not the most considerate person on the planet, Kouha did have a reputation with the locals. The fact that he had a habit of taking in people from the streets was a trait most people valued in a person of power.

He turned back but before he could answer the black haired bartender approached their table. The poor guy had been obviously briefed by Tao on who would await him – his hands were shaking badly and he clutched his cleaning rag in both hands in an unsuccessful attempt to hide his nervousness.
When he reached their seats he bowed deeply, his forehead bumping against the edge of the table, as he had apparently misjudged the distance.
A small laugh escaped the prince and the bartender was red under his greasy hair when he rose. He cleared his throat silently, his deep voice higher than usually.

"Please forgive the wait, My Lord. What may I bring you?"
His question sounded a bit awkward as he was fumbling with the words but Kouha didn't seem to mind.
"Just get me something with meat and figs. Nothing spicy."
The young man nodded, clearly at a loss for what "something with meat and figs" might mean.
"What...what about something to drink, My Lord?"
A shrug was his answer. "Whatever. No alcohol though, I'll have to ride later." He winked and the bartender looked as if Kouha had just sprouted horns or something.

After some awkward staring he turned his attention towards Shian, who had listened to their conversation with slight amusement.
"I'll just take the same; there is no need to do something extra for me." She gave him a diffident smile and the young bartender seemed to grow even more embarrassed.
He mumbled something about fruits before bowing again and taking his leave. On his way to the kitchen he stumbled over the rough floor boards and almost fell, his only rescue being the joist near the bar. Looking around nervously he made sure no one saw him and then he disappeared into through the door that presumably led into the kitchen.

Shian had watched him until she couldn't see him anymore, so she noticed Kouha's cheeky grin only afterwards.
"He's into you."
The remark made her roll her eyes before she could even remember that maybe that wasn't the best idea in the presence of a royal. Her reaction wasn't met with disdain though as Kouha just laughed at her. "You don't have to like it, but it's true."
"I doubt that, he is simply shy. I wouldn't blame him, with you one never knows what will happen next."

Kouha raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think you can talk to me in the same way you talk to Koumei!?"
Following his words Shian first turned red and then pale. But before she could speak up he shook his head and the smile return on his face.
"I'm just messing with you. It's so refreshing to have a normal conversation with someone that isn't a sibling. Or well…one of my servants. Not that I don't like being worshipped…", and at that a blissful expression darted over his face, "but having someone return my wit is nice too."

He leaned back and played with his chopsticks while observing the woman in front of him. Her face color had returned to normal and now she appeared to be sulking, her arms crossed in front of her chest and her bottom lip slightly shifted. While he didn't fancy her the way his brother did, he did start to see what Koumei saw in the young woman.
She was clever and sharp underneath her shy and reserved demeanor.

While Kouha was musing about the qualities that qualified her as a potential partner to his -admittedly not always easy to deal with – brother Shian pondered how things changed.
By now she was on practically friendly terms with two of the princes which still blew her mind. She went from the maid that wished to vanish into the ground every time she saw a member of the royal family to someone who became confident speaking her thoughts to them. Well, confident was a strong word given that her anxiety still cartwheeled in the back of her brain whenever she opened her mouth but it was getting manageable.

Both Kouha and Shian returned to the present when the bartender came back, carefully balancing a tray in front of him. Two plates rested on it, crude ceramic ones, but both could see that the cook did their best to arrange the food in an appealing manner. Shian had to smile a bit – her palace experience made her notice that they didn't do a particularly good job. But it was the thought that counted.
When the young man put the tray down in the table, the plates quietly clinking against each other, Shian inhaled the hearty smell that rose from it. Palace food was excellent, even if it was just the leftovers the servants ate, but there was something special about a meal prepared with less skill but more passion.

A quick glance towards Kouha made her chuckle and she quickly tried to stifle it with a cough. The prince's expression made clear that he didn't share Shian's opinion on inn-made food. He was quite a bit spoiled so maybe he did just assume it would be the same quality as what he was used to.
He did get his grimace under control quickly though and simply took his plate from the tray before the bartender could get to it. It left him with a bit of a dumbfounded expression, his hand in mid-air, giving Shian the possibility to snatch her own plate.
She beamed at him: "Thank you! It looks delicious."
If he hadn't been the prince Shian would have probably nudged Kouha against the shin because of the doubt on his face but luckily the bartender didn't see it. He bowed stiffly and turned to leave.

After he was gone Kouha took his chopsticks and poked around in his food.
"Common people, common meals", he muttered to himself and then dug in before Shian could give her own two cents about his remark. She just shook her head in amusement and began her meal as well.

There really had been no reason for Kouha's skepticism; the dish was simple but good. Additionally an empty stomach always made food taste better and so they finished without talking, only once interrupted by the bartender who brought their drinks.

"Alright. Now that I don't have the feeling anymore that Koumei's pigeons are pecking at my stomach walls we can go back to the task at hand."
Kouha put down his chopsticks and gulped down the rest of his grape juice. Then he fiddled at the pouch that hung at his side and produced a small bag from it, the clinking of coins audible through the soft leather.
"I will go talk to your innkeeper friend and you can ask around the taproom if people know something. Sounds good? Great."

And he got up before Shian could even acknowledge his plan, much less agree to it. But she didn't have any objections anyway so she simply nodded and watched him vanish into the door behind the counter. After the pink shimmer of his hair vanished in the unknown behind Shian got up herself, her view wandering around the room.
Kouha's departure had stirred up the attention of the patrons again and she cursed herself for turning red as she was suddenly met with the stares of many curious people. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.
Alright, who of those people looked like they might now something?

She skipped the heliohaptian traders, the possibility of them having information about a native merchant was pretty low, but right next to them two men were sitting on the bench near the wall.
They leaned against one another; hands entangled and seemed to just listen calmly to everything going on around them. Shian wasn't sure why exactly she felt drawn to them but they looked nice and old enough to be in the business for quite some time already.

As she squeezed past the dark-skinned woman the older man lifted his head, meeting her gaze. His eyes were surrounded by laughter lines and she could see the curiosity in them as she approached.
His partner formed quite the contrast to him, his dark hair clashing against his light blonde locks and his pale complexion standing out next to his dark brown skin tone. In a way they reminded Shian of the yin-yang symbol and the smile crept on her lips all on its own.
"Excuse me, but I am searching for someone and was wondering if maybe you could help me?"
The younger man finally lifted his head as well and straightened his back, pushing himself away in an upright position.
"Please, sit down"

He scooted over a bit which wasn't easy given that he was right next to his partner but sooner or later they managed to make a bit of space for Shian.
She gathered her skirt to avoid creases and sat down, bent forward so she could see her new dialogue partners.
"My name is Shian, would mind telling me yours?"

They exchanged a short look and Shian had to remind herself that she was very obvious in the company of a prince. People would be careful around her.
The moment was over quickly though as the older of the two cracked a smile and answered: "I'm Kuron and this is Yun. We're not from here though I'm afraid, so I don't know we could help."

Shian shook her head slowly, thinking for a moment.
"I am searching for a missing merchant who was supposed to deliver to the palace. He didn't show up. So I had hopes that maybe someone here knew of something."
With the way Yun sat up even straighter and how his eyes suddenly widened Shian couldn't help but think of a puppy perking its ears. She interpreted it as a good sign.
When he spoke he drew his words a bit, as if wanting to heighten the tension.
"This merchant wasn't by chance supposed to deliver medicine, was he?"

Shian almost couldn't believe the luck she had and she hurried to nod at the question.
"He was. Apparently he is already two days late and not only are we worried for his wellbeing, we're also running out of supplies."
She worded her explanation carefully, even though the two men seemed nice giving out information about problems in the palace was a risky deed.
The two of them exchanged another glance and this time Kuron replied: "We trade spices among other things, so there is significant overlap with medicine. We know him; we obtain a few of our products from the same company overseas."

Hastily Shian fiddled with her pouch for a bit; she could barely open it due to her excitement. Finally she managed to take her clipboard out of it and she hastily readied her quill with a bit of ink. It was a dangerous undertaking, the two sat so far against the wall that the table was out of reach. Shian had to balance the open inkpot on her knees.

"Alright, I'm all ears!"
A fine smile crept onto Yun's lips before he answered. "What is in it for us?"
The question took her by surprise but the two were business men after all, so she should have expected them to not just give her something for free.
"As you know I'm here on behalf of the palace, so name your price and I will see what I can do."

"A contract!" They answered simultaneously, Kuron's darker, stronger voice almost drowning out Yun's.
They struggled for a few second who would get to talk and finally Kuron elaborated: "Make us your official suppliers for spices and herbs."

Oh, it was a clever move. Being the sole provider of a certain type of product for such a steady consumer as the palace would get them a lot of opportunities and of course money. Shian didn't have to think long either – a wave of flashbacks to many indecent offers from their current vendor hit her as she remembered the vulgar man.
"I am not authorized to grant such a thing, but I will certainly speak with the man responsible and if your wares are as high-quality as our current ones I believe you got yourself a deal."
The two of them seemed content enough with the answer and Yun continued to fill in Shian on what they knew about the vanished merchant.

"The last time we saw him was in a small village a few hours from. We were just passing through, taking a last break before arriving here. He stayed in the same inn we had dinner in." "Which wasn't exactly difficult, given that it was the only inn in the village!" Kuron chimed in, almost cutting off his partner.
"Yeah yeah", he grumbled in return before continuing.
"He was staying there because he caught some kind of disease, which left him bedridden. So no traveling. We noticed him because he was quite upset about the fact that he couldn't finish his deliveries"
"Kind of ironic, that the medicine supplier fell ill", Shian mused, the tip of the quill hovering over the paper. She had dutifully noted down what the two had been saying.

Her response were two nodding heads and a short period of silence. Apparently the two had finished their explanation, but there was one more thing to clear up.
"Can you tell me which village it was? If we're lucky he is still there so we can meet up with him."

Kuron nodded and bent down to grab his leather backpack, when the people between them and the aisle parted like the waves of the red sea.
It seemed Kouha had returned and judging from his sour expression he wasn't really pleased with whatever Tao had told him.
Not caring that there were other people around him he strutted around the table, joining Shian and the two men on the bench. Behind him the merchants flowed back together, their curiosity barely contained.

The bench was fully occupied with the trio, so the prince simply shooed Shian of it with a wave of his hand.
Hurrying to comply she got up – and instantly regretted it, as she felt liquid seeping into the fabric of her skirt. The inkpot, totally forgotten, had tipped and emptied its wet contents onto her lap and shins, the dark blue fluid standing out against the washed-out white of her uniform. Shian didn't even dare to look down; she just closed her eyes and sighed deeply. She was no clumsy person, but of course it would have to happen now, when she had no possibility to change or clean up.

Apart from the silent dripping she could hear two sets of shocked gasps and another person silently chuckling to himself. It didn't take a genius to guess who that was.
Opening one eye she glanced at her surroundings, at the shocked faces of her new acquaintances and the wide grin of her superior. She sighed again.

"I am sorry. I hope none of you got any stains."
When she kneeled down to pick up the now empty inkpot she could see the spot better. Although it was less a spot and more a whole area that was dyed black now. And the feeling was truly not pleasant, the damp fabric clinging to her bare legs.
Her comment didn't receive an answer and as she rose again she could see that Yun had saved her clipboard and her few belongings from the inky avalanche. Relief hit her, losing Bert to such a mishap would have been the cherry on top of the dunghill.

"From your desperate expression I assume you didn't pack anything to change?"
It was more of a statement than a question but Shian nodded nonetheless. Now that the shock over what happened was over the embarrassment crept in and she stood there, helplessly looking down at the floor.
"There."

Kouha had flung his pouch at her and Shian barely managed to catch it. The inkpot fell down in the process again, but now that it was empty she didn't care too much.
"Get changed and then return, I'm starting to lose my patience with this whole ordeal."

Then his eyes wandered over to Kuron und Yun, who just now seemed to realize that the third prince of the Kou Empire had joined the conversation. Before they could say anything though, Shian took it upon herself to introduce them.
"They know about the whereabouts of the missing merchant. It appears he is stuck with an illness in a village not too far from here."
She didn't say anything about their deal, which was something for Koumei to resolve.

At this point Kuron continued, bowing his head while he spoke. "We were about to show his exact destination on a map we have."
Kouha nodded, but still he portended Shian to take off to change.
"Show me then, I'm the one steering the horse after all."

His voice made clear that he really didn't want to stick around much longer, so Shian pressed his pouch against her chest with one hand, gathered her dirty skirt with the other, and took off. She knew there was a room behind the counter, a mixture of a pantry and a closet. Tao probably wouldn't mind her using it for a few seconds.
Neither Tao nor the bartender were around so she simply slipped through the door.
The inside was dim and smelled musty. It didn't have any windows, so the stale scent must have come from years of not airing out the room.

Not wanting to stay in the cubby for too long Shian hastily opened the pouch to fish out whatever clothes the prince had in there for her to use.
After rummaging in it for a while she found the piece of fabric she was searching for and her heart plummeted to her boots. She wasn't sure what exactly she expected, but she should have guessed that it was the same thing he always wore when he was out.

What she held in her hands now was a really short pair of pants, bound with ribbons on either side of the legs. It was too dark to see in color, but she had washed them often enough to know the deep red by heart.
There was no way she could run around with so much leg out, but what choice did she have? She didn't want to continue wearing her ink-wet dress and the way the prince had told her to change had been an order for sure.
Very, very hesitantly she untied the ribbon around her waist and started to slip out of her clothes.

The white dress that formed the lowest layer of her outfit was beyond saving, even with her sulfur-containing solution it would never wash out again. Her red, sleeveless shirt could be salvaged though and she was glad about it too – although the prince wasn't any smaller than she was, she simply couldn't have worn his top too. The difference in…chest circumference was just too grand.
Shian gathered the ruined dress and her starched apron – no use wearing that over the shorts – and carefully put them on. The fabric was so smooth and silken, even her fancy new attire felt rough in comparison.
After fumbling with the tiny ribbons for a bit she was done, so the only thing left to do was putting her shirt back on and facing the outside world.
Easier said than done.

With the ink-stained part of the dress folded inwards and the entire bindle pressed against her chest Shian slipped out the door again. She felt incredibly naked, almost her entire legs bare and for the world to see. The last time she had seen a woman similarly exposed was when she still worked near various brothels, and she really didn't want to recall this type of experience! It was good that the two merchants probably didn't care about women in this sense anyway, no matter how much or little clothing they were wearing.

To her dismay the bartender had returned. When she closed the door behind her he turned to face her, surprise on his face. The expression only deepened when he noticed her look and he turned red instantly, as if someone had emptied a bucket of cranberry juice over his head.
Shian didn't dare say anything; she just gave him a shy smile and hurried to join Kouha at the table.

It seemed he finally succeeded in chasing the other customers away, Shian couldn't see them anyway. The table had been occupied by the prince, Yun and Kuron, the three of them standing around it. A huge, albeit crudely drawn map laid out flat between them and Yun was apparently in the process of explaining the way to Kouha.

Speaking of whom, as soon as Shian stepped closer he raised his head, letting his eyes wander over her. His gaze was so piercing that Shian's skincolor started to compete with that of the bartender and to escape her predicament, she rather rudely shoved his pouch back into his arms.
"Thank you", she mumbled, not sure if she was actually glad about his action. To her surprise he didn't mention her newfound freedom in any way, he simply tucked the pouch away and pointed at the map.
"There it is."

Stepping closer, Shian took a better look at the map. The village he pointed at laid northeast of the capital and was marked by a red dot, with tiny characters next to it. They spelled out the name of the village and as it resonated inside her head, Shian felt the blood drain from her face. Of course.
She would have to go back to the place of her greatest sorrow.