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“Don’t do it, Ella,” Areida warned.

“Who said I was going to do anything?” Ella protested, drawing her hand back quickly from where she’d been running it over the smooth wooden rail.

“I know you,” Areida said, her voice stern though she was grinning widely. “How are you going to face the new duchess if she catches you sliding down her stair rail?”

“But how am I supposed to go home and face Char knowing there was a perfectly grand stair rail here that I didn’t slide down? That I ignored like some kind of stuffy noble!”

“Ella, you are a noble,” Areida reminded her fondly. “That’s what happens when you marry a prince.”

“But I’m not stuffy!”

There was a giggle from behind them, and they both turned. Ella’s eyes widened as she recognized the woman behind them from the illustrations their ambassador had provided her.

“I’m sorry,” Duchess Sandrilene fa Toren said. “I know eavesdropping is terribly rude, but in my defense it is my palace. And I was terribly curious what you were conspiring about.”

“It is we who are sorry, your Grace,” Areida said, sweeping a deep, graceful curtsey. Ella’s curtsey was not so graceful, as her undersized feet were terrible for balance, but she thought it was proper enough.

“Whatever for?” The duchess laughed. She lowered her voice to a stage whisper. “The stair rails were just polished this morning, you know.” She grinned at them, and then pulled herself smoothly onto the banister and sailed down it. She landed lightly at the bottom and turned to look up at them. “Now, it’d be terribly rude of you to make your hostess feel foolish in being the only one to do that,” she said.

Areida gaped at her, but Ella climbed up immediately and pushed off. She wobbled as she landed, but Sandry caught and steadied her. By the time Ella had regained her balance, Areida was sliding down beside them.

“Now, I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced,” the duchess said. “I’m Sandry.”

“I’m Areida, of Ayortha, your Grace,” Areida said, sweeping another curtsey.

“Sandry, please,” the duchess begged. “It’s silly to stand on ceremony when you’ve caught me sliding down a stair rail.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sandry,” Ella said. “I’m Ella, of Kyria.”

“The linguist?” Sandry exclaimed, bouncing a little.

Ella grinned and nodded.

“I was so fascinated to find out that Court Linguist was one of your highest titles,” Sandry said. “How many languages do you have at your court? How many do you speak? How do you get such a title?”

Ella grinned wider as Areida giggled.

“Ella’s high status has more to do with her marrying the crown prince, I think, than her being a linguist, though she is the best,” Areida admitted.

“Oh,” Sandry said, but she looked more curious than ever now. “But if your primary title is still Court Linguist, it must rank as highly as a consort’s title, then? Or do consorts not gain titles in Kyria?” 

“They can,” Ella said. “They wanted me to be ‘Princess’, but it didn’t feel right. I always liked being just Ella; people called me Lady Eleanor after Mother died, and I loathed it.”

“I can understand that,” Sandry said, smiling sadly. “Being called Duchess or Your Grace is still very odd to me, and reminds me that Uncle Vedris is gone.”

“We’re sorry for your loss,” Areida said quietly.

Sandry smiled gratefully at her. “Thank you,” she said. “And I’m sorry to have brought down the mood like that. Linguists then,” she turned back to Ella. “Were you already the Court Linguist when you got married?”

Ella shook her head. “No, but they insisted that I take some sort of title, and they told me if I accepted Court Linguist they would give me the keys to the library and they’d send me to visit the elves and the giants regularly,” she said. She smiled impishly. “And then I convinced them to let me have the title of Cook’s Helper too so that they gave me keys to the kitchens.”

Sandry laughed. “I’ll have to try that,” she said. “My foster brother accepted the Palace Gardener title, at least, but my foster sisters refused any title at all. I might be able to get Tris with ‘Librarian’ though.” She shook her head. “Oh!” she said, now staring at Ella’s sleeve. She blinked a few times. “Your embroidery moves!”

“Oh!” Ella beamed at her. “Yes, it does that sometimes.”

“I can’t believe I’ve only just noticed it,” Sandry murmured distractedly. “I’ve never seen magic like this,” Sandry said, running the edge of Ella’s sleeve between her fingers. “Or weaving like this. It’s so fine! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a loom that could weave that tightly!”

“It doesn’t always move,” Ella assured her. “I think that it only started for you just now. And oh, here, this was to be for the ceremony, but if you’d like to open it now…” She cast around, blushing as she suddenly remembered that her gift was still at the top of the stairs.

Sandry laughed and reached her magic into the carpet, causing it to gently propel the box down the stairs.

Ella watched with wide eyes as the last sloping of the carpet deposited the box in her arms.

Recovering, she offered the box to Sandry. 

Sandry opened the box and peered closely at the contents within before drawing them out. A shimmering lilac gown cascaded from her hand, and Sandry ran her other hand over it, wonderingly. “It’s just as fine,” she murmured. “And the embroidery…” She beamed as she focused on the nearest hem, and watched a parade of tiny fairies flitting across it. “How is it done?”

“Such craftsmanship is rare even in Kyria,” Ella admitted. “But when we heard that you were a mage of thread and fabric, we knew we must submit our best for inspection,” Ella said.

“And the magic on it?” Sandry asked. “I can tell that it’s not harmful, but it’s not a kind I’ve seen before.”

Ella smiled mischievously. “It’s fairy magic,” she explained. “It only moves to those who are friends of the fairies.”

“I don't think I've ever met a fairy,” Sandry said, still staring wonderingly at the embroidery, where the fairies had begun to dance. “Not that I’ve known of, anyway. Would one tell you?”

Ella grinned at her. “Most full fairies won’t,” she said. “But I have a little fairy blood. It’s not enough to do any magic, but it’s enough to make sure that my friends can see the magic too.”