Sweet Pia,



You are not going to believe what I am about to put onto parchment. Please, bear with me as I paint the tale, for it will certainly be worth your patience in the end result.



Athenia was amazing. I feel that is the only way to describe it. I have dropped far more coin than father will be pleased with, but I feel that it was all worth it. The fabrics here! The colors! I have included a parcel, seeet sister. Hopefully the new additions to your wardrobe will make the rest of your pregnancy far more comfortable. I’m told that the higher cut of the fabric replaces the need for a belt, and the flow of the material allows for movement and comfort. The woman who made them says that towards this portion of your pregnancy, you will be enjoying the movement within your belly, and will want the extra material to allow it. Fear not, for I told her it was a gift for a friend. Which was not a total lie, as you are one of my dearest.



Here is the portion of the tale in which you will be at the edge of your seat.



I was to leave for home, but both the Princess Emilia and the weather seemed it necessary that I stay. And I am glad that I did, for the Princess of Athenia has announced her own engagement, further tying out two kingdoms together. It will be a good match, I think. But, at the festivities, I’m afraid I must confession that any tale I would share would only be a second hand account. I rode to them in the royal convoy, since I was to sit in their box for the viewing. As the crowd grew, and the excitement began to overtake the crowd, it was then that I found myself smelling smoke and ash. I was able to compose myself long enough to excuse myself from the box, safe within the carriage before I was unable to control my emotions. Poor Jo— I believe she thought me to be possessed. But it was most unbecoming of me. And it took me most of the day to compose myself. And far more eager to make it home, I pushed the Captain to start out journey home.



I was terrified for you, sister.



Anyway, as we started the longer journey, around the coasts instead of through the slips, we hit more bad weather. And it was violent enough that we had to find port.



In Colchis.



Pick up the parchment, for you read that correctly, sister. I am currently writing to you from the home of the royal family. I do not wish to convey all the details by letter, but it would seem that the weather has made it impossible to continue on. And, as far as I have heard, there are no signs of improvement. Uncle has gifted the family with fine horses as a token of his appreciation for housing me. I am... I am hopeful that they will be taken as well as he hopes.



There is far more I wish to convey in person, but I fear it will have to wait.



I long to be with you sister. My nights are restless, as I am coming to realize that I am not handling this new Taengea as well as I had hoped. Instead, it would seem that the smell of unexpected smoke sends me into sheer panic. And more than once, I have seen you on the ground, motionless at the hands of the Creed. I wish we had gone with Theo that day, that we may have been never had to deal with what had happened that day. My hope is that being home with you, pressing my hand to the belly as my nephew says hello, will help me a great deal with my unsettled mind.



Are you sleeping?



I pray to the Gods daily for their protection of you, sister. And for our kingdom. Perhaps, one day, life at home will feel normal. For now, with such uncertainty, I am glad to be under the roof of the Kotas family. It has brought me a bit of peace.



My next letter will have to go into more detail about the family. It is late, and I have a brother standing over my shoulder, begging me to allow him to redeem him self at Mercenaries. They have a fine set, and it has been amusing to defeat the younger prince repeatedly at a game he claims to be a master of.



My heart is with you, sister. Always.



May you find rest, and may the Gods keep you safe.



Your most affectionate and worried sister,



Selene