Their faces turned a violently mottled shade of purple. They felt a collective rush of blood to their heads. 'How dare she?!' A woman, riding astride like a common mercenary, parading herself in the middle of a men's martial ground!
They instantly abandoned their exercises, practically foaming at the mouth as they gathered in angry clusters. Heena could practically see the gears turning in their heads, eagerly drafting the scathing impeachment scrolls they were going to present to the Emperor at morning court.
''Perfect,'' Heena thought, slowing her horse to a majestic, prancing trot in the center of the field. ''Go complain to the Emperor. Tie up the entire royal court in pointless gossip for the next three days. Keep your eyes on me, while Grandma disappears.''
As Heena casually trotted through the center of the field, completely ignoring the scandalized whispers, a group of younger aristocratic men on horseback broke away from the crowd and rode toward her.
