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A group of Guards entered aArymilla was still pluht have been, had she been wearing ht As if she thought Elayne ht still execute her

Elenia was far more in control She, like the others, had been stripped of her fine dress and wore a tattered gown instead, but she had cleaned her face and dressed her gold hair in a neat bun Elayne didn’t starve or abuse her prisoners Her eneh they were, they weren’t traitors to Andor

Elenia regarded Elayne That vulpine face of hers was thoughtful, calculating Did she knohere her husband’s army had vanished to? That force felt like a hidden knife, pressed to Elayne’s back None of her scouts had been able to discover its location Light! Problems atop problems

The third woman was Naean Arawn, a slim, pale wo her captivity This one had seemed broken before Elayne had taken her captive, and she kept back from the other tomen

The three were prodded to the foot of the throne’s dais, then forced down on their knees In the hallway, the Cairhienin nobles were returning noisily froons They would assume that they’d happened upon Elayne’s display by accident

"The Crown acknowledges Naean Arawn, Elenia Sarand and Arymilla Marne," Elayne said in a loud voice That stilled the outside conversations--both those of the Andoran nobles in the sitting room and the Cairhienin outside in the hallway

Of the three, only Elenia dared glance up Elayne aze with one as hard as stone, and the woain Dyelin had put away her needlework and atching closely

"The Crown has given uided war against Trakand has left you destitute, and requests for ransom have been turned away by your heirs and scions Your own Houses have abandoned you"

Her words rang in the grand throne room The women before her bowed down further

"This leaves the Croith a conundru existences Perhaps some queens would have left you to prison, but I find that reeks of indecision You would drain my resources and make men whisper of ways to free you"

The hall fell silent save for the husky breathing of the prisoners