Lessja and Martina were both in good spirits the next morning. They joined Olenia for breakfast before heading back to their village. The trip back started without incident, but when the party broke for lunch, Lessja noticed the young princess was avoiding her. She sat away from the rest of the women, occasionally glancing in the queen’s direction with a frown on her face.
‘Is there something you want to say?’ Lessja did not want any issue to brew. She preferred to confront it head on.
‘I should be queen of my own tribe.’
‘We are working towards that. But you have to be patient.’
‘I don’t understand why. I am an adult and the rightful heir to my mother’s crown. There is no reason to be patient. I should be queen and you know it.’
‘Your mother started a war, which almost wiped us all o
