Ahsan fought the urge to rub his eyes and yawn. For as much rest as he had gotten, still he craved more.
Needless to say, he had slept on the bed for more than four minutes. More than four hours, even. When he had awoken to Mistress Tashlitum jostling him awake, hissing that he was running late for his court duties, he wanted to turn over and bury his head under the covers. According to what Nirah had told him as the attendants quickly groomed him into proper order, the guards had been unwilling to rouse him from sleep, saying something along the lines of ‘it is my job to ensure he does not run off, not to ensure that he is punctual.’
For as much as he disliked the guards’ hawk-eyed watch on him, he appreciated the few extra minutes of sleep they had earned him.
He had at last been shuf
