Where Katherine awaits

The journey back was relatively uneventful as Alice made her way back through the town. {if **** = True} It took a while for Alice's legs to return to their normal strength, and she had to lean heavily against Finley for a while as she walked. Whatever Currell had fed her, it was damn potent, that's for sure. {endif}It was nearing midday now, and things were getting truly busy. Peddlers shouted from their stands, and guard patrols marched down the streets. Kids ran and played along the massive fountain in the middle of the city, and the occasional beggar pled for sustenance. Yet all of them gave the princess a wide berth as she strode across town, though she got more than a few admiring glances from men passing by. All in all, a fairly normal day, with the sun shining brightly down from the sky. The scent of food being sold reminded her that she ought to be having lunch soon. Normally, such a thing would be a family affair, but with Jamis currently out with his soldiers and Cassian stuck in bed, the remaining three siblings ended preferring to eat alone in their rooms, so they can sort out their affairs with some privacy.

The palace stood to the north of the city, and it stood out as the prominent structure with it's magnificent marble pillars and sky piercing towers. According to one of her tutors, the palace was the work of almost two decades of construction by her father, and was the physical representation of the culmination of his efforts in forging this kingdom from nothing. Even Alice, who is normally not one to admire art or architecture, had to grudgingly admit that the palace served well as a symbol of hope and power for the people. More than just a home though, it was also a well-secured base of operations, with impressive basalt walls and a moat surrounding it as well, making it nigh-impenetrable to all but the most dangerous siege engines.

Two knights stand at the entrance, more ceremonial than actually defensive, and they bow when the see the princess and her escort. Behind the walls are the courtyard and a lush garden, and beyond that, the palace proper. She dismissed Finley{if Merchants Visited= True}once he finished lugging the gold up to her room{endif}, allowing for him to return to his quarters as she heads for her own chambers near the top of the palace. Her loyal maid Katherine, as always, is waiting for her in her room, ready to be of service.

Katherine was three years older than Alice, but had entered into her service young as well, in her teens. The two had become fast friends despite the difference in their social status, and the princess considered more of a sister than a servant. The two were very different, both in terms of though process and physical appearance, but just made it easier for them to bicker and banter. Whereas Alice was willowy and slender, with golden hair and light skin, Katherine had all the curves in the right places to compliment her brown hair and olive skin, and whereas Alice was cynical and aggressive, Katherine was optimistic and friendly.

"Alice, I hope everything went well?" Katherine asks as soon as her friend closed the door. Privately, the two preferred to use each other's names as opposed to any fancy titles or honorifics. It had taken a bit to get used to, but now it was second nature, and she had to make sure she didn't slip up and refer to the princess by name in public.

"Later," Alice grunts, tugging at the strings to her dress. "Get this accursed thing off of me first and then we'll talk."

Smiling, Katherine nods, noting how different Alice was in private. No more pretenses of being overly polite, and no more annoying etiquette to be followed. Here, in the safety of her own room, she got to be herself for once. With practiced hands, the maid helped her lady out of the dress, pulling down the dress and helping her out of the uncomfortable heels as well.

"Ah, so much better," Alice sighed with relief as she slumped down onto her bed, clad only in her underwear. "God, my feet are killing me."

"Was it worth the pain then? Or was your suffering all in vain?" Katherine asks playfully as she sat down on the bed as well. "Who did you go talk to?"

{if Blake Met = 1}"Well, I spoke to my brother Blake," Alice starts, recounting her experiences this morning. "I ended up convincing him to help me out with my endeavors. Honestly, it didn't take much. The man just wants to see the world burn, I swear. But I did get some valuable information out of him, so it wasn't a total waste of time. Hopefully, I won't have to rely on him too much in the future though. His demands make me shudder. Still, we've got more important things to worry about.{endif}

{if Blake Met = 0} "Well, I spoke to my brother Blake," Alice starts, recounting her experiences this morning. "Which turned out to be a huge fucking mistake. I wanted to ask some questions, get his insight on some matters, but the man wanted me to strip naked! Right in front of him! I'm his sister for God's sake. I swear, there's something genuinely wrong with that pervert."{endif}

{if Deal = false}"Wow, I hadn't expected something... brash," Katherine replied in shock. Blake had quite the reputation among the maids, and she could count on one hand the number of maids who hadn't fucked him, and that included herself. Still, for him to trespass upon his sister like that? He was definitely pushing the limits there. "So once you refused, what did you do?"

{if Currell Met = True}"I ended up going to the church to visit the arch-bishop," Alicia replies with a yawn, lying down in her friends lap as she closed her eyes. {if Church Reputation = 0} "The old bastard trying drugging me with something that sapped my strength, so I fought back and almost strangled him."{elseif Church Reputation = 40} "We talked a bit, and I suggested he find me a groom of his choice. That way, we both get what we want, or so he thinks..."{else} "Pretty sure the old bastard slipped something in my drink, but my mind is all fuzzy. I can't seem to recall a single word that was exchanged between us..."{endif} {endif}

{if Currell Met = True} {if Church Reputation = 0}"He-What?!" Katherine practically yells, almost leaping to her feet before remembering Alice is still in her lap. "He **** you? Are you alright? Any aftereffects? Should I fetch a physician?"{elseif Church Reputation = 40} "Smart. He'll think that he gets to pick a king of his choice, when in reality you're the one pulling all the strings from behind," Katherine nods, impressed with her line of thinking."{else} "He-What?!" Katherine practically yelled, almost leaping to her feet before remembering Alice is still in her lap. "He **** you? Are you alright? Any aftereffects? Should I fetch a physician?"{endif} {endif}

{if Currell Met = True} {if Church Reputation = 0} "No need. Like I said, I nearly strangled him, and I'm confident he won't mess with me again. You should've seen his eyes Kathy, I put the fear of **** into him," Alice laughs. "Besides, we have more important things to worry about."{elseif Church Reputation = 40} "Precisely. Even if he doesn't go through with the plan, he'll still assume I have no ambitions for the throne anyways," Alice said gleefully. "But for now, we have more important things to worry about."{else} "Don't tempt me," Alice grumbled in annoyance. "But no, not now. We have more important things to worry about."{endif} {endif}

{if Kurtis Met = True}"I ended up going to the barracks to look for general Kurtis instead," Alice replies with a yawn, lying down in her friends lap as she closed her eyes. {if Kurtis Approval = true}"He fell for my ploy, hook, line, and sinker. The command tower is now open to me, and in fact, I told him I'd be bringing a few maids. Want to come along?"{elseif Maps = true} "I managed to sneak away with copies of all his maps and other pieces of intelligence. I was thinking about going through and maybe analyzing their value." {else}"Nothing but a waste of time. The fat bastard is of no use to me, but I suppose I should be happy that he's of no use to Jamis either."{endif} {endif}

{if Kurtis Met = True}{if Kurtis Approval = true}"Asking me to follow you into the lion's den?" Katherine asks with faux horror on her face. "You know I'd follow you anywhere and everywhere."{elseif Maps = true} "Interesting, though I'm afraid I'm of no use to you there," Katherine laments sadly. "I'll just settle for brewing some tea for you while you study." {else}"Well, determining that he's not a threat isn't necessarily a waste of time," Katherine points out. "Best to find that out early"{endif} {endif}

{if Kurtis Met = True}{if Kurtis Approval = true}"Haha, I do know Kathy, but I felt it was better to at least ask before I drag you to go see that fat bastard," Alice replies with a giggle "But lets discuss this later, we got more important stuff to worry about."{elseif Maps = true} "Keeping me company is all I ask for, Kathy," Alice replies as she nuzzles her head deeper into her friend's lap. "As much as I'd like to stay here... we have more important stuff to worry about." {else}"You've got a point there," Alice replied thoughtfully, before shaking her head. "I'll think about all that later, we have more important stuff to worry about."{endif} {endif}

{if Merchants Visited= True}"I ended up going to the merchants guild instead," Alicia replies with a yawn, lying down in her friends lap as she closed her eyes. {if Roger fucked = true} "They gave me a pretty hefty loan of 1000 gold pieces, which should be enough to fund my activities for a while. I do need to pay it back, but there's plenty of time. Plus, I think I've got a bit of an advantage when it comes to negotiations"{else} "They gave me a pretty hefty loan of 1000 gold pieces, which should be enough to fund my acitivties for a while. I do need to pay it back, but there's plenty of time."{endif} {endif}

{if Merchants Visited= True}"Wow, that is a seriously huge sum," Katherine replies, trying and failing to even imagine that amount of gold. "I suppose it goes to show that they've got some amount of trust in you, if they're willing to lend that much." {endif}

{if Merchants Visited= True}"Or maybe they're just filthy rich and don't care about chump change like that," Alice snorted in derision. "The debt is a bit worrying, but I'm confident I can earn it somehow. But lets discuss this later, we have more important stuff to worry about" {endif}{endif}

{if Blake Met = -1}{if Currell Met = True}"I ended up going to the church to visit the arch-bishop instead," Alicia replies with a yawn, lying down in her friends lap as she closed her eyes. {if Church Reputation = 0} "The old bastard trying drugging me with something that sapped my strength, so I fought back and almost strangled him."{elseif Church Reputation = 40} "We talked a bit, and I suggested he find me a groom of his choice. That way, we both get what we want, or so he thinks..."{else} "Pretty sure the old bastard slipped something in my drink, but my mind is all fuzzy. I can't seem to recall a single word that was exchanged between us..."{endif}{endif}

{if Currell Met = True} {if Church Reputation = 0} "He-What?!" Katherine practically yells, almost leaping to her feet before remembering Alice is still in her lap. "He **** you? Are you alright? Any aftereffects? Should I fetch a physician?"{elseif Church Reputation = 40} "Smart. He'll think that he gets to pick a king of his choice, when in reality you're the one pulling all the strings from behind," Katherine nods, impressed with her line of thinking."{else} "He-What?!" Katherine practically yelled, almost leaping to her feet before remembering Alice is still in her lap. "He **** you? Are you alright? Any aftereffects? Should I fetch a physician?"{endif} {endif}

{if Currell Met = True} {if Church Reputation = 0} "No need. Like I said, I nearly strangled him, and I'm confident he won't mess with me again. You should've seen his eyes Kathy, I put the fear of **** into him," Alice laughs. "Besides, we have more important things to worry about."{elseif Church Reputation = 40} "Precisely. Even if he doesn't go through with the plan, he'll still assume I have no ambitions for the throne anyways," Alice says gleefully. "But for now, we have more important things to worry about."{else} "Don't tempt me," Alice grumbles in annoyance. "But no, not now. We have more important things to worry about."{endif} {endif}

{if Kurtis Met = True}"I ended up going to the barracks to look for general Kurtis," Alice replies with a yawn, lying down in her friends lap as she closed her eyes. {if Kurtis Approval = true}"He fell for my ploy, hook, line, and sinker. The command tower is now open to me, and in fact, I told him I'd be bringing a few maids. Want to come along?"{elseif Maps = true} "I managed to sneak away with copies of all his maps and other pieces of intelligence. I was thinking about going through and maybe analyzing their value." {else}"Nothing but a waste of time. The fat bastard is of no use to me, but I suppose I should be happy that he's of no use to Jamis either."{endif} {endif}

{if Kurtis Met = True}{if Kurtis Approval = true}"Asking me to follow you into the lion's den?" Katherine asks with faux horror on her face. "You know I'd follow you anywhere and everywhere."{elseif Maps = true} "Interesting, though I'm afraid I'm of no use to you there," Katherine laments sadly. "I'll just settle for brewing some tea for you while you study." {else}"Well, determining that he's not a threat isn't necessarily a waste of time," Katherine points out. "Best to find that out early"{endif} {endif}

{if Kurtis Met = True}{if Kurtis Approval = true}"Haha, I do know Kathy, but I felt it was better to at least ask before I drag you to go see that fat bastard," Alice replies with a giggle. "But lets discuss this later, we have more important stuff to worry about."{elseif Maps = true} "Keeping me company is all I ask for, Kathy," Alice replies as she nuzzles her head deeper into her friend's lap. "As much as I'd like to stay here... we got more important stuff to worry about." {else}"You've got a point there," Alice replies thoughtfully, before shaking her head. "I'll think about all that later, we have more important stuff to worry about."{endif} {endif}

{if Merchants Visited= True}"I ended up going to the merchants guild," Alicia replied with a yawn, lying down in her friends lap as she closed her eyes. {if Roger fucked = true} "They gave me a pretty hefty loan of 1000 gold pieces, which should be enough to fund my acitivties for a while. I do need to pay it back, but there's plenty of time. Plus, I think I've got a bit of an advantage when it comes to negotiations"{else} "They gave me a pretty hefty loan of 1000 gold pieces, which should be enough to fund my acitivties for a while. I do need to pay it back, but there's plenty of time."{endif} {endif}

{if Merchants Visited= True}"Wow, that is a seriously huge sum," Katherine replies, trying and failing to even imagine that amount of gold. "I suppose it goes to show that they've got some amount of trust in you, if they're willing to lend that much." {endif}

{if Merchants Visited= True}"Or maybe they're just filthy rich and don't care about chump change like that," Alice snorted in derision. "The debt is a bit worrying, but I'm confident I can wrack up that much. But lets discuss this later, we have more important stuff to worry about" {endif}{endif}

That was Katherine's cue to discuss what she had learned during this morning, as she has been far from idle as well. Like the princess, Katherine was a smart and capable girl, and her status as a maid allows her to eavesdrop on conversations that would otherwise be impossible for Alice to listen in on.

"First, Jamis is slated to return in two or three days, depending on his pace. I've been informed that his meeting with the kingdom of Darnaka was a success, and that he's to be wed to the princess there, a girl named Bianca Coltin," Katherine says, pulling out her notes. "Second, The citizens have been furious that the bandits along the south of the country have been allowed to roam freely, harassing villages and forcing merchants to hire expensive mercenaries. Third, the cases of missing girls in the capital are hitting critical mass. This is the third teenager that's gone missing after dark this week alone, and to make matters worse, she's a noble."

"Sounds like a lovely kingdom I'll be inheriting," Alice groans. "How the hell did things turn to shit so quickly? Tell me you've got some good news, at least. Please?"

"Well, maybe," Katherine replies uncertainly. "You wanted me to look into hiring an assassin, right? He's willing to meet with you, and says he's staying at a local tavern. Name is Crow."

"Promising, but I'll have to evaluate his skills," Alice nods in acceptance. "Can't have him failing a hit when it's on my brothers"

"Also, there's a painter who inquired about you. Wants to use your likeness for a painting, says it won't take long, and is willing to pay," Katherine adds.

"Gold is always useful, especially if I don't need to do anything other than pose." Alice was more than used to standing stock still for portraits, and has had plenty of experiences. {if Merchants Visited= True}Plus, with the debt, it's always useful to have something to cover the interest. {endif} "I see, thanks Kathy. Let's go grab lunch, and I'll think about my plans for the afternoon."

___

This chapter connects to all the previous ones, and took a huge amount of time to make. I carefully tried to involve every variable so that it's dynamic and responsive to your player choices, and I hope you guys stay tuned for more to come. Of course, if there's any issues, feel free to leave a comment.

There will be time for 3 options.