The further she goes, the deeper into despair Yeva sinks. Inns and shops in the buildings wave her away or simply ignore her. Brandishing the girl-king’s seal elicits silence, or questions in the local language she cannot answer. The solution, to her, seems obvious. Take off the helm, let them see that she isn’t some marauding stranger who has come to threaten their country with Imperial power, let them see that she is a neighbor and a daughter to a woman who loved this city.
