"Now what happens?" Azakar asked from the door.

"Zak, you don't have to be so modest," Keritanima told him. "If I was so worried about you seeing my butt, I'd have a sheet drawn over it."

"Someone has to watch the door, Kerri," he said calmly.

"Be that way then," she giggled, then she hissed. "Ow! Binter!"

"I am nearly finished," he said calmly. "These require bandages."

"I know. It's how I'm going to hide the fact that I'm not as hurt as it looked," she agreed. "It's going to itch like crazy."

"Better itch than pain," Azakar remarked from the door.

"At least they didn't take any fur off my tail. A girl has to have at least one vanity." She put her muzzle on her folded arms and relaxed a bit. "Anyway, Zak, as to what happens now, the answer is not much," she replied. "I need out of this room to start the next phase. After whipping me, my father will probably keep me in here for a couple more days, then lift my restriction and demand I attend court."

"Why would he want to do that?"

"To look at me and know he had me beaten, for one," she replied calmly. "He'll also want to see who I talk to and what I do, since he can't rely on spies to watch us in here. He knows I'm up to something, so he'll allow me to carry on with it so he can get an idea of what it is and try to put a stop to it."

"Just like sending scouts to determine the size of an opposing army," the Mahuut reasoned.

"Something like that," she agreed. "Bringing me into court is exactly what I want him to do. So far, he hasn't disappointed me, so I doubt he will over this either."

Azakar looked in her direction, then blushed and turned away again. "How can you manipulate him like that?" he asked.

"I'm not. I just know my father," she replied. "He's actually a rather clever person, but he's somewhat cautious when it comes to political intrigue. The most cautious thing to do in his position is let me out of my room and let me plot, so he can see it coming. The only way to completely stop me is to throw me in prison, and that's something that he won't do. At least if I'm out in the open, he knows he has a chance of intercepting my plans and countering them."

"So, you're making your plans based on what you think he's going to do."

"Exactly."

"And you have plans in case he does something else."

"Of course. An unprepared general usually loses, Zak."

"Why wouldn't he throw you in prison?"

"Because I'd just break out of it, Zak," she smiled at his back sweetly. "He knows he can't hold me, and if I break out of prison and vanish, then I'll be on the loose and he'll have no idea what I intend to do. He'd much rather have me where he can keep an eye on me. There's an old saying that-"

"'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer,'" Azakar interrupted.

"Exactly. I'm too dangerous to let loose unsupervised. He'll want to keep me where he can have people report every word I say in triplicate."

"I guess that makes sense."

"I'll make a spy out of you yet, Zak."

"I hope not," Azakar grumbled. "I don't have the patience for this stuff. I'd rather just march up to someone and stick a sword in them. It's much simpler."

"True, but that's what makes anarchy different from civilization," she chuckled.

In one respect, Damon Eram surprised his daughter.

She sat in her room and stewed for nearly a full week.

She needed the time, she had to admit. The cuts weren't deep, but one hundred of them had taken their toll on her. She had trouble moving around, and it made her short tempered. She had refused repeatedly any attempt to have the Royal priests heal her with magic, instead allowing them to believe that she had healed herself. She couldn't do that, but they didn't know that, and a bit of artful misinformation worked in her favor on that matter. They had seen her up and about the very next day, wearing a robe tied very loosely and obviously having bandages on underneath. It was obvious that she was in pain, but she wouldn't allow them to inspect the wounds, so they had no idea how badly she was still hurt, but had obviously done something magical to herself to allow her to be standing so soon after taking such a brutal punishment. She had politely refused their invitations to heal her, and refused them three times a day for the next six days. They came with each meal brought to her room, to offer their assistance to her.

That surprised her. She thought that her father would leave her to suffer, and would bring her into court just as soon as she could stand without fainting as a very visible reminder to everyone that he was in charge, and that he could deal with his daughter's disobedience. That he would back off and give her time to mend, even allow priests to come and offer healing, was unexpected. It seemed to her that he was jeopardizing his position by doing it, so she had to sit back and think about it for quite a while, imagining the situation through her father's eyes and considering all the information she could get from Miranda. Though punishing her more would indeed reinforce his power to court, she realized that now he was dealing with much more serious issues. The public reaction to her flogging had been a political disaster, she'd found out from one of Miranda's many excursions to gather news and gossip. The people had taken a very ugly view of the Crown Princess being so blatantly humiliated, and there was even some disapproval from the noble houses. Not that Keritanima was punished, but that if Damon Eram had the nerve to do that to the heir to the throne, then he wouldn't have any mercy to anyone else. Damon Eram had been trying to establish his dominance, and it had backfired on him on more than one level.

So, taking that into account, she could see the logic in her father's actions now. He was being considerate to her needs to mollify the noble houses and try to establish some damage control with the commoners. Her father didn't fear the possibility of a revolt, but for him, any distractions right now were major. He was still reeling from the assassin's scythe she had swept through his more trusted advisors and servants some months before, and the current major events were making his precarious situation even worse. Damon Eram had, on the average, about three plots against him by various noble houses to topple him from the throne and rise a new house up to the monarchy at any given time. Those too were probably wearing at him, forcing him to work with fewer resources to protect himself. The fact that he he had raised taxes so high was a clear indication of how desparate he was. House Eram's trading business was sagging, due to some major losses of ships and their cargos over the last few months, due to sabotage. Some other house had begun to attack Damon Eram through the ability of his noble house to make money. That was another reason he raised taxes so high. Without the income of the house to help fund his political operations, he had to find that money from somewhere else.

And now Keritanima was back, and it was clear to him that she was going to fight him. She established that in the throne room, and at first her father's pride and anger had caused him to make the decisions he did. She had counted on that. But now his reason was starting to reassert itself, and he was beginning to show signs of getting back to the shrewd, cunning policital manipulator that he was.

She was also counting on that. That political cunning would cause her father to bring her into court, where he could keep an eye on her. If he reacted out of anger, he would have her thrown in prison. Then again, prison was no longer an option. He would suffer a serious loss of face if he imprisoned her now, something that he wasn't in a position to afford at the moment.

The time let her heal, but it chafed at her. She would often pace angrily, furious at the delay, yet unable to do anything about it. The information Miranda brought in was all she had, and it was usually enough. There were the usual hints and rumors of this or that plot, of who had on what gods-awful dress at the last party, who had been caught ruffling fur with whom in secluded corners, who had said what about whom in the endless war of rumors and innuendos meant to sully reputations and reduce status among the noble social circles. There was a great deal of talk of new maneuvering around the King, about how many felt that Keritanima's appearance was the perfect opportunity to do something about Damon Eram. After all, any plot that failed could simply be blamed on the Princess. It would make those with eyes on the throne very bold, and that would make her father very defensive.