A few steps away, Ash hurried to my elbow and leaned in again. "Zara, what the hell is going on?"
I shook my head, heart hammering. I had to fight. I couldn't just let this happen around me. I had to fight for him. I had to learn. I had to show up as someone who could at least be approved, even if it was grudgingly.
I didn't fool myself that I understood the etiquette and complicated diplomatic ties of Arinel and the nations that all these other people were from. I couldn't hope to compete with women who'd lived here their whole lives.
But I had other things to offer. And I needed to use those to shine myself in the best possible light.
Get it together, Zara, I told myself.
"I need your help," I said to Ash.
"Of course, I'm here to—"
"Tell me how to impress a soldier. Tell me how to make these men see me as someone worth listening to."
