Chapter 540 - Two Trees for One (3)

She laid her clothes out by function, narrating them to herself as if the day were a problem set. A sensible blouse—white but not blinding, linen thick enough to forgive a drop of stew, thin enough to breathe. It would not complain if a bit of mud found it. A riding skirt with hidden pleats and strong stitching so she could swing a leg over a saddle without performing a show for the whole gatehouse; the hem had been weighted with a line of tiny lead beads last winter so gusts wouldn't turn it into a flag. Sturdy boots that looked dull until you loved them long enough to learn how soft they were; she'd rubbed a little beeswax into the seams last night, and it had drunk the light like cream.