QUOTE : When my body changed so rapidly that I felt almost a stranger in it, I found an inexplicable satisfaction in exploring the limits of my laces. At the end of the day, though, I was grateful to put them away. Until I witnessed the King killing that girl. When the time came that night to unlace my stays…I simply declined. Every week or two, when it stops hurting, I set the bots to pull my laces a bit tighter. Now I have nearly the smallest waist in court, despite my height. The other ladies think it’s because I’m vain. In truth, it oddly anchors me. Maybe it’s the pain in my ribs that reminds me I’m alive.