Then Ace led me forward again, and I could feel the shift in temperature. Maybe someone had opened a door or a window to make it feel like we were moving from the cold streets into the warmth of the prince’s “home.” 

When we stopped, I heard him call out: “Bring water! Food! Clothes for the maiden!” 

Voices responded in the background. The group was playing servants now. The shuffling of feet, the clinking of plates and goblets. Someone even played along, pouring ...