- Ani gets what's happening: Selia is in the palace… in her dress… living her life. She's annoyed, but Ani also knows she won't be taken seriously if she strolls up claiming to be the princess—plus Selia has the gift of people-speaking, so she'd easily be able to convince the king she's the real princess. Ugh.
- Ani notices that Selia's light hair stands out amongst all the dark heads in Bayern, just like Ani's—perhaps she should cover her hair so she's not so noticeable as a foreigner, or else someone might suspect her as a Kildenrean.
- When she finally gets to the king, she's not sure what to say, so she asks if he needs anyone in his stables, telling him that she's good with animals and can work hard. Her hope is to buy herself a bit of time to figure out her next move.
- But no dice—the stable is full. How about geese, though? The goose-boy has a gaggle of fifty and could use some help.
- Sold. Ani agrees to work as a goose-girl for the king. Then she realizes the prime minister of Bayern met her as a kid, so she asks the king if she can speak with the PM—but when she gets there, it's a different guy than she remembers. Darn.
- It's off to the geese for now, since she doesn't have any other options.
- Ani is given a tunic to wear, and shown some quarters where she'll take her meals and sleep—it's not much, but at least she's got somewhere to hang.
- Ani wanders down to the market to tell Finn the good news—she's got a job looking after the king's geese.
- He's excited for her, but then Ani warns Finn not to tell anyone about her, even if they claim to be her friend—she's worried the other guards will catch up to her and kill her.
- They say their goodbyes and Ani buys thornroot from an old woman at the market so she can darken her hair and blend in.
- Ani goes to sleep on a lumpy bed in her little hut.