Excellent story - Segnbora has to take up her duties as Head of her House, and some of them are (much) more complicated than necessary because her father and grandfather neglected their responsibilities. I wish we'd seen some of her more normal visits, though she reviews them a bit. The visit we get in detail is - well, it starts out very well, with people willing to work with her and work the land, and delighted that their Head of House is finally giving them the help they need to do their work in full. And then it gets...complicated, on several levels. She has to convince them to talk to her, and then she has to deal with what she discovers from what they say - and when she goes to do that, what she finds is _not_ what she expects. An event much earlier in the series has had a ripple-on effect no one knew about...and the whole Middle Kingdoms have some very interesting puzzles, and people, to deal with. Fascinating! And the events here are going to have major effects down the road (on The Door Into Starlight, probably, as well as any other short pieces). Good story in itself, definitely worth reading, great insight into characters and relationships - and a great setup for some new and complex relationships later on. ( )