The princess looks unsettled about this, but tries to compose herself.

"Power? Does your universe have magicians - sorcerers - too?"

"General magic talent is one power, yeah. Some people get flight, or healing, or super speed, or weather control, or something else really specific instead or in addition."

Rajah moves closer to their princess, drawing and giving comfort.

Shahrázád jumps on that conversation thread, trying to put the subject of dæmons to the back of her mind where she can't think of it.

"Interesting! We have sorcerers that could, perhaps, do all those things. But no one person would get one of those talents, by themselves. Sorcerers are few and fair between, sadly. Magic is quite dangerous and requires many years of training and study."

"Yeah, general magic can be like that. Loki insists humans can all learn magic, we're just not teaching it widely enough."

"Magic is very exciting. When I was a child, I was convinced that I was a sorcerer and that I would be able to change into a tiger, like my Rajah. But sadly, I do not have such magical abilities. It didn't stop me from growling and jumping on passing guards and servants though."

"Awww, that's adorable!" she says, laughing. "I don't think I have any similarly funny childhood stories..."

"I think that's most of mine. I've never left the palace before now."

"Really? Huh - I'm one of the princesses's daughters, though most people don't bother calling me a princess, too, and it's never been an issue for us..."

"My father, the sultan, is very protective of me. Venturing beyond the palace walls is forbidden. If I were hurt, or killed, he would have no heir. My mother died when I was very young and he has never remarried."

"Your nation doesn't have fallback options for heirs?"

She shakes her head. "My father expects me to marry and my husband will be the next sultan."

" - Why can't you be sultan?"

"This is how it has been for a thousand years."

That doesn't mean she hasn't asked and worked for it. She's put in the time and effort her entire life to be a good ruler. But it will never be enough.

"I think our world used to have pretty bad sexism? But we - kinda out grew that."

"Grew out of? How."

"There was - this big women's rights movement. Feminism. I think started like a century and a half ago, became a really big deal fifty to a hundred years ago? And there's been stuff since but part of it's also that Unification happened and King Lensherr hasn't tolerated bigotry."