The sun was well on its way across the sky when their horses clattered onto the marble floor of Randa’s inner courtyard.

Yay finally we’re done with that pointless travel section!

…who puts marble floors in a courtyard?  And if someone were dumb enough to waste the money, why would you take your horses there?  Slick floors + metal shoes = horsey fall over. 

The courtyard gets described more, and the longer the book goes on, the less and less this seems like a place for horses.  In fact, it’s more of a foyer.

Prince Cousin Raffin comes out for pointless (but harmless) banter, then talks about Prince Old Guy.  In the middle of that courtyard still.  The one that, less than a page ago, we were told was “but not a peaceful or private [courtyard], with the entire court roaming the passageways above.”  Wow, so smart.  Anyway, Prince Old Guy isn’t awake yet, but a new prince has shown up!

Because, you know, there’s not enough royalty yet.

This guy is the youngest (of 7) Lienid princes, and he’s the other fighter from the first chapter.

Then she’s told that she has to get fancied up for dinner, which usually means the king is trying to play matchmaker with her, and Katsa finds the whole process tedious.  Which…well, yeah.  Raffin takes the opportunity to mock her.

His face dissolved into laughter, and she tore a button from one of her bags and hurled it at him. He squealed and dropped to the floor, and the button hit the wall right where he’d been standing. When he peeked back over the railing, she stood in the courtyard with her hands on her hips, grinning.

…apparently the heir to the kingdom is four.

I’m sure the people are thrilled.

Oh, who are we kidding.  What people?

New Prince Young Guy shows his face finally, and Katsa is entranced because his eyes are just so very, very pretty.  Apparently, despite the claim that mis-matched graceling eyes are weird, every important graceling in this book is going to have nice, complimentary, pretty eyes.

You know.  For subtlety. 

Aaaaaand…yeah, that’s it for this chapter.  Wow, how impressive, we’ve walked into a foyer and saw (but didn’t talk to) a new character.  This book is just moving a blinding pace, isn’t it?