Book (possibly YA) 80s/90s princess goes to "barbaric" desert to be married, fantasy

Question

This is my first time posting, so hopefully I won't leave out any details.

I read this YA book about ~15 years ago. It was about a princess/daughter of a king who was sent to the desert/uncivilized nation to be married to this prince. When they first met, he thought that she was a "dancer" because she was so dressed up, and that she was there to entertain the guests. However, they ended up going on a journey together (forget the reason why), but she found that his culture was not so barbaric as she had heard. There was magic but I am forgetting what role it played.

There is one scene that I still remember - he mocked her for using the same toothbrush everyday (because that was gross to him). He used a fresh new twig-toothbrush everyday and was more minty-fresh/cleaner than she was.

It was a paperback book. I think the cover was yellow with a sun. Honestly, it might not even have been YA. I'm not even sure if she was arranged to be married to the prince or if she was being forced to visit (I'm fairly sure there was some romance at some point).

Answer 1

I found your post while I was searching for this book myself, and I was struck by the similarities in your description from what I could remember. I think I found it. In particular, there's a scene in which the main character and her fiancé are on a journey somewhere, she laments not being able to find her toothbrush, and he laughs at her and snaps off a twig from a zaramint bush to use as a single-use toothbrush, and she finds it's much nicer than her usual toothbrush. They ride big lizard-like animals called kroklyn, if that helps identification.

It's Sandwriter by Monica Hughes, in case you didn't find out since posting.

On the twin continents of Komilant and Kamalant, Antia has lived the pampered life of a princess. But when she crosses the Small Sea to the island desert of Roshan -- ostensibly to be betrothed to Jodril, heir to Chief Hamrab -- she finds a completely alien world. Antia is determined not to conform, but to keep her own identity in this strange country, a country which is full of rumours of an ancient mystery and is the setting for a bitter and deadly power struggle.