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As the sunlight poured into the courtyard of the Stravos manor, a cascade of light giggles lifted up from the girl currently taking up the space. At the moment, the girl was her own in the cool air, enjoying the last few pleasant days of fall before the chill of winter set in. This solitude was a good thing though as it was very unlikely that Danae would have allowed herself to be seen in such a manner, giggling like a lovesick fool as she watched her cats chase after a small feather toy. Moments like this where the sixteen-year-old was visibly carefree and relaxed were usually few and far between, but even the girl had to admit that perhaps they were becoming more common in the past few weeks.
She was sure that her shift to this from an angry firecracker was due to a variety of different factors. Danae was certain that it probably had something to do with things looking up for the Stravos family in addition to the fractured relationship with her mother was finally beginning to heal. Both of these were big reasons for this change in temperament, Danae couldn’t deny that. However, she suspected that there was also another element at play... or rather two elements at play.
Those, of course, were the girl’s cats; Perseus and Theseus. The two little tomcats had unexpectedly come into Danae’s life not too long ago when the girl and her brother were encouraged to spend time together at the market. While they were there, the Stravos siblings had stumbled across Elias’s friends Marietta and Sofia. This encounter ended with all the nobles leaving with at least one of the kittens. Danae was lucky enough to head home with two and from that moment onwards the beasts had managed to ensnare Danae’s heart. It didn’t matter that they were a pair of troublesome little scamps with all the bravery of the hero that they were named after. Danae could lose a thousand outfits to their little claws and they’d still be cute baby cherubs with their speckled orange and brown spots on white fur.
She honestly didn’t know why she had become so smitten with them in such a breakneck timeframe. After all, she had never thought of herself as much of an animal lover before laying her eyes on them for the first time. Nor had she ever felt such a loving spark for any of the other hundred stray cats roaming the city. There was just something special about these two furballs. Danae wasn’t sure what it was, but she certainly wasn’t going to complain. Especially not now during the rare chance Danae would have to let the brothers out of her room and out into the open sunshine like this.
Danae had to be careful about letting the cats out of her room as her father had several hunting dogs he liked to keep at home. They were big, lumbering beasts that would think nothing of making a meal out of her two kittens and given the cats were her responsibility (a notion that Circenia made clear in no uncertain terms) it was Danae’s duty to make sure that the dogs stayed away from her pets. Right now she knew that the dogs were supposed to be in their kennels so the servants could feed them, allowing Danae this quiet half-hour with her cats in the courtyard. Normally, she told the staff that handled the dogs to keep the hounds there for as long as possible so she could get a few extra minutes of being able to watch Perseus and Theseus dart about after the feather that was tied to a long string, but this morning she hadn’t seen the slaving on account of her missing breakfast. Oh well, she had been doing this so often now since her father had left that she figured that the slave would keep to the same schedule.
There was no way that they would have made such an exception if Keikelius had been home as his hounds always took precedence over any of the other animals that might be milling about in the Stravos household… but now he was elsewhere, acting as a turncoat for those who supported the coward queen. It was safe to say that Danae had mixed feelings about this turn of events. She could see why her father was doing it and she couldn’t deny the logic in his decision, but it didn’t make his absence hurt any less. The house felt more empty with both him and Elias gone, leaving just the women behind in the Archontiko. The sting had yet to fade in the days since his departure especially has the hours that Danae would have spent by his side, working on her ledgers in his office, now passed by unoccupied. Although she would never admit these feelings out loud as she knew how important this plan was for the family, she couldn’t help but feel as if this was just another incident to add to her steadily growing list of ways she felt betrayed by her father in recent weeks.
Danae didn’t know that she wasn’t the only one who was struggling with him being gone. Though given the two people who had the strongest feelings about his absence were both steadfast and stubborn in not letting it show, it was unlikely that they would know how hard it was unless something happened to force these feelings to the surface.
Little did the girl and her mother elsewhere in the manor know that that something was about to happen.
The slave that Danae could not find that morning had not taken the absence of instructions as orders that went unsaid, but instead as an indicator that the youngest mistress of the house had no desire to spend the noon hour in the courtyard. He also had no indication that he should have double-checked the courtyard for little critters like two kittens. Not before he released the hounds from their kennels and started to lead them, unleashed, through the courtyard to reach the front of the Archontiko where they would remain for the rest of the day, deterring any angry commoners from attacking the estate again. It was a foolish mistake on everyone’s part. An incident that could have been easily avoided if anyone had taken an extra step to make sure that things would go smoothly.
But no one did.
And there was nothing they could do once the hounds caught the cats’ scent.
Danae heard their claws skittering across the stone floors and the startled shout of the slave, calling for the dogs to return to heel before the girl saw any of them. Understanding immediately what was happening, the sixteen-year-old sprang into action. She abandoned the toy and rushed forward to scoop up the frightened kittens before the hounds came barrelling into the courtyard. Running on sheer instinct alone, Danae tried to hurry into a side room where she could slam the door on the faces of the hungry beasts, but she was no match for the speed on the hound on the prowl. She barely had the chance to straighten her back before lunging at the kittens in her arms, mewling out of fear as they wriggled about, completely unaware that this was only further agitating the dogs.
Before anyone could step forward to pull the hounds away, one of the more overeager pups (who had yet to learn that this girl holding the dogs was off-limits like the older hounds had) lept up onto Danae’s powder blue skirt and lunged for Theseus. A howl of pain left the girl as she swatted at the dog blindly, unwitting bringing the meat of her forearm just a bit too close to the dog’s maw for comfort. Most of the teeth harmlessly grazed by, leaving little more than harsh scratches. However, one little bit of flesh had the misfortune of meeting one little corner of the hound’s mouth which bit down with all the force that it had meant to use to kill the kitten.
The scream that left Danae was unholy, unearthly, and probably loud enough to bring the whole house down around her as she kicked at the dog, who was startled by the fact that he did not have a kitten in his mouth and thus was quick to let go. The wound left behind was not that terrible and would just need to be cleaned and bandaged before being left to heal on its own. However, in the moment, a small pool of red trickled from the puncture wound as Danae took the chance to flee to the nearest wall, pressing herself up against the wall as she uselessly yelled at the careless slave, “Get them under control! Arghh!” Some fo the dogs continued to bark at the kittens, but most of them had gotten the message from Danae’s scream that they should not get near this girl. All that would be needed to be done was get the beasts on leashes and have Danae’s minor wound be tended to before it could be forgotten.
However, that was considering that one additional factor did not come into play… her mother. Little did those in the courtyard know that the matriarch had heard the yowls of her cub and was currently making her way towards the courtyard with all the worry of a mother who had just heard her youngest daughter scream bloody murder in their own home…
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
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As the sunlight poured into the courtyard of the Stravos manor, a cascade of light giggles lifted up from the girl currently taking up the space. At the moment, the girl was her own in the cool air, enjoying the last few pleasant days of fall before the chill of winter set in. This solitude was a good thing though as it was very unlikely that Danae would have allowed herself to be seen in such a manner, giggling like a lovesick fool as she watched her cats chase after a small feather toy. Moments like this where the sixteen-year-old was visibly carefree and relaxed were usually few and far between, but even the girl had to admit that perhaps they were becoming more common in the past few weeks.
She was sure that her shift to this from an angry firecracker was due to a variety of different factors. Danae was certain that it probably had something to do with things looking up for the Stravos family in addition to the fractured relationship with her mother was finally beginning to heal. Both of these were big reasons for this change in temperament, Danae couldn’t deny that. However, she suspected that there was also another element at play... or rather two elements at play.
Those, of course, were the girl’s cats; Perseus and Theseus. The two little tomcats had unexpectedly come into Danae’s life not too long ago when the girl and her brother were encouraged to spend time together at the market. While they were there, the Stravos siblings had stumbled across Elias’s friends Marietta and Sofia. This encounter ended with all the nobles leaving with at least one of the kittens. Danae was lucky enough to head home with two and from that moment onwards the beasts had managed to ensnare Danae’s heart. It didn’t matter that they were a pair of troublesome little scamps with all the bravery of the hero that they were named after. Danae could lose a thousand outfits to their little claws and they’d still be cute baby cherubs with their speckled orange and brown spots on white fur.
She honestly didn’t know why she had become so smitten with them in such a breakneck timeframe. After all, she had never thought of herself as much of an animal lover before laying her eyes on them for the first time. Nor had she ever felt such a loving spark for any of the other hundred stray cats roaming the city. There was just something special about these two furballs. Danae wasn’t sure what it was, but she certainly wasn’t going to complain. Especially not now during the rare chance Danae would have to let the brothers out of her room and out into the open sunshine like this.
Danae had to be careful about letting the cats out of her room as her father had several hunting dogs he liked to keep at home. They were big, lumbering beasts that would think nothing of making a meal out of her two kittens and given the cats were her responsibility (a notion that Circenia made clear in no uncertain terms) it was Danae’s duty to make sure that the dogs stayed away from her pets. Right now she knew that the dogs were supposed to be in their kennels so the servants could feed them, allowing Danae this quiet half-hour with her cats in the courtyard. Normally, she told the staff that handled the dogs to keep the hounds there for as long as possible so she could get a few extra minutes of being able to watch Perseus and Theseus dart about after the feather that was tied to a long string, but this morning she hadn’t seen the slaving on account of her missing breakfast. Oh well, she had been doing this so often now since her father had left that she figured that the slave would keep to the same schedule.
There was no way that they would have made such an exception if Keikelius had been home as his hounds always took precedence over any of the other animals that might be milling about in the Stravos household… but now he was elsewhere, acting as a turncoat for those who supported the coward queen. It was safe to say that Danae had mixed feelings about this turn of events. She could see why her father was doing it and she couldn’t deny the logic in his decision, but it didn’t make his absence hurt any less. The house felt more empty with both him and Elias gone, leaving just the women behind in the Archontiko. The sting had yet to fade in the days since his departure especially has the hours that Danae would have spent by his side, working on her ledgers in his office, now passed by unoccupied. Although she would never admit these feelings out loud as she knew how important this plan was for the family, she couldn’t help but feel as if this was just another incident to add to her steadily growing list of ways she felt betrayed by her father in recent weeks.
Danae didn’t know that she wasn’t the only one who was struggling with him being gone. Though given the two people who had the strongest feelings about his absence were both steadfast and stubborn in not letting it show, it was unlikely that they would know how hard it was unless something happened to force these feelings to the surface.
Little did the girl and her mother elsewhere in the manor know that that something was about to happen.
The slave that Danae could not find that morning had not taken the absence of instructions as orders that went unsaid, but instead as an indicator that the youngest mistress of the house had no desire to spend the noon hour in the courtyard. He also had no indication that he should have double-checked the courtyard for little critters like two kittens. Not before he released the hounds from their kennels and started to lead them, unleashed, through the courtyard to reach the front of the Archontiko where they would remain for the rest of the day, deterring any angry commoners from attacking the estate again. It was a foolish mistake on everyone’s part. An incident that could have been easily avoided if anyone had taken an extra step to make sure that things would go smoothly.
But no one did.
And there was nothing they could do once the hounds caught the cats’ scent.
Danae heard their claws skittering across the stone floors and the startled shout of the slave, calling for the dogs to return to heel before the girl saw any of them. Understanding immediately what was happening, the sixteen-year-old sprang into action. She abandoned the toy and rushed forward to scoop up the frightened kittens before the hounds came barrelling into the courtyard. Running on sheer instinct alone, Danae tried to hurry into a side room where she could slam the door on the faces of the hungry beasts, but she was no match for the speed on the hound on the prowl. She barely had the chance to straighten her back before lunging at the kittens in her arms, mewling out of fear as they wriggled about, completely unaware that this was only further agitating the dogs.
Before anyone could step forward to pull the hounds away, one of the more overeager pups (who had yet to learn that this girl holding the dogs was off-limits like the older hounds had) lept up onto Danae’s powder blue skirt and lunged for Theseus. A howl of pain left the girl as she swatted at the dog blindly, unwitting bringing the meat of her forearm just a bit too close to the dog’s maw for comfort. Most of the teeth harmlessly grazed by, leaving little more than harsh scratches. However, one little bit of flesh had the misfortune of meeting one little corner of the hound’s mouth which bit down with all the force that it had meant to use to kill the kitten.
The scream that left Danae was unholy, unearthly, and probably loud enough to bring the whole house down around her as she kicked at the dog, who was startled by the fact that he did not have a kitten in his mouth and thus was quick to let go. The wound left behind was not that terrible and would just need to be cleaned and bandaged before being left to heal on its own. However, in the moment, a small pool of red trickled from the puncture wound as Danae took the chance to flee to the nearest wall, pressing herself up against the wall as she uselessly yelled at the careless slave, “Get them under control! Arghh!” Some fo the dogs continued to bark at the kittens, but most of them had gotten the message from Danae’s scream that they should not get near this girl. All that would be needed to be done was get the beasts on leashes and have Danae’s minor wound be tended to before it could be forgotten.
However, that was considering that one additional factor did not come into play… her mother. Little did those in the courtyard know that the matriarch had heard the yowls of her cub and was currently making her way towards the courtyard with all the worry of a mother who had just heard her youngest daughter scream bloody murder in their own home…
As the sunlight poured into the courtyard of the Stravos manor, a cascade of light giggles lifted up from the girl currently taking up the space. At the moment, the girl was her own in the cool air, enjoying the last few pleasant days of fall before the chill of winter set in. This solitude was a good thing though as it was very unlikely that Danae would have allowed herself to be seen in such a manner, giggling like a lovesick fool as she watched her cats chase after a small feather toy. Moments like this where the sixteen-year-old was visibly carefree and relaxed were usually few and far between, but even the girl had to admit that perhaps they were becoming more common in the past few weeks.
She was sure that her shift to this from an angry firecracker was due to a variety of different factors. Danae was certain that it probably had something to do with things looking up for the Stravos family in addition to the fractured relationship with her mother was finally beginning to heal. Both of these were big reasons for this change in temperament, Danae couldn’t deny that. However, she suspected that there was also another element at play... or rather two elements at play.
Those, of course, were the girl’s cats; Perseus and Theseus. The two little tomcats had unexpectedly come into Danae’s life not too long ago when the girl and her brother were encouraged to spend time together at the market. While they were there, the Stravos siblings had stumbled across Elias’s friends Marietta and Sofia. This encounter ended with all the nobles leaving with at least one of the kittens. Danae was lucky enough to head home with two and from that moment onwards the beasts had managed to ensnare Danae’s heart. It didn’t matter that they were a pair of troublesome little scamps with all the bravery of the hero that they were named after. Danae could lose a thousand outfits to their little claws and they’d still be cute baby cherubs with their speckled orange and brown spots on white fur.
She honestly didn’t know why she had become so smitten with them in such a breakneck timeframe. After all, she had never thought of herself as much of an animal lover before laying her eyes on them for the first time. Nor had she ever felt such a loving spark for any of the other hundred stray cats roaming the city. There was just something special about these two furballs. Danae wasn’t sure what it was, but she certainly wasn’t going to complain. Especially not now during the rare chance Danae would have to let the brothers out of her room and out into the open sunshine like this.
Danae had to be careful about letting the cats out of her room as her father had several hunting dogs he liked to keep at home. They were big, lumbering beasts that would think nothing of making a meal out of her two kittens and given the cats were her responsibility (a notion that Circenia made clear in no uncertain terms) it was Danae’s duty to make sure that the dogs stayed away from her pets. Right now she knew that the dogs were supposed to be in their kennels so the servants could feed them, allowing Danae this quiet half-hour with her cats in the courtyard. Normally, she told the staff that handled the dogs to keep the hounds there for as long as possible so she could get a few extra minutes of being able to watch Perseus and Theseus dart about after the feather that was tied to a long string, but this morning she hadn’t seen the slaving on account of her missing breakfast. Oh well, she had been doing this so often now since her father had left that she figured that the slave would keep to the same schedule.
There was no way that they would have made such an exception if Keikelius had been home as his hounds always took precedence over any of the other animals that might be milling about in the Stravos household… but now he was elsewhere, acting as a turncoat for those who supported the coward queen. It was safe to say that Danae had mixed feelings about this turn of events. She could see why her father was doing it and she couldn’t deny the logic in his decision, but it didn’t make his absence hurt any less. The house felt more empty with both him and Elias gone, leaving just the women behind in the Archontiko. The sting had yet to fade in the days since his departure especially has the hours that Danae would have spent by his side, working on her ledgers in his office, now passed by unoccupied. Although she would never admit these feelings out loud as she knew how important this plan was for the family, she couldn’t help but feel as if this was just another incident to add to her steadily growing list of ways she felt betrayed by her father in recent weeks.
Danae didn’t know that she wasn’t the only one who was struggling with him being gone. Though given the two people who had the strongest feelings about his absence were both steadfast and stubborn in not letting it show, it was unlikely that they would know how hard it was unless something happened to force these feelings to the surface.
Little did the girl and her mother elsewhere in the manor know that that something was about to happen.
The slave that Danae could not find that morning had not taken the absence of instructions as orders that went unsaid, but instead as an indicator that the youngest mistress of the house had no desire to spend the noon hour in the courtyard. He also had no indication that he should have double-checked the courtyard for little critters like two kittens. Not before he released the hounds from their kennels and started to lead them, unleashed, through the courtyard to reach the front of the Archontiko where they would remain for the rest of the day, deterring any angry commoners from attacking the estate again. It was a foolish mistake on everyone’s part. An incident that could have been easily avoided if anyone had taken an extra step to make sure that things would go smoothly.
But no one did.
And there was nothing they could do once the hounds caught the cats’ scent.
Danae heard their claws skittering across the stone floors and the startled shout of the slave, calling for the dogs to return to heel before the girl saw any of them. Understanding immediately what was happening, the sixteen-year-old sprang into action. She abandoned the toy and rushed forward to scoop up the frightened kittens before the hounds came barrelling into the courtyard. Running on sheer instinct alone, Danae tried to hurry into a side room where she could slam the door on the faces of the hungry beasts, but she was no match for the speed on the hound on the prowl. She barely had the chance to straighten her back before lunging at the kittens in her arms, mewling out of fear as they wriggled about, completely unaware that this was only further agitating the dogs.
Before anyone could step forward to pull the hounds away, one of the more overeager pups (who had yet to learn that this girl holding the dogs was off-limits like the older hounds had) lept up onto Danae’s powder blue skirt and lunged for Theseus. A howl of pain left the girl as she swatted at the dog blindly, unwitting bringing the meat of her forearm just a bit too close to the dog’s maw for comfort. Most of the teeth harmlessly grazed by, leaving little more than harsh scratches. However, one little bit of flesh had the misfortune of meeting one little corner of the hound’s mouth which bit down with all the force that it had meant to use to kill the kitten.
The scream that left Danae was unholy, unearthly, and probably loud enough to bring the whole house down around her as she kicked at the dog, who was startled by the fact that he did not have a kitten in his mouth and thus was quick to let go. The wound left behind was not that terrible and would just need to be cleaned and bandaged before being left to heal on its own. However, in the moment, a small pool of red trickled from the puncture wound as Danae took the chance to flee to the nearest wall, pressing herself up against the wall as she uselessly yelled at the careless slave, “Get them under control! Arghh!” Some fo the dogs continued to bark at the kittens, but most of them had gotten the message from Danae’s scream that they should not get near this girl. All that would be needed to be done was get the beasts on leashes and have Danae’s minor wound be tended to before it could be forgotten.
However, that was considering that one additional factor did not come into play… her mother. Little did those in the courtyard know that the matriarch had heard the yowls of her cub and was currently making her way towards the courtyard with all the worry of a mother who had just heard her youngest daughter scream bloody murder in their own home…
Overall, it was a peaceful afternoon in the Stravos home, if a bit gloomy. Ever since Keikelius left, the archontiko felt too big, too empty, even for a woman with her tastes. Combined with the continued absence of her son, the normally confident and outspoken princess was starting to grow quiet and withdrawn. No matter how much she loved all of her children, it was no secret among the family who held her heart so strongly in thrall. And with both of them gone…
Circenia was already on her third glass of wine, and it was barely midday. The warming beverage was hardly a replacement for the companionship she craved, but at least it kept her mind off the nagging doubt and worry plaguing her most hidden thoughts. While she understood these arrangements were necessary for her and her son’s ambitions and the advancement of the family, it didn’t mean she was happy with them. Far from it. At this point, she was nearly willing to sacrifice Elias’s progress if it meant she could hold her husband again.
Consumed by these melancholy thoughts, she was suddenly jerked out of her reverie by the sharp resounding of a scream from the courtyard—a scream that tugged at every maternal instinct she possessed. Leaping to her feet and heedless of the maroon liquid that sloshed over her chiton as a result, Circenia tossed the glass aside and started running for the door. That wasn’t just any cry. That was Danae, and she was terrified.
Sweeping into the courtyard with all the fury of a scorned goddess, razor-sharp crystalline eyes searched the artfully arranged foliage to find her daughter quivering in the corner while cradling one of her little kittens. Gaze flashing with rage, she sought the source of Danae’s distress, quickly realizing what had happened. The blood on the dog’s muzzle, the same fluid dripping from her child’s arm… Circenia’s jaw clenched. By all the gods, where was the slave in charge of handling these mutts?!
At first, the princess had been vehemently opposed to the dogs staying with her and her daughters. She had no desire to keep up with their care, their smell, their shedding, any of it. After several rather heated debates, her husband had managed to convince her of the value of keeping the hounds with them, and the oldest one had even grown on her in his absence. But this little whelp had only vexed her again and again.
Grabbing the scruff of its neck and yanking it away from Danae and the kittens, she growled and shouted for one of the slaves to come fetch it. “I don’t care which of you! Come get this mangy animal and lock it up!”
The kennel slave finally rushed into the courtyard at the sound of her voice, red and obviously flustered. “Apologies, Your Highness,” he stumbled over his words, taking the dog from her hands and keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the ground. “We had trouble with the pregnant bitch this morning and seemed to lose track of the others-”
“Don’t even start with your excuses,” Circenia cut him off with a hiss, grabbing the front of his chiton with a little shake. “Get them and yourself out of my sight before the lot of you no longer have the choice to be in it!”
Hastening to obey, the man bowed to her and Danae both before gathering up the dogs and herding them away. Circenia didn’t even wait to see if he obeyed before she rushed over to her daughter, one arm wrapping around her while the other brushed hair from her face and cupped her cheek. “Are you all right?” Rage turned to concern in a flash, the hand on her daughter’s face moving to gently turn her arm and assess the damage. Hissing in sympathy at the sight of the puncture, she started looking for any other signs of injury. “Did it bite you anywhere else?”
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
Badges
Deleted
Deleted
Overall, it was a peaceful afternoon in the Stravos home, if a bit gloomy. Ever since Keikelius left, the archontiko felt too big, too empty, even for a woman with her tastes. Combined with the continued absence of her son, the normally confident and outspoken princess was starting to grow quiet and withdrawn. No matter how much she loved all of her children, it was no secret among the family who held her heart so strongly in thrall. And with both of them gone…
Circenia was already on her third glass of wine, and it was barely midday. The warming beverage was hardly a replacement for the companionship she craved, but at least it kept her mind off the nagging doubt and worry plaguing her most hidden thoughts. While she understood these arrangements were necessary for her and her son’s ambitions and the advancement of the family, it didn’t mean she was happy with them. Far from it. At this point, she was nearly willing to sacrifice Elias’s progress if it meant she could hold her husband again.
Consumed by these melancholy thoughts, she was suddenly jerked out of her reverie by the sharp resounding of a scream from the courtyard—a scream that tugged at every maternal instinct she possessed. Leaping to her feet and heedless of the maroon liquid that sloshed over her chiton as a result, Circenia tossed the glass aside and started running for the door. That wasn’t just any cry. That was Danae, and she was terrified.
Sweeping into the courtyard with all the fury of a scorned goddess, razor-sharp crystalline eyes searched the artfully arranged foliage to find her daughter quivering in the corner while cradling one of her little kittens. Gaze flashing with rage, she sought the source of Danae’s distress, quickly realizing what had happened. The blood on the dog’s muzzle, the same fluid dripping from her child’s arm… Circenia’s jaw clenched. By all the gods, where was the slave in charge of handling these mutts?!
At first, the princess had been vehemently opposed to the dogs staying with her and her daughters. She had no desire to keep up with their care, their smell, their shedding, any of it. After several rather heated debates, her husband had managed to convince her of the value of keeping the hounds with them, and the oldest one had even grown on her in his absence. But this little whelp had only vexed her again and again.
Grabbing the scruff of its neck and yanking it away from Danae and the kittens, she growled and shouted for one of the slaves to come fetch it. “I don’t care which of you! Come get this mangy animal and lock it up!”
The kennel slave finally rushed into the courtyard at the sound of her voice, red and obviously flustered. “Apologies, Your Highness,” he stumbled over his words, taking the dog from her hands and keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the ground. “We had trouble with the pregnant bitch this morning and seemed to lose track of the others-”
“Don’t even start with your excuses,” Circenia cut him off with a hiss, grabbing the front of his chiton with a little shake. “Get them and yourself out of my sight before the lot of you no longer have the choice to be in it!”
Hastening to obey, the man bowed to her and Danae both before gathering up the dogs and herding them away. Circenia didn’t even wait to see if he obeyed before she rushed over to her daughter, one arm wrapping around her while the other brushed hair from her face and cupped her cheek. “Are you all right?” Rage turned to concern in a flash, the hand on her daughter’s face moving to gently turn her arm and assess the damage. Hissing in sympathy at the sight of the puncture, she started looking for any other signs of injury. “Did it bite you anywhere else?”
Overall, it was a peaceful afternoon in the Stravos home, if a bit gloomy. Ever since Keikelius left, the archontiko felt too big, too empty, even for a woman with her tastes. Combined with the continued absence of her son, the normally confident and outspoken princess was starting to grow quiet and withdrawn. No matter how much she loved all of her children, it was no secret among the family who held her heart so strongly in thrall. And with both of them gone…
Circenia was already on her third glass of wine, and it was barely midday. The warming beverage was hardly a replacement for the companionship she craved, but at least it kept her mind off the nagging doubt and worry plaguing her most hidden thoughts. While she understood these arrangements were necessary for her and her son’s ambitions and the advancement of the family, it didn’t mean she was happy with them. Far from it. At this point, she was nearly willing to sacrifice Elias’s progress if it meant she could hold her husband again.
Consumed by these melancholy thoughts, she was suddenly jerked out of her reverie by the sharp resounding of a scream from the courtyard—a scream that tugged at every maternal instinct she possessed. Leaping to her feet and heedless of the maroon liquid that sloshed over her chiton as a result, Circenia tossed the glass aside and started running for the door. That wasn’t just any cry. That was Danae, and she was terrified.
Sweeping into the courtyard with all the fury of a scorned goddess, razor-sharp crystalline eyes searched the artfully arranged foliage to find her daughter quivering in the corner while cradling one of her little kittens. Gaze flashing with rage, she sought the source of Danae’s distress, quickly realizing what had happened. The blood on the dog’s muzzle, the same fluid dripping from her child’s arm… Circenia’s jaw clenched. By all the gods, where was the slave in charge of handling these mutts?!
At first, the princess had been vehemently opposed to the dogs staying with her and her daughters. She had no desire to keep up with their care, their smell, their shedding, any of it. After several rather heated debates, her husband had managed to convince her of the value of keeping the hounds with them, and the oldest one had even grown on her in his absence. But this little whelp had only vexed her again and again.
Grabbing the scruff of its neck and yanking it away from Danae and the kittens, she growled and shouted for one of the slaves to come fetch it. “I don’t care which of you! Come get this mangy animal and lock it up!”
The kennel slave finally rushed into the courtyard at the sound of her voice, red and obviously flustered. “Apologies, Your Highness,” he stumbled over his words, taking the dog from her hands and keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the ground. “We had trouble with the pregnant bitch this morning and seemed to lose track of the others-”
“Don’t even start with your excuses,” Circenia cut him off with a hiss, grabbing the front of his chiton with a little shake. “Get them and yourself out of my sight before the lot of you no longer have the choice to be in it!”
Hastening to obey, the man bowed to her and Danae both before gathering up the dogs and herding them away. Circenia didn’t even wait to see if he obeyed before she rushed over to her daughter, one arm wrapping around her while the other brushed hair from her face and cupped her cheek. “Are you all right?” Rage turned to concern in a flash, the hand on her daughter’s face moving to gently turn her arm and assess the damage. Hissing in sympathy at the sight of the puncture, she started looking for any other signs of injury. “Did it bite you anywhere else?”
Danae had never been more grateful to see her mother descend on the chaotic scene like some sort of swooping eagle once she heard her child scream. Unlike Danae, who was primarily focused on keeping the dogs away from her kittens and the slave who was trying to get the bigger dogs under control instead of the little one that posed the threat; Circenia was able to get everyone’s prioirities together and the scene under control within moments of entering the courtyard. Danae could feel her stress regarding this situation instantly go down as the little whelp was hauled away from her and her mother rushed to her side to examine the girl’s injury herself.
“No, no. I’m fine” Danae lied, hissing through her teeth as her mother turned her arm to look the wound more carefully. She didn’t want to worry her mother any further or seal the pup’s fate by making it appear to b far more serious than it actually was. Not when it really wasn’t all that bad, at least. A few of the dog’s teeth had actually broken her skin, but the majority of the pain came from the pressure that the little mutt had put into the bite. It felt like the small ridge of indented skin was utterly on fire as her skin bloomed a bright red beneath the steady trickles of blood. It also didn’t hurt that, unlike the actual puncture wounds, this pain was on both sides of her arm, That was why she was wincing so heavily more than anything. All it would take to heal this wound was a bit of cleaning up, some bandages, and something cool pressed to her forearm to help deal with the pain.
She didn’t know why, but Danae felt inclined to protect the dog when her mother pressed forward with asking her daughter if she had been bitten anywhere else. She hadn’t, but she still felt an odd need to emphasize that the pup really didn’t mean to hurt her. “No, just there. It didn’t mean to though, it was just trying to get to... to get to…” The girl did choke up a bit when she tried to mention that the target of this attack had really been the kitten that was now climbing up her good arm like it was some sort of climbing post. Although Danae was also wincing at Perseus’s tiny claws, she didn’t say anything or move to remove the cat as she was just immensely grateful that her little rascal was still alive after all of this. Danae might have been hurt and in a fair amount of pain, but that was still preferable as the bite that had ended up in her arm was meant to kill poor Percy. Danae knew that her protective mother did not think the same way, but she would honestly prefer to have the busted arm than a dead kitten.
The girl watched quietly as all the dogs were quietly led out of the courtyard, but the pup that had bit her was practically dragged from the sight of the two royal women. A twinge of fear struck her as she watched the hounds turn the corner as Danae knew how protective her parents could be and how intolerant both of them were bound to be towards the dog that had bitten her. Danae could sense that she would never see that pup again. Even though she was fine with that as at least the other dogs had proven that they could be deterred if the youngest Stravos stood between them and the kittens, she wasn’t okay with the hound being killed for what he did. Danae was almost certain that this was what would happen. Circenia was certainly angry enough to order the dog be put down without her husband’s approval and her daughter had no doubts that her father would do the same thing if he was home. However, it just didn’t feel right to let the dog suffer (no matter how angry she might also be with it) for what had ultimately been an accident due to poor communication. If only Danae had looked a little harder for that slave or the slave double-checked the courtyard, this all could have been avoided…
“Please don’t kill him for this. He really didn’t mean to.” Danae quietly begged as Percy tried to pull at her hair, finally encouraging the girl to pull the little tomcat off of her shoulder and tuck him back into the nook of her arm with his more peaceful brother. It was odd to hear Danae have such compassion for a creature that had hurt her as normally the girl would have just been filled with spite and loathing for the beast that had bit her. It puzzled even Danae, but she supposed that this was the effect that had been left on her after she and the others had saved those little kittens from certain death on the street. She would never say it out loud, but these two wriggling little creatures had made her softer, more gentle as they helped fill the other wound that she had deep inside of her for so long. Those kittens, as mangy and troublesome as they might be, were really bringing out a new side of Danae. A better side of her.
However, there was also another reason why the girl didn’t want the hound to be hurt. It wasn’t something that she necessarily wanted to mention though as it brought up the one thing that none of the women who were left behind were supposed to talk about. There was no rule that expressly forbid mentioning this rather delicate subject, but it was still an unspoken law they all followed as everyone knew the toll that it was taking on the mother and daughter pair that was now standing in the courtyard fretting over a wounded arm. Her father. They all might know why Keikelius had to leave them, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. Nor did it help set Danae at ease as the close bond she shared with him and her own naivety made this change in structure a difficult one to deal with. As Stravos women didn’t deal with the trivialities of weakness, it was far easier to not talk about any of it and pretend that there was nothing wrong with any of them.
The lingering reason though was something that had to be said though, but that didn’t mean it was going to be any louder than a whisper when she did say it out loud. “Besides, Father would be so mad to know one of his dogs died while he’s g… away.” Danae faltered in explaining her reasoning as she didn’t want to directly state that Keikelius was gone as he would be coming back, no matter how much it didn’t feel like he would. Danae knew it was irrational and all her messy feelings about this only stemmed from the uncertainty surrounding her family during this moment in time, not to mention that this was the first time that she had been separated from her father for so long. However, she could rationalize it a thousand different ways and it wouldn’t make it hurt any less. It would never make it hurt any less.
Little did Danae know, though, but her mother was also feeling the same way about Keik being gone. She was just far better at hiding it than Danae was.
By this point, the blood was beginning to dry on her arm, leaving Danae feeling sticky and gross. She wanted to just get herself cleaned up and forget that any of this ever happened, including the bit where she almost came pretty close to admitting her fear that her father was never coming back from this plan of his. Normally, Danae would have brushed her mother off at this point and headed off to go find one of the slaves who were good at healing, but she also didn’t want to do that. Not when she was craving some sort of familial stability that only Circenia could provide. The wound would be easy enough to treat. Her mother shouldn’t have any difficulties, right?
“Can we go clean this off of me?” Danae asked quietly as she motioned to the redness of her arm. She didn’t want to stand around like this anymore. Not when any of the dogs could come running back at the smell and try again to get to the kittens. Danae wanted them safe in her room, so they wouldn’t be hurt. Her mother’s room would also be a safe haven as well, but even though Danae was certain her mother would have no issue playing doctor, she could not say the same for Circe letting her bedroom become a new playground for the tomcats as Danae was bandaged up…
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Danae had never been more grateful to see her mother descend on the chaotic scene like some sort of swooping eagle once she heard her child scream. Unlike Danae, who was primarily focused on keeping the dogs away from her kittens and the slave who was trying to get the bigger dogs under control instead of the little one that posed the threat; Circenia was able to get everyone’s prioirities together and the scene under control within moments of entering the courtyard. Danae could feel her stress regarding this situation instantly go down as the little whelp was hauled away from her and her mother rushed to her side to examine the girl’s injury herself.
“No, no. I’m fine” Danae lied, hissing through her teeth as her mother turned her arm to look the wound more carefully. She didn’t want to worry her mother any further or seal the pup’s fate by making it appear to b far more serious than it actually was. Not when it really wasn’t all that bad, at least. A few of the dog’s teeth had actually broken her skin, but the majority of the pain came from the pressure that the little mutt had put into the bite. It felt like the small ridge of indented skin was utterly on fire as her skin bloomed a bright red beneath the steady trickles of blood. It also didn’t hurt that, unlike the actual puncture wounds, this pain was on both sides of her arm, That was why she was wincing so heavily more than anything. All it would take to heal this wound was a bit of cleaning up, some bandages, and something cool pressed to her forearm to help deal with the pain.
She didn’t know why, but Danae felt inclined to protect the dog when her mother pressed forward with asking her daughter if she had been bitten anywhere else. She hadn’t, but she still felt an odd need to emphasize that the pup really didn’t mean to hurt her. “No, just there. It didn’t mean to though, it was just trying to get to... to get to…” The girl did choke up a bit when she tried to mention that the target of this attack had really been the kitten that was now climbing up her good arm like it was some sort of climbing post. Although Danae was also wincing at Perseus’s tiny claws, she didn’t say anything or move to remove the cat as she was just immensely grateful that her little rascal was still alive after all of this. Danae might have been hurt and in a fair amount of pain, but that was still preferable as the bite that had ended up in her arm was meant to kill poor Percy. Danae knew that her protective mother did not think the same way, but she would honestly prefer to have the busted arm than a dead kitten.
The girl watched quietly as all the dogs were quietly led out of the courtyard, but the pup that had bit her was practically dragged from the sight of the two royal women. A twinge of fear struck her as she watched the hounds turn the corner as Danae knew how protective her parents could be and how intolerant both of them were bound to be towards the dog that had bitten her. Danae could sense that she would never see that pup again. Even though she was fine with that as at least the other dogs had proven that they could be deterred if the youngest Stravos stood between them and the kittens, she wasn’t okay with the hound being killed for what he did. Danae was almost certain that this was what would happen. Circenia was certainly angry enough to order the dog be put down without her husband’s approval and her daughter had no doubts that her father would do the same thing if he was home. However, it just didn’t feel right to let the dog suffer (no matter how angry she might also be with it) for what had ultimately been an accident due to poor communication. If only Danae had looked a little harder for that slave or the slave double-checked the courtyard, this all could have been avoided…
“Please don’t kill him for this. He really didn’t mean to.” Danae quietly begged as Percy tried to pull at her hair, finally encouraging the girl to pull the little tomcat off of her shoulder and tuck him back into the nook of her arm with his more peaceful brother. It was odd to hear Danae have such compassion for a creature that had hurt her as normally the girl would have just been filled with spite and loathing for the beast that had bit her. It puzzled even Danae, but she supposed that this was the effect that had been left on her after she and the others had saved those little kittens from certain death on the street. She would never say it out loud, but these two wriggling little creatures had made her softer, more gentle as they helped fill the other wound that she had deep inside of her for so long. Those kittens, as mangy and troublesome as they might be, were really bringing out a new side of Danae. A better side of her.
However, there was also another reason why the girl didn’t want the hound to be hurt. It wasn’t something that she necessarily wanted to mention though as it brought up the one thing that none of the women who were left behind were supposed to talk about. There was no rule that expressly forbid mentioning this rather delicate subject, but it was still an unspoken law they all followed as everyone knew the toll that it was taking on the mother and daughter pair that was now standing in the courtyard fretting over a wounded arm. Her father. They all might know why Keikelius had to leave them, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. Nor did it help set Danae at ease as the close bond she shared with him and her own naivety made this change in structure a difficult one to deal with. As Stravos women didn’t deal with the trivialities of weakness, it was far easier to not talk about any of it and pretend that there was nothing wrong with any of them.
The lingering reason though was something that had to be said though, but that didn’t mean it was going to be any louder than a whisper when she did say it out loud. “Besides, Father would be so mad to know one of his dogs died while he’s g… away.” Danae faltered in explaining her reasoning as she didn’t want to directly state that Keikelius was gone as he would be coming back, no matter how much it didn’t feel like he would. Danae knew it was irrational and all her messy feelings about this only stemmed from the uncertainty surrounding her family during this moment in time, not to mention that this was the first time that she had been separated from her father for so long. However, she could rationalize it a thousand different ways and it wouldn’t make it hurt any less. It would never make it hurt any less.
Little did Danae know, though, but her mother was also feeling the same way about Keik being gone. She was just far better at hiding it than Danae was.
By this point, the blood was beginning to dry on her arm, leaving Danae feeling sticky and gross. She wanted to just get herself cleaned up and forget that any of this ever happened, including the bit where she almost came pretty close to admitting her fear that her father was never coming back from this plan of his. Normally, Danae would have brushed her mother off at this point and headed off to go find one of the slaves who were good at healing, but she also didn’t want to do that. Not when she was craving some sort of familial stability that only Circenia could provide. The wound would be easy enough to treat. Her mother shouldn’t have any difficulties, right?
“Can we go clean this off of me?” Danae asked quietly as she motioned to the redness of her arm. She didn’t want to stand around like this anymore. Not when any of the dogs could come running back at the smell and try again to get to the kittens. Danae wanted them safe in her room, so they wouldn’t be hurt. Her mother’s room would also be a safe haven as well, but even though Danae was certain her mother would have no issue playing doctor, she could not say the same for Circe letting her bedroom become a new playground for the tomcats as Danae was bandaged up…
Danae had never been more grateful to see her mother descend on the chaotic scene like some sort of swooping eagle once she heard her child scream. Unlike Danae, who was primarily focused on keeping the dogs away from her kittens and the slave who was trying to get the bigger dogs under control instead of the little one that posed the threat; Circenia was able to get everyone’s prioirities together and the scene under control within moments of entering the courtyard. Danae could feel her stress regarding this situation instantly go down as the little whelp was hauled away from her and her mother rushed to her side to examine the girl’s injury herself.
“No, no. I’m fine” Danae lied, hissing through her teeth as her mother turned her arm to look the wound more carefully. She didn’t want to worry her mother any further or seal the pup’s fate by making it appear to b far more serious than it actually was. Not when it really wasn’t all that bad, at least. A few of the dog’s teeth had actually broken her skin, but the majority of the pain came from the pressure that the little mutt had put into the bite. It felt like the small ridge of indented skin was utterly on fire as her skin bloomed a bright red beneath the steady trickles of blood. It also didn’t hurt that, unlike the actual puncture wounds, this pain was on both sides of her arm, That was why she was wincing so heavily more than anything. All it would take to heal this wound was a bit of cleaning up, some bandages, and something cool pressed to her forearm to help deal with the pain.
She didn’t know why, but Danae felt inclined to protect the dog when her mother pressed forward with asking her daughter if she had been bitten anywhere else. She hadn’t, but she still felt an odd need to emphasize that the pup really didn’t mean to hurt her. “No, just there. It didn’t mean to though, it was just trying to get to... to get to…” The girl did choke up a bit when she tried to mention that the target of this attack had really been the kitten that was now climbing up her good arm like it was some sort of climbing post. Although Danae was also wincing at Perseus’s tiny claws, she didn’t say anything or move to remove the cat as she was just immensely grateful that her little rascal was still alive after all of this. Danae might have been hurt and in a fair amount of pain, but that was still preferable as the bite that had ended up in her arm was meant to kill poor Percy. Danae knew that her protective mother did not think the same way, but she would honestly prefer to have the busted arm than a dead kitten.
The girl watched quietly as all the dogs were quietly led out of the courtyard, but the pup that had bit her was practically dragged from the sight of the two royal women. A twinge of fear struck her as she watched the hounds turn the corner as Danae knew how protective her parents could be and how intolerant both of them were bound to be towards the dog that had bitten her. Danae could sense that she would never see that pup again. Even though she was fine with that as at least the other dogs had proven that they could be deterred if the youngest Stravos stood between them and the kittens, she wasn’t okay with the hound being killed for what he did. Danae was almost certain that this was what would happen. Circenia was certainly angry enough to order the dog be put down without her husband’s approval and her daughter had no doubts that her father would do the same thing if he was home. However, it just didn’t feel right to let the dog suffer (no matter how angry she might also be with it) for what had ultimately been an accident due to poor communication. If only Danae had looked a little harder for that slave or the slave double-checked the courtyard, this all could have been avoided…
“Please don’t kill him for this. He really didn’t mean to.” Danae quietly begged as Percy tried to pull at her hair, finally encouraging the girl to pull the little tomcat off of her shoulder and tuck him back into the nook of her arm with his more peaceful brother. It was odd to hear Danae have such compassion for a creature that had hurt her as normally the girl would have just been filled with spite and loathing for the beast that had bit her. It puzzled even Danae, but she supposed that this was the effect that had been left on her after she and the others had saved those little kittens from certain death on the street. She would never say it out loud, but these two wriggling little creatures had made her softer, more gentle as they helped fill the other wound that she had deep inside of her for so long. Those kittens, as mangy and troublesome as they might be, were really bringing out a new side of Danae. A better side of her.
However, there was also another reason why the girl didn’t want the hound to be hurt. It wasn’t something that she necessarily wanted to mention though as it brought up the one thing that none of the women who were left behind were supposed to talk about. There was no rule that expressly forbid mentioning this rather delicate subject, but it was still an unspoken law they all followed as everyone knew the toll that it was taking on the mother and daughter pair that was now standing in the courtyard fretting over a wounded arm. Her father. They all might know why Keikelius had to leave them, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. Nor did it help set Danae at ease as the close bond she shared with him and her own naivety made this change in structure a difficult one to deal with. As Stravos women didn’t deal with the trivialities of weakness, it was far easier to not talk about any of it and pretend that there was nothing wrong with any of them.
The lingering reason though was something that had to be said though, but that didn’t mean it was going to be any louder than a whisper when she did say it out loud. “Besides, Father would be so mad to know one of his dogs died while he’s g… away.” Danae faltered in explaining her reasoning as she didn’t want to directly state that Keikelius was gone as he would be coming back, no matter how much it didn’t feel like he would. Danae knew it was irrational and all her messy feelings about this only stemmed from the uncertainty surrounding her family during this moment in time, not to mention that this was the first time that she had been separated from her father for so long. However, she could rationalize it a thousand different ways and it wouldn’t make it hurt any less. It would never make it hurt any less.
Little did Danae know, though, but her mother was also feeling the same way about Keik being gone. She was just far better at hiding it than Danae was.
By this point, the blood was beginning to dry on her arm, leaving Danae feeling sticky and gross. She wanted to just get herself cleaned up and forget that any of this ever happened, including the bit where she almost came pretty close to admitting her fear that her father was never coming back from this plan of his. Normally, Danae would have brushed her mother off at this point and headed off to go find one of the slaves who were good at healing, but she also didn’t want to do that. Not when she was craving some sort of familial stability that only Circenia could provide. The wound would be easy enough to treat. Her mother shouldn’t have any difficulties, right?
“Can we go clean this off of me?” Danae asked quietly as she motioned to the redness of her arm. She didn’t want to stand around like this anymore. Not when any of the dogs could come running back at the smell and try again to get to the kittens. Danae wanted them safe in her room, so they wouldn’t be hurt. Her mother’s room would also be a safe haven as well, but even though Danae was certain her mother would have no issue playing doctor, she could not say the same for Circe letting her bedroom become a new playground for the tomcats as Danae was bandaged up…
Circenia didn’t really believe her daughter when she said she was fine, frowning as she looked between the punctures in her arm and the pained look on her face. She didn’t look fine, but she knew how persistently stubborn Danae could be. She wasn’t likely to die from a dog bite, and it certainly could have done far worse. She supposed they should at least be thankful for that.
As it was, however, she was of much the mindset her youngest believed her to be. Already, she was thinking of ways to have the dog put down and the kennel master fired. By all the gods, how had the foolish ingrate allowed this to happen? Why were the dogs running around free in the first place? Especially the one who bit Danae! The whelp was barely trained and was clearly still a danger to those around it. Surely even Keikelius couldn’t argue with destroying a beast that had injured his daughter!
Danae, on the other hand, gave an ardent plea against it. She insisted it wasn’t the dog’s fault, and that he didn’t deserve to die for what he had done. Circenia frowned at that; why should they take the risk of this happening again? But, her daughter seemed so passionately against it, that ultimately, she gave in. “All right, Danae, we will not put it down. But it will be sold as soon as possible. I will not have it attacking you, your cats, or anyone else in this house again. That is final.”
On this, she would brook no argument. The princess was capable of compassion, especially when asked by her children. What she would not tolerate, though, was her offspring harmed by something she could prevent. They could keep the dog alive, fine. But they would not be keeping it in the house.
When Danae mentioned how her father would feel about all of this, the Stravos matriarch momentarily felt her throat tighten. She couldn’t imagine he would be any more pleased about this than she was, especially considering his closeness with his youngest daughter. Doubtless, he would be upset at the loss of the dog, but she had a feeling he would be even more upset if his wife sat back and did nothing while harm came to their children. If he noticed the dog’s absence on his return, she would simply explain the circumstances. Surely, he couldn’t fault her for any of this.
She kept silent on his absence, allowing her daughter’s comment to go unremarked. It was a sore spot with them both, even if it was something they didn’t talk about. It was such a difficult subject to broach on either of their parts, and even just thinking about Keikelius’s departure made her heart ache. So, she simply moved past it for the time being, ushering her child inside at the girl’s request.
“Of course. Let us get you taken care of.”
Normally, Circenia would have summoned a slave to tend any bumps or bruises, but with her daughter so shaken up, she decided she would take care of it herself. Escorting Danae back to her own bedroom, she sat her down on the edge of the bed and summoned a slave solely for the purpose of gathering supplies. For the time being, she even held the edge of her already ruined chiton against her daughter’s wound to stymy the bleeding. At least it was already starting to slow.
“You are sure you are all right?” she asked as they waited for the young man’s return, concern in her own eyes as she sought Danae’s. “You are not hiding any other wounds, are you?”
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Circenia didn’t really believe her daughter when she said she was fine, frowning as she looked between the punctures in her arm and the pained look on her face. She didn’t look fine, but she knew how persistently stubborn Danae could be. She wasn’t likely to die from a dog bite, and it certainly could have done far worse. She supposed they should at least be thankful for that.
As it was, however, she was of much the mindset her youngest believed her to be. Already, she was thinking of ways to have the dog put down and the kennel master fired. By all the gods, how had the foolish ingrate allowed this to happen? Why were the dogs running around free in the first place? Especially the one who bit Danae! The whelp was barely trained and was clearly still a danger to those around it. Surely even Keikelius couldn’t argue with destroying a beast that had injured his daughter!
Danae, on the other hand, gave an ardent plea against it. She insisted it wasn’t the dog’s fault, and that he didn’t deserve to die for what he had done. Circenia frowned at that; why should they take the risk of this happening again? But, her daughter seemed so passionately against it, that ultimately, she gave in. “All right, Danae, we will not put it down. But it will be sold as soon as possible. I will not have it attacking you, your cats, or anyone else in this house again. That is final.”
On this, she would brook no argument. The princess was capable of compassion, especially when asked by her children. What she would not tolerate, though, was her offspring harmed by something she could prevent. They could keep the dog alive, fine. But they would not be keeping it in the house.
When Danae mentioned how her father would feel about all of this, the Stravos matriarch momentarily felt her throat tighten. She couldn’t imagine he would be any more pleased about this than she was, especially considering his closeness with his youngest daughter. Doubtless, he would be upset at the loss of the dog, but she had a feeling he would be even more upset if his wife sat back and did nothing while harm came to their children. If he noticed the dog’s absence on his return, she would simply explain the circumstances. Surely, he couldn’t fault her for any of this.
She kept silent on his absence, allowing her daughter’s comment to go unremarked. It was a sore spot with them both, even if it was something they didn’t talk about. It was such a difficult subject to broach on either of their parts, and even just thinking about Keikelius’s departure made her heart ache. So, she simply moved past it for the time being, ushering her child inside at the girl’s request.
“Of course. Let us get you taken care of.”
Normally, Circenia would have summoned a slave to tend any bumps or bruises, but with her daughter so shaken up, she decided she would take care of it herself. Escorting Danae back to her own bedroom, she sat her down on the edge of the bed and summoned a slave solely for the purpose of gathering supplies. For the time being, she even held the edge of her already ruined chiton against her daughter’s wound to stymy the bleeding. At least it was already starting to slow.
“You are sure you are all right?” she asked as they waited for the young man’s return, concern in her own eyes as she sought Danae’s. “You are not hiding any other wounds, are you?”
Circenia didn’t really believe her daughter when she said she was fine, frowning as she looked between the punctures in her arm and the pained look on her face. She didn’t look fine, but she knew how persistently stubborn Danae could be. She wasn’t likely to die from a dog bite, and it certainly could have done far worse. She supposed they should at least be thankful for that.
As it was, however, she was of much the mindset her youngest believed her to be. Already, she was thinking of ways to have the dog put down and the kennel master fired. By all the gods, how had the foolish ingrate allowed this to happen? Why were the dogs running around free in the first place? Especially the one who bit Danae! The whelp was barely trained and was clearly still a danger to those around it. Surely even Keikelius couldn’t argue with destroying a beast that had injured his daughter!
Danae, on the other hand, gave an ardent plea against it. She insisted it wasn’t the dog’s fault, and that he didn’t deserve to die for what he had done. Circenia frowned at that; why should they take the risk of this happening again? But, her daughter seemed so passionately against it, that ultimately, she gave in. “All right, Danae, we will not put it down. But it will be sold as soon as possible. I will not have it attacking you, your cats, or anyone else in this house again. That is final.”
On this, she would brook no argument. The princess was capable of compassion, especially when asked by her children. What she would not tolerate, though, was her offspring harmed by something she could prevent. They could keep the dog alive, fine. But they would not be keeping it in the house.
When Danae mentioned how her father would feel about all of this, the Stravos matriarch momentarily felt her throat tighten. She couldn’t imagine he would be any more pleased about this than she was, especially considering his closeness with his youngest daughter. Doubtless, he would be upset at the loss of the dog, but she had a feeling he would be even more upset if his wife sat back and did nothing while harm came to their children. If he noticed the dog’s absence on his return, she would simply explain the circumstances. Surely, he couldn’t fault her for any of this.
She kept silent on his absence, allowing her daughter’s comment to go unremarked. It was a sore spot with them both, even if it was something they didn’t talk about. It was such a difficult subject to broach on either of their parts, and even just thinking about Keikelius’s departure made her heart ache. So, she simply moved past it for the time being, ushering her child inside at the girl’s request.
“Of course. Let us get you taken care of.”
Normally, Circenia would have summoned a slave to tend any bumps or bruises, but with her daughter so shaken up, she decided she would take care of it herself. Escorting Danae back to her own bedroom, she sat her down on the edge of the bed and summoned a slave solely for the purpose of gathering supplies. For the time being, she even held the edge of her already ruined chiton against her daughter’s wound to stymy the bleeding. At least it was already starting to slow.
“You are sure you are all right?” she asked as they waited for the young man’s return, concern in her own eyes as she sought Danae’s. “You are not hiding any other wounds, are you?”
When Circenia confirmed that the dog would not be put down over what had happened, Danae couldn’t hold back a small sigh of relief. She may not have had any love for her father’s hounds, but that hardly gave her the right to willingly let one of the creatures die. It didn’t matter that they were terrifying creatures that were trained to attack any outsider regardless if they were human or animal. They were dumb beasts that didn’t know any better. It wouldn’t have sat well with Danae if she knew that the dog had died for doing what it was technically trained to do.
Even with that being said, she had no argument for the beast leaving the household. She was more than happy with that outcome as it protected Theseus and Perseus. Her bleeding heart didn’t extend far enough that she would even think of them remaining in the kennels. So, if her mother was expecting an argument, she would be pleasantly surprised to find none, as Danae nodded in understanding and quietly uttered, “Thank you” as the pair made their wave to Danae’s room to take care of the wounds.
After entering the girl’s safe haven, Danae didn’t follow her mother in taking a seat on the side of the bed, at least not right away. Instead, she moved to the other side of the ornately large bed, almost comically big for a young unmarried girl, and let the two kittens clamber out of her arms and into the pile of blankets at the foot of it. Only then did Danae move back over to Circenia, but that didn’t mean that her attention wasn’t still on the cats when she gave her mother her arm to inspect.
Her eyes drifted over to the kittens that were currently trying to curl up in the large pile of furs and other soft fabrics, making a little nest for themselves. She was certain that her mother wouldn’t be pleased to see that such expensive blankets were now being ‘ruined’ by their little claws, but Danae didn’t make any move to nudge them off. After all, they were the Kings of this room and the soft bed was their favorite throne. The Stravos were already trapped in a battle to remove one monarch from such a perch. It would be almost fruitless to try to remove these two as well.
Turning back to her mother, Danae couldn’t help, but quietly think about how these two little creatures had quickly wrapped themselves around her little finger. It was almost startling how quickly the cold, angry girl had quickly become a nurturing cat mom. Though in a way, it did make sense. Being only sixteen, everything that was occurring had been taking a toll on her that it hadn’t on the rest of the family. They were all significantly older than her, meaning that they had an easier time adjusting to the rapid changes that came from them rising so quickly again after being suddenly cast down. They could see the stable ground that was just on the horizon. Danae could only see things that were directly around her and that was before you factored in the other traumatic things that had happened. She needed something good and steady to ground her as the world seemingly crumbled around her again and again. Why wouldn’t she latch onto those kittens with all that considered? After all, not only did they offer nearly unconditional love to the girl, but they were one of the few living beings on earth that she could trust would be there for her. This was a very big thing for the girl as one by one both her brother and father demonstrated that they would not.
Danae didn’t have the faintest idea over whether or not her mother understood this need or not. The girl had every reason to suspect that Circe could see part of the reason why her daughter treated these kittens like some sort of doll a child would carry around, but then again she was the one who had been questioning this change for a while now. She had the opportunity to not only see the little shifts in a way that her mother had not, but the chance to rationalize it as well, meaning that Danae had a rather unique view on the whole matter. Maybe her mother hadn’t had much of a chance to think it over like Danae did and recognize that this behavior wasn’t just some infatuation with a new pet, but instead, it was Danae’s attempt to patch over the damage that had been done by everything that had happened. The girl would never call this a cry for help, but it certainly came close to it.
Even if Circe hadn’t been able to zero in on the almost desperate craving Danae had for some sort of stable ground, it would certainly come to light when her mother asked if the girl was hiding any other wounds. The sixteen-year-old practically stiffened under her mother’s grip at her words as she was all too aware of what the answer was. Yes. She had other wounds, but they weren’t ones that her mother could simply clear the blood from and put a salve on it to aid healing. They were deep within her, messing with her head as things fell more and more apart. She knew that they were there as she had never questioned how safe she was a Stravos before everything fell apart. Danae rarely had nightmares before her run-in with Lukos, now she had them nearly every night. Seven hades, she had barely spoke for a month at one point. It would be insanity to think that she would be fine after having a breakdown like that.
But Danae knew that this wasn’t the sort of wound that she was talking about. The girl was almost certain that her mother did not care about how little Danae trusted her brother or this betrayal by their father had shaken her to her core. She just wanted to know if the dog had bit her somewhere else or the cats had scratched her while trying to escape the hound’s ugly maw. The girl also had her doubts that her mother would be very receptive to her child admitting that she wasn’t okay with everything else that was happening, especially as there really wasn’t anything either of them could do to bring the men in their lives to heel. She was fairly certain that her mother would just tell her to keep her chin up which was not the thing that Danae needed to hear when she missed her father this much.
“No… Just my arm.” Danae said quietly with her voice shaking a little as this messy hotchpotch of feelings came bubbling to the surface. At the moment that she heard how weak her voice was, Danae knew that there was no way that her mother would not pick up onto the fact that everything was not alright. Her mother had some sort of skill with sussing out what Danae was really feeling, she always had, but nowadays it was even worse. Seven hades, anyone would be able to tell that Danae was omitting some of the truth. Danae just couldn’t lie to herself like that.
Knowing full well that she really didn’t have a whole lot of ground to stand on and she didn’t want this to become some sort of fight between the pair (after all, those never ended well as Danae had inherited her mother’s stubbornness) the girl became mildly forthcoming on how she was really feeling about everything. “I’m fine, I swear. Everything’s just harder, I guess.” Danae tried to brush off with a small shrug as the slave came back with the various medical supplies that the Stravos family had. She grew quiet as this man put down the tray of various salves and bandages, pointing out what the unlabeled ones were before quickly scurrying from the room. If the girl wasn’t comfortable with admitting this sort of thing with her own mother, there was no way she was going to breathe a word of her troubles in the presence of an outsider. Luckily, he quickly left the room, leaving the two women alone as Danae held out her injured arm, bracing herself from the sting that might come from the various salves.
For a moment it seemed like the Stravosi was going to do what the Stravos did best and put away the touchy-feely things before getting down to work. However, before her mother could even dip her fingers into any of the little jars, Danae whispered the source of her current wounds that couldn’t be healed in the same way at this dog bite could.
“I miss him.” Her whisper was practically deafening in the quiet room and the immediate silence that followed was even louder. Even though Danae knew that this decision of Keikelius’s had taken a toll on her mother as she had spoken out against it just as fiercely as Danae did, but her mother didn’t strike her as the sort of woman who would admit that there was something was wrong. Danae had to momentarily brace herself for some sort of spiel about how they all had to make sacrifices during this rough period so they could have the fabulous reward of Elias being put on the throne.
However, would Circe prove Danae wrong and actually admit that just like her daughter, the older woman wasn’t exactly as strong as she wanted the world to think that she was in the face of her husband abandoning their family?
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When Circenia confirmed that the dog would not be put down over what had happened, Danae couldn’t hold back a small sigh of relief. She may not have had any love for her father’s hounds, but that hardly gave her the right to willingly let one of the creatures die. It didn’t matter that they were terrifying creatures that were trained to attack any outsider regardless if they were human or animal. They were dumb beasts that didn’t know any better. It wouldn’t have sat well with Danae if she knew that the dog had died for doing what it was technically trained to do.
Even with that being said, she had no argument for the beast leaving the household. She was more than happy with that outcome as it protected Theseus and Perseus. Her bleeding heart didn’t extend far enough that she would even think of them remaining in the kennels. So, if her mother was expecting an argument, she would be pleasantly surprised to find none, as Danae nodded in understanding and quietly uttered, “Thank you” as the pair made their wave to Danae’s room to take care of the wounds.
After entering the girl’s safe haven, Danae didn’t follow her mother in taking a seat on the side of the bed, at least not right away. Instead, she moved to the other side of the ornately large bed, almost comically big for a young unmarried girl, and let the two kittens clamber out of her arms and into the pile of blankets at the foot of it. Only then did Danae move back over to Circenia, but that didn’t mean that her attention wasn’t still on the cats when she gave her mother her arm to inspect.
Her eyes drifted over to the kittens that were currently trying to curl up in the large pile of furs and other soft fabrics, making a little nest for themselves. She was certain that her mother wouldn’t be pleased to see that such expensive blankets were now being ‘ruined’ by their little claws, but Danae didn’t make any move to nudge them off. After all, they were the Kings of this room and the soft bed was their favorite throne. The Stravos were already trapped in a battle to remove one monarch from such a perch. It would be almost fruitless to try to remove these two as well.
Turning back to her mother, Danae couldn’t help, but quietly think about how these two little creatures had quickly wrapped themselves around her little finger. It was almost startling how quickly the cold, angry girl had quickly become a nurturing cat mom. Though in a way, it did make sense. Being only sixteen, everything that was occurring had been taking a toll on her that it hadn’t on the rest of the family. They were all significantly older than her, meaning that they had an easier time adjusting to the rapid changes that came from them rising so quickly again after being suddenly cast down. They could see the stable ground that was just on the horizon. Danae could only see things that were directly around her and that was before you factored in the other traumatic things that had happened. She needed something good and steady to ground her as the world seemingly crumbled around her again and again. Why wouldn’t she latch onto those kittens with all that considered? After all, not only did they offer nearly unconditional love to the girl, but they were one of the few living beings on earth that she could trust would be there for her. This was a very big thing for the girl as one by one both her brother and father demonstrated that they would not.
Danae didn’t have the faintest idea over whether or not her mother understood this need or not. The girl had every reason to suspect that Circe could see part of the reason why her daughter treated these kittens like some sort of doll a child would carry around, but then again she was the one who had been questioning this change for a while now. She had the opportunity to not only see the little shifts in a way that her mother had not, but the chance to rationalize it as well, meaning that Danae had a rather unique view on the whole matter. Maybe her mother hadn’t had much of a chance to think it over like Danae did and recognize that this behavior wasn’t just some infatuation with a new pet, but instead, it was Danae’s attempt to patch over the damage that had been done by everything that had happened. The girl would never call this a cry for help, but it certainly came close to it.
Even if Circe hadn’t been able to zero in on the almost desperate craving Danae had for some sort of stable ground, it would certainly come to light when her mother asked if the girl was hiding any other wounds. The sixteen-year-old practically stiffened under her mother’s grip at her words as she was all too aware of what the answer was. Yes. She had other wounds, but they weren’t ones that her mother could simply clear the blood from and put a salve on it to aid healing. They were deep within her, messing with her head as things fell more and more apart. She knew that they were there as she had never questioned how safe she was a Stravos before everything fell apart. Danae rarely had nightmares before her run-in with Lukos, now she had them nearly every night. Seven hades, she had barely spoke for a month at one point. It would be insanity to think that she would be fine after having a breakdown like that.
But Danae knew that this wasn’t the sort of wound that she was talking about. The girl was almost certain that her mother did not care about how little Danae trusted her brother or this betrayal by their father had shaken her to her core. She just wanted to know if the dog had bit her somewhere else or the cats had scratched her while trying to escape the hound’s ugly maw. The girl also had her doubts that her mother would be very receptive to her child admitting that she wasn’t okay with everything else that was happening, especially as there really wasn’t anything either of them could do to bring the men in their lives to heel. She was fairly certain that her mother would just tell her to keep her chin up which was not the thing that Danae needed to hear when she missed her father this much.
“No… Just my arm.” Danae said quietly with her voice shaking a little as this messy hotchpotch of feelings came bubbling to the surface. At the moment that she heard how weak her voice was, Danae knew that there was no way that her mother would not pick up onto the fact that everything was not alright. Her mother had some sort of skill with sussing out what Danae was really feeling, she always had, but nowadays it was even worse. Seven hades, anyone would be able to tell that Danae was omitting some of the truth. Danae just couldn’t lie to herself like that.
Knowing full well that she really didn’t have a whole lot of ground to stand on and she didn’t want this to become some sort of fight between the pair (after all, those never ended well as Danae had inherited her mother’s stubbornness) the girl became mildly forthcoming on how she was really feeling about everything. “I’m fine, I swear. Everything’s just harder, I guess.” Danae tried to brush off with a small shrug as the slave came back with the various medical supplies that the Stravos family had. She grew quiet as this man put down the tray of various salves and bandages, pointing out what the unlabeled ones were before quickly scurrying from the room. If the girl wasn’t comfortable with admitting this sort of thing with her own mother, there was no way she was going to breathe a word of her troubles in the presence of an outsider. Luckily, he quickly left the room, leaving the two women alone as Danae held out her injured arm, bracing herself from the sting that might come from the various salves.
For a moment it seemed like the Stravosi was going to do what the Stravos did best and put away the touchy-feely things before getting down to work. However, before her mother could even dip her fingers into any of the little jars, Danae whispered the source of her current wounds that couldn’t be healed in the same way at this dog bite could.
“I miss him.” Her whisper was practically deafening in the quiet room and the immediate silence that followed was even louder. Even though Danae knew that this decision of Keikelius’s had taken a toll on her mother as she had spoken out against it just as fiercely as Danae did, but her mother didn’t strike her as the sort of woman who would admit that there was something was wrong. Danae had to momentarily brace herself for some sort of spiel about how they all had to make sacrifices during this rough period so they could have the fabulous reward of Elias being put on the throne.
However, would Circe prove Danae wrong and actually admit that just like her daughter, the older woman wasn’t exactly as strong as she wanted the world to think that she was in the face of her husband abandoning their family?
When Circenia confirmed that the dog would not be put down over what had happened, Danae couldn’t hold back a small sigh of relief. She may not have had any love for her father’s hounds, but that hardly gave her the right to willingly let one of the creatures die. It didn’t matter that they were terrifying creatures that were trained to attack any outsider regardless if they were human or animal. They were dumb beasts that didn’t know any better. It wouldn’t have sat well with Danae if she knew that the dog had died for doing what it was technically trained to do.
Even with that being said, she had no argument for the beast leaving the household. She was more than happy with that outcome as it protected Theseus and Perseus. Her bleeding heart didn’t extend far enough that she would even think of them remaining in the kennels. So, if her mother was expecting an argument, she would be pleasantly surprised to find none, as Danae nodded in understanding and quietly uttered, “Thank you” as the pair made their wave to Danae’s room to take care of the wounds.
After entering the girl’s safe haven, Danae didn’t follow her mother in taking a seat on the side of the bed, at least not right away. Instead, she moved to the other side of the ornately large bed, almost comically big for a young unmarried girl, and let the two kittens clamber out of her arms and into the pile of blankets at the foot of it. Only then did Danae move back over to Circenia, but that didn’t mean that her attention wasn’t still on the cats when she gave her mother her arm to inspect.
Her eyes drifted over to the kittens that were currently trying to curl up in the large pile of furs and other soft fabrics, making a little nest for themselves. She was certain that her mother wouldn’t be pleased to see that such expensive blankets were now being ‘ruined’ by their little claws, but Danae didn’t make any move to nudge them off. After all, they were the Kings of this room and the soft bed was their favorite throne. The Stravos were already trapped in a battle to remove one monarch from such a perch. It would be almost fruitless to try to remove these two as well.
Turning back to her mother, Danae couldn’t help, but quietly think about how these two little creatures had quickly wrapped themselves around her little finger. It was almost startling how quickly the cold, angry girl had quickly become a nurturing cat mom. Though in a way, it did make sense. Being only sixteen, everything that was occurring had been taking a toll on her that it hadn’t on the rest of the family. They were all significantly older than her, meaning that they had an easier time adjusting to the rapid changes that came from them rising so quickly again after being suddenly cast down. They could see the stable ground that was just on the horizon. Danae could only see things that were directly around her and that was before you factored in the other traumatic things that had happened. She needed something good and steady to ground her as the world seemingly crumbled around her again and again. Why wouldn’t she latch onto those kittens with all that considered? After all, not only did they offer nearly unconditional love to the girl, but they were one of the few living beings on earth that she could trust would be there for her. This was a very big thing for the girl as one by one both her brother and father demonstrated that they would not.
Danae didn’t have the faintest idea over whether or not her mother understood this need or not. The girl had every reason to suspect that Circe could see part of the reason why her daughter treated these kittens like some sort of doll a child would carry around, but then again she was the one who had been questioning this change for a while now. She had the opportunity to not only see the little shifts in a way that her mother had not, but the chance to rationalize it as well, meaning that Danae had a rather unique view on the whole matter. Maybe her mother hadn’t had much of a chance to think it over like Danae did and recognize that this behavior wasn’t just some infatuation with a new pet, but instead, it was Danae’s attempt to patch over the damage that had been done by everything that had happened. The girl would never call this a cry for help, but it certainly came close to it.
Even if Circe hadn’t been able to zero in on the almost desperate craving Danae had for some sort of stable ground, it would certainly come to light when her mother asked if the girl was hiding any other wounds. The sixteen-year-old practically stiffened under her mother’s grip at her words as she was all too aware of what the answer was. Yes. She had other wounds, but they weren’t ones that her mother could simply clear the blood from and put a salve on it to aid healing. They were deep within her, messing with her head as things fell more and more apart. She knew that they were there as she had never questioned how safe she was a Stravos before everything fell apart. Danae rarely had nightmares before her run-in with Lukos, now she had them nearly every night. Seven hades, she had barely spoke for a month at one point. It would be insanity to think that she would be fine after having a breakdown like that.
But Danae knew that this wasn’t the sort of wound that she was talking about. The girl was almost certain that her mother did not care about how little Danae trusted her brother or this betrayal by their father had shaken her to her core. She just wanted to know if the dog had bit her somewhere else or the cats had scratched her while trying to escape the hound’s ugly maw. The girl also had her doubts that her mother would be very receptive to her child admitting that she wasn’t okay with everything else that was happening, especially as there really wasn’t anything either of them could do to bring the men in their lives to heel. She was fairly certain that her mother would just tell her to keep her chin up which was not the thing that Danae needed to hear when she missed her father this much.
“No… Just my arm.” Danae said quietly with her voice shaking a little as this messy hotchpotch of feelings came bubbling to the surface. At the moment that she heard how weak her voice was, Danae knew that there was no way that her mother would not pick up onto the fact that everything was not alright. Her mother had some sort of skill with sussing out what Danae was really feeling, she always had, but nowadays it was even worse. Seven hades, anyone would be able to tell that Danae was omitting some of the truth. Danae just couldn’t lie to herself like that.
Knowing full well that she really didn’t have a whole lot of ground to stand on and she didn’t want this to become some sort of fight between the pair (after all, those never ended well as Danae had inherited her mother’s stubbornness) the girl became mildly forthcoming on how she was really feeling about everything. “I’m fine, I swear. Everything’s just harder, I guess.” Danae tried to brush off with a small shrug as the slave came back with the various medical supplies that the Stravos family had. She grew quiet as this man put down the tray of various salves and bandages, pointing out what the unlabeled ones were before quickly scurrying from the room. If the girl wasn’t comfortable with admitting this sort of thing with her own mother, there was no way she was going to breathe a word of her troubles in the presence of an outsider. Luckily, he quickly left the room, leaving the two women alone as Danae held out her injured arm, bracing herself from the sting that might come from the various salves.
For a moment it seemed like the Stravosi was going to do what the Stravos did best and put away the touchy-feely things before getting down to work. However, before her mother could even dip her fingers into any of the little jars, Danae whispered the source of her current wounds that couldn’t be healed in the same way at this dog bite could.
“I miss him.” Her whisper was practically deafening in the quiet room and the immediate silence that followed was even louder. Even though Danae knew that this decision of Keikelius’s had taken a toll on her mother as she had spoken out against it just as fiercely as Danae did, but her mother didn’t strike her as the sort of woman who would admit that there was something was wrong. Danae had to momentarily brace herself for some sort of spiel about how they all had to make sacrifices during this rough period so they could have the fabulous reward of Elias being put on the throne.
However, would Circe prove Danae wrong and actually admit that just like her daughter, the older woman wasn’t exactly as strong as she wanted the world to think that she was in the face of her husband abandoning their family?
Circenia was quiet as she inspected her daughter’s arm, gently holding it by the wrist as she carefully manipulated it to and fro. The puncture marks might leave scars, but they would not be too large. If Danae kept up with a rigorous healing and moisturizing regimen, she might avoid scarring entirely, but the Stravos matriarch had the feeling that would be a losing battle. She doubted her tomboyish daughter cared as much about the marring of her skin as Circenia did.
It was clear there was something Danae was holding back when the princess asked her if she was hiding any wounds. As much as the girl might pretend she wasn’t, she was practically an open book, and the fiery teenager rarely hid her feelings as well as she thought. Of course, Circenia was remarkably intuitive, but children never hid themselves from their parents as effectively as they believed they did. More often than not, parents just pretended not to notice—which was often the case with Circenia herself. Her youngest child was one she had to be careful to pick her battles with; Danae had inherited the woman’s own obstinance, and it was a fact that she both rejoiced in and cursed. At least, she knew she was a fighter. She just wished she wasn’t fighting her so often.
I’m fine, I swear. Everything’s just harder, I guess.
Apparently, this time, she wasn’t going to have to pry it out of her, Danae offering it up of her own will. Perhaps it was the time they’d spent together recently, those little moments of seclusion where Circenia privately dressed her hair and offered the girl a safe, quiet space. Their relationship had been rocky for years, practically since Danae hit adolescence, but at last, things seemed to be going up, her willful child softening a bit more with the time they spent together.
“It is. I know.” It was simple acknowledgement of the girl’s feelings, sympathizing rather than trying to assure her everything would be all right. It would be, eventually. But she knew that wasn’t what her daughter needed to hear right then. She just needed someone to listen.
They both went quiet again when the servant returned with the medical supplies she had ordered, waving him off when he had them all set down. Gathering up a clean cloth and dipping it into the basin of warm water he brought, Circenia remained quiet as she made to start cleansing the wounds of any dirt they may have picked up from the dog’s mouth.
The cloth hadn’t even touched Danae’s skin when the girl spoke again, the whispered words, ‘I miss him,’ and the soft rustle of the kittens rifling through the bedsheets the only sounds in the room. For a long few minutes, the princess didn’t speak, gently dabbing at the punctures embedded in her daughter’s skin. It almost seemed she hadn’t heard until she finally said, “So do I.”
Applying a gentle pressure to Danae’s wounded arm, Circenia wrapped the cloth for a moment to further stymy the blood flow. It also gave her something to do with her hands, rather than the trembling that threatened to set in. Gods, but how desperately she missed Keikelius. Nearly thirty years they had been together with hardly a separation. And this particular separation was tearing her apart. She made it no secret how little she approved of this plan of his, convinced he had fruitlessly left his family to fend for themselves. But these were not doubts she could continue to express, not after their last family meeting. She said her piece. Keikelius said his. And come what may, each of them would play their parts, however they had to.
Removing the cloth, she tipped a few drops of another cleansing agent over the punctures, tossing aside the bloodied fabric for another. Carefully dabbing away the excess liquid, she rubbed a pungent salve over the marks—one that stunk to Olympus and back, but was particularly potent when it came to healing. The bandage was wrapped around Danae’s arm and secured in place before the princess spoke again.
“I know it is hard, Danae, but we do what we must. Your father believes he is doing what is right, and so must we.” Clearing her throat, she looked away for a moment. Was that the sheen of tears in her icy gaze? Once she looked back, however, it was gone. “I would give anything for him to be home, here, with us. Instead of… where he is.” Taking a deep breath, she released it slowly. “You know I tried to convince him not to do this. But, much like the rest of us, once your father’s mind is made, there is no changing it. It is one of the things I love most about him, but it is also one of the things that make me want to shake him until he sees reason.”
Sighing again, she shook her head. “But who knows? Perhaps he has the right of it, and his plan will benefit us. One can only hope it will be worth it in the end. Even if it does not feel like it right now.”
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This character is currently a work in progress.
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Circenia was quiet as she inspected her daughter’s arm, gently holding it by the wrist as she carefully manipulated it to and fro. The puncture marks might leave scars, but they would not be too large. If Danae kept up with a rigorous healing and moisturizing regimen, she might avoid scarring entirely, but the Stravos matriarch had the feeling that would be a losing battle. She doubted her tomboyish daughter cared as much about the marring of her skin as Circenia did.
It was clear there was something Danae was holding back when the princess asked her if she was hiding any wounds. As much as the girl might pretend she wasn’t, she was practically an open book, and the fiery teenager rarely hid her feelings as well as she thought. Of course, Circenia was remarkably intuitive, but children never hid themselves from their parents as effectively as they believed they did. More often than not, parents just pretended not to notice—which was often the case with Circenia herself. Her youngest child was one she had to be careful to pick her battles with; Danae had inherited the woman’s own obstinance, and it was a fact that she both rejoiced in and cursed. At least, she knew she was a fighter. She just wished she wasn’t fighting her so often.
I’m fine, I swear. Everything’s just harder, I guess.
Apparently, this time, she wasn’t going to have to pry it out of her, Danae offering it up of her own will. Perhaps it was the time they’d spent together recently, those little moments of seclusion where Circenia privately dressed her hair and offered the girl a safe, quiet space. Their relationship had been rocky for years, practically since Danae hit adolescence, but at last, things seemed to be going up, her willful child softening a bit more with the time they spent together.
“It is. I know.” It was simple acknowledgement of the girl’s feelings, sympathizing rather than trying to assure her everything would be all right. It would be, eventually. But she knew that wasn’t what her daughter needed to hear right then. She just needed someone to listen.
They both went quiet again when the servant returned with the medical supplies she had ordered, waving him off when he had them all set down. Gathering up a clean cloth and dipping it into the basin of warm water he brought, Circenia remained quiet as she made to start cleansing the wounds of any dirt they may have picked up from the dog’s mouth.
The cloth hadn’t even touched Danae’s skin when the girl spoke again, the whispered words, ‘I miss him,’ and the soft rustle of the kittens rifling through the bedsheets the only sounds in the room. For a long few minutes, the princess didn’t speak, gently dabbing at the punctures embedded in her daughter’s skin. It almost seemed she hadn’t heard until she finally said, “So do I.”
Applying a gentle pressure to Danae’s wounded arm, Circenia wrapped the cloth for a moment to further stymy the blood flow. It also gave her something to do with her hands, rather than the trembling that threatened to set in. Gods, but how desperately she missed Keikelius. Nearly thirty years they had been together with hardly a separation. And this particular separation was tearing her apart. She made it no secret how little she approved of this plan of his, convinced he had fruitlessly left his family to fend for themselves. But these were not doubts she could continue to express, not after their last family meeting. She said her piece. Keikelius said his. And come what may, each of them would play their parts, however they had to.
Removing the cloth, she tipped a few drops of another cleansing agent over the punctures, tossing aside the bloodied fabric for another. Carefully dabbing away the excess liquid, she rubbed a pungent salve over the marks—one that stunk to Olympus and back, but was particularly potent when it came to healing. The bandage was wrapped around Danae’s arm and secured in place before the princess spoke again.
“I know it is hard, Danae, but we do what we must. Your father believes he is doing what is right, and so must we.” Clearing her throat, she looked away for a moment. Was that the sheen of tears in her icy gaze? Once she looked back, however, it was gone. “I would give anything for him to be home, here, with us. Instead of… where he is.” Taking a deep breath, she released it slowly. “You know I tried to convince him not to do this. But, much like the rest of us, once your father’s mind is made, there is no changing it. It is one of the things I love most about him, but it is also one of the things that make me want to shake him until he sees reason.”
Sighing again, she shook her head. “But who knows? Perhaps he has the right of it, and his plan will benefit us. One can only hope it will be worth it in the end. Even if it does not feel like it right now.”
Circenia was quiet as she inspected her daughter’s arm, gently holding it by the wrist as she carefully manipulated it to and fro. The puncture marks might leave scars, but they would not be too large. If Danae kept up with a rigorous healing and moisturizing regimen, she might avoid scarring entirely, but the Stravos matriarch had the feeling that would be a losing battle. She doubted her tomboyish daughter cared as much about the marring of her skin as Circenia did.
It was clear there was something Danae was holding back when the princess asked her if she was hiding any wounds. As much as the girl might pretend she wasn’t, she was practically an open book, and the fiery teenager rarely hid her feelings as well as she thought. Of course, Circenia was remarkably intuitive, but children never hid themselves from their parents as effectively as they believed they did. More often than not, parents just pretended not to notice—which was often the case with Circenia herself. Her youngest child was one she had to be careful to pick her battles with; Danae had inherited the woman’s own obstinance, and it was a fact that she both rejoiced in and cursed. At least, she knew she was a fighter. She just wished she wasn’t fighting her so often.
I’m fine, I swear. Everything’s just harder, I guess.
Apparently, this time, she wasn’t going to have to pry it out of her, Danae offering it up of her own will. Perhaps it was the time they’d spent together recently, those little moments of seclusion where Circenia privately dressed her hair and offered the girl a safe, quiet space. Their relationship had been rocky for years, practically since Danae hit adolescence, but at last, things seemed to be going up, her willful child softening a bit more with the time they spent together.
“It is. I know.” It was simple acknowledgement of the girl’s feelings, sympathizing rather than trying to assure her everything would be all right. It would be, eventually. But she knew that wasn’t what her daughter needed to hear right then. She just needed someone to listen.
They both went quiet again when the servant returned with the medical supplies she had ordered, waving him off when he had them all set down. Gathering up a clean cloth and dipping it into the basin of warm water he brought, Circenia remained quiet as she made to start cleansing the wounds of any dirt they may have picked up from the dog’s mouth.
The cloth hadn’t even touched Danae’s skin when the girl spoke again, the whispered words, ‘I miss him,’ and the soft rustle of the kittens rifling through the bedsheets the only sounds in the room. For a long few minutes, the princess didn’t speak, gently dabbing at the punctures embedded in her daughter’s skin. It almost seemed she hadn’t heard until she finally said, “So do I.”
Applying a gentle pressure to Danae’s wounded arm, Circenia wrapped the cloth for a moment to further stymy the blood flow. It also gave her something to do with her hands, rather than the trembling that threatened to set in. Gods, but how desperately she missed Keikelius. Nearly thirty years they had been together with hardly a separation. And this particular separation was tearing her apart. She made it no secret how little she approved of this plan of his, convinced he had fruitlessly left his family to fend for themselves. But these were not doubts she could continue to express, not after their last family meeting. She said her piece. Keikelius said his. And come what may, each of them would play their parts, however they had to.
Removing the cloth, she tipped a few drops of another cleansing agent over the punctures, tossing aside the bloodied fabric for another. Carefully dabbing away the excess liquid, she rubbed a pungent salve over the marks—one that stunk to Olympus and back, but was particularly potent when it came to healing. The bandage was wrapped around Danae’s arm and secured in place before the princess spoke again.
“I know it is hard, Danae, but we do what we must. Your father believes he is doing what is right, and so must we.” Clearing her throat, she looked away for a moment. Was that the sheen of tears in her icy gaze? Once she looked back, however, it was gone. “I would give anything for him to be home, here, with us. Instead of… where he is.” Taking a deep breath, she released it slowly. “You know I tried to convince him not to do this. But, much like the rest of us, once your father’s mind is made, there is no changing it. It is one of the things I love most about him, but it is also one of the things that make me want to shake him until he sees reason.”
Sighing again, she shook her head. “But who knows? Perhaps he has the right of it, and his plan will benefit us. One can only hope it will be worth it in the end. Even if it does not feel like it right now.”
Several weeks later, Danae still did not have the faintest clue what her father had been thinking when he had decided that abandoning them had been the best course of action. From the start, it seemed to be that everyone had been vehemently for this plan except Danae and her mother. Even Elias had agreed to it, but the youngest Stravos had always had her doubts about her brother’s intellectual capabilities. She doubted that he saw the bigger picture of what Keikelius even thinking of defecting to Persephone’s side would do to Elias. Her father was fairly certain that this plan would ultimately help the Stravos’s cause, but who would now support a boy who can’t even get his own father to support his bid for the crown? Perhaps Danae was being a bit dramatic and fatalistic, but she thought that her father’s plan would cripple their campaign. Surely, her father would have seen how much it undercut Elias’s effort and everything that they had done thus far. How on earth could he have foreseen this level of damage and continued on his course anyway?
This was a thought that plagued Danae as she just couldn’t see how this plan would work. It didn’t matter that in the heat of the moment that her father cast his vote in favor of Persephone. He was still Elias’s father. The Stravos have not hidden their attempts to seize power in the Princess’s absence. Anyone who was aiding the beggar queen would recognize that the bonds of blood would be much stronger than those written on paper under moments of duress. If there was anyone with any sort of sense on that swan’s side, they would never trust her father. Never let him be privy to any secrets as his duty to his family would dictate that he aided his son. It just couldn’t work and Danae was deathly afraid of what consequences her father was going to face once he was found out.
Not if, when.
She had no idea what would happen when it came out that Keikelius had betrayed both sides of this Athenian power struggle. The girl could at least anticipate that it was not going to be pretty. There was no way that he wouldn’t be at least tossed in a jail cell for a long while… if not worse. There was no doubt that these fears of hers stemmed from the traumas that had happened in recent months and Danae’s clear inability to cope with them, but that didn’t make them any less real to the girl. There were plenty of nights she found herself sobbing in the dead of night, cursing herself for not speaking up and voicing her fears when they had all been gathered in Lyncestia. Instead, she had followed her mother’s directive to remain quiet. It felt like it had been a mistake and now there was nothing that Danae could do to fix it. She had no idea where her father was so she could not send him a letter, begging him to put this folly of a plan aside and come home. All she could do was sit and wait for the other shoe to drop.
The sickening anticipation seemed to be rather akin to the girl tensing her arm, waiting for her mother to coat the wound in that smelly, stinging salve. The smell was almost noxious and Danae knew instantly that she would have to have the servants bring all sorts of fresh fruits and flowers to rid her safe haven of it once this was all said and done. Her nose twisted in disgust before a small hiss escaped her as the ointment was dabbed onto her skin. She had never gotten used to the sting and how much it hurt, but Danae did well in not pulling her arm away from Circenia. That would only make things worse as her mother would get annoyed, which Danae was more than well aware of, so she did her best to keep it still as the dog bite was covered.
Once the bandage was applied and the wound concealed, Danae glanced down at the linen wrapping at her arm. Turning it slightly, the girl already knew that this would likely be a nightmare to keep up with. That smelly salve alone would make her reluctant to change it and there was no way that she was going to remember the litany of creams and powders that her mother would give her to keep it from marring her skin. The wound would heal and she would be ultimately fine, but it was likely she was going to wear the unsightly mark of that pup for years to come. Truthfully, she wasn’t all that bothered by the prospect as she didn’t care for these sorts of things, but that bandage though… she didn’t want more rumors to crop up about her well-being after her mysterious haircut.
“At least it’s almost winter. It’ll be easier to hide the bandage under shawls and whatnot.” She quietly mused, knowing that this wasn’t going to be super likely given how low on her arm the wound was. Oh well, Danae could certainly do with fewer trips to the market anyways. Glancing over at her wardrobe, Danae tried to remember how many winter things she had in there. Not nearly as many as Chara or her mother, that was for sure. Not to mention that since Danae was now needing to focus more on the upkeep of her own appearance instead of brushing it off like she had done last year, there weren’t bound to be a whole lot that could go with the brighter outfits that she felt more compelled to wear the closer the Stravos’s got to the crown. “Do you think I could borrow some, just in case?” She asked quietly, turning back towards her mother. Circenia was bound to either say yes or gently encourage Chara to loan Danae some of hers. Danae really didn’t care where they came from.
Or at least she didn’t when it was a distraction from what was really on Danae’s mind as the two of them sat in a mournful silence with the absence of Keikelius looming over them. Danae still firmly had zero interest in fashion and color coordinating, but talking about this was infinitely better than what had shrouded both the mother and daughter in an inescapable gloom.
As the keyword there was inescapable, Danae was not surprised when her mother broke the silence first with words of encouragement. Although Danae appreciated the sentiment, this wasn’t exactly what she wanted to hear. Not that Circenia could do that as none of them knew when Keikelius was coming home -- if he was coming home at all. However, her mother’s words still touched her deeply and soon enough Danae could feel that never-ending feeling of drowning in her own sorrows creeping up again within her and threatening to overwhelm the poor girl. Hearing her mother say that there was a chance that her father was right and this would all work out in the end was too much as there was no way that Danae could see things turning out this way. Not when the stakes were as high as who got to sit on the throne of Athenia.
“They’re not going to trust him. They’d have no reason to…” She admitted with tears welling in her eyes. Although it had been the family mantra to not speak about how everything could go wrong, Danae couldn’t hide this within her any longer. She couldn’t stand the fact that no one had said anything about how this was all going to go so terribly wrong as it made her feel hopelessly alone in her fears about what the future was going to hold for them. Everyone else, but her and Circenia seemed to be so confident in this endeavor and it just felt wrong as it was seemingly destined for failure. “It’s going to be a disaster and what if… what if… what--[/b]” Danae started to say, on the cusp of voicing her greatest fear aloud, but it was so scary that she kept tripping over her own words. She was fairly certain that through her reaction alone her mother would be able to guess what Danae was going to say and that she didn’t need the quiet murmur that echoed in the room. “What if he doesn’t come home at all?” This thought was so unspeakable in this household that Danae felt as if she had blasphemed the gods themselves with her words. It felt wrong to say such a thing, but with such an ultimate prize on the line, why wouldn’t either side stoop to a heinous low to cripple their enemies. Danae and Circenia themselves had advocated for it at the family meeting. This was a possibility whether they liked it or not and even though this was a risk that Keikelius was seemingly willing to take, it was something that Danae wasn’t willing to pay. But there was nothing she could do given that she was just one girl suffering from what amounted to little more than separation anxiety in the wake of him leaving.
However, Danae was easily forgetting that she was a Stravos. There was always something that they could do. The spark that had spurred the rest of their family to action had yet to light in Danae, but with a little encouragement… the young girl did have a valuable tool at her disposal. She just might need the little push to consider her using them. Even though the young girl had refused to use them for Elias as she did not trust him, she would not hesitate to utilize them in helping her father.
In the meantime though, this thought was the furthest thing from her mind as she drew closer to her mother, trying to quell the tears in her eyes and hiccups in her throat as she finally indulged in the luxury of sharing her emotions with another. This was not something that Danae did lightly. “I just wish he would have listened… or would have agreed to see us somehow. The silence just ma--makes it worse.” Danae finished quietly. Since her father had left, she had not seen hide or hair of him. There had been no letters sent to her or their family (as far as she was aware of) and it was the dull ache of not knowing, not being able to do anything that really tore Danae up inside. She knew that her mother might not be able to do anything for that as she too was suffering the same silence, but even a little bit of comfort would go a long way in keeping Danae back together.
After all, once the tears were dried, maybe the Xanthos Princess and her stubborn daughter could put their heads together and think of a way to aid Keikelius from afar…
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Several weeks later, Danae still did not have the faintest clue what her father had been thinking when he had decided that abandoning them had been the best course of action. From the start, it seemed to be that everyone had been vehemently for this plan except Danae and her mother. Even Elias had agreed to it, but the youngest Stravos had always had her doubts about her brother’s intellectual capabilities. She doubted that he saw the bigger picture of what Keikelius even thinking of defecting to Persephone’s side would do to Elias. Her father was fairly certain that this plan would ultimately help the Stravos’s cause, but who would now support a boy who can’t even get his own father to support his bid for the crown? Perhaps Danae was being a bit dramatic and fatalistic, but she thought that her father’s plan would cripple their campaign. Surely, her father would have seen how much it undercut Elias’s effort and everything that they had done thus far. How on earth could he have foreseen this level of damage and continued on his course anyway?
This was a thought that plagued Danae as she just couldn’t see how this plan would work. It didn’t matter that in the heat of the moment that her father cast his vote in favor of Persephone. He was still Elias’s father. The Stravos have not hidden their attempts to seize power in the Princess’s absence. Anyone who was aiding the beggar queen would recognize that the bonds of blood would be much stronger than those written on paper under moments of duress. If there was anyone with any sort of sense on that swan’s side, they would never trust her father. Never let him be privy to any secrets as his duty to his family would dictate that he aided his son. It just couldn’t work and Danae was deathly afraid of what consequences her father was going to face once he was found out.
Not if, when.
She had no idea what would happen when it came out that Keikelius had betrayed both sides of this Athenian power struggle. The girl could at least anticipate that it was not going to be pretty. There was no way that he wouldn’t be at least tossed in a jail cell for a long while… if not worse. There was no doubt that these fears of hers stemmed from the traumas that had happened in recent months and Danae’s clear inability to cope with them, but that didn’t make them any less real to the girl. There were plenty of nights she found herself sobbing in the dead of night, cursing herself for not speaking up and voicing her fears when they had all been gathered in Lyncestia. Instead, she had followed her mother’s directive to remain quiet. It felt like it had been a mistake and now there was nothing that Danae could do to fix it. She had no idea where her father was so she could not send him a letter, begging him to put this folly of a plan aside and come home. All she could do was sit and wait for the other shoe to drop.
The sickening anticipation seemed to be rather akin to the girl tensing her arm, waiting for her mother to coat the wound in that smelly, stinging salve. The smell was almost noxious and Danae knew instantly that she would have to have the servants bring all sorts of fresh fruits and flowers to rid her safe haven of it once this was all said and done. Her nose twisted in disgust before a small hiss escaped her as the ointment was dabbed onto her skin. She had never gotten used to the sting and how much it hurt, but Danae did well in not pulling her arm away from Circenia. That would only make things worse as her mother would get annoyed, which Danae was more than well aware of, so she did her best to keep it still as the dog bite was covered.
Once the bandage was applied and the wound concealed, Danae glanced down at the linen wrapping at her arm. Turning it slightly, the girl already knew that this would likely be a nightmare to keep up with. That smelly salve alone would make her reluctant to change it and there was no way that she was going to remember the litany of creams and powders that her mother would give her to keep it from marring her skin. The wound would heal and she would be ultimately fine, but it was likely she was going to wear the unsightly mark of that pup for years to come. Truthfully, she wasn’t all that bothered by the prospect as she didn’t care for these sorts of things, but that bandage though… she didn’t want more rumors to crop up about her well-being after her mysterious haircut.
“At least it’s almost winter. It’ll be easier to hide the bandage under shawls and whatnot.” She quietly mused, knowing that this wasn’t going to be super likely given how low on her arm the wound was. Oh well, Danae could certainly do with fewer trips to the market anyways. Glancing over at her wardrobe, Danae tried to remember how many winter things she had in there. Not nearly as many as Chara or her mother, that was for sure. Not to mention that since Danae was now needing to focus more on the upkeep of her own appearance instead of brushing it off like she had done last year, there weren’t bound to be a whole lot that could go with the brighter outfits that she felt more compelled to wear the closer the Stravos’s got to the crown. “Do you think I could borrow some, just in case?” She asked quietly, turning back towards her mother. Circenia was bound to either say yes or gently encourage Chara to loan Danae some of hers. Danae really didn’t care where they came from.
Or at least she didn’t when it was a distraction from what was really on Danae’s mind as the two of them sat in a mournful silence with the absence of Keikelius looming over them. Danae still firmly had zero interest in fashion and color coordinating, but talking about this was infinitely better than what had shrouded both the mother and daughter in an inescapable gloom.
As the keyword there was inescapable, Danae was not surprised when her mother broke the silence first with words of encouragement. Although Danae appreciated the sentiment, this wasn’t exactly what she wanted to hear. Not that Circenia could do that as none of them knew when Keikelius was coming home -- if he was coming home at all. However, her mother’s words still touched her deeply and soon enough Danae could feel that never-ending feeling of drowning in her own sorrows creeping up again within her and threatening to overwhelm the poor girl. Hearing her mother say that there was a chance that her father was right and this would all work out in the end was too much as there was no way that Danae could see things turning out this way. Not when the stakes were as high as who got to sit on the throne of Athenia.
“They’re not going to trust him. They’d have no reason to…” She admitted with tears welling in her eyes. Although it had been the family mantra to not speak about how everything could go wrong, Danae couldn’t hide this within her any longer. She couldn’t stand the fact that no one had said anything about how this was all going to go so terribly wrong as it made her feel hopelessly alone in her fears about what the future was going to hold for them. Everyone else, but her and Circenia seemed to be so confident in this endeavor and it just felt wrong as it was seemingly destined for failure. “It’s going to be a disaster and what if… what if… what--[/b]” Danae started to say, on the cusp of voicing her greatest fear aloud, but it was so scary that she kept tripping over her own words. She was fairly certain that through her reaction alone her mother would be able to guess what Danae was going to say and that she didn’t need the quiet murmur that echoed in the room. “What if he doesn’t come home at all?” This thought was so unspeakable in this household that Danae felt as if she had blasphemed the gods themselves with her words. It felt wrong to say such a thing, but with such an ultimate prize on the line, why wouldn’t either side stoop to a heinous low to cripple their enemies. Danae and Circenia themselves had advocated for it at the family meeting. This was a possibility whether they liked it or not and even though this was a risk that Keikelius was seemingly willing to take, it was something that Danae wasn’t willing to pay. But there was nothing she could do given that she was just one girl suffering from what amounted to little more than separation anxiety in the wake of him leaving.
However, Danae was easily forgetting that she was a Stravos. There was always something that they could do. The spark that had spurred the rest of their family to action had yet to light in Danae, but with a little encouragement… the young girl did have a valuable tool at her disposal. She just might need the little push to consider her using them. Even though the young girl had refused to use them for Elias as she did not trust him, she would not hesitate to utilize them in helping her father.
In the meantime though, this thought was the furthest thing from her mind as she drew closer to her mother, trying to quell the tears in her eyes and hiccups in her throat as she finally indulged in the luxury of sharing her emotions with another. This was not something that Danae did lightly. “I just wish he would have listened… or would have agreed to see us somehow. The silence just ma--makes it worse.” Danae finished quietly. Since her father had left, she had not seen hide or hair of him. There had been no letters sent to her or their family (as far as she was aware of) and it was the dull ache of not knowing, not being able to do anything that really tore Danae up inside. She knew that her mother might not be able to do anything for that as she too was suffering the same silence, but even a little bit of comfort would go a long way in keeping Danae back together.
After all, once the tears were dried, maybe the Xanthos Princess and her stubborn daughter could put their heads together and think of a way to aid Keikelius from afar…
Several weeks later, Danae still did not have the faintest clue what her father had been thinking when he had decided that abandoning them had been the best course of action. From the start, it seemed to be that everyone had been vehemently for this plan except Danae and her mother. Even Elias had agreed to it, but the youngest Stravos had always had her doubts about her brother’s intellectual capabilities. She doubted that he saw the bigger picture of what Keikelius even thinking of defecting to Persephone’s side would do to Elias. Her father was fairly certain that this plan would ultimately help the Stravos’s cause, but who would now support a boy who can’t even get his own father to support his bid for the crown? Perhaps Danae was being a bit dramatic and fatalistic, but she thought that her father’s plan would cripple their campaign. Surely, her father would have seen how much it undercut Elias’s effort and everything that they had done thus far. How on earth could he have foreseen this level of damage and continued on his course anyway?
This was a thought that plagued Danae as she just couldn’t see how this plan would work. It didn’t matter that in the heat of the moment that her father cast his vote in favor of Persephone. He was still Elias’s father. The Stravos have not hidden their attempts to seize power in the Princess’s absence. Anyone who was aiding the beggar queen would recognize that the bonds of blood would be much stronger than those written on paper under moments of duress. If there was anyone with any sort of sense on that swan’s side, they would never trust her father. Never let him be privy to any secrets as his duty to his family would dictate that he aided his son. It just couldn’t work and Danae was deathly afraid of what consequences her father was going to face once he was found out.
Not if, when.
She had no idea what would happen when it came out that Keikelius had betrayed both sides of this Athenian power struggle. The girl could at least anticipate that it was not going to be pretty. There was no way that he wouldn’t be at least tossed in a jail cell for a long while… if not worse. There was no doubt that these fears of hers stemmed from the traumas that had happened in recent months and Danae’s clear inability to cope with them, but that didn’t make them any less real to the girl. There were plenty of nights she found herself sobbing in the dead of night, cursing herself for not speaking up and voicing her fears when they had all been gathered in Lyncestia. Instead, she had followed her mother’s directive to remain quiet. It felt like it had been a mistake and now there was nothing that Danae could do to fix it. She had no idea where her father was so she could not send him a letter, begging him to put this folly of a plan aside and come home. All she could do was sit and wait for the other shoe to drop.
The sickening anticipation seemed to be rather akin to the girl tensing her arm, waiting for her mother to coat the wound in that smelly, stinging salve. The smell was almost noxious and Danae knew instantly that she would have to have the servants bring all sorts of fresh fruits and flowers to rid her safe haven of it once this was all said and done. Her nose twisted in disgust before a small hiss escaped her as the ointment was dabbed onto her skin. She had never gotten used to the sting and how much it hurt, but Danae did well in not pulling her arm away from Circenia. That would only make things worse as her mother would get annoyed, which Danae was more than well aware of, so she did her best to keep it still as the dog bite was covered.
Once the bandage was applied and the wound concealed, Danae glanced down at the linen wrapping at her arm. Turning it slightly, the girl already knew that this would likely be a nightmare to keep up with. That smelly salve alone would make her reluctant to change it and there was no way that she was going to remember the litany of creams and powders that her mother would give her to keep it from marring her skin. The wound would heal and she would be ultimately fine, but it was likely she was going to wear the unsightly mark of that pup for years to come. Truthfully, she wasn’t all that bothered by the prospect as she didn’t care for these sorts of things, but that bandage though… she didn’t want more rumors to crop up about her well-being after her mysterious haircut.
“At least it’s almost winter. It’ll be easier to hide the bandage under shawls and whatnot.” She quietly mused, knowing that this wasn’t going to be super likely given how low on her arm the wound was. Oh well, Danae could certainly do with fewer trips to the market anyways. Glancing over at her wardrobe, Danae tried to remember how many winter things she had in there. Not nearly as many as Chara or her mother, that was for sure. Not to mention that since Danae was now needing to focus more on the upkeep of her own appearance instead of brushing it off like she had done last year, there weren’t bound to be a whole lot that could go with the brighter outfits that she felt more compelled to wear the closer the Stravos’s got to the crown. “Do you think I could borrow some, just in case?” She asked quietly, turning back towards her mother. Circenia was bound to either say yes or gently encourage Chara to loan Danae some of hers. Danae really didn’t care where they came from.
Or at least she didn’t when it was a distraction from what was really on Danae’s mind as the two of them sat in a mournful silence with the absence of Keikelius looming over them. Danae still firmly had zero interest in fashion and color coordinating, but talking about this was infinitely better than what had shrouded both the mother and daughter in an inescapable gloom.
As the keyword there was inescapable, Danae was not surprised when her mother broke the silence first with words of encouragement. Although Danae appreciated the sentiment, this wasn’t exactly what she wanted to hear. Not that Circenia could do that as none of them knew when Keikelius was coming home -- if he was coming home at all. However, her mother’s words still touched her deeply and soon enough Danae could feel that never-ending feeling of drowning in her own sorrows creeping up again within her and threatening to overwhelm the poor girl. Hearing her mother say that there was a chance that her father was right and this would all work out in the end was too much as there was no way that Danae could see things turning out this way. Not when the stakes were as high as who got to sit on the throne of Athenia.
“They’re not going to trust him. They’d have no reason to…” She admitted with tears welling in her eyes. Although it had been the family mantra to not speak about how everything could go wrong, Danae couldn’t hide this within her any longer. She couldn’t stand the fact that no one had said anything about how this was all going to go so terribly wrong as it made her feel hopelessly alone in her fears about what the future was going to hold for them. Everyone else, but her and Circenia seemed to be so confident in this endeavor and it just felt wrong as it was seemingly destined for failure. “It’s going to be a disaster and what if… what if… what--[/b]” Danae started to say, on the cusp of voicing her greatest fear aloud, but it was so scary that she kept tripping over her own words. She was fairly certain that through her reaction alone her mother would be able to guess what Danae was going to say and that she didn’t need the quiet murmur that echoed in the room. “What if he doesn’t come home at all?” This thought was so unspeakable in this household that Danae felt as if she had blasphemed the gods themselves with her words. It felt wrong to say such a thing, but with such an ultimate prize on the line, why wouldn’t either side stoop to a heinous low to cripple their enemies. Danae and Circenia themselves had advocated for it at the family meeting. This was a possibility whether they liked it or not and even though this was a risk that Keikelius was seemingly willing to take, it was something that Danae wasn’t willing to pay. But there was nothing she could do given that she was just one girl suffering from what amounted to little more than separation anxiety in the wake of him leaving.
However, Danae was easily forgetting that she was a Stravos. There was always something that they could do. The spark that had spurred the rest of their family to action had yet to light in Danae, but with a little encouragement… the young girl did have a valuable tool at her disposal. She just might need the little push to consider her using them. Even though the young girl had refused to use them for Elias as she did not trust him, she would not hesitate to utilize them in helping her father.
In the meantime though, this thought was the furthest thing from her mind as she drew closer to her mother, trying to quell the tears in her eyes and hiccups in her throat as she finally indulged in the luxury of sharing her emotions with another. This was not something that Danae did lightly. “I just wish he would have listened… or would have agreed to see us somehow. The silence just ma--makes it worse.” Danae finished quietly. Since her father had left, she had not seen hide or hair of him. There had been no letters sent to her or their family (as far as she was aware of) and it was the dull ache of not knowing, not being able to do anything that really tore Danae up inside. She knew that her mother might not be able to do anything for that as she too was suffering the same silence, but even a little bit of comfort would go a long way in keeping Danae back together.
After all, once the tears were dried, maybe the Xanthos Princess and her stubborn daughter could put their heads together and think of a way to aid Keikelius from afar…
Do you think I could borrow some, just in case?
The barest hint of a smile turned up the corner of Circenia’s mouth at the unexpected question, but she nodded, nonetheless. “Of course you may. You can come to my room later and pick out whatever you would like.” Danae was about the last person she’d ever expect to come borrowing her clothes, but the princess was hardly likely to deny her. Maybe one day she’d instill some fashion sense in her yet.
The silence stretched out for a bit longer as Circenia doctored Danae’s wound until she finally broke it herself, doing her best to reassure her daughter that everything would be fine in the end, even if she could hardly bring herself to believe such a notion. Would anything ever be fine again after all this? Would their family ever return to normal, or at least some semblance of it? Or had ambition finally served to tear them all apart?
She couldn’t allow herself to believe this, however, not if she wished to go on. Her daughter was not so easy to convince, though, enumerating her own worries in a halting stammer. The women of the house had done their best not to speak of their worries, to go on pretending everything was normal, but that was never bound to last forever. Part of her was relieved that Danae had finally given up on her silence and broached the subject, so Circenia didn’t have to. It was dreadfully lonely, stewing in her fears by herself. At least she knew she was not the only one.
Even if she would never admit just how deep her fears ran.
Having finished wrapping Danae’s wound, Circenia set the rest of the medical supplies aside and took both her daughter’s hands in her own. Gods, how often had such fears run through her own head? Why would anyone ever trust that Keikelius was on Persephone’s side? Yes, he had voted for Persephone that disastrous day in the Senate, but his hand had been all but forced. Since her disappearance, even if it wasn’t public, he had done whatever he could to support Elias’s bid for the throne. Who would ever believe he would not back his own son’s claim? That he would turn his back on the family he had championed for so long?
It was a mad plan, one that the princess couldn’t get behind, no matter how she professed to him that she would. There were few times in their marriage that Circenia and Keikelius had disagreed, but this… this was a fool’s errand. It wasn’t often that the princess hid her own plans from her family, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
“He will come home, Danae,” she reassured her child, squeezing the hands she held so tightly in her grasp. The assurance was as much for her own ears as it was for her daughter’s, holding onto her child like a lifeline. “If I have to drag him by the hair all the way, he will come home. I will not allow anything to happen to him, you understand? Persephone will be dealt with, Elias will sit the throne, and our family will rule as we were meant to all along.”
Relinquishing one of Danae’s hands, Circenia reached up to stroke a lock of hair from her daughter’s face, her thumb brushing away a tear that dared to overflow. Rising from her seat, she pulled the girl into her arms as if she were still just a child seeking her mother’s comfort, which in a way, she was. Stroking Danae’s hair and kissing the top of her head as she hadn’t done since she was a little girl, she drew her in close—as much for her daughter’s peace of mind as for her own.
“Everything will be all right in the end, I promise,” she murmured, resting her cheek on the top of her child’s head and cherishing the moment while it lasted. “No matter what happens, we will find a way. Just as we always do.”
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Do you think I could borrow some, just in case?
The barest hint of a smile turned up the corner of Circenia’s mouth at the unexpected question, but she nodded, nonetheless. “Of course you may. You can come to my room later and pick out whatever you would like.” Danae was about the last person she’d ever expect to come borrowing her clothes, but the princess was hardly likely to deny her. Maybe one day she’d instill some fashion sense in her yet.
The silence stretched out for a bit longer as Circenia doctored Danae’s wound until she finally broke it herself, doing her best to reassure her daughter that everything would be fine in the end, even if she could hardly bring herself to believe such a notion. Would anything ever be fine again after all this? Would their family ever return to normal, or at least some semblance of it? Or had ambition finally served to tear them all apart?
She couldn’t allow herself to believe this, however, not if she wished to go on. Her daughter was not so easy to convince, though, enumerating her own worries in a halting stammer. The women of the house had done their best not to speak of their worries, to go on pretending everything was normal, but that was never bound to last forever. Part of her was relieved that Danae had finally given up on her silence and broached the subject, so Circenia didn’t have to. It was dreadfully lonely, stewing in her fears by herself. At least she knew she was not the only one.
Even if she would never admit just how deep her fears ran.
Having finished wrapping Danae’s wound, Circenia set the rest of the medical supplies aside and took both her daughter’s hands in her own. Gods, how often had such fears run through her own head? Why would anyone ever trust that Keikelius was on Persephone’s side? Yes, he had voted for Persephone that disastrous day in the Senate, but his hand had been all but forced. Since her disappearance, even if it wasn’t public, he had done whatever he could to support Elias’s bid for the throne. Who would ever believe he would not back his own son’s claim? That he would turn his back on the family he had championed for so long?
It was a mad plan, one that the princess couldn’t get behind, no matter how she professed to him that she would. There were few times in their marriage that Circenia and Keikelius had disagreed, but this… this was a fool’s errand. It wasn’t often that the princess hid her own plans from her family, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
“He will come home, Danae,” she reassured her child, squeezing the hands she held so tightly in her grasp. The assurance was as much for her own ears as it was for her daughter’s, holding onto her child like a lifeline. “If I have to drag him by the hair all the way, he will come home. I will not allow anything to happen to him, you understand? Persephone will be dealt with, Elias will sit the throne, and our family will rule as we were meant to all along.”
Relinquishing one of Danae’s hands, Circenia reached up to stroke a lock of hair from her daughter’s face, her thumb brushing away a tear that dared to overflow. Rising from her seat, she pulled the girl into her arms as if she were still just a child seeking her mother’s comfort, which in a way, she was. Stroking Danae’s hair and kissing the top of her head as she hadn’t done since she was a little girl, she drew her in close—as much for her daughter’s peace of mind as for her own.
“Everything will be all right in the end, I promise,” she murmured, resting her cheek on the top of her child’s head and cherishing the moment while it lasted. “No matter what happens, we will find a way. Just as we always do.”
Do you think I could borrow some, just in case?
The barest hint of a smile turned up the corner of Circenia’s mouth at the unexpected question, but she nodded, nonetheless. “Of course you may. You can come to my room later and pick out whatever you would like.” Danae was about the last person she’d ever expect to come borrowing her clothes, but the princess was hardly likely to deny her. Maybe one day she’d instill some fashion sense in her yet.
The silence stretched out for a bit longer as Circenia doctored Danae’s wound until she finally broke it herself, doing her best to reassure her daughter that everything would be fine in the end, even if she could hardly bring herself to believe such a notion. Would anything ever be fine again after all this? Would their family ever return to normal, or at least some semblance of it? Or had ambition finally served to tear them all apart?
She couldn’t allow herself to believe this, however, not if she wished to go on. Her daughter was not so easy to convince, though, enumerating her own worries in a halting stammer. The women of the house had done their best not to speak of their worries, to go on pretending everything was normal, but that was never bound to last forever. Part of her was relieved that Danae had finally given up on her silence and broached the subject, so Circenia didn’t have to. It was dreadfully lonely, stewing in her fears by herself. At least she knew she was not the only one.
Even if she would never admit just how deep her fears ran.
Having finished wrapping Danae’s wound, Circenia set the rest of the medical supplies aside and took both her daughter’s hands in her own. Gods, how often had such fears run through her own head? Why would anyone ever trust that Keikelius was on Persephone’s side? Yes, he had voted for Persephone that disastrous day in the Senate, but his hand had been all but forced. Since her disappearance, even if it wasn’t public, he had done whatever he could to support Elias’s bid for the throne. Who would ever believe he would not back his own son’s claim? That he would turn his back on the family he had championed for so long?
It was a mad plan, one that the princess couldn’t get behind, no matter how she professed to him that she would. There were few times in their marriage that Circenia and Keikelius had disagreed, but this… this was a fool’s errand. It wasn’t often that the princess hid her own plans from her family, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
“He will come home, Danae,” she reassured her child, squeezing the hands she held so tightly in her grasp. The assurance was as much for her own ears as it was for her daughter’s, holding onto her child like a lifeline. “If I have to drag him by the hair all the way, he will come home. I will not allow anything to happen to him, you understand? Persephone will be dealt with, Elias will sit the throne, and our family will rule as we were meant to all along.”
Relinquishing one of Danae’s hands, Circenia reached up to stroke a lock of hair from her daughter’s face, her thumb brushing away a tear that dared to overflow. Rising from her seat, she pulled the girl into her arms as if she were still just a child seeking her mother’s comfort, which in a way, she was. Stroking Danae’s hair and kissing the top of her head as she hadn’t done since she was a little girl, she drew her in close—as much for her daughter’s peace of mind as for her own.
“Everything will be all right in the end, I promise,” she murmured, resting her cheek on the top of her child’s head and cherishing the moment while it lasted. “No matter what happens, we will find a way. Just as we always do.”
Even though Danae had always been closer to her father than her mother, there was no denying that the dynamic was shifting in recent weeks. In the aftermath of her run-in with the pirate and her new need for the skills that Circenia could impart on her, the two of them had gotten closer. No longer did the youngest girl shun the woman who bore her out of fear of the life she represented. The life of a perfect courtier like her mother was still something that Danae adamantly did not want under any circumstance. After all, the girl couldn’t bear the thought of being denied the activities and pastimes that brought her happiness just on the account that it was supposedly ‘unbecoming’ for a young woman like herself to go out and make her own coin. However, all those mornings she spent in her mother’s chambers, watching in the mirror as the elder woman tended to the physical mark of Danae’s failures, she had learned to separate the fear she had for the uncertain future from the woman who simply wanted the best for her daughter. Circenia might be the pinnacle of what society expected Danae to be, but she had learned in recent weeks that it was alright to accept that she was not going to be exactly like her mother and that there was never any real expectation that she would be exactly like the other Stravos women. Her family had always known that Danae would be a black sheep in that regard, especially when she had her father’s mind and it would be an insult to the gods if she didn’t utilize it to her fullest potential.
As grand as these revelations and acceptances had been (especially in regards to breaking down the walls that Danae had built up around herself for so long) the young girl was forced to pause on that final thought. She had her father’s brain. For the littlest Stravos, this had always been a mark of pride. Chara might have their mother’s looks and Elias was the heir so he got everything, but Danae… Danae had the aptitude for the business and economics that her family had built their legacy upon. The girl had always known that had she been born in the proper gender and did not need to confine herself to the shady parts of trade were fewer questions were asked, she could very easily rival Kekelius in terms of who was the better tradesman. If Danae couldn’t be a good courtier and feared the day she would be made into a wife, she could at least hold onto this. She had her father’s mind.
But was this something that she could no longer be proud of?
Her father was brilliant. Danae could not deny that as he had been the one that had taught her everything that she knew. Yet it was hard to remember that when the women that he left behind had to contend with the plan that he was currently undertaking. Both Danae and Circenia were certain that this idea of his was a death sentence as there was no possible way that the False Queen would look past the biological loyalties that Kekelius had. It didn’t matter how beautiful spun his words were and how he framed his forced vote for her in the Senate. Kekelius had spent his whole life championing Elias and exalting him above all others -- including Danae. This plan was doomed to fail as it relied on the cowardly Xanthos being as dimwitted as her sister, but Persephone wasn’t Emilia who would take the farce at face value. There was no logic in her trusting Danae’s father -- no sensible reason why she would take that chance. Her father was gone on a fool’s errand and there was a real possibility that he was never going to come back.
That scared Danae. The young girl had always been close to Kekelius and she just couldn’t imagine him being gone. It seemed to be almost impossible, thinking of a scenario where her father wouldn’t return home at the end of the day, leaving the rest of them to put their faith in Elias -- a boy who had proved time and time again that he only cared for himself. The mere thought alone of her father possibly dying because of this ridiculous plan was so incredulous that she almost wished that she knew where the man was so she could go to him herself and bring him home before the worst-case scenario came to pass. However, she couldn’t do that. Danae didn’t even know where her father was.
She didn’t even realize that she was crying until her mother had reached forward and wiped away the stray tears that were dotting her face. Had this moment happened a few months ago, Danae would have drawn away, but she didn’t do that. Instead, at first, the girl became stiff beneath her mother’s caring hands. After all, the sixteen-year-old had done such a thorough job of keeping everyone at a distance that it had been a long time since her mother had done such a thing. Danae must have been really little as she couldn’t even remember an instance, but she still welcomed it all the same. It felt nice. Why had Danae pushed her away so vehemently in the first place?
The youngest Stravos also didn’t fight the way that Circenia wrapped her injured and scared daughter up into a hug; careful to not irritate the bandaged wound on her arm as she whispered words of comfort into Danae’s ear. Promises about how Persephone will be dealt with and that Elias would sit on the throne. Did her mother not realize that these were not the things that Danae wanted to hear? What did it matter if the coward was sent back to whatever hovel she had been holed up in during the past few months? Why should the knowledge that the same boy who had never cared about Danae and though nothing about embarrassing her in front of the entire court got what he wanted? The girl just wanted her father to come home. All she longed for were things to be alright again -- like they had been before her Uncle Minas had gotten sick in the first place. Danae knew that they could never go back to that, no matter how much she longed for it to be true.
“I just want him home.” Danae muttered into her mother’s chest, making it clear that the girl didn’t really care all that much about everything else. Not when they paled in comparison to the thought of her losing her father. As far as she was concerned, everything else could go to hell just as long as he was alright -- not that she vocalized this, of course. Danae knew that her mother put more weight into getting rid of the False Queen and seeing Elias on the throne than she did. It was a matter of pride for the aunt who never got her chance to sit on the throne but would have to watch her niece rule instead if things were left the way they were and Danae knew better than to call attention to it. Instead, it was far simpler to just soak at this moment and enjoy this hug and the gentle reassurances for now.
So there the two of them stood for a long while, until Danae’s arm began to throb with pain and the cats were mewling endlessly for attention. It was only then that things went back to how they were before as Danae tended to her own wounds and watched as her mother left her bed-chamber, probably off to find another glass of wine to drown her sorrows in. Her daughter on the other hand was content to slip under the plush blankets and draw her little fluffballs close to her as they tried to wriggle away, completely unfazed from the danger that they had faced earlier that day. They were eager to explore and continue the fun, but all Danae wanted to do was take a long, well-needed nap. Maybe a few hours of forgetting about the danger that her father was in would do her some good. So, as she tried to ignore the pain that came from the dog-bite, Danae let her eyelids flutter close, completely unsure as to what she could do about this scary reality she faced, utterly helpless to help her father and having to contend with his possible death. Maybe there was something that the girl could do… just maybe…
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Even though Danae had always been closer to her father than her mother, there was no denying that the dynamic was shifting in recent weeks. In the aftermath of her run-in with the pirate and her new need for the skills that Circenia could impart on her, the two of them had gotten closer. No longer did the youngest girl shun the woman who bore her out of fear of the life she represented. The life of a perfect courtier like her mother was still something that Danae adamantly did not want under any circumstance. After all, the girl couldn’t bear the thought of being denied the activities and pastimes that brought her happiness just on the account that it was supposedly ‘unbecoming’ for a young woman like herself to go out and make her own coin. However, all those mornings she spent in her mother’s chambers, watching in the mirror as the elder woman tended to the physical mark of Danae’s failures, she had learned to separate the fear she had for the uncertain future from the woman who simply wanted the best for her daughter. Circenia might be the pinnacle of what society expected Danae to be, but she had learned in recent weeks that it was alright to accept that she was not going to be exactly like her mother and that there was never any real expectation that she would be exactly like the other Stravos women. Her family had always known that Danae would be a black sheep in that regard, especially when she had her father’s mind and it would be an insult to the gods if she didn’t utilize it to her fullest potential.
As grand as these revelations and acceptances had been (especially in regards to breaking down the walls that Danae had built up around herself for so long) the young girl was forced to pause on that final thought. She had her father’s brain. For the littlest Stravos, this had always been a mark of pride. Chara might have their mother’s looks and Elias was the heir so he got everything, but Danae… Danae had the aptitude for the business and economics that her family had built their legacy upon. The girl had always known that had she been born in the proper gender and did not need to confine herself to the shady parts of trade were fewer questions were asked, she could very easily rival Kekelius in terms of who was the better tradesman. If Danae couldn’t be a good courtier and feared the day she would be made into a wife, she could at least hold onto this. She had her father’s mind.
But was this something that she could no longer be proud of?
Her father was brilliant. Danae could not deny that as he had been the one that had taught her everything that she knew. Yet it was hard to remember that when the women that he left behind had to contend with the plan that he was currently undertaking. Both Danae and Circenia were certain that this idea of his was a death sentence as there was no possible way that the False Queen would look past the biological loyalties that Kekelius had. It didn’t matter how beautiful spun his words were and how he framed his forced vote for her in the Senate. Kekelius had spent his whole life championing Elias and exalting him above all others -- including Danae. This plan was doomed to fail as it relied on the cowardly Xanthos being as dimwitted as her sister, but Persephone wasn’t Emilia who would take the farce at face value. There was no logic in her trusting Danae’s father -- no sensible reason why she would take that chance. Her father was gone on a fool’s errand and there was a real possibility that he was never going to come back.
That scared Danae. The young girl had always been close to Kekelius and she just couldn’t imagine him being gone. It seemed to be almost impossible, thinking of a scenario where her father wouldn’t return home at the end of the day, leaving the rest of them to put their faith in Elias -- a boy who had proved time and time again that he only cared for himself. The mere thought alone of her father possibly dying because of this ridiculous plan was so incredulous that she almost wished that she knew where the man was so she could go to him herself and bring him home before the worst-case scenario came to pass. However, she couldn’t do that. Danae didn’t even know where her father was.
She didn’t even realize that she was crying until her mother had reached forward and wiped away the stray tears that were dotting her face. Had this moment happened a few months ago, Danae would have drawn away, but she didn’t do that. Instead, at first, the girl became stiff beneath her mother’s caring hands. After all, the sixteen-year-old had done such a thorough job of keeping everyone at a distance that it had been a long time since her mother had done such a thing. Danae must have been really little as she couldn’t even remember an instance, but she still welcomed it all the same. It felt nice. Why had Danae pushed her away so vehemently in the first place?
The youngest Stravos also didn’t fight the way that Circenia wrapped her injured and scared daughter up into a hug; careful to not irritate the bandaged wound on her arm as she whispered words of comfort into Danae’s ear. Promises about how Persephone will be dealt with and that Elias would sit on the throne. Did her mother not realize that these were not the things that Danae wanted to hear? What did it matter if the coward was sent back to whatever hovel she had been holed up in during the past few months? Why should the knowledge that the same boy who had never cared about Danae and though nothing about embarrassing her in front of the entire court got what he wanted? The girl just wanted her father to come home. All she longed for were things to be alright again -- like they had been before her Uncle Minas had gotten sick in the first place. Danae knew that they could never go back to that, no matter how much she longed for it to be true.
“I just want him home.” Danae muttered into her mother’s chest, making it clear that the girl didn’t really care all that much about everything else. Not when they paled in comparison to the thought of her losing her father. As far as she was concerned, everything else could go to hell just as long as he was alright -- not that she vocalized this, of course. Danae knew that her mother put more weight into getting rid of the False Queen and seeing Elias on the throne than she did. It was a matter of pride for the aunt who never got her chance to sit on the throne but would have to watch her niece rule instead if things were left the way they were and Danae knew better than to call attention to it. Instead, it was far simpler to just soak at this moment and enjoy this hug and the gentle reassurances for now.
So there the two of them stood for a long while, until Danae’s arm began to throb with pain and the cats were mewling endlessly for attention. It was only then that things went back to how they were before as Danae tended to her own wounds and watched as her mother left her bed-chamber, probably off to find another glass of wine to drown her sorrows in. Her daughter on the other hand was content to slip under the plush blankets and draw her little fluffballs close to her as they tried to wriggle away, completely unfazed from the danger that they had faced earlier that day. They were eager to explore and continue the fun, but all Danae wanted to do was take a long, well-needed nap. Maybe a few hours of forgetting about the danger that her father was in would do her some good. So, as she tried to ignore the pain that came from the dog-bite, Danae let her eyelids flutter close, completely unsure as to what she could do about this scary reality she faced, utterly helpless to help her father and having to contend with his possible death. Maybe there was something that the girl could do… just maybe…
Even though Danae had always been closer to her father than her mother, there was no denying that the dynamic was shifting in recent weeks. In the aftermath of her run-in with the pirate and her new need for the skills that Circenia could impart on her, the two of them had gotten closer. No longer did the youngest girl shun the woman who bore her out of fear of the life she represented. The life of a perfect courtier like her mother was still something that Danae adamantly did not want under any circumstance. After all, the girl couldn’t bear the thought of being denied the activities and pastimes that brought her happiness just on the account that it was supposedly ‘unbecoming’ for a young woman like herself to go out and make her own coin. However, all those mornings she spent in her mother’s chambers, watching in the mirror as the elder woman tended to the physical mark of Danae’s failures, she had learned to separate the fear she had for the uncertain future from the woman who simply wanted the best for her daughter. Circenia might be the pinnacle of what society expected Danae to be, but she had learned in recent weeks that it was alright to accept that she was not going to be exactly like her mother and that there was never any real expectation that she would be exactly like the other Stravos women. Her family had always known that Danae would be a black sheep in that regard, especially when she had her father’s mind and it would be an insult to the gods if she didn’t utilize it to her fullest potential.
As grand as these revelations and acceptances had been (especially in regards to breaking down the walls that Danae had built up around herself for so long) the young girl was forced to pause on that final thought. She had her father’s brain. For the littlest Stravos, this had always been a mark of pride. Chara might have their mother’s looks and Elias was the heir so he got everything, but Danae… Danae had the aptitude for the business and economics that her family had built their legacy upon. The girl had always known that had she been born in the proper gender and did not need to confine herself to the shady parts of trade were fewer questions were asked, she could very easily rival Kekelius in terms of who was the better tradesman. If Danae couldn’t be a good courtier and feared the day she would be made into a wife, she could at least hold onto this. She had her father’s mind.
But was this something that she could no longer be proud of?
Her father was brilliant. Danae could not deny that as he had been the one that had taught her everything that she knew. Yet it was hard to remember that when the women that he left behind had to contend with the plan that he was currently undertaking. Both Danae and Circenia were certain that this idea of his was a death sentence as there was no possible way that the False Queen would look past the biological loyalties that Kekelius had. It didn’t matter how beautiful spun his words were and how he framed his forced vote for her in the Senate. Kekelius had spent his whole life championing Elias and exalting him above all others -- including Danae. This plan was doomed to fail as it relied on the cowardly Xanthos being as dimwitted as her sister, but Persephone wasn’t Emilia who would take the farce at face value. There was no logic in her trusting Danae’s father -- no sensible reason why she would take that chance. Her father was gone on a fool’s errand and there was a real possibility that he was never going to come back.
That scared Danae. The young girl had always been close to Kekelius and she just couldn’t imagine him being gone. It seemed to be almost impossible, thinking of a scenario where her father wouldn’t return home at the end of the day, leaving the rest of them to put their faith in Elias -- a boy who had proved time and time again that he only cared for himself. The mere thought alone of her father possibly dying because of this ridiculous plan was so incredulous that she almost wished that she knew where the man was so she could go to him herself and bring him home before the worst-case scenario came to pass. However, she couldn’t do that. Danae didn’t even know where her father was.
She didn’t even realize that she was crying until her mother had reached forward and wiped away the stray tears that were dotting her face. Had this moment happened a few months ago, Danae would have drawn away, but she didn’t do that. Instead, at first, the girl became stiff beneath her mother’s caring hands. After all, the sixteen-year-old had done such a thorough job of keeping everyone at a distance that it had been a long time since her mother had done such a thing. Danae must have been really little as she couldn’t even remember an instance, but she still welcomed it all the same. It felt nice. Why had Danae pushed her away so vehemently in the first place?
The youngest Stravos also didn’t fight the way that Circenia wrapped her injured and scared daughter up into a hug; careful to not irritate the bandaged wound on her arm as she whispered words of comfort into Danae’s ear. Promises about how Persephone will be dealt with and that Elias would sit on the throne. Did her mother not realize that these were not the things that Danae wanted to hear? What did it matter if the coward was sent back to whatever hovel she had been holed up in during the past few months? Why should the knowledge that the same boy who had never cared about Danae and though nothing about embarrassing her in front of the entire court got what he wanted? The girl just wanted her father to come home. All she longed for were things to be alright again -- like they had been before her Uncle Minas had gotten sick in the first place. Danae knew that they could never go back to that, no matter how much she longed for it to be true.
“I just want him home.” Danae muttered into her mother’s chest, making it clear that the girl didn’t really care all that much about everything else. Not when they paled in comparison to the thought of her losing her father. As far as she was concerned, everything else could go to hell just as long as he was alright -- not that she vocalized this, of course. Danae knew that her mother put more weight into getting rid of the False Queen and seeing Elias on the throne than she did. It was a matter of pride for the aunt who never got her chance to sit on the throne but would have to watch her niece rule instead if things were left the way they were and Danae knew better than to call attention to it. Instead, it was far simpler to just soak at this moment and enjoy this hug and the gentle reassurances for now.
So there the two of them stood for a long while, until Danae’s arm began to throb with pain and the cats were mewling endlessly for attention. It was only then that things went back to how they were before as Danae tended to her own wounds and watched as her mother left her bed-chamber, probably off to find another glass of wine to drown her sorrows in. Her daughter on the other hand was content to slip under the plush blankets and draw her little fluffballs close to her as they tried to wriggle away, completely unfazed from the danger that they had faced earlier that day. They were eager to explore and continue the fun, but all Danae wanted to do was take a long, well-needed nap. Maybe a few hours of forgetting about the danger that her father was in would do her some good. So, as she tried to ignore the pain that came from the dog-bite, Danae let her eyelids flutter close, completely unsure as to what she could do about this scary reality she faced, utterly helpless to help her father and having to contend with his possible death. Maybe there was something that the girl could do… just maybe…