“And I thank you for your trust.” Asia said, pushing into the next room.

Trust. It was so incredibly important. It meant letting down your guard and knowing the person you entrusted would not put a knife into your back. It meant knowing the person you chose could look at you, the blood on your hands, and everything that you’d done, and not judge you as lesser for it. It meant being vulnerable.

And while Aea might not trust Asia to not turn her away for her secrets or her past, she could trust Asia not to kill her, and to do things for the sake of kindness itself. She could fall asleep around a campfire with Asia and know she would wake by the rising sun. She could put on the dress she was given and assume she wouldn’t look bizarre.

“Pin the cloth here, on your left shoulder. If you leave some fabric hanging around your arm, it will almost give it a look of a chiton, but on one shoulder. That is only if you would like, if you prefer chiton or a peplos style, I can get you more pins,” Asia said. 

Aea looked at the material in her hands. She didn’t know. She liked peplos because that’s what her tunic was, but she’d never worn a chiton before. She would just pin it and belt it and see how it went. It couldn’t be that difficult to figure out what she liked.

“It really is your choice, no one will force you to do anything you do not want to do. If they even try, they will meet my fist, if they don't meet yours first.”

Aea bit her lip and nodded, smiling a tiny smile because she couldn’t remember the last time she’d punched anything. She might have been eight, maybe younger. Kaia had done something, Aea could remember what. Or maybe she hadn’t, and she’d just gotten mad over something stupid. She’d been a rather hot-headed little girl.

No one will force you to do anything you do not want to do. Aea nodded. Asia could not, could never know how much that meant. Freedom. Trust. Two things Aea held in such high regard that they were more idols than ideals. Nobody would make her do anything she didn’t want to do. Nobody. 

“Thank you,” Aea said, her voice bright and light, never betraying how stuck upon the thought she was.

“If you need any help, do not be afraid to ask,” Asia said. And then she left.
________________________________________________

Aea glided from the changing room and at Asia’s smile, her own twitched onto her face. Normal. Everything was completely fine, and utterly normal. This was to be a good night. She could eat until her stomach was full, and be distracted, and be herself around this girl. There was no need to pretend to be a traveling merchant, or a lost girl, she could just be Aea, and Asia would accept that.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d given anybody her real name. Lady Ophelia and Lady Rene had it, but that was because Lady Ophelia was far too observant for her own good. But she'd given Asia her name all on her own. Maybe, now that Hektos was gone, Aea could use it in the outside world.
 
“You look beautiful, how do you feel?” Asia asked.

Aea was surprised at herself that the compliment didn’t smack her nerves into overdrive. She didn’t know why it didn’t. If Asia thought she was, then she must be to Asia. Just as Asia was to her. There was no contemplation about it, no wondering if Asia was making fun of her, it was just a statement of opinion, and Aea was not expected to do anything with that opinion.

“Said the dawn to the dusk,” Aea said, admiring the princess’ regality and ease in which her beauty was emphasized by everything adorning her. It was more than that, though, wasn’t it? Asia could have the face of Aphrodite, but if she be empty, she’d be nothing but a stone statue to admire. It was the spirit that rested in her, so golden and mirthful that it threatened to devour any shadow that dared reach for it. She could be covered in mud, her nose misshapen, her skin scarred and withered, and Asia would still be beautiful.

“I feel like myself, I suppose. Though I daresay much less brown than usual. And, of course, less armed,” Aea said.

“I can understand that one too, I hated not being able to keep my blades on me at the festival.”

Aea followed Asia’s prompting to sit down and close her eyes, though the other girl’s words had her frowning. “You weren’t armed? That’s a terrible rule to obey in all cases. I hope you know that almost every cutthroat, robber, and murderer most certainly had a concealed weapon on them.”

She would never say that she was one of them. Asia was so petite compared to Aea. Where Aea could easily hide anything she liked in her striphon, or between her legs, or at her hip, a concealed weapon would not be so easy for Asia to hide. The idea made Aea uncomfortable. She could not always be with Asia, and if she, a young woman, had no qualms robbing a prince who outweighed her by five stones at least, then a man would certainly not think twice about snatching the shorter girl and catching her unsuspected.

As Asia worked, she suddenly giggled, and Aea’s eyebrow rose. “Should I even ask?”
Asia’s breath flowed gently over Aea’s eyelids. She could hear the other girl smiling. “Well, I was just thinking about some of our talk yesterday. That was all.”

Aea huffed through her nose. She couldn’t even remember all of the things they discussed. After getting through the initial stages of stuttering and tripping over her own tongue, of course. That was when Asia invited her here tonight. To dinner. For no reason other than an invitation to her company.

Had Hektos awoken this morning, Aea wouldn’t have gone. But she needed this, wanted this. She had to leave camp, to get away from her family and the crushing mood that squeezed them all in an iron grip of loss. And they were all looking at her as if she might shatter at any moment. Darkly, she thought that perhaps they’d hammered her into much too dense a stone to crack.

She did not want to spend all day crying by herself in the woods. She wanted to forget. To feel something new with someone new, to scratch away reality and escape—just for a few hours. Escape. That word again, same as yesterday when she heard the trumpets and saw the king.

There was an escape to be had. A fork in the road now. It was her choice. She and Kaia could leave the forest. She did not have to marry someone to get a new goat. She could choose her own life, her and Kaia. Anything they wanted. They could forge north with the army, Aea was sure they’d be taken on. They could go south across the sea, west to the basin cradle, or east...what was east?

And would Asia ever go with them?

Aea watched herself in the mirror when Asia finished. She couldn’t quite absorb what she was looking at. It was if somebody had taken her soul and put it in a body that was not her own. The woman blinking back at her was not the girl she saw in her mind’s eye. They looked almost nothing alike. It didn’t feel real.

Asia stood beside her and rested her head on Aea’s shoulders. Touch. She hadn’t had anybody ever be so open with their affection before. Touch was not something her family did, or even approved of. Hugs were rare, being held even rarer, but there was always such an incredible burst of warmth when Aea got it. When Asia placed her head upon Aea, whatever chill remained inside of her was chased away.

She studied both of them in the mirror, tracing Asia’s sweet and doll-like features, her delicate figure, the hidden layers of muscle so easily overlooked in place of everything else. She looked at herself and could not read what she observed. It would take time to get used to her face, her body, her everything, but it was hers.

“Don't doubt what you see, you are beautiful. Even if you compare dusk and dawn, they both are beautiful in their ways. One is more golden and wild and the other is fire in the sky and calm. Both equal in beauty, just different in how. They are balanced that way.”

“Hm.” Aea considered the contrast of them. She wasn’t wrong. Balance. Aea looked back at herself and tired of it almost immediately. She wished not to stare in the mirror all night. Beauty. So utterly subjective. So useless, for what did it bring? Aea was not disfigured, but she was still…

She was still not Kaia.

Aea smiled at Asia in the mirror, “Come on, Eos. We’ve taken all day to get ready. I’m hungry.”

As they dressed and readied themselves, Aea caught Asia looking longingly at her dagger. She did not understand why the princess was so resistant to the idea of smuggling weapons. If she let Aea help, nobody would discover her. What was she afraid of?

As Asia began to put her things away, Aea watched her. She wanted to take her weapon, she should take it. “If you strap it between your thighs, the only way anybody could guess is if they dared let their hands venture there."

Asia shook her head. “While I would love to and I agree that no one would check there, but my family knows me way too well. If I need one that badly, I'm dead anyways, right?”

Aea thought she was joking, but upon a brief scan of the other girl’s expression, she saw no gentle ribbing there. Who had taught her such things? They should be drawn up by their toes and flogged for that sort of idiocy. Who on earth told a woman she could not arm herself? Was she not physically vulnerable around men? Was she not someone that needed to protect herself and those around her?

“Well, with that attitude, you will be,” Aea said, frowning at the drawer where the dagger was before looking at Asia. The other girl had been using such a light tone, but this was not a subject to play with. Aea needed her to understand. “Don’t presume an unlikely situation as impossible. As long as you can draw breath, you’re alive to keep doing so, and it’s—”

It’s your job to stay alive. Nobody would do it for her. They could try, but Asia’s life was that—hers. She was the only one that could keep it in the mortal realm, the Gods be damned.

Aea shook her head, “I won’t pressure you to do something you don’t want to do. But Asia, you cannot trust that. I’ve seen so many people make that mistake. You are a princess, but you are not immortal. And someone will take advantage of that. There will always be one person, and if they want to hurt you, or if they want what you have badly enough, they will find a way.”

Her family had kidnapped a royal once. They’d killed old men walking to the next town for the birth of their grandchild. They’d killed young men moving toward the city for work and a better life. They’d robbed Asia’s brother. They’d done so many things to so many people, and not one of those people had ever suspected that this was the day they would die, or lose their pockets, or feel so afraid that they did and said things they never knew they were capable of.

“Honestly though, we should be ok, this is just dinner. Most times, the most dangerous thing someone would need to worry about is choking or flying food.”

Aea shook her head. Should be okay was not good enough.

“Or people flirting with you thinking you will let them seduce you.” Asia visibly shivered.

Aea’s brows drew down, “Does that happen to you often? Are people even allowed to do that to you? I’d think your father would have them cut open for the insult.”

She’d always thought flirting to be entirely verbal. But the way Asia reacted put Aea on edge. Kaia flirted with people, but it didn’t seem so uncomfortable. 

“Did something happen to you?” Aea asked, watching her face for deception. Thinking they will let them seduce you. Thinking. Somebody touched her, and Asia had not wanted it.

And Aea bet the princess didn't have a weapon on her at the time.
________________________________________________

As they walked through the halls, Aea had not expected to find herself shoving a man to the wall. It was, after all, merely a short journey from point A to point B. But, she would not be herself if one thing didn’t go entirely to plan she supposed.

After a narrowly avoided instance of near-stabbing, the man had apologized. Aea had waited for it, but she did not think she would actually get one. She’d been entirely disarmed by that, and then once more by his amicability. There was a brief instance of him touching her hair, but she’d reigned herself in well enough that she didn’t bite him on instinct as she’d done to the slaver weeks before.

She thought she was doing well. It was a confusing interaction, but a pleasant one, and she found herself easily able to speak with him without snarling at him. It was a far cry from the argument she’d had with the guard this morning—a nice change, to be certain.

"Oh, I have to agree. You strike me as uncommonly unforgettable,” the man said.

His words were flattering, to the point where Aea did not know what to make of them. It was different when Lady Ophelia had said something kind to her, but Aea couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Maybe there was a double-meaning to his, and not to Lady Ophelia’s, some inlaid—

The pressure at her hip jolted her from her thoughts and she clamped down on the urge to laugh and strike him all at once. She’d never felt such a need to stop herself before, had never needed to. Words and facial expressions, certainly, moods and easily read intentions, absolutely, but never in physicality. In that, she was encouraged to express herself. Go on, try and hit me. Run as fast as you can. That’s it, bite. You’ve got nails for a reason. You could’ve used the rock. Where’s your knife? Harder. Faster. Jump. Go. Go. Go.

She didn’t like this ignorance she had. If she could just know how she was supposed to act right now, if she could see another respond to such things in such a setting, she could understand and act accordingly.

Aea looked to Asia and the other girl rolled her eyes. At him? At her? At both of them? No. Asia would tell the man to fuck off if he was being rude. She was the princess, so she could tell people to fuck off when she pleased. Aea was overreacting, surely.

When he let go of her, she felt as if she could breathe again. It was fine. She quite liked meeting new people. She liked watching them and picking them apart to try and find what lay beyond their masks, she liked learning from them and finding new ways to look at the world. They were fascinating and, best of all, distracting. Any little thing helped right now, and the more she focused on the people around her, the easier it was to forget about every dark thing she might otherwise be thinking about.

“As for forgiving you? That depends entirely on what you will do to earn it. These things don’t come freely, you know. At least not for strangers,” she said. Aea was trying to get across her meaning as politely as she knew to do. It would be so easy to simply tell him not to touch her, that he was a stranger, that he’d not earned enough trust for her to feel comfortable with his friendliness. Her cousin did not even touch her this much, and Aea trusted her with everything she had.

It would be so easy if he were in a plain tunic and walking the city streets, or crossing a forest path. But he wasn’t. This was not real life, but some other world that she knew not to rules of, a world that might be far more dangerous for all she knew.

Instead of answering verbally, he just smiled. Did that mean he understood? The tilt of his mouth was less unsure than it was before, and Aea relaxed. Ridiculous. She was being ridiculous. He was being nice, and she was being ridiculous. He seemed genuine, warm, and not malicious in the slightest. That strong undercurrent of other drifted just below the surface, though. Aea could like this man, she was sure. He was hiding something, certainly, but she supposed she was hiding many somethings as well.

This was the sort of person she usually found herself comfortable with, something in her gut told her as much. It was just that...he was not a woman, and he was not an old man. She’d not spoken at length with a man around her age before. Her family had made it seem as if she would be all but broken if she did, but logically, it should be just the same as speaking to anybody. He was, after all, a person. Just like Kaia and Asia and anybody she’d ever known.

“Not many people can withstand such a shove. And you moved not an inch. I take that as a challenge to try again sometime. Preferably outside, with a blade, and while I am looking at you,” she said.

“I can think of much better instruments to contest against one another.” He chuckled, and now it was her turn to smile at him, his meaning hovering between almost-realized and still not quite. Surely he didn’t mean what she thought he meant.

She wished Kaia were here. She would know. This was all incredibly confusing. Aea didn’t want to think this man was undercutting the conversation with sex, and why would he? He didn’t know her, she didn’t know him, they didn’t even know each other’s names. But the sound of his rich laughter was remarkably confusing. Ridiculous. She was over-thinking it. He might be talking about debate, bows, horses, anything.  

But what if she wasn’t being ridiculous? No, that was a stupid thought. Her father and uncles were paranoid, and it was rubbing off on her. He was being friendly. This was just how people spoke to one another. Even as she thought it though, the logic of the situation was making way for animal instinct.

Was he...flirting with her? Aea didn’t know how to respond. She didn’t know if she liked it or disliked it, didn’t know how to delve into the subject, or if she should at all. She didn’t even know if that was what he was doing. She certainly didn’t do anything to warrant it. All she knew to do was continue to be friendly, her curiosity piqued at the prospect, her mind moving from confusion to careful consideration of the situation.

“I hope you didn’t just refuse my challenge with a deflection,” she teased, “then I might have to assume you are frightened of me.”

“I hope you are all right. My name is Yiannis, and if you would allow me the opportunity to make up for my lack of judgement by joining your escort, I would be grateful.”

She studied him closer as she spoke, holding his eyes in her own and searching through them. He seemed so very unguarded. But what was this...unreadable thing? His eyes were not so forthcoming as Lady Rene’s had been. Aea’s gaze moved from his eyes to his face, bouncing from his forehead to his chin in a swift analysis. She knew he was attractive, it was as close to objectively obvious as objectivity could realistically be. Pretty with his keen eyes and sharp, squared features. Symmetrical. Beautiful.

But that meant very little. And she was surprised at that. At the festival, she’d been shaking when her eyes lit upon Lady Ophelia and Lady Rene. Was it because she was so nervous then, and relatively calm now? How could this man be beautiful, and it not matter?

Her eyes darted back to his, and the more curious she became, the more she paid attention to him as a whole. Who was he?

“You’re the one that’s going to have a bruise come morning, not I. Naturally, you’ll have to ask the princess if you can come, seeing as I have no carriage, and she does,” Aea said, masking her acute curiosity with a casual and amicable air. “Yiannis, I’ve not heard such a name before. I’m—”

And when he smiled, her mind went from a point of inquisition to absolutely nothing. Her thoughts scattered like errant leaves across the ground. His entire face lit up, and though he was physically beautiful, she felt it that time, and then he truly was beyond words. His eyes, so incredibly unreadable before, took on a new characteristic and she was able to catch hold of something sharp. Mischief, maybe. Or intelligence. Cunning. Something almost impish, but older. There and gone so fast she could have imagined it.

“Late.” She said. Aea was not putting herself in this position. She refused. Aea turned to Asia, giving Yiannis her back. “We’re exceedingly late, your majesty.”

“If that would be all right, of course. I don't want to intrude.”

No. Absolutely not. She willed the word no, cast it upon Asia, and chanted ‘fuck no.’ Several times in her head.

“If the Lady does not mind, neither do I,” Asia said. Aea’s nostrils flared and her eyes widened purposefully at her friend. Why was this being left up to her? Asia was the princess, so she should refuse her guard or nobleman or whatever he was.

Fine. Aea smiled at Asia and did not look behind her. “While I would usually welcome extra company, we do have certain matters to discuss.”

Asia conceded easily and Aea did not know her shoulders were tensed until they relaxed. “You can follow behind us on your horse, brother. We girls have our private talks and plannings to do, you know?”

Aea blinked. Brother. That was Athanasia’s brother—a fucking prince. Of course he was. Had she not compared him to Asia several times? Gods, Aea was so absolutely dense sometimes that it astounded her. Asia had told her Yiannis’ name before, in the cave. She’d told Aea all of her brothers’ names.

Numbly, Aea turned to walk with Asia. To her horror, the prince walked with them. The lightness of her stomach grew. Go away. “Ah, of course. Though, do tell me more of yourself, besides being late.”

No. Aea’s jaw tensed. She couldn’t say no to a prince though, could she? That’s why he’d been touching her. Because he could. If he did it again, then even if she figured out to say no, she couldn’t. Because she was a commoner, and he was not. She didn’t like that.

“I’m but a traveler. Not too exciting, I’m afraid,” she said, keeping her eyes forward. Asia would not contest her claim, not with how tense she was beside her. “Though I’m sure you have stories plenty to tell.”

They made it outside and she collected her raven before hurriedly following Asia into the carriage, moving quickly to simply remove herself from the prince’s presence. Perhaps it was the way she climbed into the vehicle, perhaps she’d made a movement she didn’t know she’d made, but soon her palm was somehow kissing the palm of another. Gooseflesh crawled up her arm when only a breath later, the lightest of touches feathered over her hand. It didn't feel like an accident, it was too purposeful a movement from palm to top. Of maybe it was accidental. But the first two hadn't been.

She was already inside of the cab, moving too fast to stop and look at him to gauge the situation. Her eyes were wide and her jaw was clenched. She did not like that. She did not know him. Outside of making her want to jump out of her own skin, it was a vague statement of entitlement. Right?

She couldn’t tell him she didn’t like it. She had to just allow it. It was like being backed into a corner and having her voice ripped from her all at once. Was she being unreasonable? He’d been so inviting and permissive of their near-altercation, shouldn’t she be inviting and permissive too? Was she, in fact, being a bitch for feeling like this?

He did not know her. This wasn’t right. She couldn’t do anything. He was beautiful, perhaps others had given him permission and he was used to such acceptance. She couldn’t hit him. But she should. But there was every chance that she would be scorned or worse, targeted for telling him to stop treating her as he wished.

He would not do touch a lady so freely, or gods forbid, another royal. Just people he knew could do nothing.

What an absolute asshole. He hid it well. So very, very well. It was impressive, a skill worthy of admiration, but she didn’t care. This was her body, she’d just gotten it. It was all hers, nobody else’s. Her father was dead, she didn’t have to let anybody do anything to her anymore. Before she knew what she was doing, she climbed back out of the carriage and her eyes swung to find Yiannis. He was getting ready to mount his horse.

She didn’t know how she was so calm. The butterflies in her stomach warred with a bubbling magma of anger and the cold dread of fear. Aea had no idea what he would do, or what he would say. She could not lie to herself as say that she wasn’t scared, for her pulse thrummed too strong and her instincts were screaming at her to run. Her father may have hated the very sight of her, but he taught her that any fear was not worthy of submitting to. He said it was fear itself that she must always make a point of facing. And he was right. 

Her focus absolute, she locked her gaze onto Yiannis' back and with a calm, collected stride, she closed the distance between them on quiet feet that barely whispered against the stones.

“Yiannis,” she called, dispersing altogether with the actual title she should be calling him. So unused to the royal titles, so unsure if she was right or wrong in her actions, the thought to do so didn’t even cross her mind.

When he turned, she swallowed hard and though she wanted, so very badly, to just leave, nothing inside of her would allow her to take the easy way out. Aea stopped far enough to be respectable, and close enough that she could talk in a measured tone without him straining to hear. “I don’t wish to make this a point of issue, nor dissolve into an argument, so I’ll speak plain.”

Her palms were as warm as her cheeks and ears, and it was all she could do to keep hold of her burning indignance and utter bafflement. Her voice was calm and steady, quiet, her face forcefully relaxed, and her eyes purposefully upon his regardless of how much she wished to look down.

“I don’t know you, you don’t know me. I do not like to be touched by strangers. It's not personal, but I…” no. She was not going to apologize. It was her body. She did not have to explain herself. Aea swallowed again and finished her thought, “I would appreciate it if you didn’t do that again.”

There. She’d said it. Politely and discreetly. She did not think he would get angry or raise his hand at her, she trusted her gut on that. She liked his demeanor, she could see herself warming to him if she got past the butterflies and understood him better. Or perhaps not, she didn't know. She'd never had that happen to her before.

"Your highness," she added. Her heart was racing, and she smiled past it in the hopes that it would diffuse whatever mounting doubt he had, if any at all. "I apologize. It's going to take me a while to get used to that."

Gods, don't let him be an asshole. It could very well be that all these things were nothing to him, and simply symptom of living his life. It could very well be a misunderstanding. It could very well be that she was being ridiculous. She didn't know. But if she was wrong, if he did raise a hand or his voice, she would have to collect herself as best she could so that she didn’t actually assault a royal. She would hate to end up in the stocks. Or worse. But she couldn't continue to be silent. Better to know how things were done around princes now, rather than later.