(coming in from Shatter)

Aea was used to being the hyper-focused one out of she and Kaia, more prone to jumping ahead of herself and attempting to fix perceived issues before they arose. But when the trumpets sounded, Aea would have thought that Kaia was going to have a meltdown.

The man they took had claimed to be a prince, which was laughable. If he were a prince, where were his guards and his big, royal crown? Why were his clothes not fine and golden? Princes were supposed to be great warriors with a commanding presence. This was just a rich, pretty man. He was already tied up, blindfolded, gagged, and stripped of everything save his undergarments. Aea might have been momentarily disturbed due to the familiarity of the action, but she soothed herself by remembering that he wasn’t naked, and they certainly weren’t going to sell him into slavery.

He could have kept his clothes if Aea did not want to gift them to her father when it would be less suspicious to do so. It was most inconvenient that the man had nothing of value on him in the ways of liquid wealth, but he did have a bear pendent that might fetch a few obols, perhaps an owl if she sold it to someone who liked bears.

Kaia had been rushing about, throwing on her clothes and panicking about the guards coming to find ‘the prince.’ Aea had been rifling through the house at her leisure and came upon a half-full vial of kohl as her cousin dashed around like a lunatic. Some of the women wore the black eye gunk around the festival and it had looked quite pretty.

While Kaia attempted to rush them out the door, Aea had suggested rimming their eyes with the stuff for a 'disguise', feeling only a tad guilty for playing on Kaia's panic. The rich man had only seen Kaia’s eyes and her outfit, but Aea had blindfolded him before he could glance at her. Now, Kaia was in a different outfit and her eyes were no longer stormy and wide, but sultry and dark.

Kaia had put some on Aea as well and insisted she take off the chlamys and epiblema so that she was not recognizable going into the festival. Aea didn’t like the idea and nearly started an argument over her cousin’s ridiculousness, but the anxiety in Kaia’s eyes was true. So, despite how silly Kaia was being, Aea took off her chlamys and epiblema, feeling more exposed that she had ever felt in her life with her sides, legs, and face bared. Almost immediately after undressing, Aea was unceremoniously pushed out of the door.

With a half-sigh, half-growl, Aea caught her footing out the portal and came face-to-face with the man’s horse. She didn’t know if it could sense its master’s distress, but if it did, it certainly didn’t seem to care. It flared its nostrils and put its head down, sniffing in Aea's direction. The front door closed behind her.

She’d never been so close to a horse before, and there was something incredibly humbling about being in the presence of such a magnificent beast. Tentatively, unconcerned with hypothetical guards coming to rescue a faux prince, she approached the horse and held out a flat palm. The horse snorted at it before its lips flapped back and forth upon her hand. She giggled and stepped closer, lifting her palm to pet the beast. Then she heard Kaia stumbling around in the house. Right.

Aea stepped away from the animal for the sake of her cousin’s nerves. She gave the horse a final look, slung her bag over her shoulder, grabbed her lyre with both hands, and jogged away from the house, taking turns and untraveled streets.

Unlikely as it was that Kaia was right and that actually was a prince, Aea wasn’t foolish enough to write improbabilities off as impossible. If he was royalty though, he was prince of the easily subdued. Aea stopped before the final street and stood there for a moment, counting to twenty and thinking about the horse. She’d actually touched it.

Once, long ago, they’d camped near an Athenian village. Uncle Agolois said it was close to Antonis lands, and they were horse people. She would sneak away to go watch the groomsmen exercise some of them. There was one horse, a mare she was sure, black and leggy and hellbent on charging every trainer that got his hands on her. Aea watched them break that horse all spring, and by the time her family moved on, the mare didn’t have to be hobbled or lain any longer.

Aea took a deep breath, straightened her spine, and walked down the side street until she was at the festival entrance once more. The lack of her chlamys and epiblema and the sheer amount of people about the place was making her feel uneasy already. Vulnerable to attack or recognition. Dasmo would beat her black and blue if he saw her without her face covering. She passing a stall she had passed before, and she could swear the old woman selling her wares was staring at her.

Aea looked, but found the old woman focused on one of her customers instead. Paranoid. She was being paranoid. She tried to shake the feeling of being watched, but still, she felt eyes on her. She could swear a group of young girls was whispering about her but when she looked upon them, they seemed to be staring and giggling at a young man that was passing them up. This was ridiculous. She needed to relax. People walked around without veils and overgarments all the time, no matter how hideous or beautiful they were. She was a person, ergo, she could do the same every once in a while. And especially in such a crowded area, nobody would notice her.

Still, she looked up in the sky for her companion. His presence was something familiar that she could always lock onto and take comfort in. Agogos was near enough, flying high behind her. She wondered how he could tail her so well in a crowd from so far away, but was glad for it regardless. Aea stopped at a merchant table and kept her eyes trained on her friend. Just to make sure he wouldn’t pass her, Aea unraveled his treat bag and held it up like a flag. She knew the moment he spotted it, for he angled himself downward and flew to her as straight and true as one of Kaia’s arrows, landing upon her shoulder just as gracefully.

She fed him two treats from his bag and threaded it through the rope cinching her waist once more. “Stay with me, alright?”

He flapped as if to take off again and she hurriedly stroked his chest so that he wouldn’t. Eventually, he settled contentedly upon her shoulder and she moved back into the crowd once more, weaving through people and stroking her brid every time he nipped at her hair for attention. The foot traffic was congested near the temple and Aea rolled her eyes. Kaia would owe her an admittance of being wrong. Aea knew the trumpets weren’t for anything having to do with them. Her cousin was in a very odd mood today.

She would meet up with Kaia again when the blonde entered the festival behind her, she was sure. For now, though, she was too inconveniently short to stay at the back of the crowd. Aea shook off the feeling of being watched again and held her breath as if diving into the sea before she submerged herself into the crowd. Her bird squawked and flew from her shoulders. He’d been fine when there was room to swing her arms, but having so many bodies pressed together was understandably too much for him.

Aea made her journey mostly sideways, slipping between people and darting away as quickly as she could lest one of them take offence at her admittedly rude maneuvering. She just wanted to see what was going on, was all. It looked important. Maybe the high priestess was committing a sacrifice to Artemis. That would be quite the spectacle.

Once she’d made it to the very front, she stopped at what seemed to be an invisible barrier between the populace and the temple. The crowd was intuitively standing at a distance, and she wasn't about to be the one to accidentally break protocol and get tossed on the alter for her crimes.

Aea’s eyes bounced all over the line of people standing proudly upon the temple steps. They were surely noble with such richly colored outfits and perfectly sculpted, shining hair...or, no, those were crowns. Those people were royalty.

Aea stared at the three men who seemed to be the center of the collection, their regality and rich ornamentation clearly marking them as something otherworldly and great. She didn’t know what, exactly, they had done that was great, but every king in every story was a great man. Aea stared at them, halfway awed and halfway feeling foolish for staring. She forced her gaze away from the kings even as she had the thought that it was fucking silly—everyone was staring at them.

Instead, her focus wandered to those standing around them. Those must be the priestesses in their white garb, and that could be nobody but the high priestess of the hunt herself standing with the kings. She was beautiful and stately, just as Kaia had said. Of the other royals...or nobles...she wasn’t sure which, but it didn’t matter because it was almost as if she were looking upon the seats of Olympus. They were all so beautiful and clean. And the dresses and tunics were so pretty, she wanted them all for herself.

There was a blonde woman in a purple dress and by the Gods, Aea would sacrifice her cousin to Aphrodite for such a thing. She could never wear it half so well as the beautiful woman in it, but she wanted it anyway. And there was an enchanting girl with long dark hair and the sweetest face Aea had ever seen on a woman, all big dark eyes and delicate beauty. Like a dove. Aea began making a game out of naming what she found most beautiful out of each of the lined nobles...royals...whatever. Some were wearing crowns or diadems, some were not, it was hard to tell who was what.

That one had a lovely smile, the one next to her had a solid, muscular frame, the one next to him was tall and slim as a spring flower, that one was absolutely breathtaking, the other roguishly handsome, this one would put Ares himself to shame, that one would make Aphrodite drool, this one was Asia.

Aea blinked and her eyes bounced back to the woman wearing her favorite color. No.

The woman in the blood red peplos had plaited brunette hair that gleamed with amber and copper, an alluring face that must have been chiseled by Zeus himself, a petite frame, and eyes so sly and russet that they bordered on inappropriately beautiful with the kohl she wore. She was polished and shining like a princess. According to the tiara winking atop her pretty head, she was a princess.

But...her Asia was a hermit. Or a merchant’s daughter. One of the two. Aea tried to clutch desperately on to what she knew of the girl she never thought she'd lay eyes on again. She couldn't, though. There was no mistaking her as anybody but Asia. And Asia had specifically told Aea that she was a princess—Aea just hadn't believed her. She felt utterly stupid now. What, was the rich man tied up in the house a really prince too? 

Asia looked so different from the girl Aea had spent the night in a cave with, and yet she was still recognizable. One thing was certain; Aea could no longer think of Asia as a beautiful 'girl' any longer. In the bright gleam of the sun, it was clear that she was a beautiful woman.

She stopped staring at Asia long enough to look at the man beside her and her heart could have leapt from her chest, up her throat, onto the ground, and walked away to leave her dead from shock. She knew that man. She’d fought that man in Taengea. There was no mistaking his height, chiseled build, handsome features, or the unamused frown on his face. Aea looked at the band of gold around his head.

That was a prince. She had assaulted a fucking prince.

My brothers are Vangelis, Zenon, Yiannis, and Silas. My father is Tython and my mother is Yanni. I am the princess of Colchis.

Her cheeks and the tips of her ears warmed. She was an absolute idiot. She didn't connect the dots between the Vangelis in Taengea and Asia's Vangelis. She should have, though. How many people were named fucking Vangelis?

Aea's palms grew hot around the wood of her lyre. She’d gotten drunk in a cave with a princess and put a blood choke on a prince. Lovely. Such was her fortune.

'Captain Alexandros, the breathtaker!"

A familiar voice called out through the crowd, but not to her or REne. No. Much to her surprise, Kaia of Molossia called out to their newest companion. The Condos Rose raised an inquisitive brow, turning to face the flower girl.

Kaia looked vastly different than before. Her peplos was now a simple, pretty off-white, and the khol that lined her eyes brought out their magnificent splendour. For a moment, she was struck by the ethereal beauty of the simple girl. Blinking once, she allowed her lips to curve upward into an invitational smile, gesturing that the crowd should part for Kaia so that she might join them in the centre of the very front row.

"Kaia, come, stand with us!" she trilled, her voice carrying through the air like a birdsong. "My dear girl, what happened? Did you spill wine on your peplos?" she frowned slightly, evaluating her new attire. "This new one is very pretty, but why the khol? Did somebody give it to you as payment for a song? What an odd exchange. It becomes you well though."

She glanced over at Alexandros, beaming brightly. "I would introduce you, but it seems the two of you have met before," the noble teased, lowering one eye in a wink. "Tell me, what is that she called you? The breathtaker? Now, why might that be, I wonder."

When Emilia spoke of peace being worth a drachmae, Vangelis found himself agreeing. A rare half-smile graced his face, curling the corner of his mouth just slightly. Even if Princess Emilia was as young and naive as rumours determined, he could not fault her preference for peace over violence. Many saw conflict as a means of progression or glory. Vangelis was living proof of just such advantages. Yet, he had never personally enjoyed them. They were what they were and it was the way of a conflict-driven world. But, if asked, most might be surprised to hear his preference for tranquillity. A preference that was clearly reflected in the younger Xanthos princess.

"You speak wisdom beyond your years, Princess," he offered along with that curling corner to his lips.

At the approach of Princess Persephone, Vangelis nodded his head in respect. Whilst they were of equal rank when considered singularly, they now stood on Colchian soil, which put the superiority upon Vangelis's shoulders. Yet, Vangelis saw no harm in offering respect to those royals that had made the journey for their celebration. They had not been forced to come. Only, in doing so, they had shown the world their support of the treaty that had brought them all into peaceful friendship. And that, Vangelis was determined, would always have his respect.

Both sisters spoke up, thanking him for drawing the two of them together and Vangelis nodded again. This time, his eyes were lighter, offering a little more casual interaction. The rest of his face had not changed, but there was an ease about him that was less formal.

"I am content to use my height for something of worth," he told the both of them before going on to answer Persephone's second inquiry. "Uniting family seems no less than the most worthy. I have seen little enough of it the last few years. Matters have kept me to the north."

When the horns sounded for the announcement of the three kings, Vangelis jumped slightly when a small hand latched onto his arm. Glancing down, he saw Princess Emilia's slim and pale fingers wrapped tight around his forearm, just beneath his elbow. It was clear that the horns had startled her and she had secured her hold upon the nearest solid thing. Vangelis had no issue with this and yet the princess jumped away as if his skin had burnt her. She blushed furiously and Vangelis decided to ignore it. Perhaps not mentioning the moment would see it be of less embarrassment to the young girl. That, and Vangelis had little experience quietening noble lady's feelings. Anyone could ask Lord Fotios or his niece of that fact. He caught the eye of Persephone in amusement and then turned to witness the way the three kings of Greece aligned themselves at the steps of the temple.

Only when the crowds had calmed and fallen close to silence did King Tython raise his arms and address not only his own people but those who had journeyed across land and sea to be a part of this great event.

"Grecians..." Tython began, a smile upon his face and a look of paternal affection in his eye. The tenor of the man's voice rose out across the crowds. Vangelis had always been impressed by the way Tython could project his voice without it ever sounding like a shout. He never strained, he never raised his volume. He simply spoke in a way that carried directly to the hearts and minds of his people across the heads of his audience. As he began to speak, servers moved about the closer crowds, where royals and nobles stood together. Upon their trays were chalices of wine.

"Grecians, my family, my people and I welcome you all to the lands of Colchis. Here, upon a soil built in the blood of conflict and war, do we place down our swords and honour the strength of nonviolence. Today, we celebrate a decade of peaceful affinity between Colchis, Athenia and Taengea. A united Greece, for a united age. We honour the soldiers who have fallen in battle between our kingdoms. We salute the trade negotiations that now see all of our lands prosper. We recognise and commemorate that in all our lives, in all our wars and in all our nations' history, it is the people and their quality of life that will always reign supreme. To toast this, we welcome you all. Please... Eat, dance and honour life with us, as we celebrate ten years of peace between our kingdoms."

As a server reached them, Vangelis secured two cups from the golden tray they carried and offered one to each of the Xanthos princesses. He took a third for himself, sensing what was about to come. When Tython raised his chalice, Vangelis followed suit. This gesture was mimicked by the nobility that had been provided with their drinks and by any of the common people that were drinking from mead mugs and wine sacks.

"To Greece!" This time Tython did shout. And the words were repeated back to him:

"To Greece!" The people called.

Looking behind him, Tython was quickly joined by Minas and Zenon. Each of them stepped forward to, once again be in line with their fellow King. Each took their turn in lending to the speech in their own way...

Athanasia was feeling rather happy now that she made a new possible friend, even if he seems a bit uppity. Asia played with the small little pup that she held close, smiling when he licked her nose. Looking back around the crowd to see if Elias was still where she left him when suddenly a very familiar face appeared. Athanasia never expected to see Aea at the festival. Watching as she inspected the crowd standing up here near their relatives. All royalty in one place as they gathered to celebrate their bond of peace. It was nice, in a way, that there was this peace. Her brothers didn't have to fight friends that lived in other kingdoms. Now it was only to the north everyone focused on. Achilles shifted and squirmed in her arms, making her laugh as she adjusted. It was then that Aea saw her and it took everything in Athanasia not to laugh as everyone started to grow quiet. The look on her face was priceless, and told her that she did not believe that Asia told her the truth. Placing a finger to her lips, she made the sign for quiet as she smiled and gave her friend a wink. They met again, as per their deal, they were now friends. Silently, Asia pointed between herself and Aea as sne motioned to meet her after the celebrations. It was funny, though when Aea looked at Vang, the look of horror on her face, Asia wondered if she knew him or something. She planned on asking her later, that was for sure.

As the crouds quieted Athanasia looked to her beloved pater, he knew how to get people to listen without even trying. Asia would swear that he had some kind of power from the gods that gave him that calming ability, strong like a mountain and just as quiet, but could kill you when you instantly if you misstep and did something stupid. The servers started to move around the crowds with the chalices of wine as Asia listened to her pater's speach. She wished she could rule one day and be just like him; strong, wise, kind, and brave. Someone that people would remember in a good way, like her parents. Athanasia usually had the ambition to become better than her brothers in any and all things, but in moments like this, she wished she could be just like how her parents were. Asia became lost in though for a moment, so when the server reached Vangelis and came closer to Athanasia, she jumped a little before making sure to grab cup with a smile in appreciation before turning her attentions back to the kings.

When her pater raised his glass high in the air, Athanasia followed suit and lifted hers up along with everyone else. 'To Greece!' he shouted loud and proud and everyone, including Athanasia, answered his call with a cry filled with pride of their own; "To Greece!" This was Greece, this was our home. We were at peace.

Giving her a grin, he replied "I've always been intelligent. I just had to see the world to know how to use it." It was true- he had been quite self-centered growing up. When it was put to him that a mistake could cost the lives of others, his perspective shifted. He smiled at her compliment, then said "It's getting the other half to follow their lead that's the tricky part." He had missed this, the company and banter of his family. The Men of the Heights were brothers one and all, but the blood of Kotas and Drakos meant much more to him. It was an unshakeable bond, one that drew him back to here. It would feel like a celebration to see Essa regardless of current events. She had blossomed tremendously, her Mother's daughter in every right.

The charade reached its conclusion when his Father was announced, rightfully stealing any thunder from the gathered masses. "No, I'm afraid not. I didn't even know I'd be returning to a festival," he told her in a hushed tone, before being caught in rapt attention by his Father. Regal, tremendous, and commanding, even though Yiannis had spent five years away fighting and honoring the name Kotas, he still felt small compared to Tython. In moments like this, time stood still for him as he watched his Father masterfully bring an entire nation together. What it must be like, he wondered, to have them all in the palm of your hand.

It would be interesting to see how Alexandros would react to seeing her again, for when she had left his tent during the early hours of the morning back in Taengea, she had left with the sword he’d gifted her and a few drachme. No doubt when he woke, he would have been displeased that she’d taken more from him after what he’d given her. She knew she should have felt guilty and she nearly did at the time. However, she knew she could not return to camp after being out all night without something to offer. If the men had returned home before her—thankfully they had not—she would have needed everything she could get to appease them.

As it was, Kaia had used the drachme to convince them to allow her to keep the sword. Agolois was the first to relent, deciding that letting her learn to wield such a weapon could only protect her more. He had no such luck convincing Hektos to teach her proper swordsmanship, but Kaia had taken the sword in her leisure time and practised the basics of what Alexandros had shown her.

Now that they were face-to-face once more, Kaia was feeling the weight of her deceit; an uncommon sensation for the blonde huntress. She’d never had to deal with meeting any of her targets again later, so the situation was already new for her, without adding the complicated relationship between them. At the time they had understood that they would likely never see each other again, but now, Kaia was uncertain of how best to act. Would he be angry with her? That would be reasonable. Would the game be back on? Would they pretend nothing happened between them to best endure the chance meeting? Kaia could not tell which would be the most reasonable choice, so she figured she would follow the captain’s lead, for he was far more well versed in navigating social situations than she was.

The first to react to her call was Lady Ophelia, who’s beautiful features turned up into a warm and genuine smile, “Kaia, come, stand with us!”

At Lady Ophelia’s invitation, those around Kaia seemed to make way for Kaia as if she belonged in the party as well. Kaia’s expression dropped in a show of humbled awe. Perhaps her uncles had been wrong in their understanding of the noble people. Kaia was led to believe that they preferred to avoid common-folk at all costs, yet there was Ophelia, inviting common-born Kaia to stand with them. Even beautiful Lady Rene was smiling kindly and did not seem displeased at the invitation for Kaia to join them.

Kaia knew she would never be able to express how touched she was to be treated as someone that the upper class was willing to converse with voluntarily. Lady Ophelia and Lady Rene could have easily pretended not to hear or see her and left Alexandros to respond—or not. But instead, they not only acknowledged her, but welcomed her. Maybe Lady Ophelia and Lady Rene were exceptions to the rule, but if not, then Kaia’s understanding of nobility was greatly skewed. This piqued her interest somewhat, but those were musings for another time. For the moment, Kaia wanted to savour the feeling of being so warmly welcomed.

Smiling humbly, Kaia approached the three, her appreciative gaze bouncing from Lady Ophelia, to Lady Rene, then finally on the captain. She did hope he would not voice his displeasure too harshly in front of Ophelia and Rene, although she knew she would deserve it if he did. It was selfish to silently wish for him to be cordial in public, given her mistreatment of him, but she could not have returned to camp empty handed. Her uncles and father may have believed that she stole the sword alone, but she could not have lied to Aea. Then Aea would have asked why she had not stolen from Alexandros and would have become suspicious at best, or angry at worst. The drachme could have meant the difference between having enough to eat, or enough clothing to stay warm. It had not been personal, she would have robbed anyone. She knew how precious his two main swords were to him and so had left them untouched, as well as the necklace that his mother had given him, despite managing to escape his notice while he slept. She didn’t rifle through her chest of personal effects, instead opting to take what was easily accessible in her quiet haste. It likely wouldn’t mean much to him, but she had truly made an effort not to hurt him too much when she stole from him. She had taken far more from other people. The first man she’d lain with, she held a blade to him while she took his money and valuables.

“My dear girl, what happened? Did you spill wine on your peplos?”

Kaia gave a sheepish smile and nodded. “I did,” she laughed lightly, looking down at her new attire. Her peplos had been prettier, but at least the chiton still looked nice enough to keep Cassero from ranting and raving about not looking poor.

“This new one is very pretty, but why the khol? Did somebody give it to you as payment for a song? What an odd exchange. It becomes you well though.”

That was a better explanation than Kaia would have been able to come up with on the spot, so Kaia silently thanked Ophelia for that. It was best to be agreeable it seemed, so as best to move on from the change in her appearance. “It’s like you were there still,” Kaia agreed warmly and playfully, her smile genuinely bright. “Aea has always wanted to try it too, so we put it on each other. I have not been able to see for myself, but I have no doubt that Aea did a better job than I did. Thank you though, it is nice to hear,” Kaia added. It was true, she had no means to check her appearance. She’d seen a warped version of her reflection in the ocean on a particularly clear and still day, but she couldn’t see clearly enough to make out any of the features she didn’t already know she had, such as her blonde hair and blue eyes.

“It is good to see you again Kaia. I am surprised to see you here of all places after the Dionysa. It seems that you must be rather impressed with what happened there.”

As Alexandros spoke, the added coldness in her expression was not lost on Kaia, She could not blame him, she would not meet a thief well, yet he was amicable towards her all the same. Despite the coolness she was not used to seeing in his eyes, Kaia gave a small smile and nodded her head. “I could not have told you at the time that we would be here today, but it seemed the gods brought us here all the same,” Kaia answered.

“I would introduce you, but it seems the two of you have met before. Tell me, what is that she called you? The breathtaker? Now, why might that be, I wonder.”

Kaia flushed at Ophelia’s teasing tone, a sheepish laugh escaping her as she conceded. She supposed he had managed to take her breath away that night, many times. Ophelia’s sudden change in expression, albeit in good humour, snagged Kaia’s attention immediately.

“Fancy that! You both travelled to my home province and made not a single attempt to approach me! Alexandros, did you not think to try your charms on me? And Kaia, my dear, were you not offering your songs at our lovely event? I should have been charmed to hear one from you. I have heard your sister’s voice -- sweet as that of a nightingale -- but I should have liked very much to hear yours.”

“You’re too kind,” Kaia said, honestly humbled. “I am not as talented as my dear father and Aea. They are the true messengers of Apollo,” Kaia added, though her eyes were warm with the teasing from Ophelia.

“We have met before, at the Dionysa. It was a wonderful festival filled with wine and all manners of merriment, perhaps you attended as well, Ophelia? Considering it was held in your home kingdom.”

That was news to Kaia, though she imagined that she should know differently. Kaia knew that Condos was one of the most influential names in Greece, but where it hailed from, she would not have been able to answer. She wondered then if Rene also lived in Taengea.

“I did,” Ophelia confirmed. “It is no wonder our paths did not cross, I spent most of it hunting, though I did manage a few fascinating conversations. You won’t believe the sort of people one meets at the Dionysa. At the end of the night, I ended up in an archery contest with a most fascinating lady. Should you choose to attend the Dionysa next year, however, I do hope you will let me know -- I shall seek you out, with your consent.”

Kaia’s eyes widened as Ophelia spoke, and the words just came tumbling out of her mouth before she could help herself, “you hunt too?” Kaia did not realise as much. With the newfound information, Kaia tried to imagine Ophelia outside, bow in hand. Had everything Kaia come to learn about nobility been wrong? The princess who threaded flowers through the now bound prince’s hair had a physique of someone who was clearly strong and athletic. Now Lady Ophelia too could hunt. It was an exciting idea, but Kaia was even more uncertain of what she knew to be true.

“If I’d known you were there, I should have liked to take part in your archery contest. I am much better at that than singing,” Kaia grinned. Aea and Agolois insisted that Kaia had a beautiful but haunting voice, but Kaia did not have the talent that Aea and Cassero did. Kaia enjoyed singing with her uncle or in her own privacy, but she could not hope to become a bard.

”“As for the title the Breathetaker, I earned it during my time as a mercenary. I was hungry for glory, and received a fair amount of attention from the ladies. An old comrade remarked that I ‘took breathes away on and off the battlefield,’ and it stuck. In the world of mercenaries, epithets are your legacy and reputation. Men will follow you, opponents will challenge you, all based on the glory and respect that your name has earned.”

Kaia had heard Alexandros’ explanation before, albeit in a more suggestive and teasing context. Kaia gave a small smile to the captain, beginning to feel more at ease that he was not about to out her in front of their current company. It seemed her risk had paid out nicely and now, once the prince was found, she would well and truly have an explanation for her whereabouts.

“It is a great legacy that you hold, then. Such an epithet is both poetic and powerful. The one who gave it to you must be a skilled wordsmith indeed, and I have no doubt that, in the best of ways, it was well earned by its recipient.”

Even the way she spoke was so regal and pleasant. Kaia took that moment to turn her attention to Rene, who was sporting the smallest and most fleeting of amused expressions. Kaia gave a quizzical smile of her own, wondering if she had perhaps missed a joke in the conversation. If Kaia were better at social interactions, she may have thought of something polite to say to make conversation with Rene, but Kaia could not supply anything beyond a friendly smile.

As if saved by the gods themselves, the king began his speech. The crowd fell silent, allowing his words to carry over the grounds. As goblets were brought around on trays, Kaia was humbled yet again by Lady Ophelia offering one to her. Kaia gave a warm nod in thanks as she took the goblet, before watching as Ophelia then took one for Rene then herself. She truly was so very kind, nothing at all like the apathetic and cruel monsters she had assumed royals and nobles to be.

‘To Greece!’ the Colchan King exclaimed.

“To Greece!”

Kaia held up her goblet as those around her did, then brought it to her lips, though not a moment before the rest of her group did. She did not want to accidentally do the wrong thing during something as important as the king’s speech.

Enjoying the sweet taste of the wine that was much better than what she was used to, Kaia let her stormy gaze travel over the faces of those standing with the kings. The handsome prince was there, but suddenly—perhaps due to the angle she could see him from now—Kaia realised she recognised the stoic man. Surely she was not mistaken, but if she saw correctly, then the prince was the man Aea had managed to take down in a choke hold at Taengea.

Kaia spluttered slightly in her goblet and quickly tried to hide her embarrassing reaction. Of course she would do that in front of Ophelia and Rene. However, Kaia turned her attention knowingly to Alexandros. She knew he worked with the Colchian prince, but she had not known at the time that the prince had been in the fighting ring with Aea as she and Alexandros had been speaking. No wonder he had his doubts about Aea’s success at the time. That only made her cousin’s success all the sweeter. She wondered if wherever Aea was now, if she had recognised the prince too.

“He is the prince?” Kaia asked the captain, amazed. “I did not realise, why did you not say anything?” Kaia added, though with more amusement in her voice than not. He must have known that she was unaware that Aea was fighting the prince.