This is a fanfic for the book The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner. All credit goes to her, because she wrote this wonderful series. I just kept reading the third book (which is my most favorite book) and kept wondering what Eugenides said to Dite in the garden, from pg. 105-107, so I decided to write what I think would have happened.
Dite stood and walked with Eugenides into the garden, after all he didn't want to be stabbed with the silver hook on Eugenides hand. If he complained about it he would be laughed at; who would want to admit they were hurt by a one handed man. When they were far enough away Dite spoke.
"If this is about the song I-"
"That song has got to be one of the funniest things I have heard since I came to Attolia. "
Dite balked and felt the tip of the hook prick his back.
"But, that song it's making fun of you. "
"You don't imagine that I haven't been made fun of before? When I first decided to be the Thief half of my cousins beat me up, the other half came up with many ways to tease me. I will admit that I fought back, and came up with equally insulting things to get them back, but when all is done you can only laugh at it."
Dite shook his head; there was no way that Eugenides was going to let him off the hook, so to speak.
"Oh, I won't pretend that I wasn't first upset about the song when my attendants started to sing it every time I was about to open my bedroom door, but I'm not affined anymore." He dropped his hook from Dite's back.
"Then you are not going to punish me." Eugenides shook his head. "Then what is this walk about?"
"It's about a certain baron and his two sons. You see this baron is constantly finding ways to undermine the queen's power; a little blackmail to one baron, a little bribe to another, all kinds of things. "
Baron Erondites, my father Dite thought
"You see after a period of time he grew into a very terrible threat to the woman we both love. Yes Dite I love her too, I have loved her since I first saw her under the tree I was hiding in. Unfortunately that was also when I first met you as well; flirting with her."
"You heard my poem?"
"It was a really good poem too; it was so good that I couldn't bring myself to steal from you in my fit of jealousy. Instead I got you those expansive ink jars, and paper. Don't worry, I didn't steel them, I knew that if there was a report of stolen ink jars then your father would have thought it was you. But from that day on you were my rival, although I never thought I would have a chance at marring her. I was the Thief and she was the princes of Attolia."
"All this time you were the one who put those jars on my writing desk." Dite laughed. "Did you know that the previous day my father removed my ink jars from my room?"
"Yes, after all I wanted to show my appreciation for you work. Actually over the years I was the one who left all those mysterious gifts in your room. I thought that since you would be the one to marry her, then I might as well make sure you didn't turn into your father."
"You thought I was going to marry her?"
"Everyone in the court did, that is why your father never really got rid of you. You always supported her, and did the best to make sure she had friends in the court. You wrote her poems, and songs. You were even from her country, an advantage that I would never have. So yes, I thought that you would be the one to marry her. But we have drifted off the real topic. The fact is that your father is a threat to the Queen. He can't use you to get to her, but he is trying to get to me through your brother Sejanus, and of course Hero's sister."
"Sejanus listens to my father, but he wouldn't do anything too rash."
"Yes he would Dite; he would for someone else's sake. But in a while that won't matter because I am going to bring down the house of Erondites. Warn your brother, tell him not to listen to anything your father has said, because if he does your father won't be the only one to get hurt from Erondites fall."
"How are you going to bring down my father? Half of the barons are either black mailed, or bribed, the other half despises you. No one will support you, and you can't just banish him from your court."
"Don't worry I have three plans already under way, and a fourth one that just needs a little more time to formulate. Your father will fall, and the Queen will be safe. I need you to support the Queen like you have always done."
"I never stopped, and I never will." Dite said stiffly.
"Because you love her just as much as I do. Dite, if for some reason I die, be there for her. You won't believe me when I say this, but she does love me."
Dite shook his head. "She doesn't, how could she-"
"Love a one handed Thief King? I don't know, I've never known how she could possibly love me. Then again she probably thinks the same thing about me. After all she was the one who had my hand cut off. But somehow we love each other. I know you don't believe me, after all my reputation of being a liar is known everywhere, but look me in the eyes and tell me you don't believe me."
Dite looked, and what he saw stopped him in his tracks. He knew the truth now, and it would never leave him.
They continued on in silence for a while until Dite spoke up.
"The reason why I came here was because I got a letter from an admirer of my songs." Suspicion bubbled up inside him.
"I already told you that I truly enjoy your music, and your poetry. If anything I want you to continue to write your lyrics, and play your music. You have a gift that the maestro of the orchestra in Attolia and Eddies do not have. Don't let it disappear."
They finally started walking back to where they entered the garden and Dite couldn't shake off the feeling for admiration for Eu- no his King Attolis. He would write a song about his Kings adventures as a thief. Maybe the one about when he stole Hamiathes's Gift, and tricked the Magus. He could already here a tune in his head.
End