Games

"Yes!" Sulpicia danced around the room happily, "this is going to be perfect."

"Enlighten me as to how this is going to be perfect," I hissed, hitting the statue of a god and pulverizing it.

"I know you think I'm stupid," Sulpicia stopped for a second, "but you need her, and how adorable would it be if you have to make her want you again by playing the games of the Court?"

"Adorable?" I asked, "you know I'm terrible at court elegant parley."

"And that's why this is going to be perfect," Sulpicia put her arms on my shoulders, "because I'm going to teach you."

"This is going to be a disaster."

*****

"These are our guests from Greece. King Kronos and Queen Delphina, High Princess Saphira, Princess Fiona, and Princess Athenodora." Pharaoh announced to his Court, standing up. Sure enough, in the middle of the Throne Room stood an old man and woman, two pretty females, and Athenodora; unchanged since the last time I saw her.

"Friends," Pharaoh said to them, "you are not the only visiting royalty here. From Rome we have King Caius and Queen Sulpicia. They came yesterday and will be staying for three days now."

"Rome…" King Kronos murmured, "I haven't been there for so long, I should like to speak to King Caius."

"And his wife is so pretty," Queen Delphina whispered. I smiled and put my arm around Sulpicia's waist.

"Thank you." Sulpicia elbowed me and whispered,

"One word to Aro about your harassment to me and your dead."

"Well, he suggested we come as a married couple," I defended. She rolled her eyes and we actually paid attention to the proceedings again. Pharaoh began talking to the Grecian royal family at length and Sulpicia and I swiftly took our leave.

"Well, that was a good round one," Sulpicia said as soon as we were out of the hall.

"Since when is this a game?" I asked.

"Life is a game. Love is a game. There is always a winner and a loser."

"Whatever you say." Sulpicia had clearly lost her mind…that is, if she ever had one.

"Oh, you're in denial," Sulpicia laughed, "if only Marcus and Aro were here." I shuddered at the very thought of Marcus and Aro being here. Now I really wanted Sulpicia to leave.

"Sulpicia, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but that dress you're wearing is very unflattering for your figure and…" That was sure to get her away.

"What?" Sulpicia screeched, wrapping her arms around herself, "I was introduced to royalty looking bad?! NO!" and, as I planned, she left running into her room.

"Bye, love!" I called just to annoy her; perhaps there were possibilities in pretending to be married.

"Married to Sulpicia, are you now?" A haunting voice asked me. I slowly turned,

"Good evening, Princess," I said, "I did not know you were here."

"I saw you leave after the introductions, it made me wonder," she said simply.

"Strange, considering my affairs are no longer entwined with yours, Athenodora," I said.

"That's not what I was referring to. I was wondering why you would possibly say you were married to Sulpicia when that is obviously not the case."

"You're right," I nodded, "I don't know why I would possibly say I'm married, when I'm not. Anymore. As a matter of fact, why would anyone give everything they had when the receiver is ungrateful and selfish? Why do some people say they love someone and then break their heart the next day? Why?" The silence echoed between us. "It's illogical, it's stupid, and I fell into the trap. But I know better now, and I know to avoid it, because it only results in pain. But you wouldn't understand such things, would you, princess? I hope you're happy with the life you chose." I turned on my heel and left the hallway, wishing I could take back the words as soon as they left my mouth, but at the same time I couldn't quite fully regret them.

Sulpicia was waiting for me as soon as I entered my room.

"You. Idiot! You stupid idiot!" she screamed at me. "You ruined everything. Your marriage is out the window!"

"My marriage flew out the window when I fell in love with a human."

"True…" Sulpicia said pensively. "Wait your distracting me. Now, you go out there, and tell her you still love her or I will."

"Ooo, scary," I said sarcastically.

"1…….2…….2 and a half……" Sulpicia counted. I tapped my foot on the ground, knowing she never would.

"Well, at least we know you can count," I said, which if I hadn't known Sulpicia I would have thought as a surprise.

"Three," Sulpicia said and bolted out of the room. I had the distinct pleasure of hearing their entire conversation; Athenodora had been right outside my door to come in and tell me she was sorry. She heard everything.

Unsurprisingly, I wanted to shoot myself in the foot. Why the foot? Because if I killed myself I could never tell Athena, my Athena, that I still loved her, and forgave her and wanted to be with her forever…then repeat it a couple thousand times.

I'm so weak, I thought, I wonder why she makes me suddenly go all soft. It's like I'm not even me when I'm around her. This isn't good… I was suddenly very self conscious to the fact that my Egyptian garb left quite a bit of skin showing. I sighed and then calmed myself, going to read a book on the couch. I tuned out as much as I could from the women's conversation, though at times I gave in and listened, then felt guilty and so on.

There was a knock on my door and if my heart were beating it would have skipped a beat as I wondered who it could possibly be. I got up swiftly and opened it, surprised at who it was, or technically wasn't.

"Good evening, princess," I said formally.

"Good evening," Athenodora's sister curtsied. What was her name again, Delphina? Fiona? Saphira?

"I trust your journey was not too uncomfortable," I said.

"No, no. My family is too overjoyed at the return of my sister to really pay attention to anything else," she said with a tinge of sadness, I had a feeling Athenodora was making a lot of people jealous.

"Well, it has been a very long time, I'm sure," I tried to empathize.

"It has, we were very close when we were younger, she's so different now though… She likes to be alone, or walk in the gardens at night, she has a sad aura about her. I want to be able to talk to her, to make her feel better but she doesn't seem to want to. I wish I knew…she treats all the suitors at court so harshly."

"Suitors?" I couldn't help but ask.

She smiled ruefully. "Many suitors. She is so beautiful now, my entire family is jealous." I had to think about not agreeing with her so as not to appear as some stalker. "We've been asking her about her past but she refuses to speak about it. The only thing she says is that she was happy."

"Interesting," I murmured, wondering if perhaps I had misinterpreted what she had said. "And on that note, why exactly are you here?" Her face turned deep red from her blush and I knew things were going to go downhill from here.

"Because…uh, well, I have to go!" And she hightailed out of my room. I shook my head and went over to the open balcony on my room. From here I overlooked a small, private oasis/bath house that though it was kept clean, was obviously never really used. I decided to change that, and hopped from my balcony to the ground and then dived in the pool.

The cool water was refreshing; there really was no other way to put it. I didn't swim, though I knew how, I simply drifted to the bottom, closing my eyes; glad I didn't have to breath.

I didn't think, or at least I tried not to. I decided to resurface after awhile, in case anyone was watching. No one. I smiled contentedly and sank to the bottom again. This time I was face up at the bottom of the pool. I could see the blue sky through the clear water, and slowly closed my eyes again. Time passed…time always passes even when it seems like it doesn't. I could feel the cool waves under the water, it was refreshing and I felt like if I could I would probably be drifting off to sleep.

Inevitably, I started thinking of her; my angel, my Athena, my wife. I imagined her before me; the image so real that if I lifted my hand I would be able to touch her. I was so hopeless: so hopelessly in love with my wife.

I opened my eyes, ready to resurface again, when I saw her. She was drifting right above me; her golden hair a perfect circle drifting out from her head. It was a halo. She was staring at my face and she looked surprised/shy that I had found her. I shook my head, I couldn't I was imagining her…I must have been seriously depressed. I came up, but her hand jetted down and pushed me back down.

What? I wasn't dreaming? Figments of your imagine don't respond, right? No…so what if she was real? Well, if she was real, she was damn beautiful; then again, she was beautiful no matter what dimension she was in.

"Athena," I said, but since I was underwater only bubbles came out. The angel hovering above me smiled and it was only then that I realized she was real.

I pushed off from the bottom of the pool and resurfaced, wondering exactly what was going on. Athena resurfaced not a foot away from me, except now she looked scared.

"Can I help you?" I asked; coldness returning to my voice.

"Yes," she murmured, looking away.

"Well," I sighed, "what do you need?" We were both silent for a long time.

"You." That one word made every wall I had built, every barrier, every mask, everything fall away and make me once again vulnerable to the only person that could ever hurt me. Why could she hurt me? Simply because whether she wanted it or not, hell, whether I wanted it or not, I was hers. I always was hers, still am hers, and will always continue to be hers. The question was not whether I would ever stop loving her, but if she would ever stop loving me.

"I'm already yours," I whispered, looking down, not able to look at her without crumbling entirely.

Silence.

I heard her take a breath sharply and then looked at her inconspicuously. She was dry sobbing; it cut me up inside, yet I didn't know why. Had I said something wrong? Was she hurt?

"Are you well?" I asked, putting my arms on her shoulders. She froze and slowly looked up at me. Then, without warning, she rushed into my chest, throwing her arms around me and sobbing more. It was one embrace I will never forget. After she had seemed to calm down a bit she managed to say.

"I am now." I tentatively put my arms around her small frame, reassuring myself I wasn't dreaming. "I'm sorry," she whispered, looking up.

I kissed her forehead, and slowly made my way down to her lips. "I forgive you, and I suppose I owe you an apology as well."

"Don't remind me of how stupid I was; I don't know what I could have possibly been thinking. I mean, of course you're more important than my family. You're my eternal husband."

"And you're my wife. Forever."