Thalia stood in the dim, flickering light of a lamp, facing an audience of her friends. They stood there in the dark, mostly looking perturbed. Hinahoho crossed his arms expectantly, staring her down, while Ja'far looked away petulantly. Drakon's stiff posture told her he really didn't want to be there, while Sharrkan kept his tearful gaze on the ground, and Masrur watched her impassively. Sinbad and Mystras stood behind the others, giving her an encouraging thumbs up. She smiled weakly at them. Aside from Sinbad, she had offended each of her friends in some way today. Mystras had already received his apology before he started teaching her to tie knots, but five apologies still remained. She wiped her sweaty palms on her dress and began to recite the speech Sinbad and Mystras had helped her prepare.

"Today, I let my emotions get the best of me. I said horrible things to each of you, even though you were only trying to help me." A slight shift in her audience told her they were listening, so she continued, approaching Ja'far.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm sorry."

The freckled boy didn't turn his head, but he could see his eyes move cautiously in her direction. She relaxed a little. It seemed like she had begun to mend the bridges with him. Four more to go.

Next, she held out her hand to Hinahoho. "Hina, I'm sorry I said you weren't a real man. You're the manliest guy I know." He did not take her hand, but his crossed arms, which had previously been tense, relaxed a little.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Three more apologies left. Turning to Sharrkan, she addressed him:

"Little Sharr, can I call you that?" He nodded, still not looking up at her. "I'm so, so sorry I snapped at you earlier and hurt your feelings. Can you forgive me?"

He lifted his head and wiped a tear from his eye. "Yeah."

Smiling, she pulled him into a warm hug. He'd been the quickest to forgive her, and it meant the world to her. He was such a sweet kid. She hoped he never changed. She turned her attention to the little boy next to him. Two to go.

Masrur's placid demeanor might have fooled someone else, but Thalia, who had spent much of her life hiding her feelings, noticed the tiny little tells in his clenched jaw, and the slight downturn of his lips. She knelt down next to him.

"Masrur, I hurt your feelings too, didn't I?"

He looked up at her with eyes devoid of emotion. "Not really."

She didn't believe that.

"Well, I want to apologize anyway. You didn't deserve to be yelled at."

She thought she saw his hardened jaw soften just a little.

She walked back to her starting point and addressed Drakon, her last and most important admission of wrongdoing. She wasn't ready to give him an intimate apology like the others, but she did want to set things right with him.

"Drakon, I said something horrible to you. I was angry. I still am, but I recognize that doesn't excuse what I said. I'm sorry."

Drakon's posture straightened a little. In return, she gave him a small, tentative smile. Maybe things between them weren't irreparable.

Thalia picked up a bundle of ropes on the ground. "I've tied these using a double fisherman's knot." Mystras winked at her encouragingly. He had been the one that taught her that knot. "This kind of knot is impossible to untie. I want it to represent the bond we all share together. My wish is that, should you choose to accept it, no matter how bad a fight we get into, we'll always forgive each other— that we'll be inseparable… because you guys are my precious friends, and I'm lucky to have every one of you."

She walked over to Ja'far first, offering him a knotted pair of ropes. He finally turned his head toward her.

"We all have our moments," the boy said with a small smile, accepting her gift. Thalia breathed a sigh of relief.

She turned to Hinahoho.

"Am I really the manliest guy you know?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

She nodded. She couldn't think of anyone who fit her description of a man better: strong, courageous, tender, and selfless. That was Hinahoho.

He grinned. "Well, it was never really a question whether or not I was going to accept one, but thank you for the compliment."

"Any time," she told him as he took her offering. Another weight lifted off her shoulder. Hinahoho had forgiven her.

Next, she approached Sharrkan again and smiled, holding out the knot she had tied for him. "Friends forever?"

He nodded enthusiastically, taking the rope from her hands and cradling it as though it were precious.

"This is the first gift I've received from a friend," he told her, his large eyes glistening with joy.

"And I promise it won't be the last." She remembered how much small gestures from her friends had meant to her in those early years. She empathized with the small boy's enthusiasm.

Her attention returned once again to Masrur. "Apology accepted?"

He grunted, taking the knot from her as a rare smile touched his lips. Thalia felt like she'd just witnessed something monumental.

Thalia took a deep breath and turned to Drakon. She would make this oath with him, but only on one condition:

"I'll forget everything you told me today. I'll forgive you if you promise me that the Drakon sitting before me today is a different person from the one that was willing to kill my parents for his country."

He took the rope with his large scaly hand. "I promise. I would never hurt you."

Thalia released a sigh of relief and embraced him. She had been afraid he would reject her, that their rift was irreparable. "Thank you."

His large hands wrapped around her back in response, gentle and warm. She felt small and safe in the brief moment before she pulled away. When she looked back up at him, he was grinning from ear to ear. His smile was contagious, and her lips pulled into an involuntary grin, lifting her mood along with it.

In her hands remained two small knots. She turned to Mystras and Sinbad.

"I can't forget you two. You both helped me so much today."

She held her gifts out to the two boys and they accepted them graciously.

Mystras immediately stashed it in his turban, but Sinbad held his knot up, inspecting it curiously. "Inseparable, huh?"

Thalia nodded. If her plans came to fruition, she would never leave his side. The key to her perfect life was standing before her, looking at her gift as though she had just given him a precious gem. He tossed it in the air and caught it with his hand, tucking it into the breast pocket of his coat.

"Alright," he finally said, as if coming to some kind of conclusion. "We're inseparable."


After fourteen days of confinement on that ship, several of which she had been forced to spend constantly hovering around her friends thanks to Nasha's insistence that she see the "truth" about Sinbad, the ship docked in Balbadd. Thalia waited impatiently for the dock workers to raise the ramp that would enable her to once again walk upon the the vast expanse of land that was Balbadd.

Masrur and Sharrkan waited beside her, Sharrkan anxiously clinging to his Heliohaptian tunic. Thalia supposed he was nervous about his new home. She gave him a reassuring smile, despite the turmoil she was feeling herself. Today, as soon as they set foot back on land, Sinbad had promised her he would pull Drakon into his office so that the two boys could discuss the things Thalia had been told on the ship.

Thalia glanced around the dock, attempting to find Serendine's ship among the ones at port. It was useless. They all looked the same. Assuming Serendine had arrived first, today would also be the day Sinbad heard whatever pathetic excuses she might come up with to paint herself as a victim in all this. Drakon had already done a decent job of that for her, but the fact remained Serendine had killed her family. Thalia could not forgive that, even with the nagging doubts that had begun to plague her. She clenched her fists, reinforcing her hatred for Serendine. She could not back down now. She could not let compassion for her enemy blind her to what was important.

"You're making that face again," Ja'far noted, approaching her. "I think you scared Sharrkan."

Shit. He was right. Thalia consciously forced her demeanor to relax before glancing once again at the young prince, who was quaking with terror as he gazed up at her. She plastered on a serene smile and bent down to his eye level.

"Sorry about that, little Sharr. I was just thinking about something unpleasant. I didn't realize I looked so scary."

Sharrkan relaxed at her reassurance and sound of wood clacking against wood drew their attention to the side of the ship.

Finally. She was being set free from the boat. She was going to receive justice. Everything was falling into place.

She watched Sinbad as he spoke with Drakon in hushed voices. They stopped and glanced in her direction. Both of them looked tired and strained. Sinbad slung his bag over his shoulder and Drakon daintily lifted his by the strap using two taloned fingers. Thalia's eyes followed them as they disembarked from the ship and headed in the direction of Sinbad's office. Her heartbeat quickened. It was time.

Without a word of explanation, she abandoned Ja'far, Masrur, and Sharrkan. She wouldn't be able to sit in on Sinbad and Drakon's meeting, but she could do the next best thing: eavesdrop.

At least, that had been her plan. She arrived outside Sinbad's office and was preparing to place her ear on the door when someone cleared his throat.

"That's a private meeting, Thalia." Ja'far stood with his legs spread shoulder width apart and his arms crossed. He had apparently followed her from the ship. She grimaced, backing away from the door.

"You followed me?" she asked.

He shrugged. "You haven't seemed like yourself since yesterday. I was worried about you."

Thalia was too upset that he had interrupted her intelligence gathering to be touched by his words. In fact, she wasn't sure she believed him. Part of her thought his true reasoning for following her had been to prevent her from listening at the door. Had Sinbad put him up to this?

She gritted her teeth. That bastard tyrant.

Now severely restricted in her ability to listen in on the discussion, she paced outside the office furiously, trying to catch the snippets of conversation that drifted through the wooden door. Ja'far's eyes followed her back and forth, concern etching itself across his face.

Finally, he asked, "Do you really think she killed your family? I just… can't see it."

Thalia whipped around to face him, his words stinging. He was her friend. He was supposed to believe her.

"Of course she did it. You think she hasn't killed people? She's a warrior with the nickname 'Venomous Spider Princess'."

Ja'far sighed. "Oh, no. I believe she's killed people, but you two were friends, weren't you? How could she—"

"She's heartless!" Thalia shouted too loudly. Why didn't anyone else understand? Serendine was a monster. She didn't have feelings. At least, that's what Thalia wanted to believe.

The muffled voices behind the closed door paused for a moment before resuming.

"What are you going to do if Sin doesn't send her away?" Ja'far whispered, as if trying to make up for her outburst just now.

"Of course he's sending her away," Thalia laughed, throwing her head back. She'd been so stupid to be insecure before. He'd promised they were partners now. Sinbad had her back.

"Why don't you sit down," Ja'far suggested gently. "You're kind of worrying me."

She shot him a glare. Of course she wasn't herself. She couldn't afford to let her sympathetic, weak self out. If she started to allow herself to see things in shades of gray, the way Drakon had tempted her to do yesterday, her family would never be avenged. Her grudge with Serendine needed to be vindicated. It was too late to turn back. She was too proud to admit she was wrong.

The door opened and Drakon stepped out.

"Will you please tell Serendine to come?" Sinbad requested from out of sight. "I want to get her side of the story."

Thalia rushed into Sinbad's office as Drakon lumbered away. Her friend stood by his desk with his hands in his pockets. He looked exhausted. Thalia knew she wasn't helping. A pang of guilt rippled through her chest, but it died out quickly. She needed to be right about Serendine. If she wasn't… no, she definitely wasn't wrong.

"He told you, didn't he? That she killed my parents?" Her words were hurried, almost manic.

"Just wait a little bit longer. Please." His gaze moved to behind her. "Ja'far, please escort Thalia back outside. Help her calm down."

"Wait—"

Ja'far interrupted her, grabbing her by the shoulders and steering her back outside. She glanced over her shoulder as Sinbad brought a hand to his forehead, shaking his head in exasperation.

"Sit." Ja'far ordered her, positioning her in front of the chair outside Sinbad's office. She obeyed, intimidated by the command in his tone.

Thalia and Ja'far's heads both swiveled as footsteps approached Sinbad's office. Thalia watched vindictively, raising her chin as Sinbad called Serendine inside. He was going to send her away and Thalia could finally have a bit of justice in her life. She would never have to see that wretched woman again.

Ja'far shook his head at her expression.

"This isn't you. You're angry. It's understandable, considering the circumstances, but there's no way the gentle, rational Thalia I know was all an act."

Thalia wiped her sweaty hands on her dress.

"You think I'm being irrational?"

"I think you're cracking under the stress of this whole thing." Ja'far knelt down to her eye level. "What are you going to do if she stays? You can't go on like this. You're going to fall into depravity at this rate."

"Fall into… what?"

"Depravity." Ja'far repeated. "When a person rejects their fate, their rukh turn black. It feeds on hatred and resentment. You're letting your hatred control you. You've got to let some of this go."

Tears sprung to Thalia's eyes. It was easy for Ja'far to talk about letting things go. What did he know about grudges?

He brought his hand to his shoulder and the scars caught Thalia's eye. Maybe he did know something after all.

"Were you able to let go of your anger toward whoever did that to you?" she asked, studying the pale white lines.

"I'm still angry," Ja'far confessed, "but I don't let it control me." He withdrew his hand, fixing his eyes on the floor. "I've… nearly fallen into depravity before. It's not a good place to be, Thalia."

Thalia gasped, tightening her hold on the arms of the chair. Ja'far was so bright and energetic. Yes, he could be irritable and sarcastic, but she couldn't imagine him being so consumed by hate that he'd nearly fallen into depravity.

He stood back up.

"Channel your anger into something productive. Use it constructively. You're in control."

"I understand." Thalia needed to get herself together. No matter how understanding her friends were, they only had so much patience. She couldn't take them for granted. She needed to focus on becoming unstuck.

Thalia turned her head as the door opened.

A twinge of guilt hit her as she watched Serendine come out. The Parthevian princess held herself in as dignified a manner as ever, but tears streamed down her face. She threw a glance in Thalia's direction, her face crumpling before she turned away and marched in the opposite direction. Did she feel remorse for what she'd done? No, that couldn't be it. She was upset because Sinbad was kicking her out.

Sinbad poked his head out and motioned for Thalia to enter his office. He settled himself in his oversized chair and motioned for her to take a seat across from him. Sitting down, Thalia held her breath, waiting for the good news.

"I talked to Serendine," Sinbad began. She leaned forward in her chair, gripping its arms until her fingers ached.

He continued, "I believe what she told me. I'm not sending her away. I think you should talk to her too when you're ready. You should hear what she has to say, especially concerning your sister."

"What can she possibly have to say?" Thalia snapped bitterly. No amount of pretty words and lies could justify what her former friend had done.

"You should hear it from her, not from me." His eyes dropped to his lap. "I don't think you'll like it."

Thalia scoffed. Serendine had seduced him. That was why he was refusing to take Thalia's side. Serendine was the most vile kind of woman— No. Thalia couldn't think like that anymore. It was like Ja'far said. She was letting her hatred control her. She took in a deep breath and let it out, centering herself.

Sinbad reached a hand toward her, resting it on the table when it didn't reach. She responded by closing the distance and resting her own hand on his.

"I hate seeing you so unhappy." Sinbad told her, "Aside from sending Serendine away, what can I do to make this whole thing easier on you?"

"I don't think there's anything you can do," she confessed, "but Ja'far and I had a talk. He helped me realize some things. I'll accept your decision, but I'm not going to start playing nice with her."

He sighed in relief, sitting back up and smiling pensively. His warm hand slipped out from under Thalia's, dropping hers onto the cold wooden desk.

"This conversation went a lot better than I expected it to," he said. "I'll have to give Ja'far a raise."

"If the company has money for raises, can I have one too?" Thalia asked, in part to lighten the mood, in part because she really did want one. She didn't need the money, but earning it felt good.

He barked a laugh.

"You never pass up an opportunity, do you?" He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "The answer is no this time. I just gave you a raise."

Thalia huffed in mock indignation.

"I'm going on strike."

"While you're outside picketing, do you mind handing out a few recruitment flyers?" Sinbad teased. "We're going to need to find someone to replace you."

She struggled to contain her laughter.

"You're firing me? What a tyrant."

He raised his eyebrows as though she'd just challenged him to prove that he was indeed a tyrant. Picking up a blank sheet of paper off his desk, he tore it in half.

"That was your employment contract."

"Good." she giggled. "Maybe I can finally offer my talents somewhere they'll be appreciated."

"Don't even think about it," he threatened. "You're very important. I couldn't fire you if I wanted to."

"Is that so?" She arched an eyebrow, leaning back in the chair. "If I'm that important, you should really reconsider that raise."

"I'm glad you're feeling better," he observed, shaking his head with disbelief as he returned to his work.

Thalia left his office in a much better mood than before. She pondered Ja'far's advice about channeling her anger into something constructive. She supposed she could pick up a new hobby. She'd always avoided weaving and embroidery because they held no interest for her, but nothing else she could think of seemed appealing either.

The next day, Thalia was still so plagued by her conundrum that she woke up several hours early. She quietly dressed herself in her company uniform and pulled her hair into a messy braid, careful not to wake any of the other girls in the room. Slipping outside, she stretched, enjoying the beautiful spring morning. Their air was warm and pleasant, already filled with floral notes from the blooming buds in the gardens.

It would be a shame to spend a day like this indoors, she thought to herself, heading for the courtyard, where she would be able to admire the beauty of the flowers. When she arrived, however, she realized it was already occupied.

"Hyah!" A warrior maiden swung her sword through the air, creating an elegant arch. Beautiful pink hair fanned out in every direction from the sheer force of the delivery. One by one, the woman gracefully took down imaginary opponents.

Thalia watched her every movement with awe. She was strong. she was powerful. She commanded respect. Thalia wanted to be like her. Thalia wanted to be like… Serendine.

She almost laughed bitterly at the realization. The very idea that she would want to emulate anything about Serendine was ludicrous, but…

She did. She held up her hand, remembering the first time she had gripped Serendine's sword with it. She remembered the feel of the leather grip around the handle. She remembered—

She looked back up at the graceful girl before her, her mouth going dry.

She remembered everything, even the things she'd tried so hard to forget.


This feels like a two chapter release week! Look for Chapter 24 to be released within the next couple of days, assuming I finish it. The next chapter will be a flashback and, well, we might find out some things about Thalia she's forgotten herself up until now. I wonder if you'll be happy with what you find out? I've been trying to foreshadow it forever. I'd love to hear your speculations on what that is. (please speculate! I've been sitting on this reveal for months!)

I'd also love to hear your thoughts about this chapter. Did anything stick out to you? Please leave a review!