"You want to buy that island?" Barbarossa swiveled around his chair, setting the scroll he'd been reading down on his desk.

"Yes." Sinbad forced a smile, politely resting his hand on his chest. "Please allow me to purchase it."

Leaning forward, Barbarossa raised his eyebrows. "Really. You wouldn't prefer to return and discuss it with the company first?"

It took everything Sinbad had to keep his smile in place. He wanted to obtain the island as soon as possible before Barbarossa realized the sin he and Thalia had comitted last night.

"There's no need. We would only come to the same decision."

Ja'far stepped forward, holding up a piece of parchment on which he'd scribbled the notes from his research on Attica's economic potential. "I've already run the calculations, and even figuring in the amount we would owe, the amount of business we would gain from this move still nets us an enormous profit. This is a huge opportunity for us."

"I see." Barbarossa turned his gaze back to Sinbad, studying him carefully. "If that's the case, I accept, but Sinbad, what happened to you? You look terrible."

Sinbad lifted his head. What happened to him, that was…


Sinbad had stood across from Thalia, desperately wracking his head for a solution. He'd been paralyzed, unable to come up with a way to save the people from his village. Run. That was all he'd been able to think to do. He had to run.

"No." Thalia had refused. His heart had lept. She would fix this. She would come up with a third solution, a way for everyone to be happy like she had on Ria Venus Island. That's what he thought, and in that moment, he had wanted to sweep her up and kiss her.

Except, that wasn't what happened. She had stolen the knife she had used against him earlier. It took him a second to fully comprehend what she had intended to do with it. She was going to kill the people of Tison Village and her own people. It was taking responsibility, she had said; It was better than running.

He agreed. It was better than running, but… he just had to accept this situation? Was that possible?

They had re-entered that room together as a united front. For once, he was the one who was falling apart. His breaths came quick and shallow, and sweat dripped down his back. He looked at these monsters— no, they were people— and tried to picture their human faces. That only made it worse. A black serpent began to coil in his stomach— guilt. It was guilt.

Without a word, Thalia walked toward the woman with snakes for hair and whispered in her ear. She was giving last words of encouragement, Sinbad thought. His sweet, thoughtful Thalia was comforting her.

"You dare utter such blasphemy!" The woman pulled back, her hair baring dozens of sets of fangs.

"It seems I lost faith when I found out you poisoned me, High Priestess."

With not more than a moment's hesitation, Thalia murdered the woman in cold blood. It was her first time killing someone. Sinbad had expected tears, remorse, anything. But her expression remained completely unaffected. It was the face of the woman he loved, but he didn't recognize her. His Thalia valued life unconditionally. She absolutely refused to compromise back on Ria Venus Island. When had she changed so drastically?

When she turned and gave a speech to comfort the terrified onlookers, she showed no indication that she understood the effect the scene they had just witnessed might have on them. Her tone was distant, removed. She sounded like a general giving his soldiers the order to make one final sacrifice, not like… well, Thalia.

"I don't want to die. Please, there must be something you can do! Sinbad!"

"Sinbad has no power here."

He lowered his head. It was true. He couldn't do anything, not this time. No matter how he thought about it, the most merciful option was to let Thalia put them out of their misery. Permanently.

"She's right. I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Auntie."


"The truth is, last night I received a report that you had been spotted in mid-air above the island," Barbarossa said.

"Is that true?" Ja'far asked, eyes wide.

"It's fine. I just was worried." Barbarossa's eyes narrowed. "After all, that place hasn't been cleaned up, yet."

Cleaned up. That's what Barbarossa was calling it. Like the people who had died were just clutter to be disposed of. Like none of it— none of what happened last night— mattered. Sinbad smiled through gritted teeth.

"Ah, yes. That. One of my subordinates went missing yesterday after the party. I went looking for her and found her on that island."

Barbarossa raised his eyebrows. "Did the two of you… see anything?"


The screaming started up, and the creatures writhed, their eyes bulging as Thalia's blade worked its horrible magic They fought and gnashed against the shackles that bound them, but it was futile. The screams grew louder and louder until, one at a time, they died out. The creatures stopped fighting, their bodies now shriveled, blackened husks.

Sinbad dropped to his knees. These were the people who'd raised him. It was thanks to them that his mother had survived as long as she did. It was thanks to them that at least part of his childhood had been happy. Was there really nothing they could have done? He just had to accept this? What happened to carving a third path? What happened to refusing to compromise? Together, he and Thalia were supposed to be unstoppable.

He glanced at the woman he loved, stained in blood and sobbing uncontrollably. Why…? Why had the night ended this way? Things had been getting better. He and Thalia had found a way to be together.


Sinbad shrugged. "She was quite upset when I found her. It seems she has close connections to that island. As far as anything unusual, I couldn't say anything seemed out of place, and as far as I know, she didn't see anything either."

"This subordinate of yours, it was Thalia?" Barbarossa leaned back, as if his concerns had been put at ease. "I recommend you keep better company. Someone broke into a weapons facility on the island last night and tampered with our property. Were you aware of this?"


Thalia shifted toward to him eyes red-rimmed and swollen.

"Sinbad…" Her voice came out strangled. "...take this country. Use it to gather your power and make sure nothing like this ever happens again. If you can do that, you have my blessing."

Pulling her into his arms, he clung to her, burying his face in her hair. Thalia had held the knife, but this was a sin they had committed together. Thalia had done her part to fix her mistakes from her childhood. It was his turn. He had to do this. He had to make his dream come true.

"I will. I promise."

She drew back and pressed two items into his palm, closing her fingers around them. One of them was the hilt of her knife. The other was hidden beneath it. It was hard and circular, like a ring. Was she returning the ring he had given her? Or was it her engagement ring? The thought was a reflex, but he hated himself for having it. Right now, wondering which it was seemed petty.

"I won't be needing these anymore." she whispered. She brought her face to his, ghosting her lips over his cheek. Then, she stood, craning her neck toward the exit. She looked exhausted like she might collapse at any moment. "I won't be going back with you. They'll find out someone's been here soon enough. If they suspect anything, pin the blame on me. They'll believe it."


Sinbad swallowed thickly. "I'll have to talk to her about this. My apologies."

Snatching Sinbad's wrist, Barbarossa lowered his voice threateningly. "I told you, inferiors can be dangerous. For Lady Kayra's sake, I've been willing to continue to overlook your little friend's existence so long as she isn't a threat. If something like this happens again…"

"It won't," Sinbad quickly reassured him. "I promise you, she'll be dealt with accordingly."

Barbarossa leaned back, lacing his fingers under his chin thoughtfully. "Good. I would hate to have to cancel our deal."

Sinbad couldn't let that happen. He'd already sold his soul for this. No… it was Thalia. He'd let her sell hers. His hand reached into his jacket pocket, where he kept her knot and the ring she had given him last night. The sharp edges of the diamond-encrusted gold met the pads of his fingers.

He'd done it. He'd convinced her to curse her destiny.


Thalia stood before Dinzarade, her head hanging low. Her friend's eyes flickered wide, her face contorting into an expression of horror.

"Thalia… what have you done? Your rukh…"

"I made a choice." Thalia walked past her with her head hung low, putting her meager belongings on the empty bed. She had returned most of what Muu had given her, and what she couldn't return, she'd replaced with Narmes's jewelry and Nerva's condolence money. Now, she had nothing but what she'd earned for herself. "I know how badly you wanted to save me, but in the end, I couldn't accept the kind of responsibility I was meant to take on. It was too much."

Dinarzade shuffled over to the bed and sat down beside her. "Okay then," she said simply.

Thalia looked up. "Okay?" After Dinarzade had fought so hard to convince Thalia to embrace her destiny, she had expected to be scolded at the very least. "That's it?"

Dinarzade gave Thalia a sideways glance. "Would you feel better if I lectured you?"

Thalia shook her head. "I don't think you could tell me anything I haven't already told myself a thousand times."

"I guarantee you're already being harder on yourself than I would ever be." Dinarzade took her hand and pulled it into her lap. "It's no good hating yourself, Thalia. Life is too short for that."

Clutching her skirt, Thalia closed her eyes fighting back the bitterness within her. People were dead. She had killed the people she'd been meant to protect, all because she was too weak. Useless. Useless, useless, useless! Why was someone like her even born? How could she ever live with herself after what she'd done?

"I- I just feel like things will never get better. Like when I was born with this void inside of me. My mother sensed it; my sister sensed it; everyone sensed it. They knew I would become like this, and that's why they never- no one could ever—" She shook her head, her chest wracking with quiet sobs. "How can I go on living after what I've done? I can't, can I? I don't deserve my life… I don't deserve you."

Dinarzade was quiet for a long moment. She ran her free hand up and down Thalia's back in soothing circles. When she finally spoke, her voice was hoarse. "I don't think anyone deserves to live."

Thalia jerked upright, unnerved by her gentle friend's callous words. Wasn't that a bit dark for Dinarzade?

She continued. "No one earns the right to live. We're just born, whether we wanted to be or not. But then we learn to smile, and we learn to laugh. That's our reason for living. You don't deserve life because you don't have to. You're entitled to it."

"What if I'm never happy again? What if—"

"Did you ever think you would smile again after what Marcus did?"

Thalia blinked. Back then, things had seemed so hopeless, but she had recovered. People like Dinarzade and Sinbad and Ja'far and Mystras and Rurumu had pulled her out of it. She had learned to smile again.

Dinarzade squeezed Thalia's hand. "You made a decision you regret. If we can't undo it, let's make the best of what comes next, okay?"

Drawing in a deep breath, Thalia rubbed her wet cheeks. She hadn't had a choice. It had been a necessary sacrifice. All she could do now was to work to make Sinbad's dream come true. And, in the meantime, she could focus on herself. She could learn to smile again.

"Yeah. I'll make the best of this." Resting her head on Dinarzade's shoulder, she closed her eyes. "I was saving up my money for Attica, but I don't need it anymore. I'm sick of these white dresses. Want to go shopping tomorrow?"

Dinarzade gave a stuffy giggle. "I'm always up for spending time with you."


2 months later

"So you sprinkle the nuts on like so… Thalia! Not so many! Amaltheia, please stop eating the ingredients. Dinarzade, don't put it in the oven yet! It's not ready!"

A round of giggles burst out in the kitchens of the Sindria Trading Company as Sappho directed three hopeless students in the art of baking. It was all part of Amaltheia's "Operation Smile." Despite Thalia's ill-treatment of Sappho and Amaltheia when she was convinced she'd had a vision from the goddess, as soon as she had delivered a heartfelt apology, they had jumped on the chance to accept it. Amaltheia, in particular, had been one of Thalia's fiercest allies ever since. She had put together a plan to get Thalia out of her bed and back to her old self. "Operation Smile" consisted of two parts. The first was that Thalia now took an herbal mixture to help balance out what Amaltheia called Thalia's "phlegmatic humor." When Thalia had asked what it meant, Amaltheia explained that some people were prone to bouts of excessive melancholy and that the herbs would give her more energy to do the things she needed to pull herself back out of those slumps.

The second part was that every day, Thalia did a small something that brought her joy. It could be walking through a garden, practicing her swordsmanship, reading, anything. The catch? Thalia had to spend time with someone else while doing it. It didn't matter how cranky or miserable she felt. For an hour each day, she absolutely could not be alone. It had seemed a little ridiculous at first, but, though Thalia loathed to admit it, the plan was working.

Today's task was baking her favorite treat, baklava. Sappho was, thankfully, a patient teacher. She had to be with this crowd.

"This is so tedious," Amaltheia complained as she brushed a layer of honey onto the phyllo dough. "Why can't we just dump the honey on top?"

"I distinctly recall Sappho's Baklava being the best in Attica." Thalia eagerly placed another layer of dough on hers. "We should all follow her instructions exactly."

"I'm flattered, Pr-" Sappho caught herself using Thalia's former title. "Thalia."

Thalia dismissed the slip up with a wave of her hand before looking down at her unfinished pastry. These had to be perfect because she was going to bring them to Sinbad. He hadn't been dealing with what happened that night very well— or at all, really. They hadn't talked about anything from that night— not the fact that he had offered to marry her, not the fact that she had murdered the people who raised him, not even about what he planned to do about Kayra and Barbaross's attempts to manipulate them. He had thrown himself into his work until he exhausted himself, buddying up to Barbarossa with that dead-eyed smile she knew so well. He was clearly exhausted on every level, but when she brought him this wonderful, heartfelt present, he wouldn't be able to help but be touched by her kindness and—

"Ooh! I know that grin!" Dinarzade poked Thalia in the cheek. "You're thinking about Sinbad!"

"Am not." Thalia chucked a handful of walnuts in Dinarzade's direction. As an employee of the Sindria Trading Company, she would never admit to finding her boss attractive, even if at this point, denying it was absurd. If he ever discussed the marriage with her again, she would step down from her position… maybe. Being married to a king would make her a queen, and she wasn't ready to take on that kind of responsibility. For now, she just wanted to live for herself.

"Those are expensive!" Amaltheia picked up a hand full of powdered sugar. "Throw this instead!"

A cloud of white dust hit Dinarzade, exploding into a puff.

Throwing her arms up, Dinarzade shot Amaltheia a dirty look. "Rude!"

Sappho let out a frustrated groan. "How about no one throws anything."

"I'm sorry, but she deserved it." Thalia helped brush Dinarzade off, giggling.

"Right?" Amaltheia crossed her arms defensively. "No one teases Thalia about her absurdly apparent crush on that guy except me. I've decided to adopt her as my little sister since she's so cute."

"Pfft." Thalia gave Sappho a sideways glance Amaltheia came up to pinch her cheeks. "Please control your girlfriend."

Sappho's lips twitched. "I'm afraid she's just happy she finally found someone whose cheeks she can reach."

"I'm not that short!"

The girls broke into another round of laughter— one of the most beautiful sounds in the world, as far as Thalia was concerned. When the treats were finished, Thalia arranged the best-looking ones on a plate, garnishing them with crushed pistachios. While the others cleaned up the mess, she attempted to sneak away to give Sinbad his gift.

"Ohoho!" Amaltheia called out when she caught Thalia escaping with the pilfered goods. "Your time's not up yet, missy! You still have ten minutes, and that broom could use a dance partner."

"I think it'll be fine to let her go early." Dinarzade gave Thalia a knowing wink. "Just for today."

Amaltheia narrowed her eyes before shooing Thalia along. "Fine, but you owe us an extra thirty tomorrow."

"That… doesn't sound bad." Thalia gave them one last smile before slipping out and walking down the hall. Sinbad's office was on the second story of the building— the last door on the left. She hummed softly to herself, pausing outside shift the tray of food onto one arm so that she could grip the handle with the other.

"What happened to marrying me?" Serendine's bled through the door, strained and broken. "I'll make you into a famous revolutionary… the blood flowing through my veins can help you achieve all your goals. What happened to that agreement?"

Thalia froze. She hadn't realized Serendine still thought that he'd ever intended to accept that offer. He hadn't said yes, not verbally, but he had lost the challenge. Perhaps to Serendine, that had been as good as a verbal agreement. Thalia's heart squeezed tightly in her chest. Part of her was afraid to hear Sinbad's response, afraid that what he had seen her do had driven him into the arms of another woman. If marriage to Serendine was still on the table, he could still…

Thalia shoved the thought aside forcefully. She was jumping to conclusions without evidence again. That always got her into trouble before, but she was different now, better. She wouldn't worry about something so unlikely until there was evidence it was happening. Besides, he had Attica now. He didn't need to be part of Serendine's revolution.

"You don't come from a royal bloodline! Without that, you can't create a lasting country. That's why I was going to let you use me to…"

When Sinbad interrupted her, his voice was dangerously low. "Would you just be quiet for a moment?" There was a slap like a hand hitting the desk. "That's all just your opinion, isn't it? It's true that I don't have the right 'blood,' but Barbarossa and his party have taught me it's possible to lead a country even if you're not royalty. In fact, it's because they're not royalty that I realized you can create a government that's by and for the people. I don't need royal blood to create a country. I'm making my dream a reality now, so please don't get in the way."

Thalia pushed the door open and cleared her throat, clearing her throat to draw attention to her presence. She wasn't sure if she was interrupting them for Sinbad's or Serendine's sake, but it didn't feel right to let them quarrel.

"I… uh… just wanted to deliver this."

"Now is a really bad time, Thalia," Sinbad warned her, barely glancing in her direction.

"Oh, good. You're here," Serendine greeted her eagerly. "I'm sure you have something to say about this deal, don't you? After all, it's your country being auctioned off."

"That's…" She looked to Serendine, then to Sinbad, then back to Serendine. "I already gave him my blessing."

"You're joking, right?" Serendine looked her over, searching for any indication that this was a prank. When she failed to find anything, her lips pursed. "No, I guess you're not. You've never had any sense of self-preservation. Still, even someone like you has to know this little experiment is doomed to fail. Without royal blood, no one will be willing to follow him."

Thalia noted the deep circles under Serendine's eyes and decided it was better not to engage her. She was clearly exhausted physically and mentally. Thalia had learned that those were the times when she herself was the most unreasonable. Serendine was probably the same.

"When was the last time you got any sleep, Seren? Maybe we can talk about this when you're better rested."

"How can I sleep knowing that man is scheming something and my friends refuse to acknowledge it?" Serendine ran her fingers through her hair anxiously. "How can you sit by and watch this happen, Thalia? You hate him as much as I do!"

She crossed over to Sinbad's desk and set the tray down, taking in a deep breath before turning to face Serendine.

"It's true. Barbarossa is someone to be wary of, and his policies are barbaric, but this is Sin's chance to build up his own power. We can't stop Barbarossa as a trading company. With a few years of intelligent political maneuvers, though, Sinbad will be able to pressure Barbarossa's party to adopt more moderate policies, and the success brought about by Sindria's diverse population will challenge the rhetoric of Parthevian supremacists. This is our chance for a peaceful revolution. I can give up on my revenge if something good comes of this alliance with him."

Serendine laughed bitterly. "You think someone like Barbarossa would allow something like that? He's planning something, and you're both going to get killed. The only course of action is to take back Parthevia."

"If it's so important to you, do it yourself," Sinbad snapped. "My only purpose is to correct the injustices in the world. Taking back Parthevia is something I'm not interested in."

"Fine," Serendine said quietly. "Just remember when he betrays you who it was that really had your best interest in mind. Both of you."

Serendine marched out of Sinbad's office, slamming the door behind her. Thalia stood anxiously wringing her hands, unsure if she should stay here with Sinbad, go comfort Serendine, or leave them both alone.

"There's no point in going after her," Sinbad sighed, as though he could read Thalia's thoughts. He rested his head in his hands, drooping over his desk. "She'll do what she pleases, as always. We're all… a bit on edge, aren't we?"

Thalia didn't know how to respond, so she picked up a slice of baklava and held it out to him. "To… um… thank you for all of your hard work lately. I remembered you'd said you'd never had it, so I got Sappho and some others to help me."

He raised his head, arching his eyebrows as he looked up at her. "That's surprisingly domestic of you."

"They did most of the work," Thalia confessed guiltily.

He gave a fragile chuckle and reached up to stroke her cheek. "You've got some flour on your cheek."

"Oh." Averting her eyes, she gave a small smile. Silently, she thanked Amaltheia for pinching her cheeks with sugar-dusted hands. Moments like this had been fleeting after… her smile faded, and he quickly pulled away. There was that pang of melancholy again, small but painful nonetheless.

Sinbad leaned forward took a small bite of the pastry in her hand.

"I certainly see why you like it. It's very sweet."

Thalia nodded, sticking a sticky finger in her mouth and cleaning it off with her tongue.

He sighed. "I must be in a bad mood if I don't feel like teasing you for doing something like that in front of me."

"Doing something like what?" she asked with a wry smile. Despite her attempt to play it cool, her shoulders hunched as she cleaned off the other two. Gods, he'd just had to make it awkward, hadn't he?

He closed his eyes and gave her a lopsided smile. "Save your teasing for later. First, I think we should both take a nap. I haven't been sleeping well."

"That sounds like a good idea. Then, I'll leave you to it."

He would want to retire to his room by himself. Thalia started to back away, but he caught her by the wrist.

"Don't leave. I think I'll sleep better with you here."

Thalia gazed down at him, at his tired, haunted eyes. The melancholy told her that she'd done this to him, that he was like this because he'd gotten involved with her. She should push him away. It was safer that way…

No, this wasn't about her. She should be worried about him.

"Are you… really okay?"

When he didn't respond for a while, Thalia's stomach began to churn. If he was like her, if he had the same melancholy—

"I will be. I just need more time."

Thalia let out a relieved sigh.

"What about you?" He pulled her into his lap, pressing his lips to his forehead and sending her heart fluttering. "I know I haven't asked. I guess I've been afraid of your answer."

Thalia considered lying. She was doing better now. He didn't have to know about the dark depths she'd been to before Sappho had gotten Amaltheia to intervene. If she lied now, he would never find out. It would be fine, wouldn't it?

But what was the point of lying? Was she afraid he would think she was weak? Sinbad was her friend. She could be vulnerable with him, and he wouldn't judge her.

"After everything that happened…" She looked away, ashamed of what she was about to admit. "I felt so guilty, and I…" She took a deep breath, staving off tears. "I wanted to die. I had a plan and everything, but Amaltheia and the others—"

"You what?" He tugged her protectively against his chest. "You never said anything… I didn't know."

She took a shaky breath. "So many people died because of me, Sin. I keep thinking there must have been something I could have done, but I still can't come up with anything…"

"You think you're the only one at fault?" he asked quietly. "Thalia, we both saw people we abandoned in that place. Do you think it's not eating at me too? Are you going to leave me with your death on my hands as well?"

"You're not like me, Sin. When you were born, you had limitless choices laid out before you. You could have been a fisherman or a warrior or an author. Your only obligation at the time was to yourself because you were just a common boy. The only reason I was born was to protect those people, and I failed." A tear slid down her cheek as she recalled the dark place she had slowly been leaving behind. "I kept thinking… For a useless princess like me to go on living… isn't that selfish? Aren't I being too greedy?"

For days, she had shut herself away, refusing to eat or sleep. Dinarzade had struggled to get Thalia to leave their dorm room, but Thalia had refused. Then, one by one, her other friends had streamed in, each attempting to coax her out. Their attempts had been met increasingly desperate attempts to push them away. Amaltheia had said the melancholy was a sickness that fed on isolation, that Thalia had to fight against the urge to submit to it.

"What's so wrong about being selfish?" Sinbad pulled back, shaking her roughly. "I'm selfish too. You know, I was ready to sacrifice every single one of the other kids if it meant escaping Lady Maader, but you… you found another way. I was ready to abandon those people like a coward, but you were the one who was willing to take responsibility. The only reason I still recognize myself when I look in the mirror is because of you. You were there during my darkest moments, and you helped me pull through every time. I need you, Thalia because I'm afraid of the man I'll become without you— someone willing to sacrifice everything for my goal. You keep me grounded. When all I can see is the clear path that destiny has laid out for me, you take my hand and show me another way."

Did he really feel that way? She had always known she needed him, but never imagined he felt the same way about her. Trembling, she raised her arms, wrapping them around him and burying her face in his chest.

"I'm getting better, Sin. I'm working hard to get better."

He rested his cheek on the top of her head. "Good. From now on, I want you to live. No matter how hard it gets, you have to be strong. Everyone else feels the same as well. You're our precious friend, so, please, become as selfish and greedy as you need to."

Thalia nodded. From now on, she would focus on herself, on being happy. Other people's expectations didn't matter. She needed her own approval. She wanted her friends'. Other than them, no one else mattered.

"I promise."