I should really be reading ten pages on women and Calvinism and writing a synthesis on it but I just came up with a whole new plot thingy for this and I JUST HAD TO WRITE IT. HAVE FUN PEOPLE!

Chapter Quote:
"Moderation in all things, except my anger."

Chapter 5

Kiara

Whatever Kyrian had done, Alcina had stopped all lessons with me. Whatever Kyrian had done, I loved him for it. My days changed from being tortured by Alcina to having free run of the palace, only having duties randomly throughout the week and only seeing the irksome woman when there were preparations for the wedding to be made. Obviously that would change once I actually became a princess, particularly queen, but anything was better than being with Alcina.

It'd been a month since my last lesson with her. Currently I was brushing Arsen after riding him around the palace grounds. It always melted away my stress. I don't know why, but I felt free when I was riding my horse. I felt like there were no boundaries holding me back. No one could tell me what to do.

"Kiara?" Agathon called out.

"Over here!" I responded. My friend walked over. He wore armor, telling me he'd come from the training arena. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," he said with a smile.

"Grab a brush. Help me clean Arsen."

"What happened to him?" He bellowed, glancing at the dried brown filth that ran all the way up my horse's legs.

"We may have discovered a mud pit. It was deep but Arsen accidentally jumped in it."

"You two always did find trouble."

"It's more like trouble finds us. Me in particular. He just happens to be my companion when it usually happens," I remarked. The two of us fell silent as we continued to groom. It didn't take long to get Arsen clean with both of us there. After leading him into the stall and making sure there was no way he could get out (that horse is entirely too smart and has learned how to unlock his stalls), Agathon and I walked back to the palace.

"How are getting along with Kyrian?"

I smiled at the thought of my fiancé. "We're getting along better and better each day. We're quite similar, actually. And I owe it all to him for getting me away from Alcina. I don't know what he did, but it worked."

"Are you feeling better about the marriage?"

I bit my lip. "I'll always worry about it until it actually happens, but can I tell you something? I don't want this leaving between us."

"Of course," he said immediately. The two of us walked into my room. After shutting the door, I took a deep breath and confessed, "I think I might actually be falling in love with him." Agathon's mouth fell open. "It's not just because he has godly looks. He's surprisingly very sweet and caring and funny, and he's actively trying to make this arranged marriage easier on me. I mean he offered to let you be my lover if that meant I'd be happy living here and-"

"What did you say to that?" he interrupted, taking a step towards me. His eyes flashed with curiosity, but the gesture made me take a step back.

"I said no."

"Why did you say that?" he inquired.

"Because if anyone but him discovered us, it would mean your death and my banishment. I could handle my punishment, but I couldn't watch you die. Besides, I would never be unfaithful to my husband."

Agathon walked over to me. I placed my hands on his chest to stop him. For some reason, I didn't want him to come near me. That look in his eyes earlier… it made me wary. "Stop."

Needless to say, he didn't. In fact, he wrapped his arms around me, squeezing my arms between his chest and mine, making them effectively immobile. Panic started to rise in my chest. Agathon bent his forehead against mine. His breath reeked of alcohol. Was he… drunk?

"Why did you turn his offer down?" he whispered. "It would give us a chance to be together."

"Because I'm going to be Kyrian's wife. The gods would look down upon it and only they know what they would do to me for it."

"I'd protect you," he said, his lips beginning to touch mine. I tried to lean my head back, away from him, but it was blocked by the wall. I starting cursing mentally for allowing myself to get in this situation. Before I could respond, his mouth was on mine. I didn't kiss back. I struggled against him, trying to push him away with my arms, my legs, my whole body. "Kiara, stop fighting this. I love you, you love me. Why do you resist?"

I was about to tell him very unkindly to get the hell off of me but he kissed me, and this time he forced his tongue into my mouth. I wanted to gag. Cringing, I managed to say 'get away from me' but it was muffled thanks to his inconveniently placed mouth.

"Get the hell away from her," a deep voice growled. Someone yanked Agathon off me and threw him on the ground. Relief surged through me. Kyrian stood there. Turning his head, he asked me, "Are you okay?"

"Better now. Thank you," I answered. My fiancée nodded and picked Agathon up by his armor. Sneering, he said, "When a woman tells you to get off of her, to get away from her, you listen." Kyrian shoved Agathon away but the Greek had other ideas. I could barely warn the Thracian general before Agathon punched him hard. Kyrian barely moved, but rage filled his eyes.

"You dare attack me?" Kyrian stalked towards Agathon. I ran over to them, meaning to get between them to stop anything from happening, but the latter shoved me aside. In a blink of an eye, the two of them were at it. Neither really had the upper hand in the fight, which shocked me. I never knew Agathon actually knew how to fight like he did. There was a break when the two men kicked each other away. Taking advantage of the opportunity, I slid in front of Kyrian, placing my hands on his shoulders.

"Kyrian, don't," I said. Instead of pushing me away, his green eyes went down to mine.

"Let me at him, Kiara."

"No. Enough, from the both of you," I told him firmly, glancing back at Agathon just to check on what he was doing. He was standing now, glaring at his competitor.

"Why are you protecting him? He just-" Kyrian faltered. "I forget. You're in love with him."

For some reason, Agathon began guffawing. "Oh this is wonderful! This is- this is classic!"

"What are you talking about?" I demanded, looking at him.

"Oh no, the prince can explain this one. When you want to confess your love to me princess, you know where to find me." My father's right-hand man gave an unsteady bow and strode out of my room unsteadily.

"He was drunk, Kyrian. He wouldn't have done that to me sober."

"Why'd you stop me?"

"You were going to kill him, and there is no honor in killing a drunk man. If you want to fight him, fight him sober." I paused. "What did Agathon mean when he said you had to explain something to me?"

"Nothing. Forget what he said," he muttered, pulling himself away from me.

"No, no, no, what needs to be explained?" I questioned gently, grabbing his arm. He yanked it away from me.

"I said forget it!" he barked just as Penthea and Zelina came rushing into the room. The outburst shocked me into silence. Rather than begging for him to explain, I didn't want to cause a scene, not with the two girls watching. No matter how much I trusted them, I knew the story would spread like a wildfire among the servants. Instead I went the simple route. Curtsying with the most stoic tone and expression I could muster, I said, "As you wish, your highness."

Kyrian stared at me for a few seconds, almost as if he wanted to say something. However, he chose not to say anything and stalked out of my room. Penthea and Zelina remained quiet, waiting for me to say something. I breathed heavily. After all the progress Kyrian and I had made in our relationship, we'd gone back to square one. Out of frustration, I slammed my first into the marble column next to me. I felt the blood welling up on my knuckles, heard me two servants fussing over me.

"Leave me be," I ordered.

"But your hand-"

"Can be taken care of by myself," I finished. "Now go."

They listened.

Julian

"Why did I ever let my father actually go through with his? I could've convince him otherwise! Stupid! I told myself not to get attached, especially when I knew she was in love with another man, but what do I do? I fall in love with her! To think I could even begin to trust her! Gods what was I thinking?! I'm talking to my father tonight and I'm getting this marriage cancelled! I hate her!" Kyrian ranted. "Where's my sword?! Bring me my sword and a dummy to practice on!"

Julian simply stared at his friend. "You're going to give up on her after one fight?"

"She stopped me from killing a man that assaulted her because he was drunk. Drunk or not, he had no right doing that to her. He has no right to be alive. He's scum."

"So you are upset with her and say you hate her yet you still want to kill any man who touches her? Kyrian, it sounds to me like you love her and just don't want to admit it."

My friend's shoulders sagged, his bravado gone. "I do, and she has no idea. I fear if I say anything to her about it, she'll push me away."

"She's known him her whole life. Of course she's not going to want you to kill him. But let me remind you, you said she was putting up resistance when you walked in, right?"

"Yes."

"If she loved him as much as you claim she does, she would've been kissing him back, not telling him to get away, especially after that offer you gave her." I sighed when my friend didn't say anything back. He was studiously ignoring me. "Kyrian, it's time for dinner. Stop moping, clean up your act, and talk to her after dinner."

"I don't want to talk to her. And she made it clear at the end she was fine by that."

"What exactly did she say?" I mused, my empty stomach making me a little short-tempered.

"She's been calling my Kyrian for the past two months. Our relationship has regressed. She's calling me 'your highness' again." Almost as an afterthought, he added sadly, "I don't like it."

"I'm sure it was just a one-time thing. You were mad, she was upset. It'll probably be the only time she says it."

"I bet you twenty drachma you're wrong. Now, come on. I'm hungry, you're hungry, it is dinner time, so what are we still doing here?"

"You're bet is taken. And about dinner, that's the most logical statement to come out of your mouth for this entire conversation." Kyrian glowered at me but remained silent. We walked to the dining hall. King Alkis and Kiara's family were all there. Kyrian and I took our places at the table.

"Does anyone know where my daughter is?" King Nikolos asked. "Would you boys happen to know where she is?"

"No sir," I replied. "Kyrian and I have been in the training field most of the day."

At that moment, the sound of pattering feet made all of us turn to look at the door. In a few seconds, a breathless Kiara came into view. When she saw all of us looking at her, she blushed.

"My sincerest apologies, your majesty, I lost track of time. It won't happen again," she declared. Walking over to her chair, she quickly sat down. Her sister-in-law, Elysia, began chatting with her as our appetizer was set in front of us. I noticed Kiara wore cloth around her hands. Upon mentioning it to her, she simply explained that her hands were cold. It was a complete lie. I saw her cringe every time she bent her knuckles. She'd injured herself. I couldn't point it out to Kyrian without drawing attention to our whispering so I remained silent.

"This food is incredible," Kiara's mother sighed. "I can only imagine what the food will be like at the wedding!"

"Oh Kiara, your dress is gorgeous! Everyone, just wait until you see her in it! She's going to be the envy of all the girls in the city," Elysia added. The Grecian princess smiled at her friend but remained silent. The conversation turned towards the wedding itself, but the couple it was focused on remained quiet until Kyrian finally said, "Father, I've been meaning to talk to you about the wedding."

Everyone went on the merry way eating their food, but Kiara's hand that had been moving a piece of steak to her mouth froze midway there. Immediately it hit me she'd somehow heard what Kyrian had been saying earlier. There'd been no one around us, but it wasn't like my friend had exactly been quiet about it. If she'd been coming to seek him out, she easily could've figured out where he was, come to the training area, remain unseen, and still hear everything being said.

As if sensing my gaze, her eyes flitted up to meet mine. Realizing she'd frozen, she carefully set down her fork. Before Kyrian could go further on the topic, she asked, "Pardon for the interruption, but I'm not feeling well. May I be excused from dinner?"

"Of course, dear. Would you like Kyrian to escort you up to your room?" King Alkis offered.

She quickly protested. "Oh no. It's just that he's hardly done with his meal. I'd hate to interrupt his highness's dinner. No, no, I can make it back to my room on my own." Giving the king a very sweet smile, she curtsied and took her leave. When she was half way to the door, Kyrian continued, "I was just wondering who all we've decided to invite to the wedding and when we should send word to them about the date."

Kiara's head turned ever so slightly but I saw the tension leave her shoulders. I smiled to myself though. Kyrian hadn't given up on her like he told me. Not that I actually believed he would've talked to his father about cancelling the wedding, but still. The meal passed without any more interruptions.

At the end, when Kyrian and I were walking back to our respective bedchambers, I paid him twenty drachma. He'd seemed to have forgotten about the bet.

"Do you think she's okay?" he questioned.

"Honestly, I think she's more upset than she's leading you on to believe. I don't know if you realized this, but she wasn't wearing those gloves because her hands were cold."

"You think she hurt herself?"

"Maybe it was an accident, maybe on purpose, but yes, I think she hurt herself."

"Oh! Sorry your highness, sorry General," Zelina said when she bumped into them. I steadied her; her arms were full of bandages, a bowl of warm water, and some bottle of what appeared to be a salve.

"Who are these for?" Kyrian demanded.

The girl cowered slightly. "For Princess Kiara."

"Stop it, you're scaring her," I scolded my friend. He apologized to Zelina for frightening her but his mind was elsewhere. He walked up to Kiara's door and knocked. From inside, his fiancée called out, "Unless you are Zelina, I do not want to have any other company!"

Kyrian sighed. Not saying anything to me or Zelina, he entered his room.

"Let me get the door for you," I offered. I knocked on Kiara's door to announce her servant's arrival. When the princess saw me, she quickly hid her hands behind her back. I simply told her, "I know the gloves weren't because your hands were cold. You don't have to hide your injuries from me."

She nodded but kept them hidden. Zelina finished putting everything down on Kiara's dresser before asking, "Are you sure you do not need help, princess?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Thank you. You're dismissed. Go get some sleep, all right?" The servant curtsied and left. I lingered in the doorway before inquiring, "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine."

"And your hands?"

"Hurting, but nothing that won't heal properly."

"May I speak with you?"

"Julian, the last two men I've trusted in my room, I've ruined my relationship with. I do not want you to be a third. I value our friendship too much."

"Yes, well, I'm much calmer than your husband and much more respectful than Agathon." Kiara hesitated but finally nodded, allowing me to come in. I shut the door so we could have some privacy. She sat down and put her hands in the warm water. I didn't see the injuries. I pulled up a chair in front of her and said, "For the record, I want you to know you didn't ruin your relationship with Kyrian, and you did not ruin your relationship with Agathon. He did that himself, not you. Let me see your hands," I encouraged gently. She did as told. The knuckles on her right hand were bruised and bloody, the knuckles on her left only bruised. "What happened to your right hand?"

"I punched a marble column," she answered simply.

"You punched a marble column?" I repeated in shock.

"I'm glad you can hear," she said.

Shaking my head, I lifted her left hand. "What about this one?"

"I punched Agathon."

At that I laughed. "Bastard deserved it. Let me help you bandage them up. I'm good at it. Being a general, I've had to learn to be a doctor from time to time. Stick your hands back in the water though. It'll help clean the wound on your right hand."

Kiara nodded. "How is Kyrian?"

"Upset, but worried about the same thing you are, thinking he ruined the relationship. You calling him 'your highness' really got to him for some reason. Don't look at me, I don't know why it got to him. I don't know what goes through Kyrian's mind half the time and I've known him much longer than you have so don't get flustered if you don't understand him. I still don't." She smiled briefly. "You do know he didn't mean it though, right?"

"Mean what?"

"I know you heard him earlier in the training field," I pointed out.

Kiara flushed. "I was trying to find him to apologize, to see if I could salvage… I only heard some of it, but I don't believe I wanted to hear the beginning of it."

"What part did you come in at?"

"Him ranting about how he shouldn't have trusted me."

"When did you leave?"

"Him wanting his sword."

"If you would've stayed longer, maybe it'd be easier to explain how untrue everything he said is. This is just one fight. I promise you will both get over it. I can't tell you how many times my wife, Penelope, and I have fought. She would always go for a walk afterwards, usually in town. She said it calmed her down, allowed her to think rationally about how to approach the same conversation next time. It always worked."

"What would you do?"

"I'd sit down and worry about her until she got back," I admitted.

"She's lucky to have you as a husband. I would love to meet her someday," Kiara said, smiling.

"Drop by our home any time. She's almost always there. It's the first house on the right when you're leaving the palace itself. We live on the grounds so whenever there are emergencies, I'm right there. You two can share each other's company when Kyrian and I leave."

"You two are leaving soon?"

"In a week's time. Two weeks at most. Just to take care of small thing in a nearby city. We'll be back in no time."

"I will miss you. Both of you."

"I will tell him that."

"Good luck getting him to believe you," she mumbled.

"He will. Here, let me put the salve on your hands and bandage them up so you can get to bed." She took her hands out of the water and handed them to me. I worked quickly. In a few minutes, her hands were bandaged and she folded them in her lap.

"I'm not sure if you can answer this, but Agathon teased Kyrian about something being classic, that Kyrian should explain it to me. You wouldn't happen to know what Agathon meant for him to explain, do you?"

"I do, but it is not my place to tell. That is something Kyrian needs to tell you himself. I do apologize though, princess. I must be going. Penelope will kill me if I'm out too late again. Get some rest, and feel better. I will see you tomorrow at breakfast?"

"Yes. Thank you, Julian. For everything."

"Any time. And look, we're still friends." I winked at her as she laughed. Telling her good night, I left.

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