QT Prompt #6: a thing where Costis meets Gen where they are little and he suddenly remembers it one day - by Anonymous

The king hadn't known that Costis would be angry.

Costis didn't get angry at him very often. Well, perhaps he did, but he didn't often get angry enough to forget himself and show it. He'd been very careful about that sort of thing ever since he punched his sovereign in the face, which Eugenides would occasionally remember and chuckle about. (He'd made a very good choice in Costis.)

Today, though, Costis was angry, and the king was actually surprised. He hadn't even done anything. They had simply been walking down the hall on the way to one of the king's meetings, while Eugenides chattered in the hopes of making Costis say more than five words at a time.

It had worked, because suddenly Costis remembered.

"Oh, yes," the king had said, grinning smugly in the guard's shocked face. That probably made it worse. He hadn't known Costis was about to get angry.

Costis was several years older than the king – really much closer to the queen's age. Eugenides had only been five when they met the first time, so Costis should have been the one who remembered, but he wasn't. A young thief had seen Costis standing next to his father after Gen snuck away from his own mother and wanted to avoid his grown relatives. By the end of the meeting, Gen stole one of the other boy's shoes just to have something to do. A very confused Costis was upbraided by his mother, and young Eugenides threw the shoe away several weeks later, confident that he had gotten away scot-free.

And that was it. That was the entirety of their meeting. Eugenides had remembered it, so in a vague thoughtless way he'd assumed that Costis had too.

Costis had not.

Costis's face went white and then red. The king looked at him in confusion now, unsure why his guard's back had just straightened more than it already was. He looked behind him, half-expecting to see an attacker coming for him. Which is what happened the last time Costis looked at him with a ridiculous expression.

"I did not remember that, Your Majesty," said Costis. "I think you'll be late." There was none of the usual warmth in his not-often-used voice.

"Costis, are you…" Eugenides started, and then stopped.

The guard raised two eyebrows as a way of asking him what was wrong.

"Yes, of course, I'd hate to be late. Never be predictable, right?" Eugenides said. A little bit of him had been hoping that would convince Costis to smile, or at least that the quip would crack the stone that seemed to have hardened around his loyal guard's mouth.

Costis didn't react.

They went to the meeting, but Eugenides was watching Costis the entire time. Most people would find that an impressive feat, since Costis was behind him. But he had his ways. A thief was always aware of his surroundings.

Actually, being a thief had prepared him to be a king in some ways.

And had made it more difficult in others.

All in all, he would say that he would rather be back home, stealing things from underneath people's noses and laughing with Helen, but his old home didn't have his wife. And he wouldn't give her up for even the nicest fibula pins.

Costis stayed angry for the entire meeting. His face kept going red and then white again.

Costis did his job for the rest of the day with polite efficiency. Eugenides teased him twice, both times rewarded with a nod and, if the remark required it, a "Yes, Your Majesty". When Eugenides dismissed him, he turned sharply on his heel and left.

He didn't hesitate at the door.

He didn't smile at any of the attendants.

He didn't look back to check on the king one last time.

The king had bad-mouthed Costis's country until the guard punched him, and he had taunted him mercilessly, and he had driven him to near insanity with worry and exasperation, and he'd nearly ruined Costis's reputation by being able to take care of himself. He had never managed to make Costis this kind of angry, and frankly he was curious as to how he had managed it.

He went to his wife.

She was brushing her hair, having dismissed her own maids, when he took the hairbrush from her hand and began running it through her dark locks.

Gently, she touched her chest, and said, "You startled me." She hadn't outwardly reacted at all.

He didn't apologize. He would run out of apologies if he said he was sorry after time he should.

"I made Costis angry," he said.

"You make people angry a good deal," she said, bemused. "Making people angry has been said to be your defining characteristic."

"Who said that?"

"I am sworn to secrecy, my dear."

"It was Eddis."

The queen only smiled. "I still don't understand your problem," she said.

"I don't know why he's angry. And I do want to know. I'm sure he'll get over it soon enough. It's just not like him, and I don't want to be surprised if this sort of thing…"

His wife caught his fingers in her hand. "It is very unusual," she said. "You should find out why." She felt him relax a little under her touch, and inwardly she smiled fondly. "But I certainly couldn't help you with your guard. Perhaps you should talk to someone who knows him."

Eugenides smiled. "Have I told you recently that I love you?"

She leaned back into him, and he kissed her tenderly. "You have," she said. "But I still like to hear it."

/

"Aristogiton," said the king when the guardsman walked in, and Aris jumped about five feet in the air.

"Your Majesty!" he nearly yelped. And then took a breath. And swallowed. Took another breath.

Eugenides sat calmly and smiled as he waited for the man to collect himself.

"Your Majesty, I apologize. I was just surprised to see you. You're sitting on my bed, and I didn't expect you to be. Here. At all. Your Majesty." He shrugged a little sheepishly. Aris viewed the king with apprehension, like he was a stubborn dog that might at any point in time decide to get drunk and climb the roof, but Eugenides also knew that Aris didn't hate him. "Was there something you wanted me to do, Your Majesty?"

"As a matter of fact," said Eugenides. "You're friends with my guard, right?"

"You mean Costis? Yes, we're friends."

"It's come to my attention that something is bothering him, and I thought you could enlighten me."

Aris thought. "How long has it been bothering him, Your Majesty?"

"Since this morning, when we went to my meeting."

"I haven't talked to him since the day before yesterday. I only saw him briefly this afternoon, Your Majesty; I'm sorry. But Costis likes to talk about things that bother him. At length." He smirked a little to himself, and then continued, "He would certainly tell you himself if you asked."

"Thank you, Aristogiton," said the king, and moved for the door. Aris stood behind him, watching him go and chewing his lip.

"Your Majesty?"

"Is there something more?" Eugenides turned around, adjusting his hook with his real hand. Aris eyed it, and then dragged his gaze to the king's face.

"Costis… is a really good man. A really good one. And he doesn't hold resentment, but…" He didn't want to say whatever he was thinking, and so the king just kept watching him impassively. Long gone were the days when people would just openly insult him. Now they got nervous about it. "But when you had him promoted, that changed things for him. His whole life. He thought he'd ruined his family at first, and then all the men treated him differently, and his reputation has had holes blown in it, and you know how Costis feels about reputation. This was never how he thought his life would go, Your Majesty, and it has been very hard for him."

"Thank you," said Eugenides, and nodded. "I know."

He left.

/

"You wanted to see me, Your Majesty?"

"Costis, why are you angry?"

Costis wasn't usually so still. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're…"

"Do not lie to me. I know you're angry, even if you don't say so out loud."

"My king. I don't want to discuss it, because I don't think it will help."

"I just don't know why. We were discussing the fact that we met once as children, which you forgot, and then you were angry. And you've been angry off and on since then."

"I don't want to tell you."

"Well," said the king, drawing himself up in his chair, his gaze sharpening. "I'm ordering you to. Refusing to answer me now would be…"

Costis took a deep breath and made a decision. "How long have you been planning my life?"

The king blinked. "What?"

Costis's dam had broken, and he ran his fingers over his face before he went on, "I thought my life was something I had planned. I thought I had dreams and so I joined the guard. And then I learn that you planned to make me lose my temper because you had plans for what you wanted me to do, but that was only a year ago. I just thought you were capricious and I was thankful to be alive. You have been planning what you wanted to do with me since we were children, haven't you?"

"No," said the king, comprehension rapidly dawning. "No, Costis, I've only been jerking you around like a dog on a chain for the one year, if you were wondering. I haven't been orchestrating your life behind your back. Is that what you wanted to know?"

"Yes," said the guard honestly, shifting on his feet. He was deflated and the red had left his face. He seemed a little embarrassed. "That's all I wanted to know."

Eugenides nodded. There was nothing else to say.

"I'm sorry –" started the guard, but the king shook his head emphatically.

"You didn't do anything you need to apologize for," said the king. "Don't."

And he didn't apologize either.