Part 1: Chapter 7

Ariadne

When I had eaten the purple plums that had been brought for me, I had expressed concerns to Dion about being by myself in the grove.

When Cynthia had left me there, I had actually pleaded for her to stay with me, because I did not enjoy the thought of being left alone in the forest, terrified with thoughts of wild beasts that could attack me at any point of time. I told her that I wish for her to stay with me, telling her that her comforting presence was able to put me at ease.

She refused gently, telling me that she had other duties to the wildlands that she needed to perform and fulfill. But she had gently placed her hand upon my head and reassured me with a warm smile that the grove was under 'protection' and that nothing would hurt me there. Why she had said this and how she had known, I do not know, but I felt comforted to trust her word on that.

Dion told me nearly the same thing, saying that the grove I was in was reputed to be a sacred grove of a goddess and that anyone who has taken refuge in it shall be under her protection on the condition that they do not vandalize it and that they give their utmost respect towards it. Even though he did not say which goddess, I could guess that he was referring to Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt and the Wild, who held patronage over the entire world's wildands. Taking his words into heart, I vowed to myself to respect the grove I resided in and, if possible, make some offerings to her in exchange for her allowance of letting me stay in the grove.

After a while, Dion had stood up and gave me one of his hands, telling me that he wished to take me on a walk up the stream so that I would be better familiar with the grove I was to be in. Usually, I would have considered with much thought whether I would wish to go with him, since it seemed so out of the blue that he wished for me to walk with him.

But seeing the warm smile that still lingered on his lips, it made me certain to take his hand and accept his offer.

XXX

I will admit that I have solely been in the company of a man before. As a princess, I was regularly given offers of courtship by my father's court men or by their sons. Not wanting to be rude by refusing them flat-down, I accepted to go on outings with them just to entertain. But while remaining civil and polite as a princess, I made it very clear of my lack of interest in them, so that they would take the hint and do not seek my hand any further.

I thought that it would stay that way, until Theseus came.

I felt my heart clench at the thought of him again, and I forced myself to block out every single thought of him in my mind so that I did not break down once again. I still felt worn out from all the crying I did yesterday, and my heart still felt cracked from the awful thought of being betrayed. I swore to myself that I will no longer shed any tears for that manipulating bastard.

But luckily, I was thankfully distracted at the moment, because I was currently taking a lonely walk with Dion.

Dionysus

In her silence, I could feel her guarding herself.

It was obvious in the way her arms were loosely crossed as she walked in small steps while maintaining a space of about my arm's length between us. I knew very well that Ariadne was trying to attribute this to shyness, but in reality, it was to cover up her hesitancy and anxiety of being with me, a man she did not know.

As we walked by the side of the stream, she kept her pretty grey-green eyes ahead, although I would catch her stealing glances at me from the corners. If she saw me looking at her as she secretly looked at me, a faint blush would form on her cheeks before she turned away in embarrassment.

I did not comment, but I would smile.

So far, the walk upstream had been quiet; both of us doing our own sight-seeing. Once in a few minutes, Ariadne would make some comment about the weather or the flowers or the birds. Her tongue was prim, proper and polite; both with her words and the structures of her sentences. It was almost as though she had been taught to talk like that, like a proper lady. One simply could not have been born with a tongue as etiquette as hers.

I answered her with the same form of politeness, flashing her a smile and chuckling heartily. However, in the inside, I felt suffocated, and slightly frustrated. I did not want to talk about such insignificant matters like the flowers. I truly could not give a damn whether they had a sweet perfume or their petals were in a lovely shade of periwinkle blue. Such mundane topics could bore me to tears.

Instead, I wanted to know about Ariadne. I wanted to finally gain knowledge of who she was and what had happened to her. The longer I wait, the more curious I become. The lust to know her was just like my lust for wine; if I did not get the knowledge into my system, I would feel so very agitated.

But I held back with all the self-restraint I possessed. I had to remind myself time and time again that it would take a while until she would finally tell me. I had all the time in the world, so that should not be a problem for me. Forcing her to tell me would only result in frightening her, and that was not what I wanted to do to a poor soul like her. Besides, I might as well take the time to get to know her properly, whilst still under the guise of a seemingly-normal man named 'Dion'.

So far, being under a fake identity was, honestly, quite fun. I could play pretend, while ultimately hiding my true identity from Ariadne.

"Dion?"

I turned to look at her at the sudden call of my 'name'. "Yes, Ariadne?"

The minute I set my eyes upon her, I immediately saw hesitance and uncertainty etched into her lovely facial features. Her arms were still crossed, but her hands were rubbing the other's forearm. She was fidgeting lightly on her feet, her toes curling continuously. She looked at me anxiously as she bit gently on the corner of her full bottom lip (something that, for some reason, I found quite attractive). She clearly had something to ask me, but she was contemplating whether or not to do so.

So to make things easier for her, I asked politely, "Do you have a question?"

I could see some relief in her eyes appear and she nodded her head meekly. "I do," she replied, finally relaxing herself by letting go of her arms and letting them stay at her side, and stopping her foot-fidgeting.

"Then ask," I said with a small smile. "It's alright to ask."

Ariadne nodded again in understanding and started taking just a step closer to lessen the distance between us. That notion made me assume that she was beginning to feel comfortable in my presence. It was then I wondered if she was finally going to tell me what had happened to her.

With a deep breath, Ariadne finally asked me, "It's about someone I met just this morning."

I felt myself get disappointed that it was not about the subject that I wished to converse with her about. Nonetheless, I paid attention to her, despite the fact that I knew who she was talking about before she even got to the explaining part.

"This morning, when I first woke up, there was a woman. She told me that she knows I was here because – she said – that she 'watched the wildlands' and 'the wildlands watched me', so she was, in a way, watching me. I guess she must be some sort of priestess, because she was wearing a white robe with a hood drawn up over her head. Oh! And she asked me to call her Cynthia, because she said that she did not want to tell me her real name."

On the outside, I kept an attentive façade and listened to her words carefully. On the inside, I wanted to chuckle at the thought that Artemis too had used a cover name, and it became even more amusing that, like me, she was technically still using her name, because 'Cynthia' was one of her many names. 'Cynthia' meaning 'of Mount Cynthus', since Artemis had been born on Mount Cynthus at the island of Delos.

Feigning curiosity in my voice, I inquired, "Really now? And what did she do to you?"

Taking a few steps closer to me, Ariadne answered, "Well, it was she who brought me to the grove I was in just this morning. She must be very knowledgeable of the area to know a cozy area that holds plenty of fruit trees and a stream of clean water, and for that I am very thankful." But then, with a small frown, she added, "However, I find her quite strange."

"Why so?" I asked, genuinely curious this time.

Casually looking all around her surroundings, she replied, "Even though Cynthia was very kind to me, she was also very elusive. She did not speak most of the time, only when needed. When I asked her questions about herself, she did not even reply. She would just look at me with a blank gaze before looking away. I would call her rude, but I thought that maybe she just did not feel like talking."

Suddenly, looking directly at me, she then asked, "However, I thought you said that the nearest village was all the way on the other side of Naxos. If so, then why was Cynthia here?"

In a flash, she suddenly changed from curious and guarded to questioning and confused. "In fact, why is it that you are here? Who are you with here? You did say that you were from somewhere, right? Are you from a village? If you are, then why do you not take me there, where maybe I would be able to seek refuge?"

As Ariadne advanced upon me with questions, I backed up a few steps and brought my palms up to my shoulders, as though telling her to not come any closer. Noticing this, she suddenly stopped and clamped her hand over her mouth.

"Goodness…" she said in a voice that was muffled by her hand. "I am so very sorry! I did not mean to be so invasive!"

Ariadne's cheeks suddenly burned a bright red from embarrassment, and I couldn't help but chuckle in amusement. That only helped to increase the brightness of her cheeks.

In between chuckles, I said, "No need to fret, Ariadne. Although I will admit that there are too many questions for me to answer, with some that I simply cannot answer."

Hearing that, she released her hand from her mouth and asked with a frown, "Which questions?"

At that, I frowned. Did she not just apologize for being invasive a few seconds ago? She was being quite invasive right now. Maybe this was her typical behavior for her to continue to pester for answers, even if one had already told her that she would not get it.

However, I kept my cool and just answered her nonchalantly, "Like the question of whether I am from a village. I will say little by telling you that I come from a group, but I cannot tell you of what sort."

Seeing her lips part to question me further, I raised a hand instantaneously to stop her and I immediately interjected, "I am from a cult, and I cannot just speak of it with a stranger like you."

I immediately felt like I wanted to regret the fact that I gave an answer. I let off more than I intended to. But I reassured myself that I managed to not get too into detail, so my secret was still safe.

On the other hand, I somehow felt like my answer had come off a little bit harsh. I was only more certain of that when I saw Ariadne look taken aback, clearly finally getting the fact that I did not want to discuss such topics about myself for her.

She looked somewhat irritated and disappointed about not getting a proper answer, but she did not continue to press me for answers. In a quiet voice, she said, "Very well, then. I will not ask. And like I had said before, I apologize for being so evasive. It was truly not my intentions."

I willed myself to give her a bow of my head, as a way to show that she was forgiven. Silence ensued afterwards, quite to my dislike. I did not like silence; considering that I was naturally loud, silence was too suffocating for me.

Wanting to break the silence, and hear Ariadne's sweet voice once again, I asked in fake curiosity, "What did this 'Cynthia' look like?"

Looking up from the forest floor, Ariadne replied in earnest, "Well, I am certainly not lying when I say that the only one word to describe her is 'beautiful'. I mean, really! She must be one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. Even more than those who resided in my father's palace…"

All of a sudden, she gasped, and by the look in her eyes, I could tell that she had not intended to say the last few words. She looked mortified, clearly regretting what she had just said and wishing to take it back somehow.

However, I was glad that she did, because I had finally got her right where I wanted; one step closer to revealing her true identity.

Feeling my curiosity burn aflame once again, I questioned, "'Palace'?"

Ariadne looked panicked. "I… I…"

Taking a careful step closer to her, I asked in honest curiosity, "Are you a princess, Ariadne? A Princess of Crete?"

My question caused a new rising anxiety in her eyes, but she knew very well that she had been caught, and had no choice but to tell the truth. Ariadne exhaled a low sigh and meekly nodded her head. "Yes, Dion…" she admitted quietly. "I am… Or more currently, I was."

"Why is that?"

"Because… Because…"

Her voice was strained, and I could sense a wave of tears threatening to break out of it. Her eyes, which were now looking upwards at the tree canopies, looked as though they were starting to moisten. Her lips were pursed, and I caught sight of a faint motion of quivering.

Whatever she was going to say was certainly not going to be pleasant for her; that I could tell, and started to worry.

"Because…" Ariadne tried again, while I continued to wait for her to finish her sentence. But then, she suddenly said in a more quieter voice, "I cannot tell you…"

Once again, my frustration grew a notch.

"Why not?" I questioned as I felt myself frown. I will admit that I was getting slightly irritated, because just when I thought I could get the truth from her, she had to be all secretive once again. I did not want any of this nonsense of not being to tell me what had happened to her. All I wanted was to just know what happened to her. If I did, I might be done with it and even leave, satisfied that I finally managed to quench my curiosity.

At that precise moment, Ariadne started to guard herself once again. Her arms crossed as she hugged herself protectively, she avoided my gaze by looking to the side – with her pale blonde hair falling to cover half her face – and her voice replied indignantly, "Dion, you ask me to not question you about where you are from, and I respected that. So I only see it fair that you too do not question me of my predicament if I do not wish to tell you."

Suddenly, I felt angry and even more frustrated that she had used my own tactic against me. She was also starting to become like her rude persona from last night, something that irked me so.

Clever girl… I thought to myself angrily.

When Ariadne turned to look at me once again, her expression went from guarded to worried at the sight of the expression on my face. Immediately, she got out of her 'protective' stance and took slow steps towards me.

"Dion, please. I can only ask for you to respect my privacy," she said to me in a pleading yet firm tone of voice. "I know that you wish to know me, but I simply cannot tell you, because even thinking of it makes me feel strain and distress." Taking another few steps closer to me, she continued on gently, "You are still a stranger to me, and it is a common logic for anyone to not trust strangers, and natural to not confide in strangers with their qualms and problems. You cannot expect me to reveal everything about myself after only a few hours of knowing me, even if you wish to know a lot about me. But the thing is – "

At that moment, my anger and frustration lessened slightly. "What?" I inquired.

Looking up to hold my gaze, Ariadne said, "I really do not know why, but somehow, I partly do wish to trust you. I'm sorry to say that it does seem really foolish of me to want to trust you, but you have been nothing but patient and helpful to me since you found me last night. You seem to be a good man. But please do know that I have a choice on whether or not I would want to trust you. And if I do wish to do so, I can only trust you slowly, because I do not know you as much as you do not know me."

Her words remained stuck in my head, and I could not help but be enchanted by the truthfulness in it. As a god, I could tell easily when a mortal was lying; I could sense the lie hidden in their words, regardless of whether or not they were good liars. And it was clear in Ariadne that she was not lying to me.

Furthermore, she does seem earnest in wanting to trust me, although I could feel her holding back, seemingly hesitant at the thought of trusting me. The topic of trust was quite a big deal to her, and I could only guess that it must have something to do with the 'betrayal' she had mentioned last night, possibly committed by that Theseus.

Immediately, I would understand why she did not want to trust me.

Feeling my anger subside gradually until it was no more, I let out a sigh and nodded my head in understanding. "Very well then, Ariadne. I will respect your decision, and I promise that I will not pry too much," I said to her respectfully.

Satisfied that I finally seemed to understand, Ariadne gave me a small smile and bowed her head graciously. But then, I continued on.

"However, do know that I do wish for you to trust me as much as I want to trust you, seeing that I intend to make sure that your presence on this island is safe and I do wish to know you. I can only hope that you are willing to at least try."

The look on her face was one of uncertainty and hesitance, but I could tell that she was contemplating her decision underneath her façade. Her eyes seemed thoughtful for a while, trying to make up her mind.

Finally, she said to me, "Alright, Dion. I will try. However, I can make no promises."

Maybe not the answer that I had wanted to hear, but it was good enough nonetheless.

XXX

My walk with Ariadne had led us to the source of the stream; a small freshwater lake located near the bases of hills and mountains. Ariadne had been entranced and mesmerized by it, and was clearly glad that she had managed to find such a beautiful sight.

I only stood aside and watched as she explored the lake, and I couldn't help but enjoy the sight of her smiling and looking amazed. Somehow, that sight did wonders to me, showing me just how much beauty Ariadne held underneath the façade of her emotional distraught state.

But it was then I noticed that the sun had begun to set, and I knew that it was time for me to return to my camp. My followers were probably wondering wherever had I went off to during the entire day, but I was sure to not tell them.

I told Ariadne that I had to leave, and that I wished to walk her back to the grove. She clearly seemed disappointed, and curious about wherever I was about to head off to. But she simply said 'Alright' and followed me by the side.

The walk hadn't truly been long. Probably about fifteen minutes or so. But the sky had already turned a dark orange when the both of us had finally returned.

Just when I was about to leave, I noticed that her eyes started to look frightened and worried, and I knew that it was the thought of being left alone in that grove that made her so. I pitied her then, knowing that it was natural for mortals – especially females – to cower at the thought of being alone, when they were the most vulnerable.

To give her some comfort, I assured her that the sacred grove was safe, and that the goddess who owned it will watch her and protect it. My voice was truthful and I really was not lying when I had told her that, since Artemis herself had given her word.

I promised her that I will surely return to her tomorrow to give her my company once again, so that she need not feel alone. I also told her to just remain in the grove for the whole night, and that she was not to venture out into the surroundings no matter what happened. Ariadne, still looking worrisome but slightly more comforted, promised that she wouldn't, and finally managed to bid me goodbye until the next day.

I returned the gesture and finally walked away, continuing to look back at her until she had finally disappeared from my sight when I walked into the growth.

Author's Note:

Well, it nearly did not go so well, what with Ariadne's hesitancy and Dionysus' urge to know the truth about her. But thankfully, they managed to set it aside, with Ariadne revealing that she does want to trust him, but she just can't at the moment!

Well, well! Things seem to be looking quite well right now! With the next chapter, a certain someone will come back to give Dionysus just what he wants about Ariadne!

See you on Monday!

Muse of Fanfiction