Take my hand and if I'm lying to you
I'll always be alone
if I'm lying to you
Take your time, if I'm lying to you
I know you'll find that you believe me
you believe me
-Dido, "Take My Hand"

There were things that she could confess to herself that she never meant to do. They were not all things she thought of with regret, but rather things that maybe if she had some insight into, she wouldn't have pursued a particular path. What made them so memorable was that often, they were the complete and utter trivial in nature or how they came to be. It was often something small, yet grew to enormous consequences, all because she did something that with hindsight, she wouldn't have.

That was why they called it hindsight however. She was not omnipotent, she could gain premonitions of the future but often it was just vague sensations. It took her years to be able to hone it so, but visions did not make her omnipresent. Visions merely helped her purpose in life, gave her directions where uncertainty would lie in wake otherwise. Hindsight could continue to be what it was, a means to look back at things and honestly wonder "why would I ever do that?"

She had spoken to the High Priest for an hour after their arrival, relating what she had encountered in her journeys, the things she had seen in the flames. He was not her grandfather, for no one could ever hold such esteem and respect, but he was a knowledgeable man. Nearly as old as her grandfather had been, his wisdom was part of the reason she sought his council. He had been alive and quite active during the time of the King, equally experiencing with her this period of unrest, of roving brigands, of traitorous whispers and increasing unrest.

There were some things she kept private, to herself, that perhaps had bearing to things she knew but never did he pry to discover. Instead she mentioned the common things, the state of affairs concerning the scouts, the town and its warlord, the arrival here. It was with hesitation, the words finally spilling with just his silent but kindly look at her that she related the arrival of the blonde as well, further what she had vowed to. She already told him that she was her bodyguard at the gates, but a greater explanation was warranted now.

Bare mention was made of the vow the blonde had given her, feeling it was something sacred. It was easier to say that the blonde had proven, time and again even with unorthodox methods, that she was true to her word. The High Priest had nothing ill to say of it; really who was he to judge, but had encouraged in his own fashion that she sit and talk with the blonde, especially given that up to now, they had not had much moments of peace or much time to discuss the questions that burned in her eyes.

The things like who was she, where did she hail from as she was obviously an outsider; the looks alone gave her away, and why had she, of all people, been sought out. The High Priest refused to go into the details of it, just encouraged that the doubt could be so slain if it was brought to the light of day. From there the conversation had shifted to his permission that she could consult the flames upon the next day, that indeed they could stay as long as it was so needed, that what warlords passed through the area gave the temple a wide berth, and other such topics.

It was another hour later that she had bathed herself, washing away the grime of travel and feeling immeasurably better that she changed into clean robes. A moment of debate concerning whether or not she should belt on the sword belt before she finally relented to doing so. It wasn't against her beliefs, she just had never found a reason to fight for something though. Certainly the fact that her people, as she called them, were in danger gave her more of a reason to pursue a martial skillset. While she knew that Phobos and Deimos would have been willing to train her; both having offered before, she had refrained until she met the blonde. Why her, what made her so special? She didn't know and refused to think on it any longer, opening the door just in perfect timing to collect the tray of prepared food. Assuring the other that she had it she gave a slightly apprehensible look towards her destination.

She hadn't asked for a bodyguard. She didn't understand why she warranted one. The blonde though was obviously not a native; she was very much a foreigner yet despite how she did things, the blonde didn't give a damn about her safety and rather put herself in possible harm and danger to see her arrive to at least this point. It was a sort of grudging respect she had for her. Maybe it was time as the High Priest had mentioned that she learn just what the blonde's purpose was. For that matter who she was.

Just a name didn't do much to help her out, after all. She took a breath, schooling her features back to stoicness, near apathy. Having been informed where the blonde had been roomed, just around the corner as it were, she carefully balanced the tray to give the door a knock.

There wasn't an answer.

She made a face, her temper rising, knocking on the door again, a bit harder this time. Sure perhaps the blonde was asleep; but what kind of bodyguard slept while their charge was still up? If she was so intent to act like one, then it was time she was perhaps treated like one. It gave her fist motivation to give the door a harder knock.

There still wasn't an answer.

The tray, while not heavy, was not meant to be balanced on one hand. Fuck if the blonde didn't answer on the third knock she was going to leave her here and she could stay or run off to do whatever the fuck that she wanted to do. Her fist hadn't lowered yet when the door was nearly yanked clean off of its hinges to open, a rather impressive feat given the craftsmanship that went into such construction. Only because she had corrected the balance of the tray did she not outright drop it, but she still nearly did.

Clad in only a towel and still dripping water, answering all the questions that she had concerning where the blonde was and just what she had been doing; obviously it wasn't sleeping, she stood before her. Piled artfully on top of her head, her long blonde hair told the story of being clean, held in place by four thin rods. The towel itself came only to mid thigh if that, parted where her fist currently kept it at least to her.

It was everything that was seen that drew her gaze. It was everything that was still hidden that kept her attention. Despite her discipline otherwise, her eyes widened in what could only be considered a stare. Where they honed in first she still couldn't say, just that they traveled every inch offered. From her hair down to her bare feet, she took her completely in. Her thoughts betrayed her though, silenced however by a single question, a single wonder.

How could someone so beautiful like her willingly spend her life in such service?

Against her skin that held a soft and light tan, the obvious lines of white spoke of her trade. The nick at her collarbone that she had left was still slightly red, blatant signs since it was just above her breasts that the towel was doing absolutely everything and nothing for in the way that only something like a towel could accomplish. The red cloth that she had wrapped around her temple since the start was absent, showing that while the side of her head had stopped bleeding for real at this point, it was still a tender wound and prone to the colorful bruise present.

All she could do was stare. The blonde seemed rather pensive about something, frustration rolled off of her like heat from flames. However it was only seconds that they stood in silence with one another before the blonde took a step back, the signal for her to enter in such universal sayings. The movement instantly flooded her features with heat and color; caught staring the fact that the other had moved meant she knew she was staring at her. She said nothing though, merely collecting the towel better around her before shutting the door.

Left to be the one to break the ice with words, she did so with flair of stumbling. "I. I brought something to eat. I didn't realize you were busy. I. Uhm." Gods she sounded horrible, eyes averting to elsewhere in the room. Anywhere but the blonde please. The blonde was dangerous territory, one that she didn't know if she could so survive right now.

"We uhm. I. Erm." There. Thank the Gods, a table. She made an instant go of it, her destination firmly in grasp. A deep breath later and the tray was set down upon it, retaking up her mental discipline after berating herself enough. "I brought us something to eat, I spoke to the Head Priest and it concerns what we're going to do, since you are my bodyguard." There, that didn't sound so bad after all. It sounded believable, authoritative.

Her back was turned and thus she missed the look that crossed the blonde's face, a look of longing. By the time she righted and looked back, the look had almost completely faded, just a whispering essence to remain to tell her that it had crossed. To her pack the woman went, trusting in the tuck job on the towel to stay about her as she began fishing out clean clothes. A noncommittal sound was all the blonde had given her, garments of some nature in her grasp as she moved to where the bath she had been occupied sat.

To the side was a privacy screen, offering nothing but the outlines as the blonde dressed, hardly hurried. The sounds of linen against a body was tormenting enough. That of the water draining she could focus on. It was the soft humming that came from the blonde that was maddening, more so when coupled with the fact the blonde seemed to be enjoying this game.

If she didn't know better, she would swear she was being seduced.

Emerging, she almost wished she was still in the towel. It was instead a knee length flowing skirt of pale gray, a loose shirt of the sky's color at noon said that was all the blonde was wearing, fingers withdrawing each of the sticks to cast on the bed, retrieving a soft bristled brush to begin drawing through her hair. Her gaze stayed on hers, bemused at the notion, dancing with thoughts before she finally said something that wasn't given with body language.

"I am hmm? Wouldn't it make more sense for me to share your quarters with you then?"

At once she felt her face flush onward again, knowing that her eyes were once more wide at what the insinuated question declared. It seemed to amuse the blonde more, a small smile playing at her lips before she cast the brush to the bed, collecting instead the length of red cloth that had previously been about her temples. Into her hair it went, gathered to hold the locks of near sunlight back until her fingers left it in a bow, dropping back down at her sides.

What the fuck was she doing. It was the only coherent thing she could think of, outside of the strangely satisfying feeling she had of the blonde wearing something, even unconventionally as it was, of hers. Unable to find words to form a retort the blonde took her silence as a wide open door, continuing through it with discussion. "It would only make sense, after all. Unless you have some desire for me to sleep outside your door. I suppose here it could possibly work, though your room perhaps has a window."

The blonde had pulled out her chair, waiting for her to take it; she did in a stunned fashion, before she walked bare of foot to her own chair to withdraw after removing everything from it. Carrying it over she sat it down, a comfortable distance between them along with part of the desk. She sat with inherent manners, legs together with both ankles gravitating towards the right on her seat. Her hands she clasped before her on her lap, not making a move towards the covered tray despite the fact she had to be starving.

Fuck she was. She might not be completely wise in the ways of the world but the look the blonde had been giving her from the start indicated it wasn't just something of substance that she desired.

"Why don't you start off with telling me what it is that you are doing first?" The blonde prompted as the silence had stretched just a bit too much to be comfortable.

She snapped from her daze, her mind still processing that the blonde was the same person, that out of armor and uniform this is what she looked like. That she made something so ordinary look extraordinary. That for all her grace and skills of fighting she sat refined like. Like a princess. Her mind jumped on that, the doubts rising. The blonde wasn't going to go anywhere which meant she'd have her answers.

"Why are you here." It was issued as a statement yet again, yet the blonde didn't point that out. She had her name, at least whatever passed as her name, if it was even her true name. Her gaze narrowed with the issued query; the fires hadn't told her anything beyond what she knew, nor had her meditation. Still she desired an answer and was somewhat surprised when the blonde spoke. Surprise at either the words or what the words were, she wasn't sure yet.

"To take you to the Moon."

"What…?"

"The Moon. I'm to take you there, so that you might train to be part of the Princess' inner guard."

What. The. Fuck. The words began to ring in her mind, or perhaps it was her ears. She outright stared, perhaps it was the audacity of the statement, perhaps it was the proverbial balls the blonde had to say such a thing. It could have been for any reason, but she stared at her all the same. Within she felt the blood begin to pound in her ears opposed to the words ringing within them, coupling with her temper rising.

How dare she. How just fucking dare she, she was no better than all the other warlords who sent their scouts and their armies to try and capture her. Instead the blonde infiltrated in, made fucking friends with her only friends, and said she was going to take her away. She seethed, anger burning away at resolve, regardless of the woman speaking.

"But I don't think that would be wise right now. There's something going on here, on Mars. That the King is absent, that there's renegade warlords running amok as you've mentioned and we've both seen." The blonde shook her head, features drawing into ones of thoughtfulness, a confusing puzzle that she was trying to mentally work out. "There's something very amiss going on here. I'd like to know what it is before we leave."

"What even makes you think I'm going with you? My place is here, with my people! Not following after you to the fucking Moon! I am not going to be some fucking babysitter to some spoiled ass Princess! You're no fucking better than the damned warlords! At least they are fucking up front and honest about what they want; you've fucking waited until now to say why you're even here!" Her anger instantly got the better of her, each word rose in pitch, in emotion, until she was literally screaming at the blonde. That the blonde just sat there, looking at her fed to her rage, shoving up from her seat she made motion to stalk to the door, intent on leaving. Fuck this, fuck this blonde, fuck this shit!

Her breath left her in a gasp, shoulders pressed sharply to the wall that was behind her by two hands. Focusing, her gaze took in the blonde that was a mere inch or two away from her. Scents of something fragrant, reminding her of rarely seen flowers, the sweetness of spices that she associated her with better times filled each breath she took. Her anger still raged, perhaps worse now as the blonde dared stopped her. She surged forward, intent to break the hold on her when her eyes found even more of a reason to flare wide.

Lips pressed soundly to her own, rendering every emotion that was not what the blonde desired null and void, to instantly leave her. A hand, so soft despite that it wielded a sword brushed against her cheek with trailing fingers. How long it lasted she couldn't rightly say before the blonde finally pulled away, her head tilting back to look at her. Dimly she realized they were of similar height, that the blonde was just scant breaths shorter. That she had to look up to her did things to her that she didn't understand.

"I'm empathic at times." The blonde started with, her hands dropping from her body though she still didn't move. "Your anger rolls off of you like heat does from a fire. I suppose at night it's beneficial, but right now it's not." Her fingers rose, brushing through her hair for a moment before her eyes, certainly not placid blue with their swirling underlying hurt and understanding met her gaze again. "I understand however, that you desire to protect your people. I think though there is something more going on, that you would like to understand why your people are endangered."

She took a deep breath, before a slight smile played at her features. "I swore, to protect you, to defend you, and to guide you. I am not lying in that, for I will. I will see your questions answered here, your confidence gained, so that you'll believe me." Relenting she moved away from her, where her body had been pinned by first with hands, then a mouth, and finally a presence. "If that means of course, that I need to talk to the Head Priest about shacking up in your room with you, trust me that I will. If I need to be your shadow…" Purposely she trailed off, the slight smile that had played at her lips before grew in size. "You'll find I can be quite stubborn Priestess. It might just be in your best interest to … submit."

A/N: So I figured out how to do single line breaks here, so don't be surprised if you go back and you notice things have been fixed. Any edits done are purely to create the uniformity that I like.