"What's your name?" I asked the servant who I was following. 

He cast me a sideways glance but his pace never stopped or slowed as he walked. "I... am called Savas, sir." He replied in a low voice.

I glanced at our surroundings but saw no one, I wasn't entirely sure why he was so quiet. Was it odd to ask ones name?

"I am Elpis." I introduced myself.

He nodded, still facing the direction he was walking, his posture picture perfect.

"You can just call me that instead of addressing me as sir," I told him, but remembered in time that there was a certain imperceptible and sometimes unspoken set of rules in this palace and perhaps it would be seen as a transgression for him to do so. If I requested him to I might be placing him between a tumbling rock and  wall. "Or whatever you wish."

I thought I saw some of the uneasiness on him fall away from his face for a moment. "Yes, sir." He said, continuing to walk as though I was not talking to him at all.

"I don't hold rank here, you know?" I told him, curious if he knew, as we walked out into the courtyard.

He glanced at me. "You don't?"

I shook my head. "I'm an entertainer."

The relief was evident on his face. "Oh, I see." He scratched his head. "I wasn't sure if... You're wearing an odd coat for an entertainer."

"I'm wearing white paint." I grinned.

"Yes," His ears flushed a little. "I tried not to look. I thought it might have been treatment for something, or some sort of beauty thing. Not that it looks bad, it looks good. I..."

There was a pause and then we each tried to speak at the same time. "Yes it's-" 

"And you're booked with Theodore?"

I flushed a little and said nothing. "Right, yes. I don't have many clothes with me."

He arched an eyebrow as he walked with me, now walking beside me rather than in front of me. "Yes, but Theodore is a high ranking tailor. I've never even spoken to him, let alone gotten clothes made for me by him."

I shrugged, trying to avoid this conversation. "Maybe I need clothes for entertaining?"

He frowned. "Do you? Are you entertaining for the guests tomorrow night?"

I shook my head quickly. "No, I should think not."

"Oh," He looked disappointed. "I suppose not. They have a lot of entertainers, I saw some of them practising around here just a while ago." He gestured at the grass at his feet. "It doesn't matter though. Maybe you can perform at the next one." He gave me a smile, like he was trying to reassure me that he thought no less of me for not being able to entertain the guests which only served to confuse me.

"Is it a good thing to perform in front of guests?" I asked him.

Savas smiled at me like I might be a little slow. "Well it's not a bad thing is it?"

I shrugged and looked forwards, I almost walked ahead of him when he slowed down but upon realising I wasn't the one that knew the way I slowly fell behind, eventually finding myself neatly stowed away behind him.

We walked into the outside hallway belonging to a building I had yet set foot in, but had seen sitting somewhere a little way away from the bathhouse.

We didn't need to walk down it because the first door we came across was the correct one. It was also clearly marked. The stone wall was engraved with the words 'Theodore, The Tailor' on it and below a mark of the royal crest.

This place had a separate courtyard, which was smaller but still as pretty as its larger friends.  I gazed at it as we walked by, noticing firstly the statue. It took me only a moment to realise it was of Poseidon, who held in his hand a large fish which looked relatively alive as it curled upwards, it's head almost facing us. A small pipe visible poking from it's open mouth, it was a water tap protruding from it.

I veered off course and turned towards the statue instead.

"Wait," I told him.

He turned, faint surprise on his face.

"I just want to have a look." I told him.

He shrugged but he looked nervous so I decided I would try to hurry.

I supposed that the reason for a statue like that might simply have been because of the water but I hoped it would be something more. Our household took Poseidon seriously, and left offerings at his alter when we could. We hoped he would guide us, keep us safe when we, or some of us, were off fishing. That rough seas turn direction and face away from them, and that they find no fish bigger than themselves.

Perhaps it was a sign. I had not been to visit Poseidon's alter since I had been here, it was outside the walls of this kingdom... but perhaps this was a sign that I could leave something as an offering for him beside this statue. Maybe it would still count.

The floor was covered in black slate tiles and it was surrounded by hydrangeas, foxgloves and pansies and circling the centre of it, and circling that two kinds of bushes I didn't recognise. One a light green and one dark. Separating the flowerbeds from the statue were four neatly placed benches made from from either looked to be polished granite or black marble.

I stood close by and looked up at the fierce expression on Poseidon's face. He looked a lot muscular than the image we were used to at our own shrine, but perhaps that was because he was wearing robes made from waves crashing about him.

This Poseidon was naked, appearing to climb from heavy waters he dragged himself forwards, one muscular thigh in front of him, his catch in his hand. The fish, however, looked like no fish I'd ever seen. I couldn't recognise what sort it could have been modelled after, it was ugly, it's eyes almost looked human, unimpressed and vacant. I could imagine the expression changing to something more fearful as one pulled down the lever and released some water from the spout inside it's mouth.

I wasn't sure what to think. Perhaps it's maker had seen the dead fish lying on his table to be impressed upon his stone and thought that it was ugly, that it needed bigger eyes and lips.

Frowning I turned back up to Poseidon. It seemed so bizarre to see a statue of the god of the sea coupled with something so inaccurate as that. Just a little bit of chiselling and those eyes would be transformed into those of a fish, the lips too, as the carver had conveniently allowed for too much stone to be left, and not less.

I shook my head, denying the strange temptation as it floated past and laughed at myself for thinking of it.

Imagining the King finding out that I had chiselled into his statue was laughable, though maybe that would be the final straw for him. He demanded the kind of obedience from me that even mothers did not dare hope for.

I sighed. I should be trying to think of ways to escape this place. It was only logical. Why did I feel so tired even following that thread of thought?

I looked up at the face of Poseidon. His face was more than an artwork, I had to wonder where one found a model for such a face other than the god himself. Perfect jaw and perfectly detailed face, that despite the scowl displayed was not negatively affected. 

"Elpis- Sir." I heard a quiet whisper come from the path.

I turned and realised I couldn't see Savas from the angle I was at and walked back towards the path to see Savas who looked slightly pale. He marched towards me and pointed back to the tailors workshop.

"We need to go," He told me in a hushed voice.

I looked at him questioningly. "Of course, okay."

But the sound of ringing distracted me. Savas looked a little panicked as he turned around and I did too. A high pitched ringing of a bell and the smell of something sweet in the air. There was a group of priests moving through the courtyard, slowly ambling in our direction, the one in front holding a large incense stick between both palms chanting something low under his breath and two others standing on each side of him appearing to hit a branch of a plant that looked to be grey on the side of their waists as they moved.

The bell was actually coming from behind the moving congregation, and looking for the source of the sound lead me to realising that there was the King too, looking bored and impatient in the centre of it all.

He was tall and even from a distance there was no avoiding how inhumanly handsome he was, in the strangest way. It was as though he wore something foreboding on his skin and I was drawn towards it. He didn't fit in with the priests at all. Even the two lanky tall priests weren't quite as tall as him and the priest in front was old, haggard and walking slowly more out of necessity than by choice.

I felt a hand grip my arm hard.

"Let's go!" Savas hissed.

"Are you okay?" I asked, turning to look at him.

He nodded quickly. "That man over there, in the centre. That's the King. You need to move now before he looks over here and sees us."

I nodded quickly, surprised by the strong tone in his voice. Though I appreciated the motivation to do a job well I couldn't help but notice that he thought I didn't know what the King looked like. There was no reason for me to let him know that I did, though, so I said nothing and followed him.

The bell, which I hadn't noticed had stopped, suddenly rang a little closer than before and before I had a chance to turn around I heard his voice from behind to the left of me. Calm, low, and quiet. Completely sure that he would be heard.

"Hello Elpis." Demosthenes greeted me.

I nearly jumped out of my skin even though I somehow knew that he must have been close. He made me nervous.

"H- Hello," I noticed the priests catching up slowly, the older priest watching me from his slightly hunched form. "Your Majesty," I continued. My heart beating fast as looked up and saw him in all his glory.

He apparently made Savas nervous too. I saw him jolt beside me when he noticed him and turn quickly, absolutely petrified in his place. I wasn't sure if he was scared but he certainly wasn't moving.

I was worried I wasn't being formal enough, so I bowed low, a hand on my heart as I had seen others do, and waited for Savas to follow, but he seemed to be frozen in his place.

"Savas?" I asked him, patting him on his shoulder.

He seemed to return almost immediately and bowed quickly and perfectly.

"Y- Your Majesty." He greeted him.

The King smiled faintly, something that didn't convey much warmth at all, in Savas's direction, his eyes never really reaching him, before he turned to look at me.

"I have been looking forward to talking with you again." He said to me, looking behind me to observe Savas.

Savas turned around fast to look at me but turned back before I could see him properly.

"Your Majesty, I was just taking-"

Demosthenes waved his hand. "Yes, good job, very good job. Leave us for now. He can see the door. Wait inside the tailors work space."

Savas appeared to have a conflicting mixture of being intensely pleased, on his face, and very confused at the same time, but he immediately obeyed and didn't stop to look or say a quick goodbye before he turned on his heel and left.

Demosthenes then turned to the priests waiting impatiently behind him.

"Why do you stand still like this?" He said, an edge to his voice. "I do not need to observe every second of the cleansing."

They quickly hurried by us with no complaint, though the older man looked like he wanted to argue for a moment before moving on, the sound of the bell disappearing behind the flowers and the hedges.

I turned back around. Suddenly alone with him.

I looked up nervously and saw the the dark curls in his hair drip into his face as he looked down at me. I inched backwards imperceptibly, feeling nervous and displaced. Like the carpet had shifted from underneath me.

"The cloak suits you nicely." He smiled, a real smile this time. Definitely not the sort of pure smile one thinks of, but a smile that exemplified pleasure.

I nodded, willing myself not to react around him though my heart was already beating out of my chest.

He reached out slowly and I watched with abated breath as the tips of his fingers teased the buttons at the top of the cape. Those dark devilish eyes watching them as though he was plotting something.

I said nothing, holding my breath accidentally as I stood still.

He reached in and undid a button and I jolted forwards, despite intending on moving backwards. As I looked left and right I saw only the greenery surrounding us and looked up at him, afraid but so terribly, terribly possessed.

He drew closer and closer until we were chest to chest and as I looked up at him I realised how truly, hauntingly dark those horribly seductive eyes were. Like a demon waiting to bargain away my soul. He drew closer, his hand reaching around the back of my waist.

He watched me. "I see you have washed." He hummed. "I should have liked to see your dishevelled form in the morning." He mused, but it sounded more like a taunt than any sort of rumination.

My face burned, memories flooding through my brain as I pulled backwards but only seemed to land more safely tucked in his arms than before.

[A/N] Alright patreon exclusive chapter 55.5 is linked to this chapter.

Enjoy. (＞◡＜)✧

♆ hannah_khatter ♆