Crimson and Gold

On her way to see Asteria, Saria made sure to take care of the tasks Lysandra gave her.

She visited the local temple, where she hired a healer for Heron’s family. Afterwards, she met with Drusus.

The man was visibly in much better health, and the moment he heard that Lysandra had a job for him, he didn’t waste a moment. Saria tried to convince him to take at least one more day to recover, but Drusus refused to listen.

For a man like him, dedicated to his work and the person he served, spending days in bed with nothing to do was a bigger torture than the experience he had while being kidnapped.

“Another day or two won’t change much about my health,” Drusus argued while putting on his shoes. “I’ll just focus on easier things for now.

“There are a few people I know, scholars, who specialize in forgotten legends and myths. I will reach out to them and see if they can tell me anything about this Prophecy.”

Saria nodded. “Sounds like a good plan,” she said. “Before I go, there is one more thing I’ll need from you.”

“What is it?”

Saria walked over to the table in the corner and took a slice of apple from the bowl Mira brought there when she came over. “Those people who are causing trouble for Lysandra. Who are they?” she asked, biting on the fruit.

“Some of them are officials in Loukios’ pocket. Others are wealthy citizens who like to hang out in the noble circles. There are a few criminals, but they aren’t worth the attention. They are too small fry to be dangerous,” Drusus explained.

“How many?”

The man quickly counted the names in his mind. “About ten people. Why are you asking?”

“I want you to make a list of them for me. Pick only those that matter.”

“Lysandra won’t be happy to know that you started killing people for her. And it will cause too much chaos if they all start disappearing one by one.”

The people had been causing problems for Lysandra for many years now. Drusus had been advising her to start taking a more radical action against some of them, but he intended it to be a more delicate operation.

And most certainly didn’t plan to act without her permission.

“I’m not going to kill anyone,” Saria clarified. “There are other ways to encourage a change of heart in people.”

Some of the memories from the time in Sekaris that she regained brought back some useful skills and knowledge.

Knowledge that she could use to do something good this time.

Drusus wasn’t convinced. Not right away. But seeing how Saria was very adamant about not killing anyone and doing things the right way, he eventually gave in. “Alright. I’ll prepare the list.”

“Good,” Saria finished the last slice of the apple and headed to the door. “But don’t tell Lysandra about it. She already has too many things to worry about.”

Drusus watched her in silence for a moment. “You really care about her, don’t you?”

“I do. I owe her my life.”

Lysandra was the one who pulled Saria out of the chaos. She was also the one who offered her answers and then the purpose.

Even before Saria became her daethri, the Princess was already a beacon of light in her life.

Of course, she would care for someone who did so much for her.

But caring wasn’t the only thing on Saria’s mind when she thought about Lysandra. She wanted to give her everything she ever desired. She would bring the world to its knees if that were her wish.

Saria wanted Lysandra to flourish, to shine brighter than anyone. She wanted her to be happy and carefree.

Because she loved her with her whole heart, even if she knew this love was doomed from the start.

As if hearing her thoughts, Drusus sighed heavily and patted her shoulder. “I’m telling you this with good intentions,” he said, looking her in the eyes. “Don’t entertain the thoughts about being in a relationship with her.

“She is a royal, someone who, hopefully, will lead this Empire in the future. Having close relations with you will be detrimental to her. If you care about her, keep your distance.”

“I know. I’m not hoping for anything. I just want to help her however I can,” Saria answered.

She knew very well that there were too many obstacles on the way for them to be together, too many forces working against them. It would be a lie if she said that she never wished for it, but she was always aware that it was all it was.

A wish.

A hopeful dream that could never be realized.

As long as she could be by Lysandra’s side and be useful to her, that was good enough.

At least, that was what she kept telling herself…

Drusus seemed pleased with the answer. “Good. I know it’s hard, but this is the world we live in. Not every story has a happy ending. Sometimes things are just too complicated.”

When Saria left the bookstore, her thoughts were preoccupied with a turmoil she felt in her heart.

Drusus’ words weren’t anything unexpected, and yet they still hurt all the same.

The conversation affected her to the point she didn’t even notice that she was on a colliding course with someone carrying a tall pile of crates.

They crashed into each other, sending the cargo all over the street. Only then did Saria finally return to her senses and rushed to help the man pick everything up.

“Saria?” She suddenly heard the man call out.

She raised her head and was met with a familiar brown eyes staring right at her. “Tally?”

Hearing his name, the man beamed immediately. He was afraid his friend had already forgotten him. “I can’t believe we meet again! How have you been? I’ve been thinking about you ever since the auction!”

Not leaving even a moment for an answer, Tally lowered his voice and wiggled his eyebrows. “How is the… ekhmm… the Palace?”

Seeing him so lively, Saria laughed with relief.

“It’s been… interesting,” she answered, uncertain how to properly describe everything that had happened to her, without getting in too much detail. “I can’t complain about boredom, that’s for sure.”

“How about your memories? Did you ever get them back?”

“Some of it, yes. But they are still mostly fragmented and disconnected pieces. Not everything is making sense yet.”

Tally nodded in understanding. “At least there is some progress. Do you know who you were before?”

“I do.”

“And?”

“And it’s something that would be better forgotten.” Saria always knew that getting the answer to who she was before could be unpleasant. It was clear from all of her abilities that she couldn’t have been anyone ordinary.

She also knew that going about her life as if there was nothing else before wouldn’t get her far. Her previous life would always be a shadow that followed her everywhere she went.

One may forget the past, but the past never forgets.

However, recently, she started having doubts about it. Doubts as to whether she really wanted to remember.

Because this way, if she really was the one to kill Icarus, she would have to admit it to Lysandra’s face. She wouldn’t have to risk hurting her even more.

The familiar pain in her heart flared up again.

“Enough about me,” she said, waving her hand. “Tell me how things turned out for you. I was taken from the Arena before we could meet.”

There was a shift in Saria’s mood, but Tally didn’t press further. He knew her long enough to know that she liked to keep her troubles to herself.

“I didn’t have as much luck as you, but it didn’t turn out badly either,” he said. “I was bought by some rich scholar.

“He believes that everyone is trying to steal his precious ramblings, so he needed someone to protect him and his studies. It’s not perfect, but there is a comfortable bed and plenty of food, and he treats me well. What else do I need?”

Saria looked at his face, much healthier than during their time in the Arena. It was clear that life had been good to him in the recent weeks. “You did round up a bit since the last time I saw you,” she teased.

“Hey! Defending old scrolls from imaginary enemies isn’t exactly labor-intensive! I don’t work out as much as before!” he huffed, patting his barely visible belly.

Saria couldn’t hold back a laugh.

She was glad to see her friend in good health. At least his life seemed to have changed for the better.

“I’m glad to see you’re doing good, friend,” she said, her heart feeling lighter than before.

Tally was about to say something when suddenly a woman’s voice called out to them.

“It is you, isn’t it? The person who helped my sister and me.” Carrying a heavy-looking basket, a young woman was walking towards them.

Bright hazel eyes and ashen blond hair felt familiar, but only when her flushed face appeared right in front of Saria did she finally remember where she had seen the girl before.

“Eris?” Saria asked.

If her memory served her right, she was the sister of the girl she saved from Yanis’ gang.

“I knew it was you!” The woman’s eyes lit up, and a cheerful smile bloomed on her face. “You have such unique eyes that I could recognize them everywhere.”

“How is your sister?” Saria asked. Last time she saw the girl, she was in a terrible state.

“Aide is doing fine. She’s still recovering, but now that she’s home, she’s getting much better by the minute. I just went out to buy a few things for her,” Eris pointed at a hefty basket filled to the brim with food.

“This looks heavy, let me he—”

“I’ll take it!” Tally cut in, grabbing the basket while looking suspiciously flustered.

Saria looked at him, slightly confused. “Don’t you have that pile of crates over there to bring home?”

Tally looked at the stuff his master asked him to buy like it were his mortal enemy and handed the basket back to Saria.

Eris’ gaze darted between them.

“Oh, I’m sorry. This is my friend, Tally. Tally, this is Eris.” Seeing the girl’s puzzled expression, Saria gave quick introductions.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, my lady,” Tally declared, puffing his chest and straightening his back. He looked almost like a peacock. And acted like one too.

Unfortunately for him, Eris didn’t seem very interested in his mating dance. Her eyes graced him only with a brief moment of attention before returning to Saria.

“I actually don’t know your name either,” she said expectantly.

“It’s Saria.”

Eris tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and stepped in front of Saria. “Thank you, Saria, for saving my sister,” she said and rose on her toes to kiss her cheek. “If not for you and Mormo— I don’t even want to think about what would happen to us.”

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about this,” Saria cut in, ignoring the daggers Tally was sending her.

She pulled Eris to the side and lowered her voice. “Listen, Eris… About Mormo. You don’t have to work for him. If you and your sister need a place to stay, we can arrange something.”

This was something Saria couldn’t stop thinking about since their time in ‘Charybdis’. Her conscience felt guilty for leaving two young women in such a place, and Lysandra shared her worries.

Saria was planning to find Eris and offer her shelter, but till now she couldn’t find a good moment for that.

Eris giggled. “You’re sweet,” she said, looking at her with eyes shimmering with fondness, “but it’s not the way you think. Mormo is very good to us. He’s not forcing me to do anything I don’t want to.”

It wasn’t the answer Saria expected, but she knew too little about Eris and her circumstances to press any further.

“If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me.”

“Thank you, Saria. I’ll keep your offer in mind. Once again, thank you for what you did for us.”

Eris took the basket from Saria and waved her goodbye before disappearing in the crowd.

Tally stood next to Saria, casting longing gazes even long after the girl was gone. “How do you always get all the pretty girls?”

Saria let out a heavy sigh. “It’s not as nice as you may think. You’re not losing much, trust me.”

“The well-fed man will never understand the hunger of the starving,” he mumbled under his breath and went back to the crates he had been neglecting the whole time.

Somewhere in the crowd, a pair of vengeful eyes fixated on Saria watched everything unfold.

It was almost time.

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