Betraying the helio (1)

The breeze by the lake felt cool and Delaney wished she could stay here forever. She had once again snuck out of the castle to get away from having to face Darius. It would be a surprise if he didn't make her miserable over their encounter earlier. He was full of pride and couldn't stand the thought of a woman talking back at him, especially when everyone else bowed to him.

"Maybe you should try to get on his good side."

She shrieked when she heard the sudden voice from behind her and jumped off the rock she was sitting on. A hand grabbed her just as the ice started to crack under her feet and she was pulled back to the grass.

"Kyrah, it's you." She let out a sigh of relief. "Do you mind making a normal arrival next time? You nearly scared the living daylights out of me."

Kyrah sat on the rock with a gentle laugh. "I heard you speak and thought you had seen me coming."

She had been thinking aloud? Delaney wanted to die in embarrassment. "I can't believe I said that aloud."

"You have nothing to be worried about. I have witnessed more than you think in the world." Kyrah smiled to assure her that it was alright.

Delaney felt relaxed around her so she asked, "It's a different matter to get on an ordinary man's good side but one like Darius…" She stopped herself from revealing that he was the son of the goddess. Kyrah probably knew already but she would rather not take any risk.

"He has no heart." She completed the statement, feeling her voice break.

"He does." Kyrah ran a hand through Delaney's hair and pulled her hand back when she realized what she had done. "I'm sorry. I…"

"It's okay." Delaney patted her hand.

Kyrah quickly changed the topic. "Every man has a weakness. There has to be one thing that will drive him crazy and you only need to grasp it." She explained.

"That doesn't sound like anything I would like to explore with Darius." She huffed.

"How will you know if you don't try?"

Kyrah had a point so she nodded. "You're right. The worst that could happen is me getting kicked out."

"I'll let you in on a secret." Kyrah inched closer to hush her tone. "I don't think it's a coincidence that King Darius' concubines are all dancers. Whenever he selects a new concubine, he does so by letting young maidens dance for him and chooses the best of them."

Her head hurt mildly the more Kyrah spoke. "I don't want to be a part of his harem."

"A wife will never be a concubine." Kyrah took off her shoes and pulled Delaney with her closer to the lake to teach her what to do.

Delaney watched the woman sway her body rhythmically and joined, her body naturally moving as though she had danced her entire life. They danced and spun farther into the lake and when she realized how far they were, she panicked.

"The lake…" She reminded Kyrah.

"Don't worry. The ice doesn't crack that easily." Kyrah pointed in the distance. "Do you see that?"

Delaney shook her head. All she could see was a stretch of ice.

"If you follow this path and go north, you will get to Ivrasea in half a day." She promised.

"You are joking, right? Ivrasea is three days away and you have to go south." She retorted.

"You definitely will not trust me. Take this." Kyrah dug into her pocket for a map which she gave Delaney, then she pulled the pins holding up Delaney's hair to let it tumble down her back. She then gave her a flowery anklet.

"Try to use your charm first."

"Thank you." Delaney felt more confident now. She went to her room first and kept the map, then she applied color to her lips. She couldn't believe she was really doing this.

When she was certain that Darius was in his chamber, she left her room with a racing heart. The hallway felt longer than usual and when she finally got to his door, she raised her hand to knock. She stopped in her tracks when she heard a female voice emanating from inside.

"Your Majesty…" She heard the woman call out shyly.

"Don't act shy in front of me. Come here." He ordered, and that was all it took for Delaney's remaining hope to snap. What was she thinking, trying to lure a man who couldn't wait to be served by his uncountable concubines?

She ran all the way back to her room, wishing she hadn't gone to find him. She should have stayed in her place from the start. She made sure the door was locked and grabbed a map, comparing it to Kyrah's. It was hard to link the two and it was taking up too much time. She needed to leave while she still had the chance because if Darius caught on what she was planning, she would be doomed. So, when the moon was overhead, she quietly left her room.

There was no one else on this wing of the castle aside from her, Darius and whatever concubine he had brought into his chambers. She tried to block out the unmistakable sounds of heavy breathing as she snuck barefoot past his door.

She put her shoes on when she was finally out of the castle and near the frozen lake. She had only met Kyrah a few days ago and didn't know whether to actually trust her but there was no harm in trying. The worst that could happen was her ending up in a kingdom she didn't know. So she walked on, hoping it would be too late by the time Darius realized that she was missing.