Chapter 9

Artemis watched as the children hugged each other for the good job they did. Most likely, they rushed this play together to gain money from those at the festival. They were tiny versions of the people who rushed to put together stalls to make as much as they could out of the day.

The children, however, didn't earn much for their little show. There weren't that many people around and most didn't feel like they needed to give their hard-earned money to orphans. They needed their money too.

She heard the sound of coins clinking together beside her. Artemis looked to her side and noticed Alexander had a bag of coins.

'Always the savior,' she thought.

The young girl Rose was the one to approach him and accept the coins. The children gathered the money and hurried off to find their caretaker. They would be back later to perform another play but for now, they were excited with the thought of having some money to feed their hungry mouths.

Artemis cocked her head to the side watching the children. "They're so excited. If the kingdom were as good as all I've heard, why are they so excited for a small bag of coins? Shouldn't the king who lives such a lavish life be providing help for them?"

Alexander narrowed his eyes watching as the small figures of the children got smaller and smaller the further they ran away. He chose not to respond to the woman.

Artemis smirked, amused by his silence. A weakness. She had found the string she would one day pull to break the alliance between the king and the general.

"Well, what do I know? Maybe I'm just overthinking it," she said standing up. Artemis dusted off bits and pieces of dirt off her clothes. Alexander was slightly ahead of her so stepped forward and said, "The king only thinks of the people."

Alexander could tell she was questioning the king even though she tried to compliment him at the end. What was this woman up to?

He looked at her trying to find out what was going on in that mind of hers. "You shouldn't question the king out loud," he replied softly.

"Why? Why can't people of the kingdom question our king sometimes?"

"I never said you couldn't question the king, I just meant out loud," he explained his words.

Artemis pretended as though she was innocently thinking it over. "But that is the same. If I can't speak out loud and then I can't speak about him at all. If I have to whisper about the king then it means I'm not safe as I think I am. It's not like I'm plotting his death out loud."

Alexander couldn't get past that last line. "Why do I get the feeling as though you're up to nothing but trouble?"

Artemis smiled at his words. "I used to be very obedient. I've hardly given any trouble."

"Hmm," he didn't believe her.

"Well," she clapped her hands after a bit of silence was amongst them. "I shall return home now. You promised me entertainment but it was not fulfilled entirely. At least the play did open my mind to other things."

"Really?" He was curious about this. Didn't she say the play was bullshit spoon-fed to the children? What could she have possibly opened her mind to? "What exactly if I might ask?"

"Hmm," Artemis seemingly thought about the answer. "If you meet me again I will tell you the answer then. After all, you owe me more entertainment, general. You could also find out whether I bring trouble or not."

Alexander was still trying to figure the woman out. She was amusing yet mysterious. He couldn't understand her even if they just met. "I will be free two days from now."

Artemis smiled, "Great! I will take you somewhere and your company shall entertain me. We shall meet at the orchard before you enter the town at the hour of four in the evening."

"Hopefully I will get your name then"

"You will."

"I must bid you goodbye miss stranger," he bowed and she did the same.

"See you again," Artemis said before he turned around and proceeded to walk away. 'Got him', she thought. All she needed to do now was have everything in order.

Meanwhile, as Alexander was heading back to the palace, all he thought about was the woman. He normally kept tabs on who came in and out of the kingdom. They were stretches and information about everyone but he had never seen her. It would be impossible not to see any document about her as he read them over and over again frequently.

If she was new to the kingdom then a document must be made about her. But the way she spoke sounded like she was here before which couldn't possibly happen. He would have to wait for the guards at all the gates who let outsiders in, to live and visit the kingdom, send the new files to the palace.

Alexander felt a little suspicious of her but he did not want to report anything without having enough evidence. If she wasn't from the kingdom and there was no information on her the king would want her locked up and investigated. King Darius wanted to know who and what was passing through his gates.

There had been times where people were killed because they snuck into the kingdom and there was no written document from the gates to testify who they were and why they were here. The king had them hanged.

They were just villagers who wanted to get into the kingdom for a better life but had a bad history where they wouldn't have been let in so easily so they snuck in.

Alexander didn't want a woman to suffer the same fate if she was innocent.

A savior as always she said but Alexander couldn't save innocent lives of villagers from the king who was paranoid about a God being in his kingdom.