Alexis of Troy (Book I)

κα′ - Eíkosi Ena

When she was done, she excused herself to go fetch some material and I was left alone again with nothing but my own thoughts. I sat on the edge of the bed and stared around the room, suddenly feeling particularly bored. What did people do to kill time around here? I'd seen kids playing but what about the adults? Drink, party...? It really hit me how much I missed my phone. I could always rely on good old streaming to kill some hours.

By the time Zoisme returned I was laying on the mattress, trying to entertain myself with the last few Tik Tok videos I'd watched before I went poof. My memory didn't do the videos justice.

"Des... Alexis?"

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled, pulling myself upright.

She held a bundle of fine, colourful material. Even with my knowledge of the ancient world, I knew expensive material when I saw it. Entrusting me with something so fine was intimidating. Guaranteed I'd spill wine or food on it before the night was out.

"I had a bath drawn out for you," she said, giving me a small smile. "I figured you could use one after a long day of travel."

"I could kiss you right now," I groaned, before laughing at the aghast expression on her face. The notion of a bath had brightened my spirits considerably. "It's just a saying that means I'm super grateful."

"Despota did say you had a funny way of speaking." Zoisme still looked uncertain but her shoulders relaxed and she gestured for me to follow her. "The bath is in the next room. This way."

The floral scent was striking as soon as we approached the bath. My body was itching to just dive into the steaming water and soak. All I needed now was that book and glass of wine I was thinking of earlier.

I all but peeled my old outfit off my frame before climbing into the bath. It had once been so beautiful. Now it was like a second skin. The water was so perfect I couldn't help but groan loudly in contentment.

"Jesus, this feels good," I moaned. "Exactly what the doctor ordered."

I stayed in the water until it lost all its heat. I scrubbed and scrubbed layers of dirt off my skin, leaving my skin pink and raw, though I felt a hundred times cleaner than I was. I massaged my hair using the bath oils Zoisme provided and when I was done my hair felt so smooth. I had to remember to use oils more often for my hair and skin.

Zoisme wrapped the chiton around my frame, cinching it in place around my waist with a lovely, golden rope. Then she pinned the sleeves, allowing the excess material to hang loosely behind my shoulders. It didn't take as long as I had imagined it would, though there was a fair bit of adjusting afterwards. Then she wrangled my unruly hair with some olive oil to smooth out the frizziness. Once satisfied with that, she settled a gold circlet around my head to keep my hair in place.

It was the first time I actually felt like I could blend into this world. Though I only had a distorted image of myself in the bronze mirror, I glimpsed a true Trojan woman. The look in Zoisme's eyes reflected that reassurance and I felt the corners of my lips lift. The thought that I was adjusting to this world both comforted and freaked me out.

"Come. They'll be waiting."

The girl opened the door and let me pass before following. I had no idea where we were going, but I trailed absently along behind her, my thoughts turning. We weren't scheduled to leave for Greece for a couple of days yet, but every second we remained here felt like another second wasted. I wanted to get home and here I was playing dress up in a Trojan palace.

We rounded a corner and found Cassandra standing there, her veil draped lightly over her face. She was so elegant and unsettling. I still didn't know if I liked her or not. Was definitely intimidated by her. Though she seemed determined to get to know me. Or keep me close. I wouldn't be surprised if she saw right through my act.