Swaddled in a blanket by the fire, Delilah sipped the hot water infusion. To her delight, someone had added lemon juice, honey, ground ginger, and a small shot of amber spirit. The concoction burned going down and warmed every part of her when it hit her stomach. She closed her eyes in bliss and let the steam feather over her face every time she breathed into her cup. She absolutely deserved every delicious sip of this fine drink.
Caldor stood by the fireplace and kept looking at her. Kiri slept nearby, insisting on remaining in the same room as Delilah so she could ask her more about the Peri. The other royals milled about, talking or ordering guards to secure every inch of the perimeter.
"We are going to have to release a statement," Gaol muttered to an advisor as he strode past.
"People are angry, my king."
"People need to stop shooting arrows at innocents!"
"The war has brought much pain and famine. But anger has no place among the commoners, we must focus on rebuilding..."
Aylin sat with her arms around Caldor's wife, who was still sobbing uncontrollably.
Delilah was observing, while trying to make it seem like her eyes were unfocused, when a presence blocked the firelight.
"That was a very brave and selfless thing you did," Finias said quietly. She noticed how far away from her he stood, conscious of his image in a room full of people.
"Not really, anyone would have done it. Someone would have saved the girl."
"Yes, but you dived in without thinking about yourself, giving you the speed to save her, which is more than anyone else did. Even me."
"You would have saved her if you hadn't been wearing armour. You've always been the selfless one of the two of us."
An invisible current seemed to roll through Finias at her words: the two of us...
"You should take it easy, Princess. Don't underestimate the shock of a plunge in cold water."
He lightly brushed her shoulder with his hand as he walked away, and Delilah started at the unexpected contact which made every muscle in her body tense.
The estate was a bustling, busy place, and Delilah hated how more than anything, she wanted peace and quiet. Kiri became her shadow, asking her for stories about the palace. Delilah described the grand ballrooms and most spectacular vaulting halls the way they looked when decorated for festivities, and Kiri's eyes were as round as moons.
The royals departed when Gaol had got Caldor to promise he would put pressure on the people in his region to reveal the troublemaking archers. Delilah found it hard to keep from fidgeting as they stood in order of rank in the entrance hall to formally take their leave.
Caldor walked up to Delilah, his lips pressed tightly together, and gave her a low bow.
"You undoubtedly saved my daughter's life. My house is now in your debt... princess."
Oh, to have someone bow to her again.
"In my debt?" Delilah replied quietly, and Caldor looked up sharply, perhaps not realising she would take his statement as anything more than a formality to show gratitude.
A door on the second level where a mezzanine snaked around opened with a bang, and everyone looked up.
"It's not fair!" Kiri was shouting at her servants through tears. "I want to go...!" Her voice faded as the door slammed shut again.
"Perhaps repay your debt by making that poor girl happy?" Delilah replied in a whisper. "That is all I want."
Caldor looked at her strangely and Delilah stretched her face into a smile.
Somewhere above their heads, Kiri was still crying. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.
It seemed like an age until they got back to the palace. To Delilah's relief, they took the less-travelled route and no crowds seethed to meet them this time. Perhaps the city guard had done its work. She hoped some of them had been punished.
Exhausted, Delilah stumbled into her room without talking to anyone and dragged herself into bed. She sat against the headboard, and had just settled herself comfortably when Kaya and Nell entered.
Not now.
"What happened?" Kaya asked. "Something happened, didn't it?"
"Delilah, what are you –?" Nell began.
"Leave me. I'm thinking."
They exchanged bemused looks.
"About what?"
"Everything. I must be alone." Delilah waved a hand.
"But..."
"Can we not have an explanation for your strange behaviour? What were you thinking, risking your life to save that girl? You're too weak to swim. And when you let them find you..."
"Leave. You shall receive information in due course," Delilah snapped, not bothering to soften her words. They were irking her this evening.
Silently, Kaya and Nell shuffled out, and she was finally, blissfully alone.
In a sudden fit of rage, she threw her cushions and pillows across the room, where they hit the floor with dull thuds. She shuffled back until her spine pressed against the cold wall, forcing it to straighten, and closed her eyes.
She had made so many errors since she challenged Marko to the duel, and she would flinch from them no longer. Not only would she accept them, but she would pore over their every detail, analyse them, and use the information to construct herself anew.
During her brief forays and interactions, she had begun to construct a new persona on the outside. She had made tentative stabs at it, but she hadn't given the matter the full force of her mind.
Growing up under Tiberius, she had never had full autonomy. Full of naivete and rage, she had tried to seize control in the only way she knew how. After banishment, slow healing, and her skills trained further by Nell, she had found her way beneath yet another man: Dante. She had lost the brief taste of freedom she'd gained when on the run in a bid for more power, but she had followed Dante blindly, remaining her fiery, predictable, weak self. She had allowed her resolve to crumble, having spent so much time close to him.
And where had she ended up? Almost back where she had started, in her old bedroom.
But no. Her countless failures had taught her much, and she was finally able to delve within and turn everything over, pour molten gold into her own cracks.
What she needed was more ice to counter her fire. The fire could come out when she was at the top, but for now she would have to control it carefully. The ice had to be a constant mask. No one, not Gaol, not Finias, no one would see within.
Dante was in her past, and until she was able to claim her throne, Vale was not worth thinking about – as long as the country didn't affect Pelenu in a way that might change her plans.
The torture had cleansed her mind, and she intended to keep it that way.
The coldness of the wall was seeping into her, calming her, and she pressed the back of her skull against it as plans and ideas began to form. Her road was going to be a long, delicate one, but she could handle it... She had handled worse.
Hours had passed and night had fallen before her door finally opened again. For a heartbeat she thought it was Tiberius again, but the figures entering were smaller.
"Are you done thinking yet?" Kaya teased. "I present to you, the palace's newest serving rat." She waved Nell in front of her.
Delilah raised one eyebrow.
"While I enjoy the upper circles and higher-level that comes with being the princess's handmaiden – and the comforts and perks, too," the Anlochian explained with a wink, "Nell will be at the very bottom of the ladder. As a general servant, it means she has complete freedom of movement since she must attend to any and all tasks across the palace. It also means she can find out information we can't – everyone knows the lowest of the low have the best gossip. She can relay the information to me, and since I'm close to you, I can pass it to you. Together, with our different services, we can cover most of what goes on in this palace."
"I'm impressed."
"Although I don't understand why you didn't fight me for the handmaiden role, Nell. I get so many benefits! Comfortable chambers, a decent wage, nicer dresses –"
"I do not care for those things. They aren't important."
"Of course they are!"
As Delilah studied Nell's serious face, a hot flush stole through her. They all knew Nell didn't care for comforts, but was the real reason she had denied a position too close to Delilah because she didn't want to get too close? Didn't trust herself to be so close? What was going on in her head? Did she still think about her confession, did she still harbour those feelings, or had she forgotten, moved on? Delilah hated how hard she was to read.
"This is a good start. Our primary concern must be the city and palace, but for longer term we must expand our reach across the kingdom," Delilah said finally.
They both blinked at her.
"What did you just say?" Kaya breathed, quivering with excitement.
Delilah linked her hands together, mentally reminding herself to tell them only what they currently needed to know.
"We have much work to do. Come closer."