And her name is…

At first no one notices our unannounced entrance and I realize we’ve used a side door. I don’t let Helion stop to announce it either, seeing the table me and Triennia had picked for ourselves and moving quickly towards it. My bare feet carefully pick a path around the edge and Helion stays close to my side.

We are at our table, being served wine and snacks before anyone notices. Once one group does they all follow in turning to look at us and I’m quick to start a conversation with Triennia to avoid their eyes. People start bowing but I pretend I’m too distracted to notice and see them straighten from the corner of my eyes. She sees what I’m doing and helps me continue our conversation.

“The Lady Cheil,” a man’s voice interrupts and I turn to look at him.

It’s one of the rude lords who would speak his own dialect in front of me with Helion, believing I didn’t understand. I force a smile, though I’m not sure if he can tell, so I also nod my head in his direction.

He gives a short laugh. “Hiding her from us King Helion?” The man returns, bowing much lower to him.

“If you had a precious jewel you would one day be forced to share for others to see, you would want to keep as much to yourself for as long as possible too,” he returns easily, reaching over to brush my cheek affectionately behind the vail.

I notice the man’s eyes linger on me for longer than I’d like but Helion has completely ignored him, reach for my hand to kiss it. After that it is a near constant line of people approaching our table to introduce themselves. I’ve heard nearly all of their names already and have a subject ready to talk to them about.

When the introductions end I get up to get myself a drink, insisting I need to stretch my legs and that I’ll be right back. Helion considers coming with me, but as he stands he’s approached by two men who want to discuss something with him. He watches me go, I can feel his eyes following me, but I can see the table of water glasses with pitchers and drift toward it regardless.

The cup of water is a grateful chill down my dry throat and I finish a glass before leaning for a pitcher to refill it.

“* Our king has all the luck with the ladies, *” I hear a male voice behind me say in an uncommon dialect, but i ignore it.

“* No kidding. Not only has he held power this long without a wife, having sex with his choice of the fine single ladies, but now he gets this adorable little meek thing as his wife? *” his friend returns. “* What I wouldn’t give to just bend her over this table and slide into that ass. *”

He’s harder to ignore but I straighten up and fill my glass as his friend hushes him.

“* If anyone were to hear you! *” he chastises but then adds, “* her ass? I’d much rather turn her over so I can see those eyes weep as I plow into her. I bet she has the biggest doe eyes you’ve ever seen under that veil. *”

I feel a hand loop around mine where it’s just put down the pitcher. My hand is shaking with anger and the warm hand seems to take some of that away, quieting the voice that says these men won’t be missed.

“Cheil,” he begins softly, and when I look up I see Sanji, “* Triennia saw you over here on your own and sent me to check on you. *”

His smile is so warm and gentle that I forget what I’m doing until I’ve already started. “* I’m alright, just eliminating an irritation by drowning it in some cold water. *” I glance behind me to the men who have gone insanely pale and smile sweetly. “* Water is best for a sore throat, but I suppose for other irritations any liquid would do. *” They pale further and continue to stare. “* Don’t you agree? *”

They begin to blabber some agreement but Sanji wisely starts to pull me back to the table. I see Triennia stride passed us as we return to the table but Sanji doesn’t pause. Once we’re sitting I look back and see her questioning the men with guards standing behind her, waiting. I turn away from the men and look at Helion, who is staring passed me to watch what she’s doing.

His brow furrows and when I turn back the guards are dragging the men out through the middle of the room. All conversations shift to talk about the men and what they must have done to be removed so publicly. When she returns to sitting beside me she’s bristling with anger and I reach over to hold her hand.

When she meets my eyes I smile at her. “You didn’t need to do that.”

She scoffs. “Yes I did. My Sanji read their lips. They’ll be lucky if they’re ever invited anywhere again. No self respecting lady will share their bed with them any time soon.”

I can feel Helion’s anger at my side, even as I say, “* I handled it. *” in the same tongue they spoke.

“Triennia, tell me what happened,” Helion demands and I don’t turn but she tells him right away.

“They were very disrespectful to Cheil,” she returns but then can tell he wants more and she gives him more details.

I’m sitting sideways on my chair to face Triennia, my back to Helion, and his arm wraps around my waist to pull me back to him. I gasp his name but I’m already in his lap. My face is flushing at this unexpected show of possession and I turn to demand he release me, but in the same moment he’s flipping the vail off my face and pressing his lips to mine.

The kiss is almost so passionate that I don’t hear the snap of his fingers off to the side, and I know the king has seen the words of those men towards his fake fiancé as more than just disrespectful.

-

Hours later the party is in full swing. Half a dozen people have been removed over the course of the night, one getting dragged out by a guard after tearing my vail off. From the comments I had heard behind me before it happened, they thought Helion was hiding my face because it was a political arrangement and I was unattractive. Their apologies meant nothing to Helion, and I didn’t particularly care how he ran his court so I didn’t question him. They didn’t know we weren’t really engaged, and so it was a direct challenge to their king.

I’ve had more than a few drinks while dancing with Triennia and the men generally watch from the side, keeping an eye on us like they’re worried we’re in danger on the dance floor. When she kicks her shoes off she encourages me to do the same and I pretend to kick them off under a table.

The band must have always been there, off in the corner, because I didn’t see them enter or set up, but I was so distracted by the number of people that I’m not surprised I missed them. My head feels like it’s floating and I don’t remember the last time I’ve smiled this much.

I catch Helion’s gaze regularly looking at me, and shoot him a smile that I hope conveys appreciation. I turn back to Triennia, taking her hands in mine and swaying our arms back and forth as we skip on the balls of our feet. She squeezes my hands, and I know she’s happy that I’m happy.

Sanji comes up behind her and I see his arms wrap around her waist, pulling her to him with a hungry look in his eyes. It’s late, and I know they’re spending the night in one of the guest rooms. I feel a little sad as he pulls her away from me to dance with her himself.

“Let me have my wife for just a little while,” Sanji laughs. “You’ve had her all night.”

He’s right. She’s barely left my side and I find myself wishing that Nyx and Vera could have been here as well. A part of me regrets making friends because it feels like a betrayal to all the ones I had before that I could ever be happy again.

My mind wanders off, as Sanji takes Triennia to get some water, to the friends I hope to rescue. My stomach clenches but in the same moment and arm wraps around me and hands me another glass of wine. It’s been a steady presence in my hand all night, maintaining a healthy buzz through the evening that has kept me seeming like the life of the party instead of a ball of anxiety.

I know people will be talking about me tomorrow and sharing stories of me. That makes me uncomfortable, but I try to refocus on the glass in my hand. When I turn in the arm wrapped around me I’m not surprised it’s Helion. In fact if it had been anyone else they’d probably die from my shock.

“Did you have fun?” He asks, his own tipsy expression giving his smile an uneven boyish quality.

I nod. “Surprisingly.”

He laughs. “I’m glad. We’ll wait for everyone to leave and then I’ll make sure you’re taken care of.”

I sway gently against him. Enjoying the new slow pace of the song with how much I ache. Nyx will be mad at me tomorrow for pushing my body so hard.