Milo’s dead because of Telys, I told myself. So why did I take his side against that guard? I loathe Theseus. Is that why I spoke up for Telys? Because Theseus hates him and I hate Theseus? Or because maybe, just maybe Telys is as much a prisoner in this palace as I am? His mother was a slave. No one asked her if she wanted to share Lord Aegeus’s bed, and no one asked Telys if he wanted to be a royal guard. He had to take what he was given. I feel sorry for him, and yet— I shook my head, trying to make sense out of everything. And yet if it weren’t for him, Milo would be alive and I’d be free.
I was still trying to sort things out when I heard the guard in the hall growl, “There you are, you snail-dropping. It’s about time you got here!” Telys muttered an apology. I lay on my belly and peeked out under the doorway curtain just in time to see the other guard give him a nasty smack before shouting, “Keep me waiting here again and you’ll get worse!” and stomping away. Telys settled his back against one of the doorposts and sighed.
“Why did you do it?” I asked.
The abruptness of my question made the poor thing jump. “Wha—wha—Lady Helen, did you speak to me?”
It was a silly question, so I ignored it and pressed on. “Why did you let him hit you? You didn’t even try to strike back.”
Telys sighed again, more deeply. “And give him an excuse to beat my bones to dust on the training field? If I keep my head down, he goes easy on me. That’s worth a slap or two.”
“And what’s your honor worth?” I got to my feet and pulled the doorway curtain all the way aside. “Four slaps? Seven? Spartan warriors don’t bargain with our opponents. We beat them.” I rested my hands on my hips. “Why am I surprised? You’re a coward. When I beat you at Hades’ shrine, you came sneaking after me by night, with two real men to do what you couldn’t. And you killed my friend.”
“I—” Telys began, then stopped and looked away. “No. If I say anything now, you’ll only claim I’m even more of a coward, making excuses.”
“Go on,” I said, on guard. “I’ll listen.”
“I didn’t want your friend to die, Lady Helen. I wouldn’t have gone after you that night, but just my luck, Lord Theseus saw me when I returned to the palace. He demanded to know where I’d been. I thought he’d be pleased that I’d tried to protect Hades’ shrine, but he made fun of me for failing. Then he said he wanted to meet the man who’d given me what I deserved. He ordered me to take two comrades and go from one lodging house to the next, searching for him—I mean, for you. I didn’t know they were going to treat you so roughly, and when your friend grabbed that sword and drew it—”
“Enough.” I felt the sting of fresh tears. Telys’s tale rang true, but that didn’t mean I’d let him see me cry. I bit my lip to regain control of myself, then said, “Swear that what you’ve told me is true.”
“I swear it,” he said without hesitation. “I swear by my life. If I’m lying, may the Kindly Ones hunt me down.”
“I believe you.” No man would draw the attention of the Furies heedlessly, even if he called on them by their less terrifying name.
Later that morning, a maidservant arrived with my breakfast and a message from Lady Aithra: “The queen requests your presence at the palace training ground after you’ve eaten.”
“Finally, some exercise,” I said with a half-smile.
The girl took me seriously and was suitably shocked. “Oh, no, Lady Helen! The queen would never expect you to go anywhere near something as dangerous as swordplay, even if it’s only done for practice. She wants you to sit beside her and observe how well our soldiers fight.”
“Now where’s the fun in that?” I drawled. “No, thank you. I’d rather stay here, in my spacious quarters.”
The girl became more and more flustered. “But you can’t,” she blurted. “All the royal guards are expected to participate. Even him.” She cast a belittling look at Telys. “No one will be free to keep an eye on you.”
“In that case, let’s go now,” I said. “I’ve lost my appetite.”
“You must eat, Lady Helen,” the girl cried in alarm. “If you don’t eat, Lady Aithra’ll blame everyone from the cook to—”
“—to you?” I finished for her. “I didn’t know I was so closely watched, or that you all cared so much about my welfare. If that’s so, learn this: Needless cruelty, no matter how petty, makes me sick. I saw how you looked at Telys. He might not be Theseus’s most skilled warrior, but he’s still young. Someday he might surprise everyone. Now why don’t you surprise him with an apology?” The girl lowered her head and muttered a few insincere words, but it was enough for Telys. He cheered up on the spot.
I ate up every last bit of my breakfast, then let Telys lead me to the training ground. It lay in a little hollow just below the royal citadel walls, out of sight of the city. I paid close attention to the terrain. In the meantime, I was looking forward to watching the men practice. I felt strange, being there in a dress. If I couldn’t hone my swordsmanship firsthand, I still hoped to learn a new trick or two from observing others in action. Alas, my eagerness was doused the moment I saw who was waiting for me.
“There’s my lovely bride!” Theseus called out, spreading his arms wide.
I stood my ground, arms folded, and glared at him until he mumbled something to Lady Aithra. She came to my side, linked her arm in mine, and pulled me to the seat she’d abandoned. If I’d resisted, I was sure that Theseus would have found some way to use my rebellion as an excuse to punish Telys.
The king’s half brother certainly got enough punishment that day. He lost every bout, and when it was a matter of hitting a straw target with spear or javelin, his attempts always flew wide. I began to wonder whether he was being given crooked missiles.
“Are you trying to make me jealous, my pretty bird?” Theseus asked, teasing. He took one of the filled wine goblets from the cupbearer attending him and tried to give it to me. I turned my shoulder to him deliberately. “You can’t seem to take your eyes off Telys. What will it take to make you spare just one of those sweet glances for me? Shall I step onto the training ground myself?”