She winced at those words.
Araes tensed, and with fists clenched at his sides, he took a breath. As if settling himself, the heartbeat of rage dissolved into the deepest of sadness.
“My queen, if you want to retire for the night and let your mind recover in isolation, say the word and I’ll standat your door until the morning light shines through those windowpanes. Or open the door, let me be the rock that steadies you as you find your composure. Let me help you as you helped me,” he whispered. Araes’s brow softened as she watched him, the marble-carved man before her come to life.
She was silent. Her heart still slammed against her chest. Her mind still raced and for the first time, Tethys didn’t want to rely on herself alone. Jaide’s words came back to her,let others be strong for you. She didn’t want to stitch herself back together. This soldier standing before her softened in her presence yet hardened against her all the same.
She knew at that moment he would be exactly what she needed. He’d be the calm. He’d be the storm. If she needed simply a friend, then it would be as she wished it. He’d be the shield that encased itself around her so no one would see her unravel.
Disappointment blinked in Araes’s eyes. Tethys leaned into the doorframe, watching the man’s visible battle with the words he’d just unleashed.
“I shall let you get your rest then,” Araes said, dipping his head before turning away. As if a reflex, Tethys grasped his wrist before he could turn his back fully.
“Please, don’t go,” she whispered. She watched his shoulder blades straighten beneath his linen shirt as he stopped mid step. Tethys knew in the rigidity of his stance, that this feeling she had was real. Not only that, but it also was mutual.
“I would only if you told me to,” he murmured, turning to face her. A sincerity that entirely overwhelmed her now glinted in his eyes.
She stepped aside to let him in.
A quiet stillness hung heavy between them and her mind raced with thoughts of how to relieve it.
“Do you want to talk about what happened?” Araesasked, his voice a gentle caress against her. Gone was the cold, indifferent soldier. Here and now, he felt like an old friend, ready to listen to her every word. To comfort her in any way she required.
“Not particularly. I just…can’t be alone tonight,” she said, shuddering at the flashbacks now threatening to consume her. She needed to shed her clothes, her skin. The smell of clove and pine assaulted her nostrils.“I think I need to bathe, but I sent my chambermaids to bed and admittedly, I don’t know how to draw the water or where they keep the fresh washing cloth.” Her cheeks warmed at her ridiculous admission.
“You don’t know how to draw a bath?” he asked, not disingenuously.
“No. It’s humiliating, but as nobility I was never taught. There are…quite a few simple chores I am incapable of doing myself, I’m afraid,” she said, staring at her bare feet.
Araes chuckled and closed the gap between them ever so slightly. He stopped in place, as if awaiting her permission to approach her closer.
“I’ve heard you recite prose in both the old dialect and new. I’ve seen you compute the most complex of mathematics. I’ve witnessed you perform incredibly complicated scenarios in your games of chess with Jaide. Some with so much ease, I suspected you could see the future. Do not be embarrassed by what you weren’t taught.” He smiled, taking another step after a subtle, permitting nod from the goddess.
“I’d be honored to draw your bath, my lady,” he said.
“Thank you, Lieutenant.”
He led her to the bathing chamber and pulled the stool from its place beneath the vanity. Then, he rotated the brass knobs of the washbasin, allowing the hot water to rush in. Tendrils of steam arose with the water level. All the while, Tethys, with her arms wrapped around herself,stood by the doorway, watching intently as he found the fragrance oils and let a few droplets fall.
When the basin was sufficiently full, he turned the knobs once more and located a reed basket of fresh washing cloths.
“I’ll be right outside if you need anything, my lady,” he said, handing Tethys a cloth.
“No,” she blurted out. The word escaped before she could stop it. Tears threatened to well at the corners of her eyes once more. She couldn’t face the quiet stillness being alone brought. It was far too easy to slip back into the memories of earlier tonight.
“Please. Don’t go,” she said.
“Then, I’ll stay.”
Araes lowered his eyes to the floor as she slipped from her gown, letting the stinking thing pool at her feet. The air cooled her skin only for a second until she slid into the wash basin, letting the nearly scorching water steal her breath. Her body burned in places she didn’t want to acknowledge.
Once she was shielded beneath the dark water, Araes lifted his eyes to hers. She watched as the concern in his eyes kindled into a ferocious, golden anger as he scanned her exposed shoulders, arms, and clavicles littered with plum colored bruises.
“Did he do that?” Araes asked, his voice low. His restraint was more than obvious, yet the flash of fury in his amber eyes didn’t make her nervous.
“Ever since we were children, Proc—the king has had a tendency to break his favorite playthings. Unfortunately for me, I’m now his most beloved of toys,” Tethys said, sliding further into the basin in an attempt to conceal the more shocking damage.
“Did he…?” he asked.
