Vika found him sulking in bed, running his fingers over the bandages on his throat. It didn’t sting nearly as much as it used to, but the ghost of the pain was clinging to his neck. It kept him awake. There was no way to lay down without pressing on it in some way, so he’d spent the night alternating between staring at the ceiling and sitting up straight in darkness. There he remained until it approached the afternoon hours.

 She sighed something about “wallowing, brooding types” and dragged him out to go on a walk with her, her arm hooked around his as she chattered away with gossip and stories. Even if he'd wanted to match, his throat was torn to shreds with fruitless screaming. Dawn was right, it hadn’t helped.

Nevertheless, he still appreciated the companionship. He’d been so used to enduring alone over the past year that he hadn’t even thought to seek out company. It was ironic, really. In his old life, he used to avoid pain entirely by burying his feelings under the joy of friends, and they always expected him to do the talking then. Not being expected to contribute more than a few words here and there was refreshing.

After coming to the end of the servant’s wing and turning around to do it all again, Oly interrupted with a croak. “Where are we going?”

“Nowhere. I didn’t want you to sulk alone.” He returned her soft smile, but now that he was up and about, he asked himself if he would be content to just walk with a friend all day. Under normal circumstances, the answer would be “yes, absolutely.” However, the stakes for his duties were a bit more dire now.

 “Do we have a library?” Oly ventured. Vika tilted her head to the side.

“Yeah, sure. I’ve never been, but I bet I could remember where it is.” She changed course accordingly, tugging on his arm to guide him. “What do you need it for?” She asked, opening up the door for a servant’s passage. Cool air smelling of raw stone washed over him as he ducked inside.

“Not everyone knows Haevan… But Sundentan is hard.” Six months hadn’t been enough time to learn, as it turned out.

Vika made a noise of playful disgust. “I knew it, you’re a bookworm! I can teach you Sundentan. What do you ever need to read for?”

As if anything of strategic importance here is going to be written in Haevan. “Reading is fun.”

“Ugh, reading. History books, self-absorbed biographies and author-inserts, shit that takes itself way too seriously. Not to mention all the clichés and mechanisms you have to learn before you can get anything. What’s fun about that?”

Oly chalked this all up to an old grudge and just shrugged. “Erotica, for one.”

Vika paused. “You know,” she sighed, “you got me there.”

The library contained old paintings hung on the wall portraying various scenes from Sundentan classics, with dark wood shelves arranged in 5 concentric circles. Tables for study sat on the outermost ring, shadowed under the balcony of the second floor and widest ring of shelves. The pattern of the carpets marked the different sections for genres and eras. Oly started his search for the children’s books. In his experience, it was easiest to start where the native speakers did.

Low and behold, they were all tucked away on a single dusty shelf. Even better, there was a classic tale in Gilarian and Sundentan side by side, so he had the baseline of a language he knew to compare. He pulled the two out, got a few more novels to tuck under his arm, and strolled along to look for other translations he could enjoy in the meantime.

Listening to Vika trail along and make the occasional comment, something nagged at him again.

 “Vika.” Oly spoke up, catching her instant attention. “I’ve been curious.”

“What about, buddy?”

He smiled and ran his fingers along the spines. “Don’t want to be rude-“

“You can be.”

“Well.” He laughed. “Rumors say LonDwuat never touches you, but can't agree why.”

“Oh, he touches me.” She corrected, crossing her arms. He turned to her and cocked his head to the side.

“Yes?” He prodded. She grinned. “Like a pat on the shoulder, or does he…” He trailed off and raised a brow at her. She raised one in turn, amused.

“Say it.” She encouraged.

“Does he lay with you?”

“You mean, does he fuck me?” Her voice was velvet-smooth as she leaned forward, clasping her hands innocently behind her back, but she punched out the vulgar word itself. Oly choked out a laugh.

“Yes. That. You think I’m a prude?” He lamented.

“Mmm, maybe a little.” She teased. He leaned against the bookshelf.

“I’m not shy about it.” He insisted, “Was never allowed to curse in polite company before.”

“I’m offended you think my company is polite. Really, how dare you.”

“Pleasant company, then.”

“You must have been nobility, right? It’s written all over you.”

“I asked you first.”

She laughed with a conceding expression. “So!” She clapped her hands and rubbed them together, looking off to the side. “Hessy is… kind. Let’s put it that way.”

“How do you mean?”

“He…” Oly was surprised he’d found something she hesitated to put to words. “Hesiat was 16 when I was given to him. I wasn’t far ahead. He had his own shit going on at the time, but I think everyone just expected a teenage boy to go at me, and that started the rumors.” She sighed and shrugged. “Besides that, they just wanted to give Hessy their prettiest pet, and no other “factors” were considered. So, yeah, it wasn’t like he was leaving me wanting; I didn’t want him either.” She looked up at the ceiling with a long pause, as if expecting Oly to jump in and save her from oversharing any second now, but he knew when to be quiet and let people get carried away with their catharsis.

Besides, he’d overtaxed his voice already.

She eventually clarified, “I guess I like men sometimes, but I was young, and there was only one guy to go off of while I was figuring all that out. Eventually, Hessy let me “roam free”, and the more we both grew up and figured ourselves out, the more we realized that you could get more sparks if you slapped two dead fish together.”

Oly didn’t know what he was expecting, but ‘wrong place, wrong time, zero chemistry’ wasn’t it. At least he doesn't beat her. He nodded with understanding. “Do you like femininity more, or do you love very few?” Oly asked, curious. Haeva had many words for love, but he used the “romantic” one here.

“Eh, you’ll hear the gossip on me soon enough.” She turned her attention back to him. “He gets lonely sometimes, and he does want someone to roll around with when he’s feelin’ like that. But it’s more like a service between us, and he’s never forced the issue. I’m curious if he’ll like you more…” She grinned again. “I hope so. More free time for me!”

Oly smiled softly. “To do what with?”

She winked. “Be patient. Like I said, you’ll hear soon enough.”

Oly turned back to the shelves with an exaggerated sigh, knowing he wasn’t going to get anything else out of her. “Speaking of Hessy, I think your words were-?” He paused to cough, “Don’t think I can have him all to myself.”

She gave a sheepish laugh to be reminded of that night. “It’s complicated. Honestly, I do like his company. It’s just… I’ve heard too many stories of kingslaves going right for each other’s throats, and I don’t really know where you come from or what you’ve done to get this position. It was on my mind from the second I heard you were coming, and I thought I could just let it lie until you made the wrong move. But...” Oly didn’t turn to face her, but he could hear her approach. “Something about you…” She took a breath to go on, and only used it to sigh. “Never mind.”

“It’s ok,” Oly encouraged. “You can be rude.”

She laughed. “You put me on edge. You talk like you’re hiding, and you’re good at it. I don’t even know if you have a family. You were definitely a free man before this, right? Aoskrali has no slaves.”

“Did you have a family?” Oly asked, realizing he didn’t know that about her either, but only got a glare from the habitual deflection. “Sorry, sorry! Ah,” He looked at the books in his hands and ran his thumb along the edge of a cover. “I did.” He admitted. “A powerful one. Low gentry, we had friends in high places. I was the age to look into marrying higher.” He took a deep breath and let it out through his nose. “I was serious about a few guys. One girl. When I was kidnapped, I didn’t want to cause a political scene. Ransom, embarrassment, you know, but… I should have just said who I was.”

“A lot of people think they can escape, or that someone will rescue them.”

“Didn’t consider how ancient this market was.”

“How painful their punishments.”

“By the time I realized I was an idiot, I was in Kishalon.”

“They aren’t friends to many.”

“Enemies. Kishalon’s too weak and distant to start a war.”

“Anyone you asked for help would have sooner sent your head to your suitors.”

“And my family.” Flog me to death and show them their crown prince died tortured and alone. Maybe provoke them into making a first move, come into familiar territory and give over the advantage. Possibly win something, get just a little closer to their former glory.

Vika put a hand on his shoulder. “We’re getting off track. Tell me about your family?” She prodded gently. He took a deep breath and shook himself out it.

“It’s important that I keep myself a secret.” He’d revealed too much about himself already.

“Sundenta isn’t an enemy.” She reassured.

“Not a friend, either. Please. My throat hurts.”

Vika cocked her head to the side. “You really don’t want to talk about them? Nothing at all?”

Oly thought on that. “I have a brother. 5 years younger.” 5 minutes, actually. He smiled at Vika. “I’m the good-looking one. He’s the smart one.”

She ruffled his hair. “Eh, you’ve got a scrap of smarts somewhere in there. Why else would you be reading in your free time?”

Oly smirked and held up the children’s book. “I need to.”

She scoffed. “Oh, sure. Boy, I can’t read at all.”

“You teach talking, I’ll teach reading?” He offered, wagging the book enticingly. “We’d learn together.”

To her credit, she did seem interested for a second, but she waved him off. “Eh, too much work.” She glanced towards the door. “You want any food?”

“No, go ahead. I’ll meet up later.” He shooed her towards the door. “Thanks for listening.”

She smirked and patted her heart, turning on her heel. She stalled on the threshold, however.

“Hey, Oly.”

“Hm?”

“Sorry for, um. Threatening you.”

He laughed. “All’s forgiven.”

“Don’t. I’m sorry, but I still mean it.”

She was gone before he could think of a retort.