Court of Snakes: This Desert Cage

Duty - The Palace |November of the Second Year

"Here... I have this for you."

There she was: porcelain face and decadent dress, just as Parisa remembered her. Parisa pulled the doll from Esmond's hands and into an embrace and exclaimed, "Theophilia!"

Esmond smiled as she cuddled her doll, and said, "I've been meaning to give her to you sooner, but I wanted to make sure you were settled."

"I thought she'd been thrown away!"

"She almost was, but I rescued her."

Parisa smiled and hugged her teacher as though he might disappear. "Thank you! Thank you..."

"Now, don't get too excited just yet. I don't know if you remember, but on your birthday, I told you I had another surprise for you. I never got to give it to you."

"Another surprise?"

Master Esmond pulled a gilded box out from underneath his desk and set it on the table. "Happy belated, belated birthday."

Parisa tugged on the soft, silken ribbon and pulled the lid off after the fabric fell away. She found inside the box another doll. His skin glimmered in the same porcelain fashion as Theophilia's, and gold thread shimmered in the suit he wore. He was a perfect match for her little friend.

"He's so handsome!"

"I wish I could have given him to you sooner, but I figured you'd need the knife more. Has that been of any use to you or was it a mistake on my part?"

Parisa remembered all the times she needed to cut bandages, slice through an obstacle, or defend herself. "It's been more than helpful. Honestly, you could have gotten me a rock and I would cherish it. I appreciate all you do more than words can say."

"It's no trouble, really. Hopefully that new beau will be motivation to finish your last few books."

Despite her father's wishes, Parisa studied. Master Esmond had not given up on her yet. He had set out a secret course for her, as if he was preparing her for something. She now knew more than she needed about royal practices and functions, though she felt she would never need them, and she could write an essay so sharp it almost rivaled her combat skills. Perseus, too, had been studying hard. Talbot, after all, could not respect ignorant commanding officers. When Perseus had explained to Parisa that he had received no education, she was appalled. He barely knew how to read or write.

His education progressed painfully, but Parisa spent extra time tutoring him, which she enjoyed. Every bit of his progress made her proud, and she reveled in the fact that she not only finished her studies but had also become an adept Elite. Her mother would be overjoyed.

"I should probably go," Parisa sighed as she contemplated the events that brought her to this point. "I need to finish my governmental studies homework."

"You make me proud, Parisa," Master Esmond added. "Don't you ever forget that."

Parisa took her books and dolls to her room, her heart overflowing with happiness. As she walked to the elevator, she felt a pang in her heart, just a small, momentary one, that she was not allowed in the Sovereign's quarters. From the day they had made their move from their house in Naa'a to the Embassy tower, she had maintained her own quarters on the ground floor. She knew it was because her father did not want her to be the last thing he saw before he went to bed. Her father was so distant from her she would not have liked to live with him anyway. She dreamed of something that did not exist and reinforced that idea in her heart as she opened her bedroom door. Her books dropped heavily onto her bed and she propped Theophilia and her new love onto a pillow so they could see the entire room.

She did not want to study at the moment and knew she could get her work done another time. Something else itched at the back of her mind and she decided to humor it. She moved into the central palace courtyard, the same place Esmond had promised to read her favorite book but had never gotten the chance, and she fell onto the crisp, partially-dead grass. The world was dull at that time of year, even in the greenhouse, but she still loved the outdoors and the tree still comforted her, even though it bore no leaves in its open branches. She wore a large coat so the cold did not faze her, and, in fact, she was quite comfortable and could have napped there if not for the crunch, crunch, crunch of dead grass.

When she looked up, Perseus' dark eyes were there smiling down at her. He leaned over her, hands on his knees, grinned, and asked, "What are you doing out here? It's freezing!"

"It's not that cold," Parisa laughed and sat up. "You would be warmer if you had your jacket on."

"I hate this weather."

Parisa grabbed his hands with her gloved ones and pulled him down onto the grass. "What have you been up to?"

"Reading," he spat. His mouth twisted into a sour frown. "I needed a break."

"You came looking for me?"

His face turned bright red and he spluttered, "What have you been doing?"

"I got Theophilia back."

"Your doll?"

"My best friend."

"That's great."

"Yeah, she has a boyfriend now."

"Another doll?"

"Yup."

"Neat."

The two lay in silence for a little while, watching their breath form steam in the air, until Perseus sat up on his elbow. "Hey," he suggested. "We should do something fun."

"Like what?"

"A game."

"A game? Aren't we a little old for games?"

Perseus rolled his eyes and then winked. "Aren't we a little too old for dolls? No one's ever too old for games."

"How about... chess? Backgammon? Spades?"

"Truth or dare."

"I've never played that."

Perseus' eyes gleamed with mischief. "It's real easy," he started. "Pick one. Truth or dare. And then you have to do what I ask, whether it's answering a question or doing something crazy."

"Truth?"

As Perseus speculated on a question, Parisa enjoyed their momentary silence. After a breath, he asked, "Have you ever kissed a boy?"

"No."

Before Parisa could react, Perseus leaned in and pecked her on the lips. It was a short kiss, no more than a breath, and Parisa's heart back-flipped in her chest. The dead grass prickled the back of her head, but she didn't mind, and his lips were warm in the winter air.

Perseus laughed, flushed red, and rolled over again to look up at the cloudy, grey sky through the greenhouse glass.

"You have now."