Court of Snakes: This Desert Cage

Giving Up - The Palace | December of the Second Year

It snowed lightly outside, a soft kind of snow that did not bite at the skin, a gentle snow, a silent snow. Parisa had gone and sat at the fountain that was not too far from her favorite tree, tears hot in her eyes. How could Father ruin my life like this? She had to do everything he said because he was the Sovereign; she had no choice, and now she had to throw away her life to be with a jerk and a basket case she hardly liked.

What could he possibly be talking about? She knew things were bad. She had seen it herself; he was right. But what did he know? A foreigner from a den of thieves was all he was. She had seen Perseus' struggle, learned about the inner machinations of poverty and plight. The thought that something was systemically wrong had tickled her in the middle of the night, but she never took it seriously. She had studied the laws of Segeno back to front in her classes with Esmond, so unless there was some secret doctrine that only the Sovereign was allowed to see, everything was fine.

She ran through her options in her head. I could run away, she thought. To where? Sulphur, maybe. It's the closest settlement and if Rune lived there and was fine—he's horrible. And Father would find me there. It's not like no one communicates with Sulphur. What would he do if he did find me? Execute me?

She wiped her eyes when she heard the glass doors of the ballroom open. Someone came to sit next to her, leaving prints in the snow as they came. "I'm sorry you had to dance with him," Perseus huffed. "Are you okay? What did he do to you?"

"N-Nothing. He's... ugh. It's everything else."

"I'll go sock him if he said anything to you that—"

"It's not that, Perseus... we—we have to stop."

"Stop?"

"We can't feel like this anymore. Not for each other."

Perseus looked as though someone had burned his skin. "I-I don't understand."

"Father said I am to marry Lord Guildenhart."

"I... oh." Perseus pursed his lips and shook his head. "That can't be right."

"I'm trying to formulate what to do, and the best course of action seems to be 'just go with it.' Rune's crazy, but not as crazy as my father. My father probably wants me to give up my right and power as the heir to Rune, but even if I'm in a secondary seat of power, I might just save this place."

"But is it worth it?"

"It is if we can play the game. You'll have to stay away from me, at least romantically. My father will eventually die, and I can kill Guildenhart in his sleep. You—you just have to keep your distance and let me work."

Perseus spat with resistance, "Never."

"You're just going to make it harder."

"Who told you? Who told you the news?"

"Lord Guildenhart himself."

"He might be lying."

"Doesn't seem so, Perseus. He told me some things that I... I need to think over. I don't understand him like I thought I did. I'm angry with him, but... there's something else going on."

Perseus leaned in, kissed her on the lips, and took her hand. The snow caught in his dark hair and when he pulled away, he sighed like the ocean rolling from the shore. "I am never going to let you go. We'll work it out. Won't we? We could run away."

Parisa laughed. "Where would we go that he wouldn't find us?"

"I don't know... we'll find somewhere, won't we?"

Parisa muttered and looked into the nearly frozen water of the fountain, "I don't think so, Perseus."