“…I suggest you try and stay out of trouble little lamb, for Ranka might not be around to save you next time.” I wasn’t sure if this was said out of concern or as a threat but either way my reaction was the same…I shivered and not because I was cold. He looked at me a second longer, silently capturing my gaze and then he turned his back to me once more, allowing me to breathe freely again.
“Oh and Ranka, she doesn’t leave the palace…understand?” he said as he was passing her, stopping long enough to issue the command.
“Yes, my Lord,” she answered lowering her head to her king just as the servant had. It made me realise just how shit I was at all this ancient tradition and royal culture crap, so it was no wonder I could finally let my shoulders drop once he had walked away. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been so tense being this close to Draven as years ago it would have a been a regular occurrence. Which had me wondering if this wasn’t part of our destiny? Was it written somewhere that no matter what time in history we found ourselves in that we were destined to meet in these intense ways, ways that seemed powerful enough to carve our very existence into the Earth itself.
Or maybe deep down I was always going to be intimidated by Draven and that was what would always attract me to him. Which made me wonder, what was it about me that drew him in?
“Come with me.” Ranka’s stern voice brought me out of my thoughts and plunged me straight into new, darker ones.
“Who is Stateira?” I asked knowing that I wouldn’t forget that name, not considering I now had something to call my new heartbreak.
“Not here!” Ranka hissed as she grabbed my arm and dragged me back the way I had come. I ignored the looks and gossiping whispers I received from everyone we passed as it was obvious they were probably wondering why their King hadn’t killed me. To be honest I was half wondering that myself.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed again?!” Ranka shouted once we had finally made it back to the room I had woken in.
“Obviously not…Gods I am melting.” I said before wrestling with the material I had taken from her room, only hoping I didn’t smell as bad as I thought I did.
“You never should have left this room,” she said scorning me again.
“Yeah, I kind of get that now.”
“Good,” she snapped back as if losing her patience and I was starting to think that I preferred the Ranka from my time.
“Look, it’s great that you saved me out in the desert and had my back down there…”
“Had your back? I didn’t touch your back,” she said, making it clear that I was going to have to use some common sense in this time, because they were about two thousand years behind with the lingo I was used to.
“No I didn’t mean…oh never mind, look I am just saying thanks for getting me out of trouble back there with Drav…I mean the King but I have to go.” It didn’t take me long to interpret her rapid head shaking and eyes of disbelief to know I was screwed.
“That is not possible.”
“Why?” I asked folding my arms across my chest and adding,
“Because the King said so?”
“Precisely for that reason,” she said crossing her own arms over her chest.
“But how would he even know? He made it perfectly clear to me that I am in your hands and he cares little for what happens to me.” I told her trying to keep the hurt of that statement from my voice. One look told me I wasn’t fooling anyone, especially not myself.
“You do not know the King as I do.” Okay so that statement hurt. I wanted to beg to differ and say, ‘Uh, well I am actually his wife, so I think I win that round’ but instead I remained quiet because the painful truth was that she was right…I didn’t know this Draven at all.
“So what, when he says he will leave it in your hands as to what is to become of me, he means what exactly…?” I asked sarcastically.
“He means protect you and don’t let you out of my sight,” she said shocking me.
“What?!”
“You do not yet understand our ways and even though I know not of your time, I do know mine…very well,” she said emphasizing this last part so that I would hopefully understand.
“Alright, point made. So tell me, what exactly did he mean?” I couldn’t help but ask feeling once again that spark of hope ignite. I suppose it wasn’t all that surprising that I would naturally seek out the attention from any version of Draven, no matter what time period he was from.
“Being King means keeping your enemies close but in doing so you put those you care for at risk.” I couldn’t help but snort out a humourless laugh before saying,
“Well if you would have turned up about three minutes before then you would be singing a very different tune.”
“I do not sing,” Ranka stated in a serious voice making me want to groan out loud.
“What I mean is, he didn’t look as if he cared when he was holding a blade to my throat,” I said trying to make my point. She walked straight up to me and grabbed my head back roughly so she could examine my neck.
“Alright Miss Grabby, you can let go now…Jeez, talk about heavy handed much,” I muttered to myself after pulling myself free from her manhandling.
“I do not see a mark,” she told me frowning and I automatically put a hand to my neck as if remembering how the blade felt there.
“And your point?”
“If he wanted to harm you he would have done so.” At this point I was close to giving her a salute and thanking my very own Miss Captain Obvious. My look must have said it all, which I was glad, as I was getting tired of asking her to state what she clearly thought was the obvious.
“I was there watching it all and what I saw was my King being the ruler he is respected for. You struck one of his Satrap and this offense is punishable by death. By acting the way he did, he not only preserved his authority and respect, but he did it in a way where he could also save your life.” The Keira part of me really wanted to ask what a Satrap was but thankfully the logical part of me shone through and instead I thought more about what she was telling me.
“So you’re saying that he was never going to kill me?” I asked needing to be perfectly clear.
“You are his Chosen One, are you not?” I looked away as she asked me this question and walked over to her bed before dumping myself onto it and releasing a big sigh. I didn’t know how to answer that anymore. Half of me wanted to stand up and say, yes I am his Chosen One and always will be. But the unsure, insecure part of me was scared to say yes, especially when faced with a Draven I didn’t even know whether he was trying to kill me or not. No, it didn’t exactly look good for me right now.
“I am out of my depth here…do you understand what I am saying?”
“The King is different in your time?” she asked and I couldn’t help my response,
“Yeah,” I said on a laugh and then reiterated my answer,
“He is very different.”
“Ah I understand…he frightens you?” she said coming to sit next to me on her bed and I gathered this was the only way in which she knew how to give comfort.
“He does,” I admitted feeling both shameful and relieved that at least I had someone to talk to. But as helpful and as lifesaving as Ranka had been, I knew it wasn’t enough to get me through this. I needed to find my friends wherever they may be and get this done before our time here ran out.
“Which is why I need to find my friends. They came on this journey with me not knowing what would happen to them but they took that leap of faith with me and I can’t repay that loyalty by ignoring what could have happened to them.” I told her and felt a shred of hope when she started looking thoughtfully towards the door as though thinking about what their next course of action should be.
“I am not promising that I will be able to find them and if I try then it will only be when you are in his harem getting ready to be with the King.”
“Uh…I will be what now?” I said letting my mouth drop at the th
ought on hearing the dreaded word ‘Harem’.
“Why else is it you think the King doesn’t want you to leave the palace?” Ranka asked me with the slightest hint of a smile touching her lips.
“Uh…to protect me?” I said in that hopeful tone only reserved for times like this. Ranka shook her head and this time smiled before she dropped the final bombshell on me using just one word beginning with C…
“To be his Concubine.”
Chapter 39
The Very Last Place
“So let me get this straight, the King has a harem full of concubines?” I asked knowing I would most likely end up choking on the answer.
“Yes of course, as many have before he became King…why does this bother you, this doesn’t happen in your time?” Ranka asked genuinely interested.
“No, most certainly not!” I said crossing my arms and making Ranka smirk at my behaviour.
“I see things must be very strange for you in this time…yes?” On hearing her ask me this I let my shoulders slump and sighed.
“They are strange and I am scared because I think I am in way over my head,” I said looking sideways to her and one look told me she didn’t understand the term.
“I don’t know if I can do what I was sent here to do,” I said explaining what I meant and she nodded letting me know she now understood.
“And I gather that the King doesn’t know that I am his Chosen One then?” I asked in a deflated tone as I already knew the answer.
“I think if he did you would already be in his bed,” Ranka said bluntly. I thought about that and quickly realised how hurt I felt to know that Draven and I were in this world together and in his eyes I was just like the rest…I wasn’t special to him.
I quickly swiped at the tears that were falling and rubbed them away on my jeans.
“Although I do not understand why he doesn’t know,” she pondered and I did the same.
“He thinks I am just like any other human,” I said looking at my lap, this time seeing the tears fall on the denim.
“But you know that you are not.”
“Yes, but that means nothing if he doesn’t know it too. I think if I am honest I expected him to take one look at me and just know that I’m the one destined for him,” I said opening up to the one I once thought would have been the last person I would have confessed to.
“A journey worth taking is never an easy journey to take,” Ranka said patting my leg in comfort. I took a deep breath, straightened my back and said,
“You’re right. I am not going to accomplish anything just sat here feeling sorry for myself.” I stood up and turned back around to face Ranka and asked,
“Right, so what’s our plan?”
“Our plan?” she said repeating what I said with a clear look of confusion across her face.
“Okay, so I guess that means we don’t yet have a plan.”
“The only plan is for me to do as my King asks of me and that will shortly be escorting you to his harem,” she said making me wince at the thought of it.
“We don’t know that and besides, he was the one who told you that it was left up to you what becomes of me.” Ranka started shaking her head and quickly informed me,
“That’s maybe what he said but not what he was saying.” I cocked my head to the side and gave her a ‘please explain’ look.
“What he said in a crowded room was for the benefit of prying eyes and ears seeking tall royal tales to tell.” So that explained why he was quite happy letting our meeting play out surrounded by a banquet hall full of people.
“So he doesn’t want people knowing he has a new girl all ready and waiting next in line for his bed!” I snapped getting angry at the thought. Of course this was when she delivered the next big blow and what would most likely be a huge flaw in my time travelling plan.
“The King doesn’t bed humans, but this you must already know.”
“Oh shit,” I said and almost laughed when Ranka took a step away from me as if worried I had literally soiled myself.
“We use the word to express ourselves,” I told her and the relief was clear to see as she regained her position beside me once more, obviously now knowing it was safe to do so.
I couldn’t believe how I could have forgotten that. I mean, on one hand it was great news for me, knowing that he had a room full of beauties at his beck and call, only to know they never actually received that call. But this got me thinking…how did he get away with that exactly, did they all just think he was secretly gay?
“So how does it all work exactly, I mean they must wonder why none of them ever get picked for a romp in the sack with their King?”
“Sex,” I said after getting used to what her frown was telling me.
“Many of them get picked and very frequently in fact.” My response to this was to actually growl and to storm around the room like a teenager.
“What?!”
“I think you need to calm yourself, it is not as you think.”
“Oh no, how so? Because from what you just told me my husband has a harem of beauties keeping him busy every night!” I knew I was being irrational but that didn’t mean I was going to be adult enough to forgo the extreme jealousy that was burning in my veins.
“Well in this time he is King of Persia and you are not his Queen, so you have little say in the matter.”
“Gee thanks, rub it in why don’t you,” I muttered ignoring her when she rolled her eyes at me.
“So how does it work then? I mean, he’s not allowed to touch them so…”
“He can touch them, that is not forbidden, only entering them is.” Why, when I kept praying that this would get better, did it only seem to be getting worse! I stopped my angry pacing and swapped it for hopeless dumbstruck silence.
“Please try and remember the world you now live in. He doesn’t know who you are to him and he still not only has needs as a man, but also has a reputation as a King of our time to uphold. It is a man’s world and women are here to serve them, it has always been the way of the human world, a world the King is very much a part of,” she said softly trying to get me to see sense and as much as I hated to admit it, it was working. I knew what she was saying was true and I couldn’t just stroll into this world and think the way I always have done.
Equal rights were thousands of years away from seeing the light of day and Draven was simply acting as a King was expected to act. I couldn’t exactly blame him for that and I needed to get over my hang up with it pretty quickly if I was going to get what I had come here to do in the first place. Which begged the question, if he didn’t know who I was then how would I ever get him to break the rules and sleep with a human?
“At least tell me that he isn’t married.” I forced myself to ask, bracing myself for the answer.
“He is not.” I could tell that even Ranka was happy to be able to tell me the first bit of good news I had heard.
“Oh thank the Gods!” I said letting myself crumble to the floor in relief.
“You truly love him don’t you?” she surprised me by asking and I raised my head from my knees to look at her.
“What do you think?” I said letting my flowing tears answer her question.
“Then, as long as it does not cause harm to my King, I will vow to help you in any way that I am able.”
“Thank you, Ranka.” And I was truly thankful for her right now for I didn’t know where I would have ended up if she hadn’t found me. The thought was chilling and one I was more than happy to shake off, sending it away to the forgotten mountain part of my mind.
“Okay, so there is one more thing I need to know,” I said once again wiping away the Draven tears.
“Ask it of me.”
“How did you even know about me?” But even as I asked the question the answer came to me and we both said her name at the same time…
“Pythia.”
“Pythia…of course.” Ranka’s eyes widened hearing the same name coming from my lips along with h
er own.
“You know of the Oracle of Delphi?”
“Who do you think sent me on this quest?” I told her and suddenly Ranka was on her knees bowing to me as if I’d just told her I was now her Goddess and she should be worshipping me.
“Uhhh Ranka…what are you doing?” I asked hoping she would get up off the floor any second now. But then there was a knock on the door before someone barged in and I panicked not knowing what to do. I dropped to the floor and pretended to be looking for something, hoping that whoever just entered would think that this was what Ranka was doing also.
“Ranka, the King sent me.”
“Ah ha, here it is!” I shouted pretending to pick something up and giving Ranka a look of urgency, telling her that we still had a role to play here. Thankfully she took the hint and got to her feet, a lot swifter than I did I might say. Well in my defence I was still injured.
“Is this the slave girl?” The large round woman asked and jingled when she moved thanks to having half her arms covered in bangles. Ranka placed herself between me and the scary woman, making the woman’s beady eyes bulge.
“This is the Chosen…” I coughed reminding her not to slip up and she paused looking back at me before carrying on,
“…Chosen girl to be the King’s new concubine.” Ranka corrected and the big woman rolled her eyes and went to go around Ranka to get to me when Ranka stopped her. Her hand shot out and gripped onto the woman’s arm and I could see the pressure she applied, one that made the woman wince.
“She is a favourite of the King’s and he has expressed to me the importance of her safety Parmida, so I suggest you do not let him down and displease him, for he put her in my care for a reason.” Now this definitely got her attention. Those little eyes stayed wide this time as she took in the sight of me.
“I understand,” she said in a way that I didn’t doubt it for a second as I think everyone under Draven’s rule knew what it meant to piss him off.
“Now let me see what I have to work with,” she said once Ranka deemed it safe for her to pass. I had to admit, it was quite nice having someone to stand up for you when the occasion asked for it.