One Week Ago

Despite how used to sirens Kain had become, the moment his eyes landed on Dalphie, their Dalphie, his mind went blank.

Over a month had passed since Erast, but not a single detail about her had changed. Her charcoal black locks still tumbled over her shoulders in long, weighted curls. They ended at the base of her open-backed, ankle-length gown, covering the expanse of tawny skin visible through the loose material. Her eyes. Gods. They were the weapon that drove thoughts from his head and heat into his cheeks.

Dalphie smiled and Kain nearly stopped breathing.

When he didn't move despite the minutes ticking by, her smile fell away and suddenly his mind was no longer full of cotton.

"Sorry. I hadn't anticipated that Rhode would run," Dalphie mused. "I would have contained myself back if I had."

"Th-that's--" Kain stammered, then stopped.

What was he going to say?

Dalphie sighed. "Well, it's fine. I was done here, anyways."

Between one second and the next, Dalphie seemed to cross the room. Which was impossible. But, she did it.

Her hand caressed his cheek as her thumb caught his jaw on the other side. His mind stuttered as she tilted his face, eyes seeming to memorize every detail about him. He had always found Dalphie mesmerizing, but this...this was overwhelming.

"Oh, how I wished I could stay," she murmured. "But, you are meant for bigger things. And I find you too interesting to risk my hand ruining a decade of effort. Do well, Kain. She is my binding. The sun is my fuel. The moon is my reason. The mother is my guarantee.

"But you. You are my sword. So do well, Hero. We are at the beginning of everything."

And with those mystifying words, Dalphie disappeared.

Kain's knees threatened to give. It was only his hand on the doorframe that kept him from collapsing. His eyes swept the room, searching for where the siren could have gone. But, there was nowhere. Only Melitta remained in the room. She sat on the edge of her bed with layers of her skirt scattered around her. Her pale face was flushed and her hand curled tightly around the corner of her headboard.

Her eyes met his, and hesitantly, she smiled.

"Sorry. I'm not quite ready to leave just yet."

Countless questions swirled through Kain's mind as he forced his legs to steady. Still clutching the doorframe, he straightened and attempted to organize his thoughts into words.

"Was that--"

"I am sorry. She has asked I not say."

"She--what?"

While the impossible haze of Dalphie's presence had disappeared with her, the mess seemed as indecipherable as when she stood before him, touching his cheek. His mind fumbled the details, struggling to find an explanation that it hadn't already reached. Afterall, there was an easy answer for it all. For why she had disappeared before, only to reappear now, before vanishing in front of his eyes. For why he had always found it hard to look at anything but her, as if she were an enchantment given life.

But, that was impossible, wasn't it?

"Melitta." As her name fell from his lips, Kain dropped his hand from the doorframe. He stepped inside so the door could fall shut behind him, blocking invisible ears from his question. She looked away, as if she knew what would come next and couldn't look him in the eye to answer. "Dalphie...that's not her name, is it?"

"Dalphie--"

"That was Inna."

It was so obvious, but inconceivable. Shouldn't he have noticed if a god was traveling with them?

Her reason was easily guessed. Iliana was a siren--Inna protected her sirens. He couldn't understand why Inna wouldn't have directly rescued her, but perhaps there was some god rule he didn't know. Maybe she couldn't be the one to interfere, so instead she had helped them give chase. But then, why had she vanished in Erast when they needed her most?

And what, by fates, had she meant with her odd departing words? The sword? The beginning?

The beginning of what?

Kain shuddered as a possibility occurred to him. He had lived his entire life god marked. Near unconsciously, his hand rose to his shoulder. A powerful blessing always left a sign, and he had always assumed his belonged to Umae, and Umae alone. Had he been wrong?

Was it arrogant to think that perhaps he'd been marked not by two gods, but three? And if he had, what did that mean for his future?

"I cannot say," Melitta repeated, her voice softer, yet harsher than before. "Please, Kain. Wait for me in the hall. I will not be but a moment."

He hesitated, but something her voice told him that pressing further would get him nowhere. Besides, all evidence pointed to her silence as the answer. If the Dalphie he knew wasn't Inna, then wouldn't Melitta have just rejected the idea instead of refusing to answer?

"Okay."

With one last look over his shoulder, Kain left Melitta alone to recover. He was tempted to look for Rhode, but Dalphie--no, Inna's--words wouldn't leave his mind. He didn't want to be hated by Rhode. And, what if he left and Melitta emerged? Would she go to the banquet alone to look for him?

Was Inna still here somewhere, watching?

His concerns wedged in his mind, leading Kain to lean against the wall and wait. Trepidation curled in his stomach, mirroring the anxiety pebbling his skin. Had Inna's presence been a sign that the night wouldn't be as calm as they expected? Should he find a weapon? The practice sword he'd been allowed for the sparring matches would be locked away somewhere, but even a simple dinner knife could be lethal in the hands of an amature. And Kain wasn't an amature.

Shuffling behind Melitta's door stole his thoughts. A second later, she emerged. For the first time since the whole, confusing ordeal began, Kain's eyes skimmed the gown he had been looking forward to seeing.

If Dalphie was enchanting, Melitta was breathtaking.

Her golden locks flowed over her shoulders in perfectly styled waves, ending just past the collar of her deep blue gown. Shimmering silver embellishments curled over the chest and down into the light, loose skirts. The dress was a mix of Eol and Cieon, a sign of favor, and origin.

"You look beautiful."

The compliment escaped him without thought, but he didn't regret it as a deep, crimson flush crept across Melitta's pale face. Her answering smile near-stole his thoughts.

"Just as you are handsome. Let's not keep them waiting, Kain."

He had countless questions and fears. But, when it came down to it, Kain simply held out his arm, and drew in a deep breath as Melitta settled her fingers over the crook.

For one night, at least, they would be normal. Afterwards, he could be terrified of the fate resting on their shoulders.

┈♔◦𓇣◦☽◦❤◦☾◦𓇣◦♔┈

The banquet hall was a long and gaudy. A heavy chandelier of impressive make dangled a head above the empty center of the room. Each curl of the metal was tipped with gemlight instead of candles, making them priceless. Along the length of the two main walls were pristine, white tables. From what he knew of the event, every guest who wasn't a personal invitation of the king would be positioned somewhere amongst those seats.

Settled to the back, creating a head to room, was Alekos' table. Decorated with the gold, lavender, and forested shades of Eol, the setting was nearly more ostentatious than the rest of the hall. Which was a feat within itself. It met the two side tables at their heads, creating positions of power on either side of the king.

As the doorman announced their arrival, Kain's anxiety shot to the sky. Every eye in the room seemed to fall on them, scrutinizing them from head-to-toe as they stepped away from the side door they'd been directed towards. Due to Kain's revealed station, their seats placed them at the left end of the head.

Alekos' position, two settings to Kain's left, was still empty, but that came as no surprise. The most important figure was always the first, or last, to enter. The seat directly to the king's right would be occupied by the queen mother when the time was right. Anxiety filled Kain's chest at the idea of finally laying eyes on the woman who had been guiding them.

The seats to her right, the ones at the head of the opposing table, were already occupied. As if sensing Kain's eyes on him, Kyril glanced their way, before scoffing. Deciding to ignore him, Kain turned his attention to where Mara sat. He was faintly reassured that her position placed her next to where the queen mother was sitting. Surely Kyril couldn't create a scene so close to someone who might care.

The thought was dashed from Kain's mind as Kyril seemed to notice Mara's attention on him, and in a reaction that would have pulled Kain from his seat had Melitta not caught his sleeve, he harshly gripped Mara's chin, directing her attention to a nobleman further down.

"Pay attention, dear," he sneered.

The noble in question didn't even blink. "As I was saying..."

"Not here," Melitta murmured. "If we make a scene now, all the efforts you've made this week will have been in vain."

She was right. So, Kain dug his nails into the tops of his thighs, but said nothing. Melitta's eyes searched his for a moment, before she slowly released his sleeve. Instead of looking at Kyril, as just being near him was flaring Kain's temper, he searched the hall for their other companions. Their difference in status didn't allow Isidor and Natia to join them. As for Rhode, some excuse had been made so she could hide in her rooms during the event. Something he was grateful for now considering the state she had been in when they'd run into each other before.

"Will Rhode be okay?" he asked Melitta.

She hesitated. "I'll make an excuse to check on her later."

It wasn't the answer he wanted, but it would have to do. His eyes finally found the others near the entrance of the hall. Natia had pulled her chair much closer to Isidor's than socially acceptable, not that the witch seemed to mind. Despite his usual temperament, he appeared to be in an animated conversation with the young noblewoman seated across from him. A warm smile graced Isidor's lips, as one of his hands made some sort of gesture as he spoke. The noble laughed.

Apparently even Isidor could be friendly when the situation required it.

The side door opened again.

"Her Majesty Kostantia, the Queen Mother."

Kain stood, and Melitta joined him, taking a curtsy as he shifted into an appropriate bow. He thought the queen mother would simply pass, but instead, Kostantia paused before them. He looked up through his lashes, and stiffened as he caught the queen mother studying him with quiet curiosity.

Unlike Alekos, Kostantia had a delicate air. She was willowy in build, with soft gray hair that had been twisted into a bun atop her head. Her eyes, a startling, deep sea-blue, mirrored the blue of her elegant, foreign dress. Unlike most styles seen at the Eolisan court, there was no flare to the skirt. It instead fell evenly to her ankles, with a loose, ribbon belt wrapped around the center.

"Raise, Your Highness. Let me look at you."

Kain straightened at her bidding. Kostantia smiled. And, for several minutes, she simply continued to study him in silence. Then, seemingly satisfied, she continued past them to her seat.

"You truly are a son of Cieon. I look forward to seeing what you do."

Whispers swept across the banquet hall. Unfortunately able to decipher a great many of them due to his hearing, Kain attempted to cool the fire in his face as he returned to his seat the moment Kostantia took her own.

"Did you hea--"

"--were right. I knew it. The line is--"

"--cursed from the moment she decided to defy the gods."

Kain stiffened as Kyril's voice reached his ears. His hands curled into his thighs once again, urging him to keep calm as the duke paused, taking a sip of the wine before him. Even that little tidbit of conversation told Kain exactly what the duke had decided to discuss.

Melitta laid a hand over his, obviously having caught it as well.

"I don't know, Duke Levantis, I've always heard the high priestess was blessed," a nobleman interjected.

Kyril scoffed. "That's because no one is confident enough to speak the truth. I heard that the moment she returned from the Land of the Gods, Priestess Gabrielle started aging. It's obvious to anyone who knows anything that the gods removed her blessing when she stole God's Cup. Which is a fitting end, I think."

Kain pushed his chair back, Melitta forgotten. Before he could stand, however, Kostantia's quiet laugh gave him pause.

"Duke Levantis...excuse me for interrupting, but if the gods were so upset with Lady Gabrielle for reviving her son, I highly doubt they would stop at removing the priestess' immortality. I am of the personal opinion that the gods' hold no ill will towards a woman who simply acted with her child in mind."

Melitta squeezed his hand again, and with a deep, slow breath, Kain readjusted his seat.

He should have known that with his arrival, those rumors would begin to fly. Everyone would whisper, or in this case loudly proclaim, their opinions of the age old tale about how Cieon's High Priestess, Gabrielle Noumae, stole the gup of the gods to revive her deceased newborn son.

After all, it was Kain's legend they spoke of. 

A/N: Last update of the night. Just wanted to finish out Kain's little section and move onto Iliana next time I post. Hope you enjoyed~