The king paused, placing a fat hand on Thanos’s shoulder.
“I realize our situations are not exactly the same, but I know you, Thanos. You will probably refuse to marry Ceres if she is not in agreement. And because she loves someone else, you will do everything in your power to not force her to marry you.”
Thanos squinted.
“Why would you think she loves someone else?” he asked.
“We had Ceres followed when she snuck out of the palace to go visit Rexus, one of the leaders of the rebellion, and Ceres’s lover,” the king said.
If his uncle’s words were true, it would indeed be another blow to Thanos’s pride, but could he trust what his uncle was saying? Never.
“Rexus is her childhood friend, nothing more,” Thanos said.
“I do not tell you this to be cruel. I tell you this so you will know the truth and not be deceived. I might be harsh on you, but I am always truthful,” the king said.
Thanos slapped the king’s hand away from his shoulder and took a step back.
“You lie,” he snarled.
“When Ceres returned to the palace, she admitted everything to the queen. Ask Ceres yourself if you don’t trust my word or the queen’s,” the king said.
Thanos shook his head in disbelief, but if the king were lying, why would he suggest Thanos ask Ceres in person?
He glanced up at the tower. Had he been blind? Did Ceres not return his affection? All the signs pointed to it: her snide comments, the way she maintained her distance from him, her refusal to marry him. Perhaps he had been mistaken, and now he paid the consequences: humiliation and rejection.
A surge of anger filled his chest, and he felt heat spread through his cheeks.
“In truth, Stephania is a much better match for you, Thanos. Ah, she might be a bit spoiled and full of herself, but motherhood will remedy all that.”
“I don’t love her,” Thanos said through clenched teeth.
“I will allow you to make this decision yourself, Thanos. But know this: if you marry Ceres, it will ensure peace in the Empire and thousands of lives will be spared. If you do not, many will die on either side.”
“If I agree to wed Ceres, the rebellion might die down for some time, but I can assure you they will rise again. I don’t doubt you know that,” Thanos said.
“Temporary or not, it would give us time to bring in additional forces from the north.”
Thanos thought for a moment, but he knew he couldn’t – wouldn’t – marry someone who didn’t love him in return.
“Think on it for a while,” the king said. “In the meantime, General Draco has requested you lead a legion of men to quell the rebellion in Haylon.”
At any other time, Thanos would have rejected the command without a second thought. His uncle was indeed shrewd as a serpent, he knew, offering him this opportunity now that Thanos was heartbroken. And he hated that he had been played yet again.
“When would I leave?” Thanos asked.
“Now. The ships stand ready in the harbor and the Empire soldiers are awaiting their new leader.”
Thanos felt a wave of rage.
“I do not accept the position,” he said.
The king smiled.
“You have no choice.”
Thanos scowled.
“Then give me a chance, at least, to see Ceres before I go,” he said, desperate to see her one last time, to explain to her that he might never return.
But the king merely shook his head.
“I am afraid that is impossible,” he said.
And with those words, he walked away.
Thanos wanted to run to Ceres, but before he could move, a dozen soldiers surrounded him. He knew it would be no use. They would, upon the King’s command, escort him to the ship, away from all of this, and to a battle that may mean his death.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
Sitting on a chair by the window in her chamber, her wrists and ankles chained, Ceres finally gave up trying to escape. For hours, she had strained to get out of these shackles, to summon the supernatural strength that sometimes granted her extreme power, but she was left with nothing but bruised flesh and bloodied skin.
Unsettled, trying to hold onto the dwindling sliver of sanity she had left, she gazed out the window at the serene capital. However, seeing how peace had descended over the war-torn city was of little help for nothing but deceit had brought this peace, she knew. How many more lies were out there floating around, keeping the infrastructure of the Empire from crashing down?
Ceres heard keys clatter outside the door, and when the door opened, to her surprise, in walked Cosmas.
He froze in the doorway, gasping when he saw her, a look of horror on his wrinkled face.
“Ceres, what happened to you?” he asked, immediately making his way over to her.
“The queen felt the need to confine me to my chamber,” she said.
Cosmas examined the shackles, and when he saw her blood, he walked over to the water vessel, dipped a washcloth in it, and returned to her side.
“What a despicable thing to do to a sweet dear,” he said, dabbing the washcloth on her sores. “Did she say why?”
Ceres bit down, the washcloth stinging as he cleaned her wounds.
“I refused to marry Thanos and then I left the castle,” she said.
Cosmas paused, his expression saddened.
“Yes, he came to me, distraught, heartbroken,” he said.
She blinked, trying to keep her tears at bay.
“I never wanted to hurt Thanos,” she said. “But I refuse to have the Empire use us for their own gain.”
Cosmas nodded, his brows knitting together.
“The queen said that I will only be used to breed babies and then I will be killed once I am no longer of use,” Ceres said.
“I hope you know Thanos would never allow that,” Cosmas said, continuing to clean her wounds.
“I didn’t think he would. But now I don’t know anymore.”
Cosmas looked at her, his crinkly eyes a question.
“The queen said Thanos sought my brother out to kill him,” Ceres said, a lump forming in her throat.
Cosmas gently placed a hand on her head, stroking her hair.
“My deepest condolences for your loss,” he said. “Thanos told me what happened, and he was extremely distraught. He didn’t know until after he had slain the young man that he was your brother. And he did all in his power not to slay him, even though Nesos tried to kill Thanos. Your brother fell on his own sword. A tragic misunderstanding, I am afraid. I am sure that if Nesos had known then he would not have tried to kill Thanos. But for Thanos’s part, there was nothing more he could have possibly done. Nesos tried with all his heart to kill him. It was only his love for you that allowed Thanos to not fight back against a man who wanted his life.”
So it wasn’t as the queen said, Ceres noted with relief. The news made the loss slightly less horrific, although she still felt as if her heart might burst from sadness at any moment. But now she wondered, how many more of the queen’s words were spiked with lies?
Cosmas looked Ceres in the eyes with such sincerity that she found herself holding her breath.
“Thanos loves you, Ceres. He needs a good, upright woman in his life to fight for him, with him, and to be on his side. Don’t let the king and queen meddle in your relationship. Don’t let them destroy what beauty is between you.”
“Beauty? What beauty? He hasn’t even had the decency to visit me,” she said, a bitter taste in her mouth.
“He was sent on a mission to Haylon. The isle overthrew the Empire, and he was sent to get it back.”
“What?” she asked in horror.
“Don’t believe Thanos did it because he supports anything the Empire stands for,” Cosmas said. “He most certainly does not.”
He stepped closer and lowered his voice, and Ceres could sense he was going to say something dangerous, the air around them becoming tense.
“I overheard something,” Cosmas said. “Thanos was told lies about you, and that is why he left for Haylon, despairing. It seems someone is trying to dispatch him and wants him dead. But I am not certain who or why.”