Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Theseus held still as one swordmaiden kept the sword pressed to his neck while the other divested him of his sword and his belt, then patted him down, searching for any other weapons tucked away. She didn’t find any as he had only taken his sword, assuming that this thorough search would occur.
Once she finished her search, the swordmaiden hurried away, leaving Theseus still menaced at sword point. He resisted the urge to shift or make any gesture that could be construed as discomfort or weakness. From this point onward, he would have to be a warrior, not a librarian king.
That resolution became harder and harder to keep as the time dragged on. What was taking Hippolyta so long to see him? Was she purposely keeping him waiting as a first test?
Probably. He should assume that everything from this point forward was a test of some kind.
Finally, the swordmaiden returned, followed by two more female warriors. A lot of unnecessary security, considering Theseus was just one unarmed man.
The swordmaidens marched Theseus from the outdoor pavilion containing the Anywhere Door, along a broad avenue with lush gardens on either side, and into the cool interior of the stone palace.
After crossing the entry hall, Theseus was led into a grand throne room.
Each side of the room was lined with rows of fully armed and armored swordmaidens, their faces stern and eyes hard.
Behind them stood more women, wearing plain white dresses.
These must be the servants and other women who lived on the swordmaidens’ island.
At the far end of the room, Queen Hippolyta sat regally on a golden throne, her black hair wound in braids and decorated with diamonds. She stared down her nose at him, her dark eyes calculating.
Theseus stood straighter, refusing to be bowed beneath the weight of her glare.
He knew what she would see. A fae king with short black hair and wearing a blue coat cut in nearly the same style as the coat worn by the librarians serving at the Great Library.
He was not intimidating like many of the kings of other Courts, though he was not as pathetically paunchy either.
Queen Hippolyta lifted her chin, the twist of her mouth disdainful. “What is your business here, Theseus of the Court of Knowledge?”
Theseus refused to flinch under the ice in her voice. “As I told your swordmaidens, I am here to win your hand, Queen Hippolyta.”
If anything, Queen Hippolyta’s gaze darkened, her posture stiffening. “Why do you seek the hand of the queen of the Court of Swordmaidens?”
There was something odd about the way that was phrased, but he didn’t have the luxury to dwell on it now.
Instead, he tried to appear every inch a king, matching her regal glare for regal glare.
“As you must know, an especially deadly Midsummer Night is quickly approaching our region of the Fae Realm. The Court of Knowledge does not consist of trained warriors, and we will be overwhelmed if we do not have aid from a warrior Court. Thus I come to you, Queen Hippolyta, to win your hand and bargain with you for swordmaidens to protect the Great Library and the precious knowledge it contains.”
If she felt any sympathy for the plight of the Great Library, her face and voice didn’t soften. “You have told us what you wish from the Court of Swordmaidens. But what benefit will you provide to my Court? Why should I even entertain your request and not throw you out here and now?”
Theseus studied Queen Hippolyta for a long moment. What could the Court of Knowledge give to this Court?
This had been his hesitation in going to another Court. He had nothing to bargain with. Thus he needed a marriage, not a bargain. He drew a deep breath. All he could do was bluff it out. “I am the king of the Court of Knowledge. I can provide you with unlimited access to the Great Library.”
“We already have that, or nearly.” Queen Hippolyta waved her hand breezily. “It is the foundational tradition of your Court that you may not deny knowledge to one who comes seeking it.”
She had called his bluff. Theseus held her gaze and remained silent. He truly had nothing he could tell her.
“If you are here, then you must have done your research. Or tried to do so.” Queen Hippolyta’s mouth gave that twist again, this time something almost like a glint of humor in her dark eyes.
“You must have realized the lengths we will go to guard our secrets even from the Great Library. Perhaps you could offer to help with that effort, should you win the hand of the queen of swordmaidens.”
A spear of ice stabbed his stomach. He opened his mouth, then snapped it shut.
Was this all that Queen Hippolyta wanted from him?
The one thing he couldn’t give. He shook his head firmly.
“You know I can’t offer that. As king of the Court of Knowledge, I am sworn to conserve knowledge when I find it, not destroy it or hide it. ”
It was the wrong answer. Of course it was. Theseus struggled not to slump. Had he already failed? Would Queen Hippolyta throw him out immediately? It was her right to deny him even a chance to win her hand, if he was deemed so unacceptable.
But as desperate as he was, he could not break his honor nor ignore a foundational tradition of his Court.
After flicking her gaze to the side, almost as if searching for someone else’s approval, Queen Hippolyta tipped her head toward him.
“Very well, King Theseus. Your request has been granted. You will endure three trials as you attempt to prove your worthiness for the hand of the queen of this Court. My swordmaidens, please throw him in the dungeon to await his first trial.”
The dungeon? Theseus didn’t resist as the four swordmaidens shoved him backwards, all but dragging him bodily from the throne room as if he was a criminal instead of a king.
Perhaps dungeon was metaphorical. After all, the dungeon could merely refer to a strong tower. Maybe he would be brought to a nice, guarded tower room. He was the king of another Court. He was due some consideration, right?
* * *
Apparently when Queen Hippolyta said Throw him in the dungeon, she had meant the actual dungeon. Not the nice, guarded-but-opulent suite on an upper floor as Theseus had been expecting, given his rank.
No, he had been dragged to the literal dungeon, complete with faerie steel shackles clamped around his wrists and ankles.
He could move no more than three feet from the wall, and the shackles on his wrists held his arms above his head when he sat on the floor.
The floor, roof, and three sides were the same sandy stone as the rest of the swordmaidens’ palace while the last side was a wall of bars and a barred door that was just out of reach due to the shackles.
It was, admittedly, rather nice as dungeons went. It was situated beneath the sprawling, mostly open-air palace with a small, barred window set high in the wall just above his head, pouring in sunlight and salt-tinted ocean breezes.
He had just enough reach with the chains that he could grip the window ledge and pull himself up to peer out.
As the palace had been built at the top of a cliff, he had a gorgeous view of sweeping cliffsides and rolling ocean waves, turquoise near the shore before deepening to cerulean, then richest indigo at the horizon.
It was a kingly view, even if the rest of his accommodations weren’t.
Theseus leaned against the wall at his back as he sat on the floor, letting his arms dangle from the chains.
He had failed the first test. They had wanted what he could not agree to give.
Had they known that? Was that question purposefully designed to make him fail? Yet if that were the case, then why give him a chance to win her hand at all?
No matter. He would simply have to do better on the next trial, when it came his way.
Perhaps he was already experiencing it? Was being thrown in the dungeon another test? Maybe they were testing his patience or ability to think rationally in unexpected situations. Maybe even humility, if they thought he would complain.
No, he would have to be strategic about this time in the dungeon.
He would figure out training he could do while confined and chained to keep his strength up.
He would do his best to listen and learn and get the measure of his captors.
He would have plenty of uninterrupted time to plan his next moves carefully.
Far more carefully than he had when concocting this desperate plot in the first place.
Out of his sight, footsteps scuffed on the stairs down to the dungeon. Theseus stayed where he was. Not that he could go anywhere, but he made sure he kept his muscles relaxed, his expression neutral, to appear nonchalant about his imprisonment.
A woman dressed in a plain white robe with a wide, leather belt came into view, carrying a tray of food. She wore her thick wavy blonde hair in a simple braid down her back, and she kept her eyes down.
Yet her arms were well-muscled, and her stride held a sure confidence that even her attempts to appear humble couldn’t hide. Here in the Court of Swordmaidens, even the servant women were well-trained and warrior-like. Theseus shouldn’t let his guard down, even around her.
She balanced the tray on one hand while she unhooked a set of keys and unlocked the barred door with the other.
If he had been in another situation, Theseus might have started plotting ways to get those keys away from her and escape.
But escape wasn’t his goal here.
He pushed to his feet as she stepped into the room, the chains rattling.
“Your supper.” She thrust the tray at him and finally lifted her gaze to his. Her eyes shone a sharp, light blue that bit into him.
Theseus took the tray, giving her a smile. “Thank you.”
He held the tray for a moment, considering his options. If he sat down, he wouldn’t be able to reach the tray if he set it in his lap.
That left eating while standing. He would have to hold the tray in one hand and eat with the other. It would make cutting the piece of mystery meat smothered under a blue sauce a little difficult, but he would manage.
The servant girl continued to stand there, just out of reach of his chains. Her gaze remained sharp and assessing.
Theseus picked up the spoon. Might was well start with the bowl of chopped fruit first before he tackled the meat. As he dug out his first bite, he glanced over the tray at her. “Are you going to watch me while I eat?”
“I am under orders to claim the tray as soon as you finish.” The servant crossed her arms, her gaze steady. “And I’m to check that you don’t try to palm the knife.”
The butter knife was so dull that he didn’t think it would do anything against the meat, much less work as a weapon.
“I am right where I intend to be. There won’t be any escape attempts.
” Theseus chewed a bite of fruit, studying her.
This might be a test, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t plot his own schemes.
This servant could turn into an asset, if he could get her talking.
He gave her what he hoped was a guileless smile.
“What’s your name? If we’re going to be personal enough that you watch me eat, we might as well share names. ”
Did her mouth twitch at that? Perhaps he was getting somewhere with her.
“You can call me Ariadne, the handmaid to Queen Hippolyta.” The servant woman studied Theseus with a frank gaze that seemed far too unflinching for a servant. Then again, this was the Court of Swordmaidens. Her air of confidence might not be so odd.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Ariadne. Please give my compliments to the cook and to your queen for providing this fine meal.” Theseus smiled between bites.
Ariadne raised an eyebrow at him. Just a single eyebrow in a way Theseus had always envied. “Does that charm work on the women of the Court of Knowledge? Because it won’t earn you the queen’s respect here.”
Theseus let the far-too-smarmy smile drop from his face. He had been laying it on a tad thick. “No, it doesn’t. My apologies for trying.”
He eyed the tray. He’d polished off the fruit. The bread would be manageable with one hand, but after that, he would have only the meat left.
Instead of stabbing the meat with the fork and gnawing on it, he held out the tray to Ariadne. “Would you mind cutting my meat into bite-sized pieces? It would be easier for me to eat with one hand.”
That eyebrow shot back up again. Perhaps he had surprised her, with the request that she cut up his food like he was a child. Would she be impressed that he was willing to humble himself to this indignity? Or would she find him demanding?
Whatever she thought, she picked up the knife and fork and sawed at the meat while Theseus held the tray. She had to work at it, confirming his suspicion that the knife was less than sharp.
Theseus tried to think of something else to ask. Charm hadn’t worked. Perhaps direct questions would be better. “What can I expect now? Do you know what my first trial will be?”
She shook her head, set down the fork, and stepped back. “Did you really think I would answer that?”
“Not really.” Theseus shrugged and reclaimed the fork. “But silence while you watch me eat is awkward. If you have a better topic of conversation, then please tell me.”
He inspected the meat. It looked like it might have been some kind of giant bird. Perhaps a roc. They came through the thin spots in the barrier with the Realm of Monsters quite often in this area. A few were even known to roost on some of the rocky, outlying islands.
Would he have to face a roc as one of his trials? Rocs were large and intimidating, but it would be a straightforward monster fight. He could handle those.
Ariadne’s mouth quirked, as if he had finally gotten through to her. “I’ve heard much about the Great Library, but I’ve never had the chance to walk through the Anywhere Door to visit. What is it like? Is it as grand as all the stories claim?”
The Library. Now there was a topic he wouldn’t mind talking about.
Between bites of the meat and bread, Theseus described the Great Library.
Its sprawling wings and rooms filled with books from floor to ceiling.
Its ancient, slightly grouchy personality as it guarded the books in its possession.
The bookwyrms that scurried around the shelves, protecting the books and eating any pests that dared invade the Library.
Ariadne’s light blue eyes remained intent as she listened, asking questions occasionally. By the time she gathered the tray and left, Theseus had some hope that he had made progress in gaining her trust.
Step one in surviving these trials and returning to his Court with the Swordmaiden Queen as his wife.