Page 86 of A Queen's Game
Marietta nodded her head. “I would like to go, even if it’s getting out of this room.”
“And wearing something other than silk nightclothes,” Amryth said with a chuckle.
“Do a lot of people go to her temple?” Marietta asked, remembering her friends in Enomenos who went to the temples.Rarely did they ever share their experiences. That was partially because she never asked.
“I would say over a third of the city-state visits at least one of the temples on a regular basis.”
Marietta jerked her head at that. “Of just the pilinos population?”
“Including them, but also the non-noble elves of Satiros. Those who are of middle and lower status often visit the temples or actively worship one of the deities.”
The non-noble elves don’t reject the temples, unlike Keyain. Her heart deflated at the thought, sinking back into the water. “He’ll never let me go,” she whispered.
“I can talk to Keyain about going,” Amryth said, “but it’d be best to hear it from you.”
With the washcloth lathered, Marietta scrubbed herself. “Keyain doesn’t listen to me.”
“Well, there’s no harm in asking him,” Amryth said, standing to grab a towel.
But Amryth didn’t know Keyain, know how controlling he could be. Gods, he wouldn’t let her out of the suite, so how would she leave the palace?
She shook the thoughts from her head, ignoring the doubt that clawed its way back in. Something had to change—Keyain had said as much. Marietta struggled to ignore the hope that rose in her chest.
Amryth remained for the afternoon, letting the silence remain between them. The quiet was peaceful, welcoming. At one point, Marietta asked about the goddess Therypon and how she helped. And though the goddess couldn’t heal away emotional pain,what had helped Amryth was praying to her in the temple's silence and clearing her head of thought and emotion.
It sounded like it could help Marietta, but Keyain would say no, wouldn’t he? When they were together in Enomenos, it was clear he found the temples and their followers untrustworthy. After all his effort to keep Marietta locked in the suite, would he really let her go?
You can’t continue like this. Those were Keyain’s words, but did he mean them?
When the sun began to set, Keyain returned to the suite with his button-down shirt already untucked and hair disheveled. Marietta waited for him to notice her at the dining room table, sitting with a book left unread next to her.
He furrowed his brows as he reviewed the open file in his hands before giving Marietta a double-take. “Mar, you’re up.” He closed the files as he approached and set them down on the table. “And dressed.”
“Amryth came by.”
Keyain sighed, mussing his hair more. “I told her to stay away after….”
“Of course you did,” Marietta said, a frown tugging at her lips.
“I see she got you out of the nightgowns. Did you eat today too?”
“Yes, a little.”
“A full meal?”
She thought back to the handful of grapes and cheese Amryth goaded her to eat. “More than usual.”
He nodded his head, a smile hinting at his lips. “That’s good—an improvement. Are you feeling better?”
She sighed and gestured to the seat across from her. “Can you sit so we can talk?”
With furrowed brows and a nervous glance, he sat down. “Is everything alright?”
Part of her didn’t want to bother asking, wanted to resign herself to wasting away in bed as she had for days. But after an afternoon with a friend, another part of her stirred. Marietta wanted control over her life and wouldn’t let anyone or anything take her agency away.
She met Keyain’s gaze, holding her chin high. “As you said, I can’t continue as I have been, but I’m content with wasting away.”
His hand reached across the table to hold her own, concern laced into his expression. “How can I help?”
