LYSSANADRA

‘’Atatatata’’I winced as Thais kept caressing my wounded hand with beeswax.

‘’For someone who created an entire con’’She said, pressuring her thumb on my wound.’’You sure are stupid.’’

I could feel the pain from that strange arrow still burning my skin even with Thais still pressuring and pressuring the wax on the burnt wound.

I just replied with a grin.

Thais rolled her eyes and then put a piece of fabric around the wound, tight enough for it to not slip up. Then, she smacked my head with her finger.’’We need you whole for today’’She rasped.

I nodded letting out a small whine and then returned to the valley that we were all in. Well, almost everyone as Adamantious had returned to the village to pick up food.

There are so many herbs in the valley. Even as hot as the day was for summer, the valley had a chill breeze with plants and flowers blossoming that season. The perfect season for me to collect with my face now revealed to everyone as there was no one else to see me.

I could not stop smiling as I kept taking the roots and leaves of each one with my sickle, thinking, imagining what I could do with each one of those roots and plants. Medicine, anesthesiacs, poisons…

‘’Really the high prophet of Apollo?’’Thais mocked with a grin.’’Picking flowers?’’

‘’It is research’’I corrected.’’To help us on our great cause ‘’

Next to her was Myrto reading a paper to Alexios, a tale of the Trojan War.

She cut her words and turned on me who was now picking a strange looking fungus. Another grin from me as I kept imagining what the side effects might be. For the plans to succeed potions and herbs, it needed to be a specialty of mine.

‘’Lyssandra?’’ Myrto asked scared.

I turned back to reality as Thais was also looking at me as if she had seen an actual monster.

‘’Your family was from Troy wasn’t it?’’

I shrugged. I did not think of my old family often. I do not remember if I ever had siblings or even if I ever met my mother and father. But I do remember that I had a grandmother who was talking about the kingdom of Troy like it was an ancient memory.’’I think so, that is what my grandmother used to say.’’

‘’Has she ever told you how was it?’’ I could see from the look on her eyes she was curious.

I took a deep breath.

She was an infant when the war started. She was a kid when the city fell. But she was not in the city. She was inside a small boat with the rest of her family already far away.

‘’Why were they far away?’’Asked Thais with her finger picking the daisy petals.

I lifted my arms.’’I do not know. But the only thing she told me was that she can remember music.’’

Alexios moved his hand up questioning me.

‘’That was all she was saying’’My eyes looked down and then I grimaced, reminding of an old lady.

‘’Oh my dear Lyssa…the music, music that could make you sing and dance in chaos.’’

There was a laugh coming from Alexios, a gasp from Myrto, and an eyes roll of Thais.’’Your grandmother was insane.’’

‘’Yes, she was’’I replied and then there was the sound of four horses to our side.

‘’How do you think King Perseus looks like?’’ Thais asked, still picking the daisies.

‘’I heard ‘’Myrto laughed.’’That he is charming enough to destroy a beast with one single glance. ‘’There was one more giggle.’’And that he has Medusa’s head.’’

‘’Medusa?’’I asked.’’The beast of the legend?’’

‘’I heard a story’’Thais said.’’That Medusa was not a beast at first but a gorgon cursed by Poseidon.’’

I narrowed.’’But why would he move her head with him?’’I asked. ‘’Wouldn’t be just a skeleton…’’

As I was speaking, I noticed that all three of them looked at me with a dense look.

‘’What?’’

Alexios moved his hands.

‘’You say that the Gods do not exist but you believe in Medusa?’’

I took a deep breath. ‘’Beasts and monsters can be described in many different ways. The Lion of Nemea, an animal, was the strongest one of all and it was considered something like a monster or a beast. Chimera, cyclops too. Even gorgons.’’

‘’But,’’Thais tried to speak.

‘’Creatures that live since the beginning of time and watch us for prayers seem something only that kings would make for the mere humans to fear.’’

‘’What are you talking about?’’ Asked Alexios.

I raised my finger up.’’Think of it. Every story you have heard when was someone mortal with no royal blood or ‘golden blood’ playing a big part on?’’

Everyone did not say a thing and Thais kept pulling the flowers.

And if someone like us were mentioned it was only as an example of defiance.

We were not heroes of stories, I knew that for certain. All of us did.

‘’So what you think of Perseus?’’ Thais asked me with her strategic gaze.

Adamantious probably told his sister first before me. Just like Myrto, she tried to find every secret someone was hiding. But unlike her, Thais were not so secretive.

I moved closer to her while I put the rest of the herbs and mushrooms inside her basket with her petals.

‘’Like any other king. Now growing old, I want to make another battle of victory,’’ I replied.

Thais laughed, exposing her small knife.’’He sounds fun. Maybe he will cause something interesting.’’

‘’I heard that his next conquest will be towards Macedonia’’Myrto explained.’’Or that is what the people here say.’’

And then, there was the sound of loud gallops coming near our side of the valley. Near the light, I found one horse with a rider who had been shadowed by the shimmering light. But his white horse had around a symbol as familiar as I could describe. A silver platter with the symbol of an eagle.

Panic slightly grew but I did not have the time to show it as I turned to the rest.‘’Hide your things’’I whispered, covering my face with the veil.

Myrto, Thais, and Alexios hid their thing in the baskets fast. I let out my flask and poured a speck of dust into the water as I was now trying to hide it slowly. I moved my sickle on my bag and for that instant moment, I regretted it. But it was too late.

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Sixteen legs. Four horses. Four riders.

The light was snow-covered by the pale white horses and there was a sneer of one of the riders.

‘’Prophet Lyssandra.’’said Dion, the arch-priest of the temple of Zeus.’’What brings you here this late hot hour?’’

He got down from his pale horse and looked up to him. He was as much an arrogant idiot as much as he was charming. Probably looked far too royal to be a priest in a small village. White as snow, long hair in the shade of actual gold with a soft beard around his face, and light eyes that could almost search your soul. His clothing was finer than mine too. Richer with his fabric being pale as snow and with a golden belt around his waist. Then he had golden necklaces on each hand and ankles as well as a golden necklace with the shape of an eagle at the center of it. Well, almost everyone preferred to move to the temple of Zeus, rather than his son’s. Every prayer, every wish, every vision came with a price, and it went to them. And the followers were plenty to be another small village. But not every day the priests were getting out of the temples with long silver swords on their side.

‘’Picking flowers for your…god?’’ He asked, taking a look at the grip of his covered sword.

And yet he could even think he saw between my lies.

I stood up and smiled at him with all of my strength. I looked up to the rest of the riders who were looking like idiots just like their supposed leader.

‘’Hello to you priest Dion, it is a pleasure to see you today. We were just taking our leave.’’And I tried to walk away but the man caught my hand fast, tight.

‘’Now dear Prophet’’He whispered close to my ear and I could smell the wine on his breath.

‘’There are some whispers that you will attend to King Perseus's appearance tonight.’’

Whispers…right.

‘’Do you desire to meet him?’’ He asked me almost gently.

I pushed myself away from him as I kept clinging to the flask, making his eyes to look at it.’’Of course, he is a king and son of your God’’I replied with a grin.’’It would be an honor for me to see him. Actually any of us.’’

There was a face of disappointment coming from him but his eyes moved up now.

‘’What do you have there?’’Dion asked.

I tried to hide that flask behind my back but it was too late as he grabbed it from my hand. Looking around, I saw the rest of his followers surrounding mine with a sneaky look. Alexius stood up fast but one of the men pushed him back to the ground, almost drawing his sword out.

‘’What is it?’’Laughed Dion.’’Tea?’’

He then gulped it slowly and after a few seconds…he began to choke.

‘’What…’’He tried to inhale’’Is…’’

‘’Just pollen’’I replied by sticking my tongue out.’’My such childish reaction from someone as powerful as..’’

I stopped talking as the man’s height and weight fell on me with his hands now wrapped all around my neck.

What… What is he doing?

‘’You filthy peasant’’He said, coughing more and more.

My throat began to close up, unable to breathe. I moved my gaze away and saw that the rest of his men had surrounded Thais and Myrto with their long swords, something that even Thais could not fight against as one of them was behind them by stepping slowly on Alexios’ stomach.

‘’Leave-’’I tried to speak.

After the war of Troy, people have gone mad, seeking for another war. The war had now started with priests, terrorizing the temples of different gods and it mostly happened to the temples of the gods that were supposed to not answer anymore such as Apollo, Ares, and even Aphrodite. None dared to touch the Artemis’ temples and yet the conflict did not stop. Burning temples and people inside for their God so they can take the believers of their city or village on their side.

Now the village with a temple of Zeus had a prophet of Apollo on the other side of the countryside, making people choose who to believe in. And the conflict here started five years ago. Now with the son of Zeus arriving it did not make it any easier.

Dion now could see my face perfectly, as he was studying it with disgust.’’Monstrous’’He spat.

‘’You believe that your act will fool the king?’’

I started kicking my feet, baring my hands on his with my eyes looking at the sack where I left my sickle. Foolish, stupid, stupid. I thought, still trying to get out of scratching his hands. Nothing. I was nothing against him. As if he suddenly managed to gain a hundred times the strength that he could have. His fingers were harshly against my sweaty flesh, pressuring the veins as if he could imagine the sound of them popping. My hands dragged the dirt off the grass, finally managing to hit it on his face.

Dion let out a gasp as he pulled away with disgust. Fresh air filled my lungs before the coughing began and I tried to stand up.

‘’Filthy lying’’He tried to find the right words to say with his head seeming heavy and heavy.

‘’One’’I whispered.

‘’You will die, you know that correct?’’

Of course, I do. Everyone dies.

‘’Two’’I said, taking a step back.

‘’You..’’His steps became messier. ‘’Will..’’ And messier with his saliva drooling down.

‘’Pay..’’And he fell with his head to the ground.

I let out one more breath.’’Three.’’

One of his men turned to me by pushing me fast.’’Filthy Anatolian’’ The man cursed.’’What did you do to him?’

Seemed that the valerian pollen worked perfectly.

‘Nothing’’I shrugged.’’My God replied with a favor.’’

His brow began twitching harshly on it as he now drew his sword on my side.

Then, there was a heavy dark blade on his throat, making him flinch like a rabbit.

‘’Please’’Adamantious smiled.’’Leave my prophet alone. You all seem to have to make your priest ready for the king to arrive.’’

Turning my gaze back, I saw that Thais and Myrto had managed to knock out the other two fast with Alexios sitting on both of them like they were a big boulder and he was smiling in history.

The man backed away, letting his weapons down. and he fled with Dion on his side and started riding his horse as the others managed to follow him. But I could see Dion opening his eyes vividly, staring at me with wrath. As if he had something planned for the future.

But I had no interest in paying attention as I let out one more deep breath and turned on the rest.

‘‘Is everyone alright?’’I asked.

Everyone nodded with Thais looking at her knife and Myrto trying to help Alexios to get up. But none spoke about Myrto’s red mark on her face. there was a moment od

Then I returned to Adamantious whose face was a deep red color. Furious with rage, he cut my wounded hand, pressuring his fingers to the wound. He didn’t even try to seem concerned about it.’’I told you’’He raised his voice.’’To be careful.’’

‘’I am fine’’I said, touching my neck as I could feel Dion’s fingers.’’

‘’Why are you like this?’’He asked.’’Causing trouble for everyone? With the king on the way.’’

‘’They started it,’’I pointed out.

‘’It doesn't matter’’Adamantious voice became even louder.’’They have already the upper hand, you do not need to make it worse’’

My heart sank as I looked back on Myrto who was now taking treatment by Thais and one of the chamomile wax I had.

I hated that he was right. But what if I did not do anything? Almost every day they were doing worse things like this to us, trying to destroy the temple, and making rumors about me and the rest.

Adamantious stayed silent before taking back his soft gaze. His hand rests on my shoulder.

‘’Are you hurt anywhere else?’’

I shook my head and covered myself and my neck with the veil. I did not want to make him worse.

‘’Maybe’’He suggested. And for a certain reason when he was suggesting something it sounded like a command.’’We won’t do the ‘thing’ today.’’

I looked at him and narrowed my gaze.

Then, Thais moved back, letting her hand rest on my other shoulder.’’No, we will do it.’’

‘’What?’’ He gasped.

‘’Well, our priestess has a prophecy to fulfill doesn’t she?’’She grinned.

Myrto and Alexios nodded. Adamantious remained silent.

‘’A king would need a prophet that can see the future.’’

Her brother narrowed and faced me.

I just smiled in victory.

He slowly gave up and relaxed his posture and walked away.’’Do not be late.’’

We were finally packing our things once more to our brackets but my hand touched my neck, feeling the swollen flesh. How weak I was at that moment. What would happen if he did not appear, what would happen if the tea did not work…

Thais patted my head and moved to my side.

‘’My brother is a brute but he cares’’She said.’’And he is true that you were foolish today’’She made a long pause with the wind brushing her hair behind, exposing her face.

‘’I know’’I replied.

‘’But if we mere mortals won’t do anything valuable'’He looked at her small knife.’’We will be nothing more than examples won't we?’’ There was one more smile from her. The one that was calling chaos.

I copied her grin and laughed.