If it was up to Danae, she would have avoided going to the Palati. After all, she had no interest in visiting the symbol of her family’s downfall. The one residence that should have belonged to them instead of the Xanthos family. However, like many things in her life, Danae had little choice in the matter. Her brother had summoned her to the palace, so she had no choice, but to go.
Once she arrived though, Danae wished that she hadn’t quite dragged her feet. Not when her brother reminded her that Emilia was all alone in a place full of her enemies. She was most likely scared and helpless. Which, of course, was what her brother wanted her to know. Danae’s hatred for Emilia was not a secret within the Stravos household and the girl did not need to be told twice that there was now an opportunity for the youngest Stravos to express that anger for the first time in sixteen years. Her brother may not have said the suggestion out loud, but they both knew that the moment they were finished, Danae would rush over to have some fun with the seemingly perfect second princess who had fallen so far in the past few weeks.
Danae was not one to disappoint.
She didn’t bother to knock as she entered the princess’s room. The girl who lived in this room was not afforded any sort of privacy while she was held here by Danae’s brother. The Stravos girl was also not keen on giving her an illusion of it, not when she had to suffer the indignity of Emilia’s mere existence for sixteen long years. All that time, Danae had to pretend to enjoy the company of the princess, she had to make the girl believe that she cared for her endless stories of what boy she fancied this week or sit through endless hours of the Xanthos girl trying on chiton after chiton that looked no different than the last. Danae had nearly lost her mind pretending to like Emilia and her simple-minded vanity. She had wasted days upon days catering to upholding the image that Danae was her friend and of course, she cared about what Emilia had to say while hiding her true thoughts of the Princess from everyone.
She wasn’t interested in pretending that Emilia was anything more than a sniveling brat any longer.
No, instead now the tables had turned and it was time for Danae to show her that just because Emilia had the title of Princess didn’t mean that she had an ounce of power any longer. The Xanthos family tired to destroy her family, so it was only fair that the anchors of Athenia return the favor. Danae was more than happy to start with the most insufferable of all the swans.
Inviting herself to sit in one of the plush chairs in the room, Danae ignored Emilia, who at this point had been so isolated that she was probably desperate for attention. That was the first thing Danae wanted to make clear, the princess was now beneath her attention. She would have to wait on Danae instead of her waiting on Emilia. It took everything within Danae to not grin wildly at their reversal of fates, especially after how far her own family had fallen just a few weeks prior.
The Stravos girl took her time peeling the fruit in her hand and made a show of dropping the peel on the floor, with little care of how it would dirty the room that Emilia so lovingly kept clean. Once she was finished making it clear how little she cared for the girl by giving a fruit more attention to her, Danae said absent-mindedly, “I’ll never understand what your sister did.” Her tone was sharp and full of malice, making it clear for the first time how much Danae truly hated both of the Xanthos girls, “She spent her whole life droning on about how ready she was to become the Queen and how much she loved you… but at the first sign of danger? She fled the country she was so desperate to rule and left you behind.” Her eyes leveled with Emilia, daring the girl to challenge her on what she said. Danae was itching for a fight. After all, she held her tongue for over sixteen years, pretended to be nothing more than an awkward courtier, not the seething ball of hatred that she really was.
It was long past time she got the chance to let her anger out to play.
“I mean how much of a coward does she have to be?” She said with a light laugh as her attention turned back to the fruit in hand, “Running away on her first day as Queen… So much for her being the leader your father thought she was destined to be.” Although Danae wanted to keep an air of nonchalance around her, she couldn’t help, but glance over at her family’s captive, unable to conceal a wicked grin on her face. The comment about Emilia’s father surely had to sting given how fresh that wound was. Was it heartless bringing up the girl’s dead father? Definitely. Did Danae care? No, not really. Not after the hell that Xanthos put Stravos through. She really did not have the capacity to care.
However, Danae really wanted her words to hurt. Just like how she had hurt when her family was stripped of their titles, lands, and nobility. She truly wanted Emilia to suffer as she had at the hands of Lukos and for her to feel the agonizing, soul-crushing pain that the event had brought her. Maybe once Danae would have held back, found some sympathy within her for the girl’s plight, but not anymore. She had been in pain for far too long to care anymore.
Now it was time for someone else to feel it instead of her. Someone who had added to her insecurities and her secret pain for many, many years. It was time for Princess Emilia to fall just like Danae had.
And there would be no such thing as remorse from the Stravos girl.
Emilia of Xanthos
Once she arrived though, Danae wished that she hadn’t quite dragged her feet. Not when her brother reminded her that Emilia was all alone in a place full of her enemies. She was most likely scared and helpless. Which, of course, was what her brother wanted her to know. Danae’s hatred for Emilia was not a secret within the Stravos household and the girl did not need to be told twice that there was now an opportunity for the youngest Stravos to express that anger for the first time in sixteen years. Her brother may not have said the suggestion out loud, but they both knew that the moment they were finished, Danae would rush over to have some fun with the seemingly perfect second princess who had fallen so far in the past few weeks.
Danae was not one to disappoint.
She didn’t bother to knock as she entered the princess’s room. The girl who lived in this room was not afforded any sort of privacy while she was held here by Danae’s brother. The Stravos girl was also not keen on giving her an illusion of it, not when she had to suffer the indignity of Emilia’s mere existence for sixteen long years. All that time, Danae had to pretend to enjoy the company of the princess, she had to make the girl believe that she cared for her endless stories of what boy she fancied this week or sit through endless hours of the Xanthos girl trying on chiton after chiton that looked no different than the last. Danae had nearly lost her mind pretending to like Emilia and her simple-minded vanity. She had wasted days upon days catering to upholding the image that Danae was her friend and of course, she cared about what Emilia had to say while hiding her true thoughts of the Princess from everyone.
She wasn’t interested in pretending that Emilia was anything more than a sniveling brat any longer.
No, instead now the tables had turned and it was time for Danae to show her that just because Emilia had the title of Princess didn’t mean that she had an ounce of power any longer. The Xanthos family tired to destroy her family, so it was only fair that the anchors of Athenia return the favor. Danae was more than happy to start with the most insufferable of all the swans.
Inviting herself to sit in one of the plush chairs in the room, Danae ignored Emilia, who at this point had been so isolated that she was probably desperate for attention. That was the first thing Danae wanted to make clear, the princess was now beneath her attention. She would have to wait on Danae instead of her waiting on Emilia. It took everything within Danae to not grin wildly at their reversal of fates, especially after how far her own family had fallen just a few weeks prior.
The Stravos girl took her time peeling the fruit in her hand and made a show of dropping the peel on the floor, with little care of how it would dirty the room that Emilia so lovingly kept clean. Once she was finished making it clear how little she cared for the girl by giving a fruit more attention to her, Danae said absent-mindedly, “I’ll never understand what your sister did.” Her tone was sharp and full of malice, making it clear for the first time how much Danae truly hated both of the Xanthos girls, “She spent her whole life droning on about how ready she was to become the Queen and how much she loved you… but at the first sign of danger? She fled the country she was so desperate to rule and left you behind.” Her eyes leveled with Emilia, daring the girl to challenge her on what she said. Danae was itching for a fight. After all, she held her tongue for over sixteen years, pretended to be nothing more than an awkward courtier, not the seething ball of hatred that she really was.
It was long past time she got the chance to let her anger out to play.
“I mean how much of a coward does she have to be?” She said with a light laugh as her attention turned back to the fruit in hand, “Running away on her first day as Queen… So much for her being the leader your father thought she was destined to be.” Although Danae wanted to keep an air of nonchalance around her, she couldn’t help, but glance over at her family’s captive, unable to conceal a wicked grin on her face. The comment about Emilia’s father surely had to sting given how fresh that wound was. Was it heartless bringing up the girl’s dead father? Definitely. Did Danae care? No, not really. Not after the hell that Xanthos put Stravos through. She really did not have the capacity to care.
However, Danae really wanted her words to hurt. Just like how she had hurt when her family was stripped of their titles, lands, and nobility. She truly wanted Emilia to suffer as she had at the hands of Lukos and for her to feel the agonizing, soul-crushing pain that the event had brought her. Maybe once Danae would have held back, found some sympathy within her for the girl’s plight, but not anymore. She had been in pain for far too long to care anymore.
Now it was time for someone else to feel it instead of her. Someone who had added to her insecurities and her secret pain for many, many years. It was time for Princess Emilia to fall just like Danae had.
And there would be no such thing as remorse from the Stravos girl.
Emilia of Xanthos