Counting Stars at Dawn

7: You Can't Pick A Rose By The Thorns

It was a stormy day in the Sapphire Kingdom today. An oncoming blizzard was sure to hit the capital later in the day.

Artemis was outside in the snow covered garden, the soft material reaching his ankles. He was staring ahead at the frozen pool of water, not quite sure himself what he was looking for.

The sharp knives of cold wind stabbed at his face and he turned up the hood of his woolen coat. His cheeks and nose were tinted pink from standing out here for so long, but Artemis didn't want to return inside.

When Hades disappeared for a full week, Artemis felt lost. He couldn't find something to fill the evenings he started reserving for him, and day and night his mind tormented him with questions. Why did he leave? Alas, Artemis knew very well why, but he refused to accept it. Even more so, he was refusing the undeniable truth.

Spending time with a man of a completely different species, a hated one, was not what he had thought it was. Vampires taken as a whole were ruthless and reckless, but Hades wasn't like that at all. Sure, Hades was a pain in the ass at times, but he never brought harm to Artemis. He didn't turn him in to the elders to be dethroned, tried to take his crown, drank his blood. Nothing.

Yet Artemis felt compelled to hate him now for the sake of his pride. Perhaps Hades didn't seem to be what he should be, he was worse. He skillfully deceived Artemis, tricked him into believing he was different, and disappeared without warning once he got what he wanted.

How foolish was Artemis to fall for sweet talk and meaningless touch.

A gust of wind blew over Artemis's face again and this time he picked up the sound of crunching snow. He turned around to see Dia walking to him, wrapped up in a thick fur mantle.

"Your majesty, please come inside the palace. It is freezing out here, you will catch a cold." Dia pleaded as she shivered.

Artemis decided he had enough of the cold and nodded as he made his way back to the castle. When he pushed open the doors, the warmth of the castle enveloped his body like a gentle embrace.

He allowed Dia to lead him to a chamber where a lit chimney crackled and a large armchair stood. Artemis sat down on the chair and Dia removed his coat and replaced it with a thick black wool blanket. Artemis sat there in silence, hating himself as he stared at the fire.

"Your majesty, I feel worried about you." Dia expressed as she poured him a cup of jasmine tea. "You have been awfully quiet for a few days. Is something the matter?"

Artemis didn't reply and took the cup of tea from her hands. Dia sat on the stool in front of Artemis and stared kindly at him. He knew she was silently begging for him to tell her why he was acting this way, but what difference would it make.

"I know perhaps I should stop intruding, your highness, but I feel compelled to urge you to confide in me. You used to be more open to me when you were a child."

Artemis remembered what she was talking about. Dia wasn't a maid forced to be Artemis's personal handmaid. When Artemis lost his parents to disease as a child, it was a marvelous coincidence that Dia was there at the right time.

Dia felt compassion for the young prince and she took it upon herself to raise him as her own. She was a simple maid at the time, but eventually Artemis developed a bond with her and she became his mother figure.

He used to confide in her so much that when the time to grant him a handmaid came, Dia was his first choice. Artemis only trusted her, so she was made his handmaid.

Artemis sighed as he prepared to speak, he couldn't ignore that motherly pull he felt to her.

"Fact of the matter is Dia, I don't know what's wrong with me." Artemis said quietly.