"Do you know where we're going?" she asked Mara.
"Yeah," Mara said, "This path leads down to the shore."
They rode in silence for a little while, but it was a comfortable silence. Aria was glad that she had Mara. Despite what had happened between them, she felt close to Mara. A lot closer than she'd expected to. And she meant what she had said to Lex, about not wanting to feel so alone anymore.
"Have you named her?" Mara asked, pulling Aria from her thoughts.
"Who?"
"Your horse?"
"Oh," Aria said, "I haven't really thought about it."
"Didn't Lex tell you? His is named Shadow, I think. Grace named hers Cleo."
"What's yours called?"
"Artemis"
"Artemis?"
"Yeah...Grace gave me the idea, actually." Mara looked away like she was embarrassed.
Aria didn't push the subject. If Mara wanted to talk about what was going on between her and Grace, she would.
The ride down to the shore took up most of the time they had in the daylight since Aria had slept in. They rode back to the palace in the dark.
While they were being held captive, Aria hated the night. It was too dark, too scary. She always got the feeling that she was being watched. And maybe she was.
But here, the night was peaceful. She wasn't afraid.
After they reached the palace, they fed the horses and took them back to the stables—only a few people left in the throne room by the time they made their way inside.
Grace greeted them as they walked inside. It looked like she was finished, too. She asked them about their day, and Mara told her about their ride down to the shore.
"Do you guys want to join me in my rooms?" Grace asked, "You can get some food from the kitchen and eat there if you want."
"Sure," Mara said.
The three of them went to the kitchen. While Aria and Mara filled their plates with the leftovers from dinner, Grace grabbed a bottle of wine, and together they made their way to Grace's rooms.
Once inside, Aria noticed how different her rooms were from Lex's. Where Lex's (and hers, technically) was full of books and paintings and vintage furniture, Grace's was simpler. She had a few pieces of furniture and an assortment of weapons around the room.
Aria noticed that Mara wasn't as curious as she was. Mara was either being polite...or she'd been in Grace's rooms before. Aria was pretty sure it was the latter.
They sat at a wooden table across from the fireplace in Grace's bedroom. Aria and Mara ate while Grace fetched three glasses and poured them each some wine.
Aria tried to join in on the conversation, listening to some story Grace was telling them. She laughed at all the right times, but she mostly thought about Lex. About what they'd done in the corridor earlier that day.
They drank too much wine, telling their own embarrassing stories. Aria pushed the thought of Lex away, knowing that he'd be back the day after tomorrow. She wanted to focus on her relationships with the other people in the palace.
While she and Mara were close, she couldn't really describe her relationship with Grace. They'd been civil with one another, but Aria was pretty sure that she couldn't call the girl a friend just yet. But something about Mara's presence brought down the wall Grace had built between them. She was funnier, more open with Mara around. And she smiled more that night than all the nights they'd eaten dinner together.
Aria let herself feel happy, feel normal.
By the end of the night, the three of them ended up on Grace's balcony. Eventually, Mara decided to head to her own room, leaving Aria and Grace alone. Aria couldn't remember the last time she'd been alone with Grace. After thinking about it for a few minutes, she realized that she hadn't been alone with the girl since those nights that they traveled here. The first time they'd ever really had a conversation.
"So," Grace said, leaning over the railing, "How do you like being queen?"
Aria smiled. "It's a lot easier than I expected, honestly."
Grace nodded, "Yeah, well. We don't have much trouble here."
Aria nodded in agreement. They didn't. In fact, the only trouble they'd had here was the whole Ben thing.
"I take it you and Lex made up?"
Aria blushed. She knew Grace and Lex didn't keep secrets from one another.
"What'd he tell you?" she asked.
"Nothing. I just figured you did."
"How?"
"He seemed a lot more....chipper this morning."
Now Aria really blushed. She looked away, looking towards the village below them.
"Relax, Aria," Grace said, rolling her eyes, "I don't want any details. Trust me."
Aria laughed a little.
"He cares about you," Grace said after a few minutes of silence. "He cares about all of you. But especially you."
Aria didn't really know what to say to that.
"But...I hope, I mean, I hope you understand what kind of position that might put him in."
"What do you mean?" Aria waited for her to go on, but she didn't.
"Nothing. Nevermind. I'm drunk. I just hope that you understand how much he cares about you. I hope you know that."
"I do," Aria said. But she felt a little suspicious. What is she trying to say? What position does that put him in?
"Well, I should head to bed," Grace said.
Aria took that as her cue to leave. On the way to her room, she replayed the conversation she'd had with Grace over and over. What was she trying to tell her?
Chapter 30
The next day, Aria spent her morning at the school in the village. After midday, she decided to spend the rest of the day with her friends.
She decided to join a small group of people headed to one of the other villages here. Since she'd only been to the one below them, and she was the queen, she figured she might as well go.
Grace and Mara were among the group that was going, and a few of Grace's friends. Since the village was a few hours away,
