You might never know

Perhaps sensing that you are no longer paying attention to her, Sandrine stops talking, content to sit quietly by your side in the early pre-dawn hours. Under any other circumstances, you'd be happy to sit quietly with this mysterious young woman, but instead you concentrate on the unknown assassin. It is an interesting challenge to look completely casual while at the same time placing your body between Sandrine and the general direction where you feel the hatred coming from. Whoever this attacker is, he's good. Usually, you are able to find your assailants long before they can target you, but there is something that seems to cloak this man from your senses. Before you get a chance to test yourself against this formidable adversary, Alexia half jumps, half falls, down the side of the building that she had been watching from. Her sudden arrival spooks the killer because in an instant he is gone. Damn, why hadn't she waited just a little longer! Sandrine jumps to her feet and rushes to where Alexia has rolled to her feet.

"Are you alright?" You've seen Alexia scale down cliff-faces even taller than this building, and are not concerned, but to Sandrine it must have looked like the woman tumbled from the top of the building. Alexia allows Sandrine to help her to her feet and the pair exchange quick hug before your spymaster turns her attention to you.

"I'm getting pretty tired of these games, your Majesty." Alexia gets to within a hand from your face and her finger gabs at your armored chest as she speaks. "You're not Ecurb the White." referring to the pseudonym you used during your two-month fling, "You're the king of a city state with tens of thousands of people who depend on you to act like a king, not a hotheaded teenager." Once again, her finger pokes at your chest, "You are the commanding general of a **** of almost 1000 soldiers in the field, not a free-lance mercenary who deserts his post with no regard to his mates. And most importantly," she pauses this time resting the palm of her hand against you "you're a friend who people love in spite of your idiotic moments. At this moment, not only am I away from where I should be, but Galeon, Barticus and Victor are all scouring the city like rats in the night risking our lives to find you before something bad happens." Before you can assure her that nothing like that was going to happen you remember how close you came to killing the company of Thracians guarding the High Tower gate.

"Bruce, when you take off without any real notification about where you are going and when you intend to be back, you put everything you claim to care about at risk." Alexia starts counting on her fingers. "Your troops are without the leadership of their top five commanders; unless we get word back to camp, all but a token number of Riders will be flying scouting missions in every direction trying to find sign of your passage; any possible diplomatic gains that we may have been able to consolidate after the end of the games will have to be postponed; and finally if word of this leaks out to either the Lord Marshal or the Regent here in Athenapolis, it is only going to confirm what they believe about you're being a hot-headed fool." You hate it when she chastises you like this, especially in front of Sandrine who is staring at the pair of you with a confused combination of amusement and concern, but you find it difficult to argue with this fiery red head. Alexia interrupts you before you can assure her that everything was going to be OK.

"Don't say a word, Sire, please. Just nod your head if any of what I said makes sense to you?" With a sigh you nod deliberately and Alexia lifts to her toes to kiss your cheek. "I'm glad you're OK." She whispers softly and all the irritation you had been feeling about the way she had berated you evaporates like the morning mists. "Now," Unlike the husky whispered tones before her kiss, Alexia's voice is clear and light, "are you going to introduce me to the woman who you've come all this way to meet?" Is that what she thinks this is about, is Alexia jealous of Sandrine too?

"This is Sandrine, the one I told you about yesterday," you add unnecessarily, "and she's not the reason I came to Athenapolis, it was just good luck finding her here. Sandrine, this is my advisor and friend, Alexia Manolas." Sandrine curtsies formally to Alexia, and the two women study each other in silence in the pre-dawn light.