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"Your highness," Arshalous greeted slowly. Where had the king come from? Gjeelea said nothing to her father, only followed his eyes defiantly. When Khamul nodded to Arshalous and stepped closer to the women, Gjeelea looked to his hand, where his clenched fist encased what she suspected was the ring he had been given many months before. The look in his eyes...the princess feared him fully for the first time. It was a strange sort of fear...a fear that Gjeelea could not explain in words but knew all to well in her heart. She feared not for herself anymore, and that in itself felt strange to the princess. When so many years of her life had been spent looking out for her own reputation against her brother, Gjeelea felt overwhelmed when face-to-face with her father now, the reason for her feelings of selflessness.
"I was just talking to Arshalous about her estate," Gjeelea explained to Khamul, trying to give - as she had done so many times before in her life - the appearance of undaunted strength. She had not quite lied completely, for she had originally been discussing recent life in Pashtia with Korak's cousin.
"Really?" Khamul sounded interested, but his face showed otherwise. "I was not aware that such a humble subject should be discussed in the back hallway of a kitchen."
Gjeelea tried to avoid giving a blank stare - the stare a child gives when she has been caught eating sweets before a healthy dinner. She hoped Arshalous would be able to supply a decent excuse, for Gjeelea had certainly given her father the wrong answer. It was almost as if he knew what the ladies had been talking about before he had arrived. As this thought crossed Gjeelea's mind, she gave a fleeting glance once more to Khamul's clenched fist.
"There is hardly anywhere private in this house to speak, my Lord," Arshalous explained after a quick moment of thoughtful consideration. "Surely it is not the business of Korak's servants how my estate has been fairing of late."
"Is there something we can do for you, father?" Gjeelea asked quickly, wondering what lie her father would give to the ladies.
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