Episode 4

"**The Hunters**" is the fourth released episode of *Your Throne* by SAM. As Medea continues her facade as the crown prince's fiancée, Psyche struggles to navigate through the House of Solon as the regal "Lady Medea." Just when Psyche is starting to settle into her new environment, Medea's closest childhood friend and confidante, Helio Niccolo, decides to pay a visit to the duke's manor.

## Synopsis

A candle flickers to life, casting a faint glow in the midst of darkness. In Medea's body, Psyche holds aloft a lit candelabra and stumbles forward, lost. Suddenly, a swarm of hands reach out towards Psyche as echoing voices demand to know why she is impersonating Lady Medea. In a sea of flames, Eros unsheathes a sword, declaring that Psyche must be beheaded for her treachery. As the hands hold Psyche firmly in place, Eros swiftly swings the sword down, splattering blood everywhere.

Psyche jolts awake, opening her eyes, and finds herself in Medea's chambers. Sunlight streams in through the windows as a maid pulls back the curtains, bidding Psyche good morning.

In a neighboring town within the Vasilios Empire, Eros waits for Medea to respond, still holding *The History of the Decline and Fall of Kingdoms Predating the Vasilios Empire*. Leaning down to examine her expression, he becomes startled to see glistening tears trickle down her face. In a soft whisper, Medea confesses that her bouts of fainting has resulted in partial memory loss. Deciding this discussion should be in more private quarters, Eros swiftly leads Medea back to the royal carriage. As horses pull the carriage slowly out of town, Medea continues to explain that she was hoping reading books would help bring back her memory. In what appears to be a fit of passion, Eros tearfully embraces her, expressing his concern for her well-being. With her face momentarily hidden in the folds of his cloak, Medea coolly wonders what he is truly thinking. Carefully, she requests Eros to remind her of all the moments they shared.

In the House of Solon, Psyche broods over her nightmare as she sips her morning tea, wondering if the dream was a manifestation of her guilt. As a maid cheerfully offers her scones, Psyche notes the change in demeanor Medea's staff has experienced since the body-switch, wondering if they were always hoping to improve their relations with Lady Medea. With Thesion often out of the house and the duchess still on bed-rest, Psyche reassures herself that it is possible to continue living as Medea. She ventures out into the garden, reminding herself that she can only survive if she successfully avoids Helio Niccolo. As soon as she entertains this thought, a servant approaches and announces the arrival of the young marquess.

A sense of dread washes over Psyche. After Helio's parents died in a carriage accident, the House of Niccolo quickly crumbled in the hands of greedy nobles. During this time, Medea took a grief-stricken Helio under her wing. Under her tutelage, Helio became a fine swordsman and reputable war soldier, rapidly restoring his family's name to its former glory. Since then, the House of Niccolo has flourished under Helio's command, maintaining good relations with other nobles. Aware of the close bond that Medea and Helio have cultivated over seven years of friendship, Psyche wonders if she can fool the Marquess, whom she is so desperate to avoid. Even at social gatherings, Helio's cool demeanor and aloof disposition intimidated her.

A finely-hewn carriage pulls up in front of the House of Solon. As Helio steps out and brightly greets Psyche, she reminds herself to maintain her composure as Medea. Helio surveys the scene, silently noting how suspiciously peaceful things appear despite his worries. Duke Solon enters the garden and approaches Helio. As the men converse, Psyche becomes marginally relieved that the duke has arrived. Though it is her first time meeting Thesion, Psyche is grateful for the distraction. She noticed that beneath his cheery greeting, Helio's eyes were too probing. Reminding herself that he cannot possibly draw the conclusion that she and Medea have switched bodies, Psyche attempts to pull herself together. Thesion chooses this moment to suggest that Psyche and Helio have a sparring match to lift his daughter's spirits.

     As Psyche attempts to come up with an excuse to avoid sparring with the finest swordsman of the empire, Helio gently takes her hair in his hand. He casually remarks that it is his first time seeing her hair styled in braids. Feeling a sudden jolt of panic, Psyche attempts to control her shaking as she departs to change into fencing gear.

On the sparring grounds, Psyche and Helio prepare for their match as servants of the House of Solon gather in the viewing area, buzzing with excitement. Helio cheerfully calls out to Psyche, asking her to go easy on him. Apprehensively, Psyche reaches out and, for the first time in her life, grabs the hilt of a sword. As she effortlessly lifts the weapon into the air, Psyche becomes astonished at how strong Medea's body is. Helio observes as Psyche positions herself in front of him, taking note of her incorrect sparring posture. He recalls when Medea taught him how to properly hold the sword, with one hand on the pommel and the other hand below the guard. He swiftly strides forward and grabs Psyche's blade.

     In a low voice, he states that Lady Medea is incapable of making such an elementary error, explaining that Psyche is holding a two-handed sword with only one hand. His eyes blazing, Helio demands to know who Psyche is. The sword trembles in her grasp as Psyche, fearing she will be discovered, wonders how Medea will act in her situation. Pulling herself together, Psyche arranges Medea's face into a disdainful expression as she threatens Helio for his rude behavior.

## Characters

*Characters are listed in order of appearance. Character first appearances are **bolded**.*

* Psyche Callista
* Eros Orna Vasilios
* Medea Solon
* Thesion Solon
* Duchess Solon (mentioned)
* Helio Niccolo

## Trivia

* Similarly in Episode 1 when she was inhabiting her original body, Psyche styled her hair in braids out of habit even when impersonating Medea.
* Two-handed swords were very popular in medieval Europe. The structure of the sword's hilt determines how the wielder should properly hold the sword. The user's dominant hand should grip the hilt right beneath the guard, while his or her remaining hand grips the pommel.

## Gallery

Hands stretch towards Psyche in her nightmare.Psyche dreams of Eros trying to kill her.Medea whispers to Eros in tears.Medea and Eros hide cold expressions as they embrace each other.Psyche strolls through the garden of the duke's manor.Marquess Helio of the House of Niccolo.Young Medea takes Helio under her wing after his parents' deaths.Psyche's impression of Helio at social gatherings.Helio's probing eyes.Helio notices "Lady Medea's" braids.Psyche raises the sword with ease.Helio demands to know who Psyche is.Psyche, acting as Medea, scolds Helio for addressing her casually.
## References

1. ↑ Episode 1
2. ↑ Classification of swords - Wikipedia