DonnaHarvey is back!!!! [ch 8 pg 12] - Page 2

Originally posted by: rdave1

I'm going to hold of on my theories because it's still relatively early but I will say this. The Emperor just screwed himself literally and figuratively. The mother queen is playing a whole different game that he hasn't even thought of. Ya he is screwed.

Awesome start and welcome back!

The morning sun beaming on a victor's face awakened him to a sizable hole in his bed. The woman cuddled next to him last night was now long gone. Perhaps seated on a vanity table reminiscing the picturesque family that she gave away today. He tiptoed behind her and to that she expressed no surprise. Indeed, it was difficult to startle this woman. She calmly pressed her knees on the floor and greeted him a good morning.

"Get up", he answered. "You will be my wife now and an empress does not belittle herself so. Not where I come from".

Maybe so, but where she came from, the queen had long learned the rules of propriety. If you can beat 'em, join 'em, they say.

"We have got to pay a visit to your shamed king. Get ready", he smiled down on her. Perhaps his only genuine show of emotion in years.

"I need a minute", she answered. As expected, even the stealth of this scheming consort could not hide her love for her spouse. She stood in front of the wall mirror, eyes closed, lips quivering, hands shivering as she put on the brightest shade of red lipstick without missing a stroke. He watched carefully the lips he wanted to ravish that second. Somehow, he restrained himself.

"Okay", she took a deep breath and honed her emotions once again. They walked quietly to a dungeon with solemn entourage close behind. Everyone of the followers except the queen knew what was coming. The captured prisoners were to be put to death. This would mark the queen's last meal with her husband. The emperor gifted his would-be consort a set of breakfast plates. The delicacies looked nothing short of a festive feast. As expected, the emperor knew his manners and even against a bitter enemy, he made sure to follow common courtesy at all times. But this feeling inside of her was telling the queen not to go by appearances.

"May I see him alone?" she kneeled down once again. There was faint hope lingering in her eyes. The emperor wanted nothing less than to let her down. But power came first. If he did not establish the dynamics of their relationship now, the courtiers would only view him as a woman crazed man. No, he never did want to go down the same path as her last fated husband.

"No. I must be present at all times. The others may leave", he delivered his royal orders. The room quietened down. The defeated ruler made his appearance from a damp corner of the prison cell. His hands were chained together and his legs tied to the wall with metal shackles. His hair was dishevelled and several bruises and blood spots tainted his handsome face.

"My leigh", she bowed down to him even lower than she had to the emperor. Now he knew what made this woman so popular among all factions alike. If she wasn't born a royal, she would have made it big as a professional seductress. Just one glance was enough to capture a man's heart and make him forget all the wrongdoings he held against her. This woman had brought her husband to the brink of death but there was still no sign of hate in his eyes. Instead, he opened his palms as wide as possible, inviting her for a hug.

She stumbled, showing her helplessness in the process. The new emperor was watching their every move. She could not afford to let her emotions take the reign.

"It's time for your breakfast", she said.

"Wa..water", he mumbled.

She tried her damnedest to hold back the tears. Her fingers laced around his stubble in an almost kiss but she dare not reach closer. One by one she tore apart bite size pieces of bread, dipped them into curry sauce and fed him to her husband. At this point, he no longer had a hold of feelings and was wailing uncontrollably. The emperor only watched from afar, amused by how long the woman could pretend not to be affected. When the plate had only dessert and water left, the king reached for the water. The queen gently held down his hand.

"Later, umm? Today your dessert is my kiss". Before anyone could react, she reached out to grab hold of his collar. She planted a chaste kiss on his lips. He responded with equal hunger, tasting the red on hers, over and over again until he no longer could. His muscles convulsed for a few seconds and then, he dropped death on the ground. The emperor rushed to check his pulse but the king was long gone.

"Goodbye, my love", the queen rested her head on his chest as a single tear rolled down her cheek. This was the first time anyone had seen her cry.

There was nothing to investigate, the emperor had seen it all transpire. Without a doubt, the last kiss between the spouses was laced. The queen had poisoned her late husband.

"Why'd you do it?" he asked her in the privacy of their bedroom.

"Because if I didn't, you would", she answered. That was true, the dessert was already a mix of cocoa and red arsenic. "Either way, you wanted the onus of responsibility to land on me. I only eased your job".

So she knew of his plans. Even so, that was a dangerous move she planned. What if some of the poison found its way to her mouth?

"I have trained with deadly sins for years now. Even if you release the venom of ten cobras on me, I would still come out alive. That's how vicious I am", she admitted.

"How is it? Do you feel guilty?" he asked.

"No", she lied. "When it is done for the greater good, a killing is called a sacrifice. The king died a war martyr. That is what you will tell the public", she declared.

He nodded in agreement. There, all his problems were resolved without having to move a finger. It took a scheming wife to realize how cruel he could be and how the ferocious thirst for power claimed his person. The next morning and the mornings after, he found himself aimlessly walking back to her bed. The queen, soon to be empress, had quietly dedicated a corner of her room to his needs. He had made his presence known for so long now, she no longer felt the remains of her last man. He had completely taken over her

life before she could figure out what she was doing around him. Finally, the long awaited day had come. The emperor officially introduced himself to his newly merged kingdom and announced he was giving the people their foremost wish.

"The mother of one people joining forces with our land, becoming one of us, and asking her men to follow suit. We welcome, ruler of the south, goddess of war, as the empress of our nation". The crowd welcomed their symbolic messiah with loud cheers.

"The people of my land, fear not for I have come to reassure you", she addressed a suddenly silenced crowd in roaring words. "The great martyr king, my late husband pledged allegiance to the new emperor. You must not question this alliance for it is only on the order of my lord that I declare my loyalty to this man. One people under the heaven's rule!"

She finished telling rehearsed lies and quickly receded into the thick of attendants as she let the emperor take the spotlight. Hundreds of thousands bowed their heads to the ground, receiving the blessings of the nation's mother. The new occupiers copied the captured citizens and soon a sea of cheering men, women, and children transformed into a giant prayer mass of indistinguishable disciples. The empress had done for the empire what the emperor could not do himself- unite the rich and poor, weak and strong, into one people through their blind regard for her divinity.

The wedding ceremony proceeded with much fair. The emperor had a lot on his mind. With such blatant show of influence, the consort was sending a clear message to her groom. If he ever chose to go up against her, he would stake not only her side of the kingdom but also his own people picking up arms against their master.

Now that's a game he would not enjoy. Alright, he would let her have her moment. She would soon find out, he was never a man to be toyed with.