Fan-fiction; Tearmoon Empire—Before Mia!
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Just four chapters this time. Each chapter can be read as its own post. Formatting a story on the web board can be kind of wonky—I will try to fix what I can, but it is what it is. Please enjoy and say something nice, if you are so inclined!
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Completely and with all my heart!
Chapter 2: Duke Darius Redmoon
Chapter 3: The Test
Chapter 4: Perhaps...
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Chapter 1: Completely and with all my heart!
The morning sun shone brightly into Imperial bedroom of Whitemoon Palace. Its jewel-encrusted furnishings sparkled in the light. Central among this gaudy display was an enormous poster bed, intricately carved and layered in gold. However, this ostentatious exercise in furniturial extravagance lie empty, its lavish linens uncreased, its overstuffed pillows fully retaining their professional puffery.
Despite the vacancy at a the most luxurious bed in all the empire, the room was very much in use—the empty wine bottles on the floor, and the occasional soft giggles of its occupants were an undeniable testimony to that. The imperial couple had just chosen to eschew the gaudy museum piece for the warmth and intimacy of the daybed at the bedroom window. They were enjoying a very private celebration of sorts.
The young Empress Adelaide's head rested on the arm of her love, Emperor Matthias Tearmoon, who was still asleep. Adelaide basked in the perfection of the moment. I could just stay like this forever. Hmmn... why not? I have a bed. I have Matthias. Do I really need anything else?
"Grumble, grumble, grumble..."
It was the Empress's stomach... protesting... loudly!
"Hush," the Empress whispered in the direction of her petite tummy, "you will wake him!"
"Grumble, grumble, grumble..." the renegade organ apparently did not care about the perfection of the moment—it wanted to be fed—NOW!
"Okay, okay. You win!"
Adelaide spied some grapes left over from the night before on the side table. But Adelaide was on the side of the bed that faced the window—which meant that she had to reach over her sleeping Matthias to retrieve the grapes.
I can do this. I have to do this! If I do this we can stay in bed for few more hours...maybe days...weeks!
Perhaps it was lack of nourishment to her brain that was fueling Adelaide's fantasies of bed-bound debauchery—if that was the case, then a second organ was now now in dire need of sugar.
With the decision to retrieve of the grapes now a forgone conclusion, the Empress slowly lifted her body off of her sleeping love's arm. She even placed a pillow in her spot as her replacement. She then stretched over the sleeping Emperor's body and grabbed a handful of grapes.
It is worth mentioning that Adelaide was actually a bit of a schemer—in fact some of her plans might be considered brilliant...
"Got you!"
...but this was not one of those plans!
Matthias had captured his stealthy Empress in his arms and pulled her close. Adelaide responded to he capture with a giggle and she popped one of the tiny fruits into her husband's mouth— and then then shoved the remainder of the grapes in her own mouth.
The Emperor looked up at the Empress whose cheeks were now stuffed with grapes,
"You are so beautiful, my love."
The Empress wanted to answer, but her mouth was very full. So she just spent a minute or two staring down at her love as she chewed.
With her cheeks finally un-puffed, she finally answered her husband's compliment,
"So, you fell in love with my face?"
"When did I say anything about your face?"
Adelaide shook her head and her golden locks rained down on the Emperor's face in protest. As protests go, it was pretty pleasant— still Mathias regretted his awkward response and did his best to recover,
"I mean, your face is quite lovely, but it is not why I fell in love with you."
The Empress swung her head dramatically and her beautiful golden mane elegantly floated away from the Emperor's face, "Oh. It is my body that you are in love with?" Adelaide then squeezed him tight, as if to emphasize her conclusion.
"Well, your body does make for a nice pillow..."
"My body makes you want to sleep?"
"Not so much sleep, as lie down," the Emperor chuckled. "But what makes you beautiful is right here." Matthias gently placed his hand to Adelaide's chest.
"So, you are in love with my body!"
"Your heart!" Mathias responded in a fit of exasperation, "Your pure heart is what made me fall in love with you! And that is why you are the most beautiful woman in all the Empire."
"My pure heart!" Adelaide pushed away from the Emperor's grasp, grabbed another handful of grapes and scooted back to the foot of the bed, where she sat with legs crisscrossed. Assuming a tone of mock-indigence, Adelaide declared, "Of all the terrible things I have been called—seductress, schemer, witch... " Adelaide threw a grape at the Emperor, "but pure hearted? That has to be the absolute worst!"
Mathias laughed at his wife's attempt at a tirade. He ate the grape that she had thrown in his direction and then moved from his reclining position to sitting cross legged himself. The imperial pair now resembled kindergarteners at story time, sitting across from each other in their tiny bed.
And there was a child-like joy in the young Emperor's response, "Adelaide! We did it! We ended the slave trade in the Empire!"
Adelaide finally smiled, "well, I suppose that did happen."
"It happened because of you."
"You are the Emperor."
"I am just a foolish dreamer—you made me Emperor."
"My husband is not a fool!" Adelaide crawled back to the part of the bed that Mathias occupied and found a resting spot back in her Emperor's arms. Satisfied with her new location, Adelaide turned her head to the Emperor, "and you are the only one with a pure heart. That is why I chose you. If any of the other Etoiles had taken the throne, the Empire would be doomed."
"And now?"
Adelaide sighed, "The Empire is a little less doomed."
Matthias laughed, "So, you are saying there's hope!"
"Bah! You are such an optimist!"
"We ended the slave trade and have gotten some new blood into the ministries—and I happen to be married to the most brilliant schemer-seductress-witch on the continent. That is a lot to feel optimistic about!"
"The rot is still there."
"So, what's next?"
Adelaide paused, as a mischievous grin took over her face, "do you trust me?"
"Completely and with all my heart!"
"No, I mean do you trust me around other men?"
"Completely and with all my heart!"
"No, I don't think you do."
"Yes I—"
Adelaide pressed a finger against her love's lips before he could finish his sentence, and her mischievous smile was replaced by something a bit more pure.
The Emperor did not yet know his wife's plan, but he did trust her—completely and with all his heart. So her smile was answer enough for now—which meant there was time for other things... -
Chapter 2: Duke Darius Redmoon
Duke Darius Redmoon leaned on a fencepost as he silently watched rows of Redmoon soldiers practice their swordsmanship. He was there to observe all of the new recruits, but his eyes kept being drawn to a young man that bore a very strong resemblance to the Duke. With his blood red hair and coal black eyes, there was no doubting that this recruit was the Duke's eldest son, Thomas. Still, the Dukes's interest in the fifteen-year-old was not completely due to parental instincts—the boy had talent and was giving his sparring partner fits! Although his opponent had a few years on him, he just wasn't much of a match for the young Etoile. But that was not really as surprising as one might think —Thomas had been training with Redmoon's best instructors since he was strong enough to lift a sword, so it was quite possible that he was more experienced with the sword than his chronological senior.
The boy still has a ways to go, but he is a soldier now. Outside of the Duchess, Darius was probably the only person who still saw his son as a boy. Thomas was big—as big as his father and almost as strong. But it would still be a few years before he would completely fill out his massive frame—or match his father's ample beard.The Duke was repulsed by his own sentimentality —Darius did not want to see his son as a boy. He's bigger than most of the new recruits and is old enough to go off to war, and yet, I still see the little boy who would fall asleep in my arms. Bah, such a womanly thought! Thomas is a soldier—a talented Redmoon warrior!
Darius was known for poaching talented soldiers from other nobles—even from the Emperor's famed Imperial Guard. Some nobles would even call him Darius the Headhunter behind his back, but they needn't bother hiding the epithet—he didn't mind the notoriety—in fact, he relished in it. The only thing that he enjoyed more than stealing other people's soldiers, was finding young talent and developing it himself. So, watching his eldest grow into a competent soldier was just pure joy for the Duke.But the Duke's pure joy was about to be interrupted by a decidedly unsoldierly middle-aged man that looked as if he accidentally wandered onto the training ground.
Damn, here comes Martin. What does the stupid kiss-ass want—can't be anything good. Martin was Darius's top advisor and extremely competent with everything except for a sword. He might as well be a woman, since he can't fight. As tactless as Darius was, he would never say those words to Martin.
The Redmoon's were known for their army, of course. It was an army that rivaled the Imperial army in strength. But a private army wasn't cheap, soldiers had to be equipped, housed, fed, and paid—and that was all on Martin. He supervised the mining operations and the farming operations, he kept people fed, paid and happy—in short, Darius would be totally screwed without Martin—and Darius knew it. So Darius kept his insults to himself and spoke nicely to the 'kiss-ass' Martin. (Self-awareness was apparently not one of the Duke's strong suits)
"Hello Martin, what brings you to the training fields."
"I just wanted to say congratulations on the new daughter. Ruby, right?"
"I believe so," Darius paused. "You didn't come here just to congratulate me on that?" Actually, Darius hoped that was all. Sometimes Martin would get after him about controlling costs. Those talks were so bothersome—especially since Darius would invariably approve of everything that Martin suggested.
"Well, children are such a joy. Thomas has grown to be quite the young man. Looks to be good sword, as well."
"Thank you Martin. But I didn't think you knew much about swordsmanship?"
Martin chuckled, "No, I don't. But I do enjoy talking to the soldiers, and they do seem to be quite complimentary about young Thomas."
"Thanks again, Martin." This has been surprisingly not-painful. I may get off easy this time.
"Oh, by the way... I visited Whitemoon Palace recently, and I thought you might want a report."
"What is that idiot cousin of mine up to?"
"The Emperor is doing quite well, and some of the reforms he has instituted are very impressive."
"There is nothing impressive about my cousin. I don't even know how he ended up as Emperor."
"His ascension to the throne surprised me as well. It did seem that the houses would agree on yourself, or one of the Bluemoons."
"Harrumph! I guess they just wanted someone weak that they could push around."
"Well, while the Emperor's demeanor is quite curious, there may be a method to his madness."
"Bah! Matthias is just a fool! Just tell me what fool idea he came up with this time!"
"Well, he did add some female recruits to the Imperial Army. I believe he made one a knight."
"What!"
"Women in the army. It really makes economic sense. Even if it only increases the labor pool by just ten percent—"
"Women soldiers and knights! Has Matthias completely lost his mind!" Duke Redmoon was beyond furious. Martin had not even completed his report, and his face was already almost as red as his hair. The vessels at his temples looked as if they were going to burst, and his left eye began to twitch.
The advisor continued his report, "Yes, Royal Highness—I've seen some of them myself. They say there are six."
"Where did he even find six women who would even consider joining the army?"
"The Outlands, both north and south. Apparently, some of the Outcounts have been employing some women to fight against bandits."
"This is what happens when you give yokels titles! They can't even recruit enough able-bodied men to defend themselves." Darius spat, "anyway, fighting against bandits does not a soldier make—much less an Imperial soldier!"
"But Your Royal Highness..."
This was one time that Darius would not be following Martin's suggestions—the Duke would not even listen to the words of his top advisor.
Instead, the Duke called out to his eldest son, "Thomas! We are going to Whitemoon Palace! Grab four men and meet me in the courtyard!" -
Chapter 3: The Test
While most other heads-of-state on the continent were very formal about visits, even from their own children—the Emperor was always happy to entertain visitors from the other four houses of Tearmoon—"we are all family, and I love family!"
So, Darius was not that surprised to find representatives from the other three houses of Tearmoon in attendance as well. Darius whispered to Thomas, "Ha! Even the Yellowmoons showed up! Forget about keeping these females in the army—Matthias might not keep the throne after this debacle!"Matthias was already sitting at that throne and seemed quite comfortable. Adelaide was escorted by two guards to the throne to the Emperor's right.
Matthias spoke in a joyous tone, seemingly oblivious to the reason for this impromptu family reunion, "Ah, dear cousins! What brings you to the palace?"
Darius pushed his way through the crowd and his entourage followed. Having apparently appointed himself as spokesperson for the restless houses, he spoke, "It's about your new soldiers."
"Which new soldiers?" Asked the Emperor.
"Matthias, you know damn well which new soldiers. The women!"
"Oh, yes. There are a few women among the new recruits. I had sort of forgotten."
"Forgotten? Well, now that you have been reminded that you have these women among the imperial army, perhaps can you remember why they are there?"
"Why? Why..." The Emperor seemed genuinely puzzled. But then he looked to his right and saw Adelaide, and his face suddenly lit up. "Oh yes, I do remember. It is because the Empress is just too beautiful!"
"What? Too beautiful?"
"You don't agree that the Empress isn't stunningly beautiful?"
"Yes, the Empress is quite lovely, but what does that have to do with females being among the Imperial Guard?"
"Quite lovely?" While the Emperor appeared completely oblivious to the myriad of slights that Darius threw his way, it was this gentle response from the Duke that drew the Emperor's ire. "The Empress is the most beautiful woman in Tearmoon! She's the most beautiful woman on the entire continent!" The Emperor slowly regained his calm. "I can't have men guarding her. They would surly fall in love with her, and then I would have to have them executed—and that would be such a bother."
"So, the females are only here to protect the Empress?"
"Yes."
"If so, then why are two women guarding the Palace gates?"
"Oh, they are just covering for the regular guards."
"Regular guards?"
"Oh, yes. Wilson's wife just had a baby, so he's asked to take a couple of weeks off, and Daniels daughter is in a school play today—so Richards and O'neil are covering."
"The female guards are covering..."
"Yes."
"And who are the two soldiers that just escorted the Empress into the chambers?"
"The ones currently standing behind the Empress? Oh, that would be Levine and Garcia."
"Levine and Garcia are men."
"I suppose they are."
"They are men—guarding the Empress."
"Obviously. The Empress must be guarded!"
"But I thought that the whole point of your new female recruits is to guard the Empress?"
"Yes, of course. That is usually Richard's and O'neill's job, but they had to cover for the guards at the palace gate..."
How did this idiot ever become Emperor? I know he doesn't think before he speaks, but does he even hear the words come out of his own mouth? Is he even capable of thought? I could point out all of the errors in his logic, but that would take too long— and probably would be pointless anyway. I just need to tell this imbecile what to think.
"Whether it is the palace gate, or the guarding Empress—women should not be carrying swords, and women most certainly should not be members of the Imperial Guard!"
"Are you sure?"
"Quite."
"Well, if you say so."
Duke Redmoon was pleased with the result and was about to call his entourage to the exit. But then he noticed something—something strange. That expression on Matthias's face. He appears to be... thinking! Darius found the whole scene quite disconcerting. But he was also mesmerized by Matthias's expression—he was bound by an unrelenting curiosity as to what would follow. And then the Emperor spoke...
"Hmmmn... maybe we should check first."
"Check what?"
"Check to see if a woman should carry a sword."
"I just told you."
"I know what you told me. But I want a demonstration—a test."
There was a murmur from the crowd—mostly because the Emperor actually spoke like an emperor for a moment. But folks were also curious as to what test the Emperor was going to propose.
"Fine." Darius made no attempt to hide his exasperation, "what do you propose."
"A duel—between one of the soldiers you brought today and one of the new recruits."
"It hardly seems dignified—but if you must..."
"Wonderful!" The Emperor petted the Empress's arm, "Adelaide, could you please choose the soldiers for the duel."
"Me?" Adelaide blushed, "but Your Majesty. I don't know anything about soldiers!"
"That makes you most qualified to make this a fair test. Wouldn't you agree Duke Redmoon?"
"Fine, just choose!"
As hesitant as the Empress was in accepting her role in the test, she was very decisive about its participants, "I choose Sir Gershon and the soldier to Duke Redmoon's right."
It was the Duke's turn to be slightly hesitant in his response, "Thomas?"
The Emperor quizzed, "Thomas is a soldier—correct?"
"He is my son."
Thomas was a fifteen-year-old boy—in a man's body. The spitting image of his father, he was big, and undeniably strong. Trained by the greatest that the Redmoon's had to offer from the moment he was able to lift a sword, his face lit up at the mention of the opportunity to represent Redmoon in a duel.
"Is he a soldier?" The Emperor repeated.
"Yes. Of course!" the Duke confirmed.
"Then let's begin."
Adelaide interrupted, "Excuse me, may I talk to Sir Gershon first? I chose her as my knight and would like to offer her a few private words of encouragement."
In a tone that was much more polite than what he offered the Emperor, but arguably more patronizing, Darius responded, "Of course, Empress. Have a word of encouragement with your... ahem... 'knight'."
Adelaide knew that Sir Gershon needed no encouragement.
While the Empire was not among the worst on the continent in its treatment of women, that did not mean it was a good place to be a woman. Although most of the Empire's laws were written to apply equally to both sexes—equal treatment and protection was sporadic at best—it was just ingrained in the culture—women and girls were just not valued very much of the empire. Which is why Serena initially declined Adelaide's invitation to become her knight.
"You have a thousand men who would be proud to serve as your knight—but no one even acknowledges the people I protect."
It was true—in fact, that is what drew Adelaide to Serena in the first place. Unlike the other women who the empress would eventually recruit, Serena fought alone—choosing to defend the most most vulnerable, against the most viscous. It was a testimony to her strength and her will—her courage and her conscience.
"But the people that you care about will not be truly protected until Tearmoon changes. I think we can do that."
"And, what of the women of the north—bandits are targeting undefended women, those that cannot pay tribute..."
"I just need one year. I can send a battalion to the north in your stead. After a year, you can do whatever you want, return to the north, or have your choice of command."
It may have been Adelaide's title, or perhaps her cause—but, it the end, Serena relented, "One year."
So, in lieu of unnecessary 'words of encouragement' for her knight, Adelaide had said only this to Sir Gershon: "Please make sure the boy doesn't get hurt—and don't embarrass him!" Adelaide then took a quick glance at the scion of Redmoon, who was staring dismissively at Serena. "Well, don't embarrass him too much."
"If you insist."
"I insist."
Serena mumbled to herself, as she walked away from the Empress, "Don't hurt him? Don't embarrass him? This is the path toward empowerment? Bah, I will leave the boy with his limbs, but he will never forget the day he fought Serena Gershon!"
Serena stood almost as tall as Thomas, but the young Redmoon refused to look his opponent in the eye. It was intended to be every bit of the disrespect that it appeared. If he had chosen to look in her eyes, perhaps he would have been awakened to the overwhelming fierceness that he was about to face. Or, perhaps it would have given Serena the opportunity to see that her opponent was just a boy in a man's body. As it was, the duel was over before it began—Thomas just was too young and foolish to know it.They both dawned leather armor and swords with dulled blades, which were intended to decrease the possibility of a fatal blow, but those precautions were hardly a guarantee of safety.
Thomas immediately went on the attack with a flurry of slashing blows that Serena easily—almost effortlessly—parried.
Serena responded by quickly applying a vicious hit to the boy's right arm.
Be happy that I used the flat of my blade.
Thomas grimaced, but refused to acknowledge the blow. He just responded with another fruitless attack—Serena was just too fast—too smart. The same series events were repeated over and over. Thomas receiving strikes to his body that he refused to acknowledge, while he was incapable of finding the tiniest of openings in Serena's flawless defense. To a casual observer it might have appeared that Thomas was not doing too poorly—the strikes to Thomas's body were quick and since he did not acknowledge them, did not seem terribly significant to the untrained eye. But to the soldiers present, it was obvious that Thomas was overmatched. His performance, or lack there of, was even beginning to gather snickers among the Redmoon entourage.
Just three minutes into the duel and the Duke knew that it was over, "Enough! I have seen enough!"
"But father..."
Duke Redmoon let out an exasperated sigh, and walked up to the victorious knight, "Sir Gershon, I would like to thank you for sparring with my son." He concluded with a respectful nod of his head.
Serena responded with a simple nod of her own, while the Emperor just sat at his throne looking terribly confused.
"Sparring? I thought that this was a duel?"
There was a silence in the Great Hall. By this time it was readily apparent to everyone in the room that the first son of Redmoon's had lost the duel—and had lost badly. Well, it was readily apparent to everyone—except for the Emperor.
"What about my test? If there was no duel. Then there was no test. And if there is no test, how am I supposed to know if women are fit to serve in the Imperial Guard?"
The Duke responded, "Yes, I forgot my cousin is not well schooled in the art of swordcraft. For the skilled eye, much can be learned of a soldier's ability while sparring." After a brief pause, the Duke continued, "I think Sir Gershon should be adequate for the Emperor's needs."
Yes, even in defeat, Duke Redmoon found a way to be condescending to the Emperor. But that really didn't matter. Everyone present, nobles, knights and foot soldiers had seen the duel and heard the words of the Duke of Redmoon, leader of the proud and powerful Redmoon army. There would be no further arguments over the gender of the Emperor's appointments—to the army— or anywhere else, for that matter.
For his part, the Emperor seemed elated at the result. "Did you hear that, Adelaide? Sir Gershon is adequate! This means that we can keep the new recruits!" He said the words without a hint of irony or malice.
"Yes, that is very good news, dear." The Empress spoke in the manner of someone who, was trying to feign excitement—while being hopelessly bored.
"Yes, it is good news! I do hate bringing new people in—learning all those new names is such a bother. "
The Emperor then turned to the victorious knight, "Sir Gershwin, you did a wonderful job.—just wonderful!"
"Dear?"
"Yes, my Empress?"
"Her name is Gershon, Sir Gershon."
"Isn't that what I said?"
"No, you said Gershwin."
The emperor then turned to Serena, "My apologies, Sir Gershon. I do have trouble with names. But you were marvelous, just marvelous!"
Serena responded with her first smile of the day, "Oh, don't worry about the name Your Majesty. It happens all of the time! I sincerely appreciate the honor of serving the Imperial Majesties." Serena the bowed and left then hall.
Duke Redmoon and his entourage were not present for this pleasant exchange between knight and Emperor. He had quickly dismissed the soldiers that had accompanied Thomas and him to the Palace—he had only brought them along to make a statement: this is what a soldier looks like. With that statement pretty much obliterated by the first strike of Sir Gershon's the swift sword, the Duke just wanted to make a hasty exit. The Duke and his son were left to silently traverse the halls of Whitemoon Palace alone.
This silence continued until the pair exited the palace and entered the stables."Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn! I can't believe that I was humiliated by that idiot Matthias." The fury in the Duke's eyes burned even hotter than when Martin first informed him of the Emperor's new recruits.
"I am sorry father, I..." Thomas was lost for words.
"Why are you sorry?" The Duke's puzzlement was genuine.
"It's my fault, I..." Thomas's eyes became glassy. Although he was as large as his father, at that moment he looked much more like a boy than a man.
"Your fault?" Duke Redmoon laughed. "No fifteen-year-old on the continent was going to beat that warrior!"
"But you just said that you were humiliated!"
"Yes, I was humiliated!"
"But I was beaten by a—"
"You were beaten by a soldier, a soldier who obviously had years more experience than you. I, on the other hand, was beaten by Matthias—a complete idiot! I want to be perfectly clear—I was the one humiliated, not you—and that is on me."
"But I lost..."
"Yes, you lost—badly!" Darius's tone shifted, "Is anything broken?"
"No... I don't think so."
"Well, you should thank Sir Gershon for that. Send her a note. Maybe some flowers."
"Flowers? She just beat me half to death, embarrassed me in front of the Four Houses, the Emperor!"
"It could have been much worse. You should be more gracious in defeat."
This time it was young Thomas's turn to laugh, "Do you even hear yourself talk? 'Gracious in defeat?' Even when we lost to the Emperor, you still spoke to him as if he were an idiot."
The Duke sighed as he led his horse from the stable. "Was, I that obvious? Do you think anyone else noticed?"
"I think it was obvious to everyone—except for the Emperor."
The Duke was unrepentant, "Well, Matthias is an idiot—and I hate losing."
"I hate losing, too." Thomas rubbed his sword arm, "losing hurts!"
"Well, I guess we both have work to do. If you are ever going to catch up with that soldier, you are going to have to train—hard!"
"And you?"
"Well, if that idiot Matthias can find six females that are worthy enough to be Imperial soldiers, then I should be able to find enough candidates to field six battalions! I will not lose to him again!" -
Chapter 4: Perhaps...
The Emperor and Empress spent the rest of the evening eating, dancing and entertaining their guests. It didn't matter that said guests were close to wanting his head on a platter just hours prior. The Emperor didn't hold a grudge—and he loved a good party! The Imperial pair did not even have time to discuss the evening's events—they were just having too much fun! While Matthias and Adelaide were certainly all-in while in attendance at one of their soirées, the Emperor and Empress were never ones to close a party out—well, that's not exactly true, they just tended to close out their parties privately. So, after thanking all of happy attendees and finding rooms for anyone that wanted to spend the night, Matthias and Adelaide quietly made their exit, as the party still roared on.
They strolled arm in arm down the palace hallways. Ever the expert party-goers, they had enjoyed just enough wine to add to the ambiance, which meant they were both still quite lucid. A very covert lucidity was always a priority for the Imperial couple—especially at parties—because parties were a treasure trove of the best information, and Adelaide's schemes were grounded in good information. So usually their after-party routine included a discussion of the evening's best party gossip—but not tonight. Tonight, Matthias went straight to a postmortem of the evening's main event.
"Sooo... how did I do?"
Matthias knew exactly how he did—but hearing praise from his beloved was just too delicious not to go fishing for a compliment.
"You were brilliant!" The Empress gushed.
"Well, it was your plan."
"Everybody has a plan... but you played Duke Redmoon like a fiddle!" Adelaide giggled, "He must be absolutely fuming right now!"
"Well, I do feel bad about the boy. I hope he's okay." Mathias's concern was genuine. He never paid much thought to embarrassing himself— he did it so often that it was pretty much his M.O.. But the idea of hurting the feelings of a teenager made him feel terrible.
Adelaide explained, "Yes, I wasn't quite sure which way to go on that one —fighting against one of Redmoon's more experienced soldiers would have given Serena a better opportunity to show off her skills, but then Darius might not have been so quick to stop the match— and somebody could have gotten seriously hurt."
"Yes, your way was best." Matthias reflected, "the boy is bruised, not broken."
Adelaide sighed, "Of course, now we have another generation of Redmoons that has an axe to grind against the palace."
"I don't know about that."
"What?" While Adelaide was certainly the primary schemer in this power coupling, she knew her husband was much more perceptive than he ever let on, so she eagerly awaited her partner's insights.
"Oh, I know my cousin," Matthias laughed, "much better than he knows me. He is prideful, but he isn't stupid. He will learn from his mistakes, and his son will, too. Besides, Duchess Redmoon just had a daughter."
"Yes, Ruby."
"Well, I think after today's events, Ruby will be getting a bit more attention from her father. If we have trouble with Thomas, perhaps Ruby will be more sympathetic to our cause."
The mention of Duke's new daughter shifted Matthias's thoughts in an entirely different direction.
"A daughter... I would love a daughter!" Matthias gushed, "I am sure that she would be as brilliant and beautiful as you!"
"Oh, we don't need a daughter. You would spoil her rotten."
"Of course!"
As Adelaide laughed at her husband's honesty, her love's wish permeated her thoughts. Well, if we do have a child, I won't care if she is smart or pretty—I just want her to have your kind heart. But Adelaide did not say those words out loud. Instead she simply answered, "perhaps."
"Perhaps what?"
"Well, you married the greatest Schemer-Seductress-Witch in the history of the entire continent—and I've done my share of scheming for the day, and I am not in much of a mood for witchcraft. So, perhaps..."
Her words were playful—and maybe a little mischievous. But the smile on Adelaide's face was much more pure—an expression of true love.
Matthias opened the door of the Imperial Suite. The full moon served as the room's only light, so it was as if their little bed by the window was the room's only furnishing. Matthias softly held Adelaide's hand as he led her to the window—he wanted to see her face. In her eyes he could see the moon reflected in a sea of blue. She was his world.
He pulled Adelaide into his arms for a long embrace—this moment was perfect, and he didn't want it to end—the warmth of her body, the softness of her skin against his cheek. And even if this tiny bit of perfection could not last forever, he knew that he would remember it forever. Whatever followed, she would always be with him.end
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Referenced by
jazzyjeoff