Charlie said nothing though she opened her mouth for words to come out. Not even words would speak on her behalf enough to sway the Emperor.
Her head was still pinned back, but there was no mistaking she was a woman and no way she could get herself out of this mess.
"I asked you a question, what are you doing here?"
Traces of anger laced his voice, but also a hint of something else, intrigue, fascination, Charlie couldn't put her finger on it.
"Competing?" She managed to squeak out in the form of a weak question. How could she be so foolish as to answer her Emperor in such a sarcastic way, of course he knew what she was physically doing.
Dropping the sword instantly, she fell to her knees, casting her eyes down, "forgive me your majesty, I only meant that I am here on behalf of my family."
"You know that the oldest living male of your household is meant to compete, this is not the place for you."
She nodded, peering up at him from underneath her lashes, "I do your majesty only the only living male in the family is my younger brother. He's sick, he has breathing issues and I couldn't let him risk his life—"
"Risk his life? Are you aware of the punishment of your thoughtless act?"
She visibly gulped and nodded her head, slowly this time, "yes your majesty, I am aware of the price I will have to pay."
Curious, his brows narrowed, "and that was worth it to you? To allow your brother time before he will inevitably have to participate himself?"
She quietly spoke, "yes your majesty, I would do anything for my family, no matter the repercussions I have to endure because of it."
Snapping his jaw shut in apparent anger, his mouth formed a tight-lipped smile.
"So be it," he motioned to one of the tall men hovering close by, "take her to the palace until I can see to her punishment properly."
Her body trembled, legs shaking as she was all but dragged back to the Emperor's palace, not raising her eyes to meet anyone's gaze on the way out. She only glanced back when a chorus of 'let her live' broke out, then she couldn't deny herself the pleasure of looking back any longer.
She met with cheerful and impressed faces, probably having never seen women fight against men during the games, and because of her brave words to the Emperor himself, who she dared not look at.
Escorted and discarded in the palace, Charlie couldn't help but ogle the lavish decorations cascading from the walls, all the way from the floor to the ceiling. Extravagant was the last thing she expected from the rumors circulating about Emperor Monroe.
There was hardly time to marvel at the ornate and picturesque decorations as she passed through many doors and hallways until she was left in one final room.
Taking in her surroundings she noticed this room was simplistically decorated as compared to the rest of the house. The only furniture being a large four-poster bed, woodwork carved up the sides, in almost the center of the room and a dark purple couch facing the open window, sheer cloth blowing in the summer breeze.
For a second Charlie toyed with the idea of this being the Emperor's room, but that was absurd. There was no way she was brought to the Emperor's personal room.
She stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, looking about before she took hesitant steps over to the couch and sat down mutely.
If she wasn't facing death she might would've glimpsed around a bit more, how many people could saw they've seen the Emperor's palace first hand?
Hours drug on as she sat still, watching the sun fade over the Palatine Hill, her heart never slowing down for a second.
The door creaked open and Charlie swore her heart leapt out of her chest as she pivoted around. In walked Emperor Monroe, his toga scrubbing the stone floor as he sauntered in.
She waited for him to say something or do something; instead he flittered about the room until her resolve broke, "if you're going to sentence me to death just do it already."
His eyes darted to hers, as his face remained blank. She knew she shouldn't have said such a thing in that tone to her Emperor, but she figured it couldn't get any worse than death.
"I'm in a difficult place as one could imagine," he sat down casually beside her on the couch, "the law states that whomever attempts to trick the Emperor must be executed."
She already knew that law, why was he telling her something she knew?
She said nothing as he continued with a sigh. Stroking the side of her face, she jumped at least two feet in the air but didn't move away, "but I don't think I can do that, nor could I let someone else do that to you."
Far from what she expected to hear, Charlie's eyes widened, to which he laughed a humorless laugh, "ridiculous isn't it? I'm the Emperor of all of Rome and I can't go through with the execution of one girl."
He lowered his voice as he cupped her cheek, rubbing his thumb in calming circles against her velvety skin, "you have a passion and fire that burns brighter than the sun inside of you. Your bravery, although foolish and dangerous, is an admirable quality. Not only are you brave, but you are fiercely loyal to your family. You were willing to give up your own life for your brother."
At the mention of her brother, his eyes formed a glossy haze over them as though he had unshed tears pooling.
Blinking back the tears, his mouth quirked up into a smirk as he whispered huskily to her, "plus you are very beautiful, even more so when you were fighting out there."
Releasing her hair from the confines of its entrapment, he ran his hand through the tresses of her hair.
Charlie's breath started coming in shallow, this time not due to panic, but lust and such close proximity to his body that she could feel heart cascading off him in constant waves.
Closing his eyes, he ran his nose along her cheek, inhaling her scent as she sat there motionless until she finally melted into his touch, enough encouragement for him to smash his lips against hers in a fiery kiss.
As soon as Charlie moaned, he slipped his tongue passed her teeth, delving into the dark uncharted territory of her mouth.
Drawing her body in closer, his hand rested on the tunic covering her body from where she was stripped of her armor before leaving the arena.
Pulling the tunic over her head, and he offending fabric covering her long legs, he pulled her into his lap, assisting her when her dainty fingers went to the clasp of his cloak, throwing it to the ground.
Breaking the kiss momentarily, he attached his mouth back to hers in a hungry rage consuming his very soul as her body molded against his. Just the feel of her perfectly round breasts, pressed up against him was enough to make him lose control, not to mention her mouth attacking his earlobe, sucking it into his mouth.
Locking his arm around her waist, he picked her up with one hand and carried her to the bed, dropping her down lightly before covering her body with his own seconds later. Hitching her leg around his waist, he was in heaven, enjoying the feel of her soft skin contrasting his rough hands.
She let out a growl when she felt the cloth of his toga scraping up against her body. Unwinding it, he too tossed it aside, not caring at the moment where it ended up. As soon as his naked skin lay touching hers and the form of his penis came into contact with her throbbing wet center, he moaned loudly, vehemently shoving her further into the bed.
Allowing her to catch her breath, he moved his mouth to along the collarbone, alternating between nibbling and suckling on her delicate skin, watching as the blood rushed to he surface. He paused for awhile to pay special attention to the pulse point on her neck, clamping down hard with his teeth, and then licking at the wound.
Charlie's eyes rolled in the back of her head, mewing noises the only thing she could muster up as his lips made a path down her body, all the while his hands simultaneously exploring every other inch of her within reach. She felt as though she was going to explode due to an overload of sensory pleasure.
Heat pooled in the pit of her stomach as her hips bucked up involuntarily into his hand as he fingers grazed her clit.
Watching her withering underneath him in excruciating pain, he couldn't tease he any longer.
Pulling both of her legs around his waist, he plowed into her, both of them moaning loudly at the contact. After a few deep strokes Bass moved his hands, previously latched on so tight the Gods couldn't pry them off, to interlock with hers, bringing them above her head.
He pressed his lips against hers in a slow, tender kiss, matching the speed of his thrusts. Taking it at a tantalizingly slow pace, Bass couldn't draw it out any longer.
Peeling his hands away from hers, he attached one to grip the side of her neck, while the other skimmed her side before finding its home on her hip, squeezing tightly.
The leverage allowed for him to set a faster pace, which Charlie eagerly responded to, roughly propelling her hips up to match his force.
Soft quiet mews, turned into hums of pleasure, which escaladed into loud moans spewing from Charlie's lips, each sound sending a twitch to Bass' balls. He loved watching her face contort with pleasure, but even more he enjoyed hearing her.
Finally when he thought he couldn't last any longer, he swallowed any moan erupting from Charlie, claiming dominance over her tongue as his thrust became erratic.
With two more thrusts, he shot his hot seed into her pulsating core, as her walls clamped down on his dick in wave after wave of immeasurable pleasure.
Both of them riding out their orgasms, Bass pressed his lips against hers, using his hands to stroke at the forming marks and bruises on her glowing pale skin.
When they had calmed down and breathing returned to normal, he rolled off her, and pulled her body in to him, tucking her against his side. Nuzzling his cheek alongside the sweaty mane cascading down her back, he hummed in fulfillment, running his hand up and down her arm.
Charlie said nothing for a few moments, but she couldn't go to sleep not knowing what was to be her fate, "what's going to happen to me tomorrow when the sun rises along with the crime I've committed?"
Her broken, feeble force made the Emperor's heart of stone crack as he turned her around in his arms. He said nothing for awhile, gazing into her eyes as though they were lovers, "I can buy you as much time as possible to leave Rome, but I will be expected to take some kind of action. How would that reflect upon me as your Emperor if a punishment was not carried out?"
Her lip trembled as she caught the bottom one in between her teeth. Not only was she losing her home, she was also losing him, and even though she just met him, the way their bodies fit together had to be the work of fate.
Speaking so quiet, she had to strain her ears to hear, "there is one other possible outcome although I can't promise it would be easier."
She nodded in encouragement, holding her breath to hear his second solution, "marry me Charlotte, I'll argue that no harm can come to you as Empress of Rome and as my wife."
Stunned wouldn't begin to describe how Charlie felt, but one thing was for sure, her heart was exploding with emotions, mostly that of joy.
"I would rather suffer relentless agony than be parted from you, Bass. It was fate that brought us together and I don't intend on intervening in destiny."
Bass couldn't help the overflowing joy he felt, pouring every bit of that into a passionate kiss as he whispered against her lips, "I can't promise you that I will always be a loving and merciful Emperor, that isn't who I am and I won't pretend otherwise. But I can promise that I will love you as my wife, with a fierceness to match your own…Empress."
