Moonshadows
X
o0o
Sialen sat to the side, taking notes as Jacinthe oversaw several cases in the Mother's Court. Given her impending departure from the country of her birth, Sialen sought suitable leadership for the Women's Court.
Having several siblings, as well as several aunts and uncles ensured that there would be no difficulty in finding a suitable caretaker and heir of the Meadows while Jacinthe was at the Capitol. If anything, the young woman seemed more enthused about the work she could do here than she was about returning to the Meadows. All's well that ends well, Sialen mused. With the difficulties it had come with some of the servants and guards over the change in leadership, the former princess was glad for one less worry.
Following Sialen's example, Jacinthe had arranged for a buffet for the people who had traveled here seeking justice, and in many cases, a better understanding of the Atyamainese laws. They had come across a wide range of reactions to the new way they were expected to live, but that was no surprise given what she was hearing about out in the city and the provinces. With the help of Viruch and Dakul, as well as the provinces of the Empire that bordered Corona to the east, opposition was kept well under control and quickly dealt with.
After the session was over, Sialen retreated to her chambers. Most of her things were already packed, and she ran her fingers along the side of one trunk. She'd tried to be modest in her choices and quantity, but her books added a considerable bulk to her earthly goods.
Slowly turning around, she stared at the walls of the rooms she'd spent most of her years in. These rooms had been at times a refuge, or a prison. Walking over to the window, she saw the gardens. The women's quarters overlooked vegetable and herb gardens as well as the courtyard generally reserved for noble ladies when they wanted to do work outside in pleasant weather. It was considered proper for women of high breeding to socialize in such areas, where they could be guarded against corrupt influences. Or so the Holy Book said, anyway. 'And in each home, an apportionment to the women, to guard their virtue and work.' Generally interpreted as a room, set of rooms, or even just a corner, depending on the socioeconomic level of the family, of course.
She remembered lessons n that yard with her mother and sister, their mother reading to them from the Book while she and her sister listened, and then often recited passages from the text or were asked questions by their mother. She memorized the passages well enough, but often didn't agree with them. This would lead to her asking questions that left her mother flustered.
Kuoji and Sana had described the Imperial City to her. She tried to imagine it in her head, with the help of several pictures she'd seen in Atyamainese books, but she was certain that her imaginings were not quite like reality, whatever it might be. However well she learned the Atyamainese language, regardless of how well she would come to adopt their ways and mores, she would be a stranger in a strange land, her pale hair and eyes offering indisputable proof of her alienness.
But there was Kuoji. His promises to keep her safe and comfortable. She did not doubt he was a man of his word, and she would have Kuoji's mother as a mentor and guardian. Of the Empress' kindness she had no doubt, having known the queen as Amyra, once upon a time. When Sialen considered what her life could have been like had Atyamai never invaded Corona, it seemed silly to complain about this new reality.
o0o
Jacinthe bowed her head as she listened to Marc Fiori drone on. One might wonder why Jacinthe, having embraced the new way of things as she did, continued to attend the old religious services. The young woman would have shrugged. Much of the reason was to see her family together. Even Sialen was here, having agreed to one last service here in their homeland. Marc had been given a firm warning to keep his sermon respectful, considering that several Atyamainese, including Kuoji, would also be present.
A few Atyamainese were curious about these services, and sat in the back, shoulders upright but heads slightly lowered. Sana offered translation for the ears unused to Coronan. There were also several other priests and workers for the Way of the Light who had been arrested for various offenses. To accommodate the number, the service was held in the courtyard. The weather was brisk but mild enough, and Marc's words carried easily.
Jacinthe did not doubt that the once-influential Earthfather fumed at the constraints placed on his subject matter. His sermon had included several scriptures about mercy towards one's enemies and the Father's forgiveness towards those who repented and turned to the path of the Light, but the clergyman was wise enough to not say anything overt or inflammatory. His speech was interspersed with several oft-used prayers, those who still followed the Way of the Light reciting them with him.
He prayed for himself and the rest of the royal family, for the Heavenly Father to keep them safe when they were taken to a different land. He prayed for the Mother's kindness and grace, and for the Son and the Daughter to help them stand stalwart against the Dark Sister. This was the closest he came to expressing his personal hatred against those he saw as his oppressors. He lifted his hands, gazing towards the sky, an almost ghostly figure in his plain white robes.
The Earthfather would have made his sermon as long as humanly possible, but time had been one of his restrictions. The service concluded, and guards moved in to escort the Earthfather and other prisoners back to the dungeon. Helin turned around sharply as his wife and daughter were escorted in the opposite direction before he glanced at Kuoji.
"By sundown on the morrow, I will be absent from the city I have known and loved so well my life. Might I beg your indulgence to have one last night here with my family?" he asked, sounding surprisingly humble in his request. Jacinthe was silent as Kuoji considered the request.
"Very well. If any of your family chooses to spend a few more hours with you, they may go with you," Kuoji replied calmly, emphasizing the word hours. There was a flash of anger in Helin's eyes as the night was reduced to an evening, but he bowed his head.
Jacinthe and Sialen remained where they were, but as she predicted, Selestia and Stella accompanied their male kin.
Helin stared at the two remaining women one last time. "This is the land of your forefathers, Sialen. And Jacinthe, who knows if we will ever see one another again?"
"Good night, Father. I shall see you on the morrow." With that, she lifted her chin and turned away.
"Good night." Jacinthe curtsied to her grandfather and uncle.
o0o
Kuoji had proposed a walk, and Sialen had acquiesced, feeling the Prince's arm rest lightly on the small of her back. Ever since that fateful afternoon in the woods, Sialen found herself tormented afresh by her imagination as it took her to places where she knew Kuoji wished to go with her. The ncreasing familiarty of his presence and touch only provided fuel for the heat that she did not doubt Kuojo knew he could ignite within her. In near-total privacy, with shadows surrounding them, Kuoji had more than ample opportunity to woo her with kisses and caresses.
Not for nothing had she been known as tie 'ice princess' in her father's court. As a highborn maiden, she had been expected to be charmed by the gifts that her would-be suitors brought to her, and by their praise of her beauty, and their declarations of desire for her. By the rules of Coronan society, it was appropriate to bat her eyes and look pretty at public occasions, and simper at the attention given to her by men that her father had approved of. Gentleness and docility were two admired traits of women, but Sialen displayed what was to her parents an appalling lack of either.
Boasts of wealth were retorted to with comments about overcompensating for what one did not have, or suggestions to use said money for the betterment of the poor. Displays of physical prowess and bravado were met with remarks that such displays often resulted in serious injury and held no tangible reward. Warnings to remember her place as a lady, or how it would please the suitor to put her in said place, was met with a smile that literally sent chills through her would-be handlers. Attempts to establish himself as the more intelligent one would often result in a woeful proof of lack thereof with a well-placed argument from the princess.
She was not given prone to weeping or hysterical fits that were seen as a typical trait of Coronan women. Despite the limits on the educational curriculom of Coronan women, she pushed her education further with illicit trips to the library and whenever possible, pilfering books from said library. Sialen knew that in a few more years' time, her father would have either sent her to a nunnery or taken drastic measures to force her into marriage.
These days were now past, she mused. Here was a man who appreciated her intelligence and skills, and did not require that she make herself appear stupid or meek to satisfy him.
There were several alcoves in the garden created by statues or manicured bushes, and Sialen led Kuoji over to one near the rectangular pool in the center of the large space.
This would be their last walk in this garden. Though Sialen registered the enormity of this change in her life, part of her felt numb. She'd done much to distract herself from this impending reality, and the date drew ever closer with what seemed only the slightest notice. Until tonight, that was.
"How does it feel, to be going back home so soon?" Sialen asked. Though he was born in Corona, there was no doubt that he considered the land of his father his home.
"It has been… nice being here. As I am now, I mean. But yes, I am eager to go back to the Celestial City."
Celestial City. It was a lovely name for the residence of the Imperial Family. And it was not called a city for no reason, for its architects had been wise to plan out a way for the palace to support itself in both times of peace and times of war. In a siege, it could sustain itself almost indefinitely. When there was an abudance of produce, the royal family could sell the excess to augment the private treasury that helped to support the extended family of House Tekura. By all accounts, it was a beautiful place, constructed as such to give those who desired privacy, the peace they sought while providing space for more gregarious members of the family to hold banquets or social gatherings. Kuoji and Azami spoke of it with love.
"I am sure you will be happy to see your parents," she ventured. He smiled at her.
"And why shouldn't I be? Of course, I will be no less glad to introduce you to them. And to show you around."
"I'm sure there are other things you look forward to." There was a lilt in her tone that suggested at her meaning.
"Have no doubt of that," Kuoji replied confidently. A bit too vehemently, she thought, and a slight frown tightened her face. She knew she shouldn't feel so defensive, this was not the first time they had broached this delicate subject, and he was honest about his desire.
"Have you really given much… thought to that?" she asked after several moments. He blinked and stared at her before giving her a slight shake of his head.
"You have always had my candor, my princess. I hope you know that I want more than a mere… pillowing with you. Back then, I hoped to become one of your knights. Then later on, I was making plans to run away, to Viruch, perhaps. And I was going to ask you to come with me."
"I don't think I would have said no," she admitted. His fingers traced along her jaw, his thumb coming to rest on her chin. "Even though that would have been very risky,"
Kuoji let out a small snort. "A half-Atyamainese youth making off with a daughter of a Coronan king? It does not take a fool to foresee the consequences of getting caught."
"Well, I think things worked out better this way," came Sialen's response. The fact that Lucas, a half-breed servant boy had turned out to be a son of the ruler of the most hated enemy of Corona was extraordinary. Many would ask why Kuoji's mother had not simply come to Atyamai or make her existence known to the Imperial Family at any point before the Emperor had learned of his former concubine's continuing existence. Some said it was because of a rival concubine threatening to murder her and her unborn child, or she had been so ashamed of her relationship with Imonje that she'd escaped to Corona.
The truth was considerably less salacious, and much more startling, Hearing the story had given Sialen a new respect of the woman she had once known as Amyra.
"On that, I heartily agree. But my point is, ever since you and I became friends back then, I promised myself that we would have a future together… in whatever capacity was possible for us."
She looked down at her hand, seeing her diamond pinky ring glisten in the moonlight. "And in our current capacity..." she murmured.
"The possibilities are infinite," Kuoji finished. She felt warm breath on her temple before Kuoji pressed his lips there. A soft sigh slid past her lips as his hands slid to her sides, pulling her closer before he kissed her cheek. She allowed him to tighten his embrace, resting her hands on his shoulders as she kept her face turned downwards, blushing as she felt his lips move along her cheek, temple, and brow.
Her fingers curled against his shirt, and she inhaled his scent. When his lips trailed downward, she strategically lifted her face, keeping her lips out of his reach but permitting him her jaw. One of his hands slid up to the nape of her neck.
"My princess..." he breathed. The way he purred out his endearment caused her loins to tighten pleasantly. He broke from his kissing to lightly rest his forehead against hers, dark emerald eyes meeting pale sapphire. "You are exquisite. Sometimes I wonder if I am unworthy of you."
She blinked and pulled back a couple of inches before cupping his face with her hands. "Oh no my lord, don't say that." She lightly stroked his cheeks with her thumbs. "Any woman would be lucky to have you."
A relieved grin broke across his face. "Then let's just accept that we're both marvelous creatures, and are therefore a fine match."
Sialen let out a startled giggle at that before relaxing into a soft, warm laugh. "I know that I scoff at the Way of the Light, but there is something to be said against guarding one's ego."
"It's not ego if it's fact." he leaned down to kiss her cheek before his lips trailed downward. She felt her pulse quicken as his lips brushed against hers. His embrace on her tightened as he pulled her up against himself. She felt his heartbeat under the warm plane of his chest as their kiss deepened.
Sialen lost herself in the pleasure of Kuoji's attentions, absorbing the heat of his body. He really is a marvelous creature, she thought idly as she felt him gently suck her lower lip. With what seemed like herculean effort, Sialen gently pushed him back,
"I think it's best that we not… exhaust our possibilities."
He smirked faintly. "I had no expectations of that tonight, though I would have welcomed an invitation." He caressed her cheek, but remained where he was, giving her the space she wanted. "I know that my dreams will be filled with your scent, and the taste of your lips, and the feel of your skin..."
Another stab of heat stilled Sialen for a moment. She could see what the clergy of the Heavenly Father had railed against when they warned of the 'wicked heat of lust'. Though she was not going to call that wicked… It was far too delightful to be evil.
She rose from the bench, and instead of the now proper Atyamainese way of bowing, she regarded him with a curtsey. She knew that Kuoji appreciated the graceful way she would pick up her skirts and dip her head and knees, and it was a private pleasure between them. Likewise, he maintained the tradition of kissing her hand.
"You can be certain that you will not be the only one with pleasant memories of this night."
"Perhaps we will share a dream. Good night, Sialen." His utterance of her name was like a caress through the air as her hand slid from his.
o0o
Sialen awoke to frantic hissing of her name and a firm shake of her shoulder. She groaned softly and the shaking stopped.
"Lady Starsmore!" she heard the voice of her maidservant. She opened her eyes to see Sana and Ainna, their faces lit more by the light of a lamp than the early morning light that filtered in through the window. The note of urgency she had heard urged her from sleep, and she raised her head. The gravity of the situation was further hinted at by the anxious expression on Ainna's face. Sana on the other hand looked solemn, as if there was something she did not wish to reveal.
And amidst of all that, Sialen was aware of distant shrieks.
"What is it?" she murmured as she sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with one hand.
"I'm not quite sure, but something happened in your mother and sister's quarters, A guard was sent here. Your presence is… requested. Immediately."
Sialen was out of bed before Ainna finished the sentence, and the maid rushed about, pulling out a simple dress and robe that her mistress could easily dress in. Within several minutes, Sialen was modestly if not formally attired, and rushed down the hallway, her robe billowing out behind her. Meanwhile, the screams died down, and the guards quickly parted to admit her and her companions. Inside, there were several more guards, and suddenly shrieks filled the air.
"Don't touch her!" Mother's voice was followed by angry sobs. Feeling a rapidly-increasing alarm, Sialen rushed into the bedroom that her mother and sister shared. Mother was leaned over Stella's bed, trying to guard her from the two Atyamainese men who looked uncomfortable, even chagrined.
"Mother!" Sialen cried out as she approached the bed, wondering if Stella had taken ill. Selestia looked up, her eyes red and glassy, and Sialen pulled back a step as she saw her sister's face illuminated by the light of a candle. Even under the limited light, there was a certain slackness to Stella's expression that told Sialen what she had no wish to acknowledge.
Sialen approached the bed with an increasing awareness of details she normally did not give note to. The pounding of her own heart. The way the light from the candle flickered across people's features. The way that her sister's hair tended to curl in wisps around her face.
"This is the end of it! I will take no more!" Selestia said with an angry hiss.
"Wh… what?" Sialen whispered as she was confronted with the fact that her sister's chest did not rise and fall with each breath. How?
She was forced to lean on the wall next to Stella's bed, steadying herself before she returned her attention to the dead body before her. Her eyes darted around the room, seeing Sana, Ainna, and the guards and manservants behind her mother.
"What is the meaning of this?" Sialen asked. "What happened?" she demanded. One of the guards looked to Sana before addressing himself to Sialen.
"They come here… after religion service. They go to bed. Then screaming," he explained in the best Coronan he could. There was a rapid exchange of Atyamainese between Sana and the man, and she looked back to Sialen.
"It is as he says. Nothing out of the ordinary occurred after the women returned here after the Father's service."
Sialen nodded before turning back to her mother. "Mother… Mother..." She took a deep breath. Stella was dead. Dead. She would not rise out of bed and join the rest of her family on their trip to a new world. She turned her focus to her sister, seeing the peace that would never leave her sister's features. She did not look like she had suffered. Her hair was braided back with a blue ribbon, and one hand was splayed loosely across her upper stomach, her arm encased in plain but fine white linen.
Dead. My sister is dead. Sialen felt another wave of dizziness pass over her, and she did her best to fight it. Through the years, her relationship with her younger sibling had often been contentious, but they were still sisters. Despite the constant friction between her family and herself, Sialen still wished that she was able to get along with them better. She'd promised herself that she would do the best for her mother and sister in their new life, and show them what they could gain from what they saw as a stroke of ill fortune.
She took a deep breath. "Mother. She will need to be examined."
"There is no need for them to touch her!" Selestia sounded hysterical.
"Mother..." Sialen bit back a sharp remark, reminding herself that Selestia was grieving. "Death is a no less a dignified matter to the Atyamainese than it is to us. She will be treated with respect. I am sure that Azami will accommodate your wishes, but-"
"They did this to her!" Selestia snapped, rising to her feet. Sialen steeled herself, not wishing for another fight with Mother. Over this, at this time, of all things!
"Mother-"
"My father and Marc!"
"Eh?" Sialen blinked. She looked to her sister for a moment, eyebrows furrowed as she returned her attention to her mother. Selestia whipped around, dressed with exacting modesty even in her sleepwear, her hair kept in a loose braided bun.
"Leave us!" Selestia said, waving her arm imperiously at all the Atyamainese that were staring at her. They did not move.
"Please, leave. Allow me time with my mother. Sana, may I assume that others have been made aware of this?" If Sialen had been alerted to this, then surely Azami…
"Yes, my lady."
"Then, please go." She met Sana's eyes, and the soldier nodded. She spoke in Atyamainese to the others, and they bowed before retreating from the room, Ainna going with them after a nod from Sialen.
"Mother, what do Grandfather and Cousin have to do with this?" Her eyes widened. Poison? But why? Stella represented the various virtues of a proper Coronan woman, and a child of the Heavenly Father. All too often she'd been pointed out as an example for Sialen to emulate. Her mind raced in all directions within the few moments it took for Selestia to move to the table near the window. The surface held several bottles and containers of various oils and herbal remedies.
One of the virtues extolled for a Coronan woman was industry. Selestia had always had a good hand at gardening, and this included herbs with which she could concoct various remedies. While professional medicine and surgery was seen as the provenance of men, it was acknowledged that a woman's remedies had great use around the home, for the Mother was meant to be a suitable helpmeet to the Father, not an unskilled companion. Selestia also used oils and herbal poultices on her face and skin to try to stave off the effects of aging, as did many other noblewomen.
Selestia then opened a jewelry box, which held several pieces jewelry that she'd been allowed to keep. Sialen stared at her as her mother found what she was looking for, the candlelight reflecting off the glass as Selestia held the vial in her hand. With finely-kept nails, Selestia tugged open the stopper. What is she going on about, Sialen wondered as she approached her mother. Had her daughter's death caused a breakdown?
"The laudanum!" Selestia whispered, interrupting her daughter's thoughts. It took a moment for Sialen to see that her mother was holding an empty bottle, the opening facing the floor where only one drop had fallen to the floor.
"Are you telling me that-" Sialen shook her head as she reached out for the bottle. It was small, fitting well into her palm, but then, one did not need much laudanum for its intended purpose. It was also a less-openly discussed remedy for the hysteria and doldrums of ladies, to be used for nights when sleep was long in coming, and a woman needed the balm of slumber to escape her depression and anxieties.
"I heard her moving about very early this morning. She told me she was having a hard time sleeping because of how nervous she was, and I let her have two drops of it with a cup of water. I heard her again not too long later, but I assumed she simply needed to use the privy."
Poison not from her grandfather or cousin, but by her own hand? Sialen slowly turned back to the bed, where her sister lay. There was a bit more light in the room as the sun crept up the horizon. That Stella had killed herself was incomprehensible. The Holy Book condemned suicide as a sin, for only the Heavenly Father could determine the time of your death. And Stella had been such an ardent follower of the Way of the Light. There was even discussion that she might become a nun, although she would have also made an excellent wife and mother given her nobility and personality, something that her father, the former King was well aware of.
Both avenues would forever be closed off to Stella, Sialen pondered. Stella had saw going against one of the Father's teachings as the preferable option. That her sister would have considered this crushed Sialen more deeply than she had expected, and along with that came the first stirring of grief, piercing through the layer of shock. She sunk to her knees.
o0o
Azami sat upon the throne as the former royal family was brought before her – sans one of its members, of course. Stella's death had been no less shocking to her than it could have been for anyone else here, and the cause behind it would need to be dealt with.
She would never forget her incredulity as she'd become acquainted with her nephew, Kuoji, when she asked him questions about the Coronan way of life and their religion. That people could hold such foolish notions as mandated by the so-called Way of the Light, shook from her any doubts that she might feel about the Atyamainese invading another country and claiming it as part of the Empire.
"My investigators have done a thorough study of this case," Azami said coldly as she looked down at the two manacled men before her. Even now, the pair before her held an insolent mien, their belief in their Heavenly Father bolstering them before a person they saw as an infidel and representation of everything that was profane to their deity.
"You knowingly and willfully manipulated a young woman to end her life. Despite warnings from myself and your guardians to make good use of your words, you continue to slander us and abuse our patience. You stand accused of that heinous crime, yet you still believe you did the right thing? She had her life before her, and the same opportunity as her sister to take advantage of our generosity, yet you would not have that for her."
"I find it curious that you would feel such concern for one of your enslaved subjects. This only proves to me that you wanted her alive so that your countrymen could use her for perverted purposes!" the former Earthfarther spat out before he glared at Sialen.
Azami was gratified to note that the object of her nephew's desire did not blush or flinch at this insinuation, and the blonde woman simply stared back at the old man with a slight lift of her chin.
"There are so many things wrong with that statement that I do not see the need to waste my time or breath in refuting it. All that is left to be done here is to determine your punishments." She shifted around in her seat as the court eyed her expectantly, wondering what punishment would be meted.
Her gaze moved to Selestia, who like all the other Coronan women present, wore mourning colors, black over dark gray or some other drab color. It was what Azami had seen on the vast majority of the Coronan women here over the last three days. Even some of the Coronan men wore black, or accents of it. Amongst the often black or gray-garbed Atyamainese, it looked like the entire Court was in mourning. Although the Atyamainese had no personal reason to mourn Stella, they acknowledged her mother's grief and treated her no differently than they would one of their own who had just lost a child.
Unlike her father or cousin, Selestia was not manacled, and even though she was no longer queen, was still maintained a certain level of respect by servants and guards.
"Lady Selestia, would you please step forward?" Azami asked. Selestia glanced at her quizzically but complied with the order.
Azami studied her for several moments. Though a bit thin, Selestia was an attractive woman, her smooth face and hands attesting to the comfort she had been raised in. Despite her grief, Selestia's eyes were still a vivid blue, and the slight redness was barely noticeable. She appeared to be the picture of quiet dignity, her hands folded in front of her, but Azami noticed the faintest tremble of said hands.
"You have been through much. I know that despite the privilege you were raised and kept in, life had its difficulties. I have offered my condolences for your daughter, and I will do so again. Your daughter's death is a tragedy and I am truly sorry you had to experience it. No parent should have to experience such a loss." At the very least, in the Blissful Insensate, Stella would be free of the burdens that had been case upon her in this life.
"For your entire life, you have been dominated by men. Your father, brothers, husband, son… Your actions and beliefs mandated by them and their selfish needs. Now your daughter has been taken from you to assuage a twisted sense of pride," Azami continued in a firm voice, her tone taking on a steely edge. To her gratification, Selestia did not offer an argument, as she might have a month ago.
"You are a daughter, wife, and mother wronged. Even now, your daughter's murderers refuse to acknowledge their sins."
At that, Selestia's eyes furrowed, and her lips tightened – not in disagreement, but righteous anger.
Although Azami sympathized with Selestia, as a ruler, she knew her actions held import. She would make an example of Selestia, for she knew that this whole case would be talked about for years to come. Stella had been told in no unclear words by the Earthfather, with the support of her grandfather, that dishonor awaited her in Atyamai and to keep herself pure for the Heavenly Father was of utmost importance. The weak-willed young woman had done – what she had been indoctrinated to believe – the proper thing.
Azami did not doubt that the two men had exploited her malleability not simply out of some twisted sense of virtue, but to gain a victory against the Atyamai, however hollow it might be.
"What would you consider justice, Lady Selestia? Would you have them put to death?" Azami asked. Selestia stared back, her eyes widening. Azami offered her a thin but encouraging smile, and continued. "I offer you an opportunity that you know would never be yours in the old days. You were wronged, so tell me how this can be made right."
Selestia was quiet for several moments, and Bachis and Marc Fiori stared at her incredulously for a moment less before they started speaking.
"The Mother is merciful, as ordained by the Heavenly Father!" Marc beseeched. At a hand gesture, the guard behind Marc quickly knocked him down, effectively cutting off the rest of his words.
"Stella made her choice. She chose to leave this world in a virtuous state-" Bachis was cut off in a similar way.
"I know what I want," Selestia said after turning around to regard her father and cousin. "Death would only hasten them to the embrace of the Heavenly Father and I will do them no favors. You hear them, even now, with no mind of their tongues. It was with their tongues that they drove my daughter to death. Let them be removed of them so they may not use them against anyone else."
Sialen stared at her mother with shock, and Kuoji raised an eyebrow. Azami had been prepared for a variety of responses, but not this. She composed herself and gave a brief nod.
"You are correct, executing them for something they did in the name of their belief would only martyr them. Ensuring that they can spit out no more venom would make everyone around them much happier, I imagine."
Selestia gracefully lowered her knees as she picked up her skirt, regarding Azami with a respectful curtsey. In response, Azami bowed her head.
o0o
Mother walked back to where she had originally been standing, several paces from where she was standing with Kuoji, and Sialen found herself wondering about her mother's recent words. She knew that Mother had been more accepting of her circumstances than her family, but she hadn't imagined that this much of an impression would have been made on Selestia. Demanding the tongues of her father and the Earthfather… Two months ago, Sialen would have believed it impossible for her mother to make such words come out of her mouth.
As Mother re-integrated herself into the group, she looked to her side, meeting the gaze of her daughter. Mother's face was the cool mask it often was, betraying no emotion, and she lifted her chin in the barest of nods.
As a brazier was brought to the center of the hall in front of the dais, Marc started praying to the Heavenly Father. This time, Azami did not command silence, letting Marc rant and rave as the executioner stepped forward. The tall, thick-framed soldier towered over the old man as the guards forced him to his feet, giving him a sharp blow on his shoulder when he tried to kick them.
Deshni's usual method of execution sat against his back, the sheathed weapon impressive even in comparison to the dimensions of the large man. However, it was a dagger that he pulled from his belt, setting it across the brazier, the flames searing the metal.
"Heavenly Father, here I stand before you, your ever faithful servant. I have borne all trials and-" While he spoke, Deshni uttered several words to the guards in their mother tongue. A restraining hand slid to the back of Marc's head, and the executioner stared down at him.
"Stop fight. Or will hurt more," he said, his limited command of Coronan being no hindrance in this particular statement and its meaning. Still, Marc fought on, trying to speak even as Deshni forced his fingers into the gnashing mouth, his thick fingers offering adequate protection against the attempts to bite him. With his other hand, he lifted the tongs that had been brought in with the brazier, securing it around Marc's tongue after he claimed it with his fingers.
Sialen watched all this with horrified fascination. Kuoji crossed his arms, a grim, neutral expression on his face. The expression on the Earthfather's face was comical, his eyes bulging out of his sockets, his face twisted in a horrified grimace as the heated dagger was brought to the stretched-out tongue.
A strangled wail filled the chamber as Marc was irrevocably deprived of his ability to speak words.
o0o
Bachis Fiori died of a heart attack late that night, making rasping and hissing noises as he clawed at his chest, unable to pray to the Heavenly Father or curse those he blamed for his woes. Selestia had asked that her father's body be sent back to the Meadows so he could be interred with his ancestors. Azami obliged with that request.
The former Queen had also asked that Marc not accompany them to Atyamai. That too, Azami was happy to respect. Taking the Earthfather had never been part of the original plan, and there was very little harm or concern about keeping him in the royal dungeons for the remainder of his life.
"Is it terrible that I don't grieve for my father?" Selestia asked. Azami shook her head. The two of them were sitting out in the royal gardens, sharing a meal. Azami would have shared her tea, but Selestia preferred the familiarity of coffee. To each their own, Azami mused as she sipped her tea. Like many Atyamainese, Azami found the taste of coffee harsh and bitter compared to the mellower flavors of tea.
"From what I have seen – and heard – of him, I doubt I would miss him if he were my parent. According to your older daughter, he never had a kind word for anyone."
Selestia nodded slowly. "He said that kind words were the provenance of the Mother, not the Father."
Azami shook her head. She'd been thinking about Selestia and what she knew of this woman who was similar to her in terms of age and privilege, and how different their upbringing had been. In the beginning, Selestia had held a bare minimum amount of respect for her new superiors, and Azami was glad of the fact that the haughty woman would become her brother's responsibility soon enough. However, after over a month, she understood her counterpart better and had more sympathy for her. And likewise, despite being quietly stubborn in certain aspects, Selestia was kinder and more forgiving of the Atyamainese, and had not abused the relative freedoms she had.
"Would you like to remain here?" Azami asked.
"Pardon?" Selestia's thin eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"As we have already proved, we can be very firm. However, as we have also shown, we are not without compassion. I see no reason why you should not be allowed to return to the Green, if that is what you desire. Your father no longer has headship of the Meadows, so it could be a happier home for you now than it was during your childhood."
"My family, then? What is to become of them?" Selestia finally asked after several moments.
"Our plans for them have not changed. If it is your wish to accompany them, so be it. You have a choice."
Selestia's face contorted in a rush of emotion before she quickly collected herself. "I will admit, when Sialen tried to convince me of your generosity, I did not want to believe her. But I have been proven wrong, and I acknowledge that. I am aware of what would have happened if the circumstances were reversed, and I am deeply ashamed to think of what would have happened to you, or others." She took a deep breath. "This is a big choice. I know there is not much time left, but may I consider it?"
Azami regarded her with a warm smile. "Absolutely."
o0o
Kuoji watched as Sialen sat in the library, absorbed in the text that was open before her. Like her mother and many other Coronan women in the court, Sialen was dressed in somber colors, and had an ethereal quality around her as she sat in the shadows, only her hands illuminated by the sunlight that shone in through the tall window. She did not appear to be focused on the pages, and stared ahead with a half-lidded gaze.
"Sialen," he whispered. Since her sister's death, they had not spent much time together. Sialen had been busy with the funeral preparations, assisting her mother, as well as spending time on her own in grief.
"Good afternoon, my lord." Her voice was distant as her gaze slowly moved in the direction of his voice. He approached the desk and rested his hand lightly at its corner. The air was cool and slightly musty, though he had caught the briefest whiff of lemon near the library's entrance.
"I have not seen much of you as of late. Of course, with certain events, that is understood. Nonetheless… I have missed you, and you know your welfare is never far from my mind."
She looked back down at the book. "Thank you. I am as well as one can be under these circumstances." It'd been six days. Stella had been given a modest but respectable funeral and burial, as was befitting for a Coronan lady, and the young clergyman who had performed the rites was mild in his language. Bachis' funeral was considerably much simpler, and the transport that would take him back to his birthplace would have sent the old man into fits if he had been alive to witness the simple carriage that was typically used to transport the bodies of common folk.
If Stella's death had not happened, they would already be in Yngis, and possibly just embarked across the sea to the Islands. Kuoji could not help but feel frustrated at the delay. It had been gratifying to look down upon those who had seen him as less than human. However, Atyamai was his home, and he was eager to return to the land of his father.
"Would you be opposed to me reading here with you?" Kuoji asked. There were several other desks in the nook, for scholars to peruse the contents of the nearly innumerable books and scrolls within these ancient walls. The windows afforded plenty of light in the afternoon, making this an idea place for study.
"No. Do as you wish," came the calm reply. Kuoji wandered along the walls, glancing at the titles. Deciding on one, he pulled it out. Barely glancing at the contents of the book as he opened it and placed it upon the desk, he turned his attention to Sialen.
"Remember how you used to sneak books to me? That always meant a lot to me." Kuoji recaled the excitement he would feel when his mother would hand him a bundle. The exchanges between the princess and servant were conducted with great care. The physical spheres that the two moved about in rarely overlapped, and Sialen didn't trust a servant to not reveal their friendship. Fortunately, his mother was the perfect go-between. Being one of the Queen's personal servants placed her in regular proximity with the princesses, giving Sialen the perfect opportunity to pass books to her, and when Kuoji had occasion to visit his mother, or her him, he would receive the book. Returning a book traversed the same path in reverse.
It was the Princess that had introduced him to literature typically available only to the nobility. Had he been caught with one of these books, a severe reprimand would have been the absolute least he could expect. He and his mother could have been thrown out of the Palace, or imprisoned. And Sialen would have been punished, as well, for encouraging a half-Atyamainese bastard to aspire to something higher than what Coronan society deemed fit. Yet both of them felt the risk worth it, finding common ground in their thirst for knowledge.
"It never seemed fair to me that my brother, who was so disdainful of his studies, should have access to material that I knew you would have been far more appreciative of."
Kuoji remembered poring over an advanced arithmetic book. Having no tutor to help him certainly had made the perusal of the material a challenge, but pondering over the equations kept his mind occupied while performing the menial tasks of a stable-hand and laborer.
"You already know of my appreciation, my lady. Although I will admit, I enjoyed the literature more than the maths."
A faint smile tugged at her lips, and he was gratified to see this moment of light-heartedness, and knowing he was the cause of it.
o0o
The banquet hall was abuzz with chatter and music, and one of the guests glanced at the Emperor and Empress, their expression neutral, but their gaze appraising. It was no secret that the Emperor was eager for his son to return home, and though the observer would not admit it out loud, there was a curiosity about seeing the royal family of the country that had been Atyamai's greatest antagonist for over half a century.
Filthy Coronan dogs. The observer was not privy to certain information shared within the more privileged members of the royal family, but he understood as much that the mongrels were to be housed within the Imperial City. He wondered why the entire family was not put down, instead of being allowed to enjoy the generosity of the leader of the people that they had sought to abuse and oppress.
Raucous laughter rippled through the air as a lecherous joke was shared. The observer's eyes moved over to where the Empress' other child sat with her two half-sisters. Like her oldest brother, Princess Aildane took after their father. And also like Kuoji, she had the Empress' green eyes, only several shades darker, glittering like emeralds under the lamps. Her sisters were older than her, having been sired before the Empress being rescued from Corona.
Although Kuoji and Aildane's half-siblings were well-treated, their education and needs amply provided for, their pursuits encouraged, the observer knew that resentment ran deep in certain branches of the family. The oldest of Imonje's other children had been the heir presumptive, but when Kuoji and his mother were brought to the Celestial City, the prodigal son made such an impression on his long-lost father that it was not long before he was named Crown Prince, a status that Imonje had never bestowed upon any of his offspring up to that point.
Imonje immediately ended his relationship with his mistresses, ejecting them from his bed as he declared Hauane Empress not simply of the nation but of his heart. The intrusion of Hauane, Kuoji, and Aildane – born nine months after Imonje's reunion with the Empress – had disrupted an order in the Imperial Court that had been in place for nearly a decade.
The observer conceded to enjoyment of the festivities, taking in the fine food and wine as the dancers provided a visual accompaniment to the music. The Emperor was not the only one who had grand plans, but the observer set aside these concerns for the time being as the dancers undulated gracefully, the fine silk flowing along their bodies as they fluttered their eyes at the guests over the rims of ornate fans.
o0o
Well, folks. When I started this chapter, I didn't know quite how it would turn out, and I am quite satisfied with it. I am definitely glad that I split chapter 9 from this chapter, given what happens here. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, I am certain many of you never saw this coming… a good writer keeps her readers on her toes.
I just released my fourth book, Worthy of Love, which is available on Nook, paperback, and Kindle. Check out my profile for a link to my Facebook page, where I post information about my books and writing, you can Like it if you want to keep up with my writings, as I have a few Moonshadows-related images there.
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