Chapter 37
The Dowager Empress's name has long been forgotten in the minds of the people because it was rarely used by anyone. People who see her often greet her with her formal title, or with their relationship to her. When she was young, her mother called her Mikoto-chan, and she was known as that until she had grown to 12 years old and automatically sent off to the Palace as the Emperor's concubine.
Each year the Emperor hosts a large selection of concubines, as was tradition. There has never been a violation of tradition, and usually each Emperor in history has never had any problems with conceiving one off spring after another. Same with this current Emperor.
Mikoto was born in an ordinary family of the 4th or 5th level in political ladder, and her father had five daughters and two sons. Most attention automatically focused on the sons, but they treated Mikoto with adequate care. Growing up with 4 other sisters competing for affections, Mikoto knew her fate was sealed to be sent off to the palace a long time ago. Most government officials are like this. They send in their daughters and hope one of them will be lucky enough to catch the Emperor's eye, and her family will rise all the way to the top.
The year Mikoto entered the palace, there was 50 other girls selected with her, and she was nothing more than plain and ordinary.
She continued to stay like that for the next ten years, rarely had the chance to see the Emperor herself. She was stationed in a small shared quarters with three other girls for the longest time, and has been competing, although fruitlessly, for the attention of the Emperor.
The Emperor never took any notice.
Until Mikoto has had enough, and she decided she refuse to waste another year in this godforsaken place, but once a concubine she will always be a concubine. She will either be buried with the Emperor when he dies of old age, or she herself die of old age before the Emperor had the chance to.
She consulted her family in secret, and decided to pay tribute to the largest and most distinguished temple and consult a highly famous and trustworthy monk on what she should do. The monk told her that her time has yet to come. She and her son are destined for greatness, if she's willing do an unthinkable act. That is, to get rid of the current crowned prince, who was just a toddler at the time.
The monk didn't exactly use the word kill, but Mikoto got the idea.
And so during an afternoon tea party, the young crowned prince fell into a deep pond by accident, and the there were no guards present because the Emperor had been engaging in flirtatious fun with various concubines. Mikoto was the one who dove into the water in attempt to save the small toddler. But she did it for appearances, and it's been such a long time ago, even she couldn't tell whether she had been saving the young crowned prince but failed due to her lack of strength, or did she purposely pulled on his leg to drag him down further. She doesn't remember, or rather, she didn't want to remember, but the end result was by the time the two were pulled up to the shore, the young prince had been without oxygen for way too long, and became mentally deficient.
Mikoto was unconscious as well but did not suffer great injury, and her heroic attempts did not go unnoticed. The Emperor immediately promoted her up a few levels and bedded her after she got better.
This was a devastating blow to the Empress at the time, having a capable son reduced to a handicapped boy who may never be able to read or write, as well as loosing the favoritism of her husband. She committed suicide soon after the news that Mikoto was pregnant with twins.
When Mikoto gave birth to the two boys, she wasn't the Emperor's favorite concubine. She wasn't even in the top ten. She was older than other younger and fresher girls, and there was the possibility that she could gave birth to girls. When the boys were born, she was alone other than a midwife and a couple hand maidens. The Emperor already had many sons and daughters, her sons won't be the first, nor will they be the last.
Luck was finally on her side when she gave birth to two beautiful boys, and the Emperor paid her a visit, having been pleased with gaining two potential heirs and his own fecund masculinity, he promoted her to a better place within the palace, and had her taken better care of.
Mikoto raised her boys quietly throughout the next few years, and she observed as the other women in the palace ruthlessly manipulated and killed each other and their offsprings, until it became quite evident that Itachi was to be the crowned prince. The fact the two boys went off to war and came back victorious just sealed the deal.
She has devoted all her attention and effort to Itachi. This wasn't without reason. When the boys were just born, she went to the same monk who had given her advice before, and asked him which one is destined for greatness, and the monk answered the elder one is destined to be the ruler of this country, exceeding his father, but the younger one would be cursed, and its best to avoid him and keep him away from power.
Mikoto has never forgotten his prophecy.
When Itachi became Emperor, she spent the next few years to promote her own family into court and raise their status. She ensured her own relatives held important government positions, her two brother ascended to war generals, her sisters all married important political figures, ands she had most power and control of the state; and she could do whatever she wanted due to her son being the Emperor, her obsessive behavior extended to the point of having a distant niece marrying Itachi, so someone from her own side of the family would be the next Empress.
She summoned her niece to the palace, she had a huge banquet set up, and invited that monk.
The monk, perhaps have had too much pride and confidence in mind, thinking that the Dowager Empress trust him unconditionally, praised the young Emperor, and then approved of the potential marriage, as well as commented on the fate of everyone present, including Sasuke, as a side note, that Sasuke is the cursed Prince and shouldn't be allowed within court.
Sasuke was 17 at the time, and upon hearing this, he stood up in the middle of the banquet, grabbed a sword from the nearby guard, and with a swing, he decapitated the monk.
Then he pointed his sword to Mikoto's niece and said to his mother, "I want her to marry me instead of the Emperor."
The niece was terrified, she declined the marriage proposal and said she wants to devote her life to the gods as a miko, and will never get involved with the affairs of the state.
Itachi watched the whole scene in his jade throne without raising a single eyebrow or utter a single syllable. After the whole dust has settled and everyone turned to look at him, he apologized for the ruckus, and turned to his Mikoto and said, "Mother, after all this time, you must have been tired. Go back to your chambers and rest, we'll come and visit you tomorrow."
Mikoto stared down at the court, her two sons staring back at her, the corpse of a monk, and her terrified niece, and hundreds of court officials present. It was then when she realized that she has lost control of her sons forever. The boy she had given everything to, had forsaken her.
The next day, Itachi crowned his mother the "Great Dowager Empress". Adding an honorary title that has never been seen before in history.
She retired from matters of the state and gave full reins to Itachi, and became in every sense of the word, a Great Dowager Empress. A figure without authority or powder. With only a title, holed up in a corner of the grand Palace, waiting for death.
Just like years ago, when she first came to the palace. She was 12.
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A/N: I tried hard to fix the tenses in this chapter in particular. I've always hadn't a tendency problem haha. Tell me any mistakes I've made