He woke from a drowsy half-sleep to find his Mistresses draped over him, boneless as cats, sound asleep. Kelda, he was surprised to see, was curled up next to Juno, her arm flung over the Imperial woman.
He supposed that was one way to convince them all to get along.
He pulled himself free with a twinge of regret. Kelda stirred and opened her eyes a fraction, looking up at him
"Witch boy?" she muttered.
He leaned over to kiss her.
"Go back to sleep," he said softly.
She blinked and yawned, rubbing at her eyes, sitting up. Juno stirred sleepily, rolled over and snuggled up against Fay with a sigh. Kelda blinked, waking up, staring at the two of them.
"Who would have thought the three of us could have gotten along like that?" she asked him softly, with a sly little smile. "And for so long?"
He grinned. She slipped out of the bed and helped him dress, buckling the straps of his wicked black armor. He clenched a fist, looking down at it, curious.
"You did something to me, didn't you?" he asked her quietly. "The three of you."
She smiled up at him.
"It was Fay's idea," she said. "You know. Just in case it doesn't work and turns you into something horrible."
"No, it most definitely worked." He smirked. "And anyway...I'm already something horrible."
"Not to me," she said quietly. She stood up on her tiptoes to kiss him. "Be careful," she whispered. "Good luck, my love."
He took one last look back and let the curtain close behind him.
The throne room was a hub of activity, minions rushing back and forth excitedly, gibbering frantically. They stilled as he entered, crouched expectantly. Gnarl bowed to him, handing him his great black helm.
"Master," the old minion said, a hint of fondness in his voice.
He buckled the helmet into place, held out his hand. Giblet handed him his axe, and he tested the edge, grinning.
"Are you ready?" Gnarl asked him.
"I can't wait."
The ancient creature leered, suddenly lecherous.
"Are you sure, Master? Mistress Kelda kept you up awfully late last night, didn't she?"
"Uh...actually, they all did."
Gnarl pursed his leathery lips, impressed.
"Oho! Well, then! Well done, lad!"
"It was their idea. Not that I didn't enjoy it, of course, but..."
"Yes, it usually is. Mistresses can be so...inventive." He turned, surveying the assembled minions, and smiled, sharp-toothed. "The Tower Heart is ready when you are, Sire."
The Overlord bared his teeth in a savage grin beneath the helmet. He'd waited thirteen long years for this moment, he thought, and nothing could stop him now.
"Let's go conquer an Empire."
-x-
"Rose."
He was so close, so very close to her. She could hear his heart beat, could feel the heat of his skin.
She stood before a tall, dark mirror, staring at herself, put a wondering hand to her cheek. She was young again, her face unlined, and the red hair that tumbled over her shoulders had nary a trace of grey. She wore nothing but a Sentinel's cloak, drew it closer to herself with a shiver.
"Rose," she heard her lover say again.
She'd thought she'd forgotten what his voice had sounded like. Her vision blurred, and she stepped closer to the mirror, laid a hand on its pitted, blackened surface.
"Where are you?" she whispered.
Her reflection shivered, the mirror going blank and black, and then a gauntleted hand formed against hers, far larger than her own. She strained to see into the gloom, could just barely make out golden eyes.
"I'm so close," he said, sounding faint, and very, very tired. "I can almost..."
"How can I help you?" she asked him, hearing the desperation in her voice.
She could make out his face now, as if through a haze, high cheekbones and a knowing smile. Her heart ached, and her fingers traced the line of his jaw, unbidden.
"My Rose," he said softly. "You don't need that cloak. You're lovely without it."
"I..." she hesitated, her hand going to the collar of her robe. "I can't-"
His fingers flexed on the other side of the mirror, and his eyes met hers. She couldn't look away.
"Come to me," he whispered, and she could hear the need in his voice. "Please."
"I..."
She could step through the mirror, she thought. She could be in his arms again, could feel his mouth on hers, could tell him all the thousand things she wanted to tell him, big and small. She took a step forward, hesitant, looked back.
"My son needs me," she said slowly. "I...I can't leave him again."
His eyes widened.
"A son," he breathed. "I have a son."
The world rocked and shook, magic crackling over the marble columns of the city like lightning. Rose sat bolt upright in her bed, the dream fragmenting, hearing the clamor of bells.
"Oh, oh no." Rose fought her way free of the bed clothes, clutched her greying temples, her chest aching. "No, please, I was so close-"
She looked up at the cracked and dusty mirror in the corner of the room, saw nothing but her own reflection. She rubbed at her chest, regretful. Nothing but another dream...even if this one had felt so painfully real. She shook her head to clear it, listening to the bells. She didn't have time for fantasties. Something big was happening. Her son had broken through the shield.
She could hear screaming, the clang and clamor of bells- and, closer, the clash of swords. Her own heart beat faster, and she snatched up her poisoned daggers, whirling as the door flew open.
Mara staggered through, clutching at her gut, blood blooming through her toga.
"Fucking palace slave," she snarled. "Fucking traitor."
"Mara?" Rose heard herself say.
It was all going wrong, she thought. Her head suddenly felt like it was full of wool. Mara toppled, clutching at the door jamb.
"Run, my lady," she rasped.
The slender palace slave stood behind her, flanked by legionnaires. His eyes flickered down to Mara, and for a second or two it looked as though he would be sick. He swallowed, hard, and looked up at Rose, his eyes hollow.
"I'm so sorry," he said. "I was scared. I wasn't strong enough."
Rose set the daggers down carefully, feeling numb.
"You led them here," she said.
The slave swallowed again, unable to meet her eyes.
"I'm sorry," he said again. "Emperor Solarius and Lord Marius found me going through their papers. They were going to kill me, unless I..."
He trailed off, staring at her, stricken.
"I miscalculated," Rose said faintly.
Rose felt the legionnaires twist her arms behind her back, binding her tightly. They were taking no chances with her this time, it seemed. There were far too many here for her to fight, even with the power of the Sentinels, and there was no telling how many of the rebel slaves had been killed or captured. She raised her chin and met the eyes of their captain, icy.
"Very well," she snapped. "Take me to my husband."
-x-
"Welcome home, my wife," Marius said, in a voice that dripped with venom. "You gave us a bit of a chase, didn't you? But now you're back home- where you belong."
Rose favored him with a chilly smile, inclined her head, her arms bound.
"Marius," she said coldly.
She looked around her, calculating. She was in the palace proper, and the palace shield would keep her from summoning the Sentinels. Soldiers in bright armor were waiting on every rampart and balcony, bows at the ready, keeping a wary eye on her.
"Are you expecting company?" she asked him, with an icy little smile. "Or is all of this just for me?"
He returned the look, contemptuous.
"Your bastard did us the favor of returning the Tower Heart," he said smugly. "He used it as a sort of battering ram, actually. Blew right through the anti-magic shield around the city, I'm afraid, and blew itself up in the process...and now the shrines are collecting all that free, wild magic and rendering it down."
Rose stared at him, shocked.
"The Tower Heart?" she repeated, feeling numb.
How could he be so stupid? She thought, and then, Gnarl.
Gnarl wouldn't care if he had to destroy the Tower Heart. He wouldn't care if, by doing so, he'd only managed to put her son in more danger. All the twisted creature cared about was conquest and carnage, and if his Overlord got a bit too damaged in the process, well, he could always find another one. She gritted her teeth, angry.
"Solarius has all the power from the Last Sanctuary now, and more, besides."
Rose looked about, considering the guards.
"What are you going to do now, husband? Banish me to the Wastes with all the other troublemakers? Execute me, maybe?"
He led her by the elbow into Solarius' chambers, his eyes hard.
"Oh no, my wife. I won't let you off that easily." His hand tightened on her arm, angry. "You're stuck with me, I'm afraid. To death do us part and all that." He glared at her. "My word means something, after all."
She raised her chin, eyes flashing, but said nothing.
"Once Solarius rises to divinity, he will-"
"Wait, once he what?" Rose asked him sharply.
Marius gave her a haughty smile, pouring himself a glass of wine.
"With the magic he's collected, he can rise as a god." He sneered, toasting her. "I'd offer you a glass, my wife, but you seem to be in a bit of a bind."
Rose stared at him, remembering. Once, a long, long time ago, she'd had a conversation with Florian. He'd been rambling, off-kilter and philosophical, about the nature of gods and men...and then he'd asked her, in his off-hand way, if a mortal had ever become a god.
"No," she'd snorted. "That would be impossible."
"Why?"
"Well, the kind of power it would take...it would be incredible."
"But if, say, for the sake of argument, you had that kind of power?"
"No mortal could have that much power. It would drive them completely insane."
Rose shook her head, dismayed.
"You're mad, the both of you."
"Oh, poor, silly Rose." Marius shook his head. "You could have been a goddess! Instead, you'll live out your days with those ugly lines on your face, that wretched grey in your hair. I'll get to watch you wither and die on the vine, while I'll live on, in glory."
If her arms hadn't been bound, she thought, she would have most certainly slapped him.
"And what makes you so sure," she snapped, 'That Florian really will reward you? What's to stop him from-"
The doors crashed open, and Solarius strode through, cape billowing behind him. The guards saluted and started to follow him in, but he dismissed them with a sharp gesture, and the doors slammed closed behind him.
"You've had her searched?" Florian demanded.
"Of course, my lord!" Marius said, indignant.
"Hmm."
Florian regarded her from behind the mask, reached out suddenly and thrust a hand down her robes. Rose gasped aloud at the impropriety, went pale as he pulled a vial of viscous blue liquid from between her breasts.
"I know all your tricks, Rose," Florian said, sounding amused.
Rose drew herself taller, angry.
"What do you want, Florian?" she snapped.
"Oh, how terribly rude." He tapped the mask. "It's Emperor Solarius now, or have you forgotten?"
Rose snorted.
"Oh, please. I helped create you, Florian."
"And you can destroy me, is that what you were going to say?"
"I can certainly try."
"You certainly have been trying, haven't you?" He waved a hand, annoyed. "First the loss of our spy network and the Sentinels, then the slave revolution. And now the elves are harrying our outposts in the Last Sanctuary, no doubt you had a hand in that, too."
Rose suppressed a small sound of surprise, filed the new information away for later analysis. If the legionaries in the Last Sanctuary were busy fighting the elves, then Florian wouldn't be able to count on them for reinforcements.
"I've brought you here, Rose," Florian continued, "Because I want you to have a front-row seat when I rip your bastard's magic from his chest. I'm going to leave you nothing but a smoking husk to bury."
Rose laughed, loud and harsh, and Florian took a step back, startled.
"Oh, you poor, deluded creature," she said, her voice sharp. "My son could have destroyed you when he was nothing more than a child. You're pathetic, Florian. Even with the power you've stolen, you could never be his match!"
"Shut up," the elf said tautly.
Rose smirked.
"You're afraid of him, aren't you? I know you. You're nothing but a magic-less coward, a pathetic little nobody who will never, ever-"
The elf moved like lightning, hand cracking out to backhand her across the face. She fell, unable to catch herself, tasting blood. Marius made a startled noise, moved fractionally towards her- and then he turned away, his face hard.
Rose sat up slowly, licked her bleeding lip.
"Oh, well done," she sneered up at him. "The mighty Solarius, conqueror of frightened children and defenseless old women."
He raised his hand again, and she gritted her teeth, tensing for another blow- but then he lowered his arm and turned away, settling the mask back into place.
"Fuck you, Rose," he snapped. "I won't give you the satisfaction."
Marius turned back to him, not looking down at her.
"What are you going to do with her, Sire?" he asked.
Florian gave her one last look, eyes cold behind the gold mask.
"Leave her," he said at last. "When we've broken her bastard, then we'll decide what to do with her."
The door slammed closed behind them and latched, candles guttering. Rose listened to their footfalls as they walked away, probing gingerly at her split lip.
At last, she was sure they'd gone. She worked the sole of her shoe against a raised tile until it split open, a sharp, tiny blade clattering to the floor. She picked it up gingerly and sawed carefully at the ropes that held her wrists until she was free.
She lifted her skirts and tugged at a loose thread in the hem. A tiny glass vial, filled with viscous, glowing blue ooze, tumbled out into her hand. She smiled as she broke it, the stolen power leaching into her skin.
"Not all my tricks, Florian," she murmured. "Not by a long shot."
-x-
The city was burning.
He strode through the broken streets, letting the minions run wild, cutting soldiers down like wheat. He smiled beneath the black helmet, his face hard, hearing the city scream. The Imperium had thrown him in the Arena like an animal, had cheered at every blow he'd taken. They'd tried to hunt him down when he'd been nothing but a child.
Let them all burn.
He caught a flash of blue light from the corner of his eye and turned with a snarl. The hooded woman landed gently, hurrying towards him.
"I must speak with you," Rose said.
He would listen, she thought, looking up at him. He had to listen.
"Why, it's our friendly local cloaked stranger!" Gnarl said, amused.
Magic was singing through her veins. She could hear the creature, she realized, as he sat like a spider under the ground and used her son to do his dirty work. She felt her lip curl.
"Oh, do shut up, Gnarl," she snapped.
It felt so good to finally say it.
"What? How did you- Hang on. I recognize that voice now. Rose! Former Mistress Rose...or Mrs. Marius now, should I say?"
Mistress Rose. He stopped short, staring at her. In the daylight, he could see into the depths of the hood- red hair, a sharp face, cunning green eyes. She raised her chin, meeting his gaze.
"Don't trust her," Gnarl continued. "She's a devious, manipulative abandoner. Oh, and she's your mother. The one who took you away from us and left you in that festering town!"
"You don't need to remind me," he growled. "I know."
"I knew what you could become," Rose said. "The power within you. The Empire had to have a chance to bring a little order and discipline to these lands."
"So you stole my birthright from me."
She flinched, recovered rapidly.
"I wanted to protect you," she whispered, so low he could hardly hear her.
"And what a fine job you've done of that." He gestured to the minions. "Tossed out in the cold, raised by demons, hunted wherever I went-"
"Listen to me!" she snapped. "I don't have much time!"
He stopped short, startled. She pushed stray hair from her face, flustered. The way he spoke to her, she thought...it was almost as if he hated her.
Maybe he had a right to hate her.
She shook the thought away, continuing.
"I'd thought that Solarius was going to be a decent ruler," she said, briefly sad, remembering the elf she'd known. "But power...it always corrupts."
"Ha! That's half the fun!" She heard Gnarl exclaim.
Her son laughed at that, low in his throat. Rose shivered, pressed on.
"His power has peaked. It's become unstable. He's become unstable. Now he's just a hideous week choking the land we set out to rebuild. A weed that needs to be cut down, and ripped out!" She looked up at him, considering. "I think that you might be the one who needs to wield the axe."
There was no one else, she thought, who could do it. If Florian really did what Marius claimed he was going to do- if he was going to try to ascend to godhood- then no ordinary mortal could stop him. It would have to be her son, with his power-scarred skin and wild magic.
She looked up sharply. She'd set a ward in Solarius' chambers, heard Marius' voice beyond the door, unmistakable in its smugness.
"I have to go," she said, regretful, turning away. "Marius is calling for me."
Be brave, she thought. Be clever, be quick.
The time had long passed, she thought, for him to be good.