Chapter Eighteen: The Beggar Empress
Iolene meditates as she saw through the eyes of her great, great grandmother Empress Estella the third.
She was so beautiful… Her golden blonde hair, her body looked perfect, smooth skin, and deep gold eyes, she seemed so gentle, but her voice was strong and mature. She commanded a presence… She reigned for decades. Only a newborn when she ascended the throne after her mother. Her father Dowager Emperor Elijah was her guardian. He was a good man… He always did what he needed to protect his daughter. Estrela is the star of the eastern desert. tried to murder her… A knife in the darkness, in a bid to gain full power. Estrela's closest dragon confidant Adira betrayed her lord and told Elijah the plot to have the little Empress killed.
Iolene opens her eyes as Mali, Aaron and Stein look on as she floats in the air. Iolene insists that Aaron should be there. She hoped Beau to be here, but Constant's mansion is not built for dragons to roam inside. The halls are too narrow and will only cause damage to the place.
Practicing in one of the guest bedrooms. The windows are closed and covered, as Iolenes' glowing gold magic cannot be risked being seen. But Iolene must practice her skills as she knew she will make use of them. She floats down onto the ground as a wave of exhaustion hits her as she leans onto a table. Aaron got a chair so she could sit. Breathing heavily, she felt as if she did a city marathon. She then smiles. "I did it!" She wipes her forehead realising how much she is sweating. "I managed to choose a memory." Iolene thinks back. It was a strange process; her mind's eye is pure nothingness. But she waits as streams of gold surrounded her. It was as if her mind and body separated as she weaved the magic streams of gold in her hands. Eventually, her mind's eye forms visions of thousands of years of her ancestors.
Stein beams with happiness. "Good girl!" He gives her a glass of water. She drinks earnestly emptying the glass.
"Which memory did you manage to choose?" Stein asks.
"My great, great, great grandmother Empress Estella. She was an amazing Empress and woman…" Iolene said whimsically.
"She had a long peaceful reign, that started from tragedy. Her mother Empress Catiana III died from giving birth to her. Then the ten-gold star war happened and the death of Estrella the cruel." Stein tells.
"But… I cannot seem to find them…" Iolene interrupted. "My mother and father..." Iolene said defeated. She has seen the visions of her great-grandfather Tullius, grandfather Odysseus and her uncle David. But never seeing through the eyes of her own mother or father… Her heart ached to see them. Only seeing them through the eyes of her uncle. Which has not been often.
Stein holds her hand in support. "One day you will be strong enough to see through their eyes. You just have to keep meditating and practicing."
After the session Iolene rests in her bedroom with Aaron. Sprawled on the bed she hugs a large pillow.
"I need to be stronger…" Iolene tells Aaron. "Estella would have gotten her city back already. She would have just walked there and demanded her seat back. She wouldn't have to beg everyone for support… As the people and dragons nicknamed my father the Beggar Emperor behind his back."
"You need to be patient…" Aaron replied. "You are strong, don't doubt it. Your circumstances are different than your distant grandmother. She was born there… You weren't, you had to start from almost nothing. As for your father, it was tragic, but I am sure he tried his best. But you have pleased Empress Zhen, Queen Hara, you have the support of your great Uncle King Marlowe. The gala is in a week, you have been refreshing your lady manners. You have everything prepared. You will charm that snobby queen. You will dance, laugh, eat, and play their game. Your mother and father would have been proud." He smiles at her trying to cheer her up. Looking at her long brown hair. It took him a while to get used to it. But she still looks beautiful regardless.
Iolene smiles as he gently kisses her hand. She wished that he will kiss her in other places. "I want you to be there…" She says softly. Iolene sighs as she wanted her closest and trusted friend there. But Aaron is a bastard born trafficked into slavery, his tattoos of chains on his wrists as well as his number 142 in the middle of his back. He is not permitted to even enter the upper-class areas without Mali's presence.
Aaron holds her hand desperately wanting to tell her that he will be there. But he could not say… The Queen's life is in danger. Stiletto makes it clear to him that she is the only Modecai member who is on their side. Lei and Fred are kidnapped and held for ransom. It is too dangerous for anyone to leave Mercer mansion now. The Mordecai are everywhere all under the king's command.
"But after all of this… What if I fail? What if the Queen refuses to help me? What if I die and the Shadow Emperor wins?" Iolene tried her hardest not to cry. She is the only one of her father's bloodline left. She has many enemies who love to see her burn. Her seeds of doubt cursed her mind. She must convince Queen Avery, needing her money, supplies, and army.
"You will have Stein, Murray, Marina and Mali by your side at all times." Aaron reassures her. "Lexi, Iymp, Beau and Lei will be there. They love you and will make sure that you are safe. You have made it this far… Be brave." Kissing her hand again. Iolene smiles as she wanted to lean over and kiss him on the lips. But she couldn't move.
Aaron leaves Iolene in her room to her thinking. Seeing Mali looking out the window sitting on the sill. The dragons raced around the mansion. Mali sighs as Beau and Duryss begin to ram into each other. Beau struggles as Duryss uses all his strength against him. Beau begins to lose his grip and falls to the ground almost being crushed by the large bull dragon.
Aaron looks down at Beau with worry. Relieved when Beau stands and shakes the dirt and grass off himself snappy at Duryss in annoyance. Beau glances up at the window noticing Aaron looking at him. Aaron waves down to him. Beau waved his tail in reply.
"The dragons are restless..." Mali pointing out the obvious.
"Can't imagine why..."
The dragons don't have much freedom. Dragons in Turquoise country are second-class citizens. Many of the buildings are not made for dragons to explore inside or deal with any matters such as nobility and politics. The Dragons' den on top of the hill is the only dragon mansion where the king's and Queen's dragons live. And it was built thousands of years ago. Otherwise, the dragons live in basic stables."
Beau's freedom is even more restricted since the Viscount incident. All Aaron and Beau wanted to do was go for a ride. Aaron explains to Mali that Beau is a wild dragon, a beast raised in the wild. Keeping him contained is only going to cause problems. Beau now sympathizes with Iolene living in a gilded cage as Iymp explained to Aaron.
Mali nods in agreement. Stein has been lenient with him. But now... "Maybe... Beau can help... The Mordecai is on the King's side. But what of the royal dragons?"
"What do you mean?" Aaron asks.
"The King and Queen's dragons Chanson and Evelyn... Beau and Iymp can try and befriend them. It gets Beau out of Mercer mansion and can potentially help Iolene's cause." Mali revealing his ever-cheeky grin.
Aaron looks down as the dragons return to their stables. Would Beau help in such a way? Aaron nods. "Stein is not going to like it…"
"He won't… But dragons are essential for strength. Here they tend to be forgotten. We can possibly use them to our advantage."
"Or they can betray us…" Aaron says skeptically. It is hard enough to trust a person. These dragons may be second-class citizens but they usually love their owners. Iolene needs help. "Is it worth the risk?"
"Yes… But life is a risk. The gala is in a week, we need supporters. The Mordecai have clearly chosen the king. We don't have many friends here and apparently, neither does the queen." Mali then faces Aaron making sure no one else is around. "I also have something else to say. I have been speaking to Stein about it. It will be dangerous… But after the gala… No matter what happens." Mali sighs with frustration. He is refraining from saying something. Biting his lip he is anxious.
"Mali? What is wrong?" Aaron asks worryingly, sitting on the sill next to him. The small man looked into Aaron's eyes.
"I have another favor to ask of you…" Mali blurts out. "I have an interesting partnership with someone."
"Someone?" Aaron had no idea of who Mali is referring to.
"A dragon… From the Orange Empire named Khafra." Mali speaking as a gentle whisper. Fearing if he said loudly Aaron would react differently.
Aaron is taken aback; he leans back as his eyes widen. He knows that name… "Khafra…" He whispers. The younger brother of Emperor Asotele the third. An orange dragon terribly similar to his brother. A harbourer of slaves of all species and helps to govern the torturous shithole they call the Orange Empire.
"Aaron?" Mali regains his attention. The small man could not describe the fear he sees in the young man's eyes.
"You are friends… With Khafra?" His body tenses as he clenches his fist. "He is a monster Mali!" Is all he could say. Was everything I knew from Mali a lie? But it explains how he could walk around Dominus Sahara without a problem. In this moment he just wanted to go into a ball and cry. He begins to leave as Mali demands him to stop.
Aaron grunts with frustration as he obeyed, but Mali is calm and gentle as ever.
"Please listen to me… No, we are not friends per se. Khafra is still a human enslaver after all… But we have similar interests. Sometimes in life, we must make the best of what we have. You know that… Khafra is one of them… He is not as malicious as his brother and actually has a steady brain. He surprisingly sympathised with me and gave me temporary shelter."
"Temporary shelter? With what price?" Aaron sits down on the sill next to him once more. Deciding to hear him out.
"When Loan fell, there were very few gold priests left. Tulia our leader and our elders was killed. Stein, Laelia and Aelius and their entourage needed to gain other countries support. They left me in charge of recruiting and training new priests. My old friends Elemara and Damien were the other two experienced priests who survived. It was dangerous… We were exposed a few times. But we did gain some faithful apprentices. I remember we had nine of them… Nine young and hopeful children… Elizabeth, Diana, Pablo, Xavier, Derek, Hien, Yufei, Xiyang and Anya." Mali choking up, but a single tear is not shed. He takes out his communication device and stares at it. The gold five-pointed star shone in the sun. Aaron remembers the device. It is the reason they went to Macdan to eventually find Iolene.
"They were hopeful… They were doing well since we had no dragons. None of them survived the massacre as far as we knew. However, one apprentice… I should never have trusted. He was sixteen and overconfident… But Damien enjoyed him as they had a similar personalities.
Times were difficult. We non-stop travelled and lived in the incognito forest, the canyons of the White Empire and the mountain chain… We lived in the wilderness and starved… Many wished just to leave and go home… I did not blame them, not one bit… Anya fell sick. We had no choice but take her to a town and left her there… Next was Yufei who disappeared. Xiayang died suddenly from a snake bite."
"Elemara was captured as we fled against one the league of eight. Damien lost himself after her capture. He became mad and irrational… His paranoia became overbearing which ended with him jumping off a cliff. I did not know until I saw his body when I was relieving myself… It was a long and hard three years of our lives… We tried to recruit and train but all we did was flee. It was too dangerous. Until one of us betrayed my trust… Turns out we were worth quite a bit of gold, especially me. Hien betrayed us for money… In that moment, all hope was lost. Elizabeth, Derek, and Pablo were hanged for treason."
"I escaped…" As Mali began to reveal his tears. "I failed… I failed all of them… But I had to press on. To find Aelius and Laelia. I tried my hardest to communicate with them. But like me, they never stopped. It would have been impossible for me to catch up to them. I lived alone and hoped… In my fifth year of exile, I was a wild man… For a month I risked staying by a village named Goldlake. I was named the hairy monkey as I grunted and acted like one… I was easily recognisable due to my tiny size. I had to try and deceive them somehow. It was when they found me sleeping… Enslavers. I could not use my powers and left Goldlake defeated."
"Enslavers?" Aaron asked. "The gold Empire doesn't have slaves?"
"It was legalised, since the Black Empire heavily relied on such trade. I was then shipped to Dominus Sahara. I was so small I would not have been useful for any physical tasks, and I would not have dared to use my powers… I was sent to the city pyramid to be a cleaner. I was shaved and cleaned vigorously. I was luckily not tattooed yet, but it was in the plans. Backlogged you see... I worked tirelessly for a few months. That was when someone did recognise me…"
Aaron remained silent as he took in the information.
"I was sent to Khafra's personal chambers and there the dragon was. His orange scales and visible pink noodle brain. His smile can curdle the freshest milk. He was wearing the finest silks and jewels anyone can offer. It was only he and his human translator in the room. She was a pretty girl, young and well-kept. We talked… He hates his brother Asotele. But he has high ambition, he desires the orange throne for himself and so he and I made a deal. He was to ally with the Gold Empire we shall help him overthrow his brother. Khafra treated me well as a guest, I had a soft bed, and filling meals and I was no longer treated as a slave by his command."
"Overthrow him?" Being a monarch of a nation is such nasty business. Aaron fears that once Iolene has her crown, she will be in even more danger than when she started.
"Yes… Overthrow Asotele. I did not have much of a choice. However, those plans fell through as I was told about Stein, Aelius, and Laelia's deaths from Khafra. I have never wanted to end myself so badly that day or the days, weeks, months, years since... Khafra saw no more use in me. So he sent me on a ship with a mercenary and that is when I decided to see if any of our old allies survived. Constant was the only senate member who was granted leniency by a newly established Queen Avery. I returned to Dominus Sahara to discuss political matters with him and that was when I met you..."
"Do you know what Khafra has planned once he becomes leader?" Aaron asks.
"Help us... That is all we need from them. If we help him to become Emperor, he will owe us a debt. In return, he will help Iolene regain Loan." Mali says seriously.
"They are close allies with Black? They have been for many years." Aaron doubts the plan.
"And have fought against each other just as much..."
"But really why?" Aaron asks. Does Khafra really want the throne that badly? No one will trust him unless the seeds have already been planted in their council's mind. But if that is the case Asotele would already be dead... Aaron leans on the window.
"You want me to go back there with you?" Aaron felt dread, that he felt he was going to vomit his perfectly good lunch. He hated it there… Lived there for seven years and each second was misery. He wanted to forget and never go back… But then he remembered Keyra. His old friend from the Dominus Sahara. She was beautiful, good, and kind, she helped him understand the harsh world he lived in. He even missed her touch and lips as he remembers their nights together. She always smelt like sandalwood... I love that smell.
"Mali…" Aaron says getting Mali's attention. "Once all this Mille Voix shit is over and we hopefully get the alliance. We will go back there, together. Under a few conditions..."
Mali smiles and nods as he listens to Aaron's proposition.