An Empress for the Emperor

"Are you alright, my dear?" The man asked as I suddenly stood, shakily.

"I'm sorry, Sir. But I think I should... be going home." I stumbled to the door, steadying myself as best I could on chairs and tables as I passed. The faces of the other customers were contorted and all turned to stare. Falling to my knees in the snow as the Inn door closed behind me, I took a few deep breaths before struggling to get back on my feet. Strong hands took me by the arm and helped me to my feet; the world tilted.

It was the old man, stronger than I would have expected.

"Let me help you, child." I could only nod, leaning into him for support. We made it only a few more steps before I was embraced by darkness.

I awoke slowly; the ache of my body dulling my other senses. I bumped around on a hard floor and opening my eyes I could see through a break in the boards to the moving ground below, the sound of the icy ground crunching beneath horse hooves and the turning of wagon wheels the only sounds. With a growing fear I realized my hands were bound behind me and when I attempted to roll over I could only go part way because the rope was attached to the side of the wagon. My right shoulder was throbbing from lying on my side; my right hand asleep. I was both ravenous and thirsty. The clothes I wore were damp and clung to me and my own stench made me want to gag. I had obviously soiled myself while I slept. There was one thing to be thankful for; someone had draped an old blanket loosely over me helping to keep the chill away. Nevertheless, panic was rising inside me as I took in my situation. Lifting my head I tried to look around. Someone knelt beside me and pressed a bowl of water to my lips, I drank greedily despite my fear.

"Ah, our little Siren has awakened." I turned my head toward the person holding the bowl, he had a vaguely familiar voice. The old man from the Inn was kneeling beside me, wrapped in expensive furs. I tried calling out in an outrage but my voice would not respond. I swallowed, trying again but all that emerged was a croak. "Don't try and speak, you've been in and out of consciousness for the better part of a week, you'll have to take it slow. We've only roused you a little to give you some water, you probably won't remember, but no matter."

A week! No wonder I was hungry and filthy. Like an infant who is not changed regularly my buttocks felt raw and burned and itched as I tried to move my body. My thoughts raced to Bryant who must have been searching for me by then. I wondered if any had witnessed the old man lead me away. I began thrashing on the wagon floor, trying to do anything to get myself out of the situation. My feet were bound together but not restrained to the wagon like my hands and so I lashed out at the bastard who had abducted me but he nimbly jumped over me to kneel at my head, a knife pressed against my throat.

"The Emperor will not be pleased if his property is damaged before it even arrives. I think you need another nap, open up." I clenched my jaws tight and refused to open my mouth until he grabbed and pulled my hair hard. Reflex caused me to let out a scream and in that split second he let three drops of a bitter liquid drop into my mouth. More quickly than last time my vision blurred and I began feeling disoriented.

"Yes... concentrated Mugwort and Mullein, it should keep you out for another day or so, plenty of time to reach your new home."

When I regained consciousness again someone helped to lift my head and tipped water into my mouth. I swallowed weakly, coughing most of it back up because my mouth and throat were so dry. The hand tried again and I was able to take a few more sips; I felt light headed from the slight effort. The person who held my head lifted me easily with delicate hands, sitting me up and putting pillows behind my back. I no longer felt dirty and I did not smell; I wore a plain white cotton nightgown and knew someone had cleaned me up while I slept.

"Here, eat this." She lifted a bowl of broth into my view and the aroma made my mouth water. I tried taking hold of the bowl she handed me but I was too weak from so many days without food or activity and dropped it on my lap, luckily it was just warm. Without pity or complaint she took up a cloth and wiped me up as best as she could. She ladled some more broth into the bowl and dipped a spoon into it, lifting it to my lips; I was too hungry to protest. I took the time while being fed to look around. We were in a large room, elaborately decorated with wall hangings depicting feasts and the rendezvous of lovers. A fire burned in a large fireplace with an intricately designed iron plate behind, radiating the heat throughout the room. There were no windows and the air felt humid, giving off the feeling that we were below ground.

When I finished, although I had barely eaten anything, I felt a little stronger and when she called an older woman with thick arms to help carry me to the waiting tub, I was able to walk with their support over to the steaming water. They stripped my now soiled nightgown and lowered me into the hot water, scented with lavender. My skin felt overly sensitive and I yelped at the sudden sensation of heat flooding over me, but it mostly passed as I settled in the water.

"My name is Bernadette, this is Silvia." The younger girl said, indicating the other woman. "Don't worry, you'll be better soon, we'll make sure of that." She smiled sweetly and I tried to return it but found it difficult because I started to think of Bryant. Through the smile tears began to pour from my eyes and I let out croaking sobs. My shoulders heaved and I held my head in my hands. The two women seemed to understand and let me cry, all the while washing my soiled body and hair. Despite the fact that I'd just slept for a week, the hot water, a full stomach and tears lulled me to sleep.

I was lying on a cloud wrapped in a blanket of wind. The bed I laid on was the softest thing I had ever felt and I was wrapped in what seemed to be a silk blanket. My hair was damp and smelled of lavender from the bath. Still feeling light headed I carefully pushed myself up, wanting to look around, my fragile body protesting slightly. As I sat up the blanket fell from around me revealing my nakedness.

Fear gripped me when I realized that sitting beside the bed in nothing but dark breeches was a man I recognized well. His eyes held the same hunger as the last time I had seen him but there was also contempt there. I grabbed the blanket trying to cover myself. His nose was crooked now from where I had hit him and his hair was longer, but it was the same dark young stranger sitting before me. Upon his finger was a large Signet ring that told all who saw it that they were looking upon the Emperor. I knew my place but could not bring myself to leave the bed and kneel before him and not only because I did not have the physical strength. Had I felt stronger I would have spit in his face but I could only back away, cowering; I had nowhere to run this time. He laughed at my terror.

"Yes girl, youshouldbe frightened. I could have made you Empress, but you refused me." There was only a hint of anger in his melodic voice. "You're stories called to me...you called to me and yet you still denied me." The calm and dangerous way he spoke made me wish he would just yell. The quiet was unnerving. He stood and moved around the bed, lamp light accentuating his bare chest and arms, his teeth glistened white. "You've told many tales, but this is one taleyouwill learn a lesson from... a fable." He walked around and cornered me as I climbed off the bed, grabbing my wrist and pushing me against the wall. Ripping the blanket from my grasp and letting it fall he brought his face close to mine and lowered his voice. "Hmm, I rather like the sound of that. From now on you shall be known as Fable. To forever remind you of what happens when you deny me." He stroked one of my breasts; I shuddered.

I had no strength to fight him that night and his lust seemed insatiable. For me the physical pain of being trust into and rubbed raw by his unending rhythm was nothing compared to the ache in my heart. I thought of Bryant and his gentle nature and yearned for him to find and rescue me again. Needless to say, he did not come that night, or the many that followed. As the Emperor took me time and time again the pain began to dull a little but I lay there, refusing to grant him the fight and the spirit he knew I possessed.

In the morning servants took me from the Emperor's chambers and I was bathed clean by their rough hands. None of us spoke and once I was dried and dressed in clothing much finer than I had ever worn before they led me back to the only other familiar room in the castle. They put a plate of food in front of me but I could only pick at it. My body hurt. It hurt to sit, it hurt to walk and it would probably hurt to lie down again. Bernadette emerged from a doorway yawning. When she noticed me she rushed over, lights of excitement dancing in her eyes.

"Your first night here and they already brought you before the Emperor!" she said with girlish excitement. "What an honor! Oh I do hope he gives me a chance to prove I can be a good Empress." I wanted very much to explain to her that he was not looking for an Empress but a woman he could use. There would be no power for the girl who became his consort. I wanted to warn her but even my emotions were bruised and I half wanted her to find out for herself the man the Emperor really was. I hated myself for feeling like this so instead I asked where I might lay down for a while.

"Oh there's an extra bed in my room, you can join me." She showed me to her room and before she could continue talking I closed the door on her and fell onto my new bed. Every part of me was dry. Physically and emotionally I was spent and although I desperately needed the release that tears could bring, none would come for me.

I do not know how or when I fell asleep but when I awoke I could hear quite a ruckus in the common area outside my room. Upon opening the door I was met with the site of over twenty young women ranging in age from eighteen to some who seemed closer to thirty. All were dressed in their finest and I wondered where they came from and why they all seemed so excited to be here. A large table was set with all kinds of food and when I reached for a roll Bernadette saw me.

"Oh there she is, the girl who went before the Emperor last night! I never did ask your name, what's your name?" It took me a moment to respond but I answered with my head held high.

"Fable, my name is Fable."

The rest of the girls bombarded me with questions about my night with the Emperor, wanting to know what to expect if they were called. I had to hold back a bitter laugh. There was little I could say to convince them to leave this place, even if they could; the pedestal they had placed the Emperor on was higher than words from me could knock down, they would only learn from firsthand experience. But I had to offer some warning.

"I wouldn't be too excited." I said and quickly found a seat in a corner. The girls seemed puzzled by my dark demeanor and decided to ignore it instead of pay it any heed. They began fantasizing about elaborate dinners, dancing to a lone violin under the starlight. For them the Emperor was an ideal and as I listened to their wild chatter I wondered how they could be so innocent, but realized if the Emperor had a say they would all be soon broken and torn. It was explained to me that a decree had been made about a week before that the Emperor was searching for an Empress. All the noble families were instructed to send their most beautiful daughters to the castle so the Emperor could choose from among them. No other girl had been taken by the Emperor as of yet and I couldn't help but hope that their fantasies might come true, that maybe his scorn was reserved for me alone.

A clock struck the hour somewhere in the city and two large doors swung open at the end of the room. Two muscular guards flanked Silvia, the woman I had met the night before. Her aging face was hard and worn; her eyes showed no feeling. She could not have been too old, no more than forty-five but there was a weight upon her that showed in her walk. She found me in my corner and approached. The room went silent.

"Fable, the Emperor requests your presence this evening." My throat constricted; how much more would I have to bear? At the same time my mind rebelled.Request? Request! As if I even have a choice. A tyrant's request is a tall tale; there is never a choice when the request is from a man like the Emperor."I will help you prepare." She turned on her heel and without looking back began walking toward the two waiting guards at the door. What else could I do but follow? I was dizzy with fear as she led me through the open door and down the hall. We walked up a flight of cold stone stairs and I saw the setting sun for the first time in a week but it offered me no warmth. We entered a room filled with shelves and hanging clothes. A large table stood in the center of the room, on it were a pitcher of steaming water, numerous brushes and combs, and body ornaments all laid out in precise rows. The guards waited outside and Silvia closed the door. With a resigned sigh she spoke to me again.

"Alright child, let's get you into something more fitting." Without thinking first I began to plead.

"Please ma'am, don't make me go. If you don't know what he does you will soon enough when he has either beaten or raped me to death, or the other girls return from him as ruined as I am. Please!" I was on my knees holding onto her hands, my voice cracking, I swallowed hard. Searching her eyes for any hint of understanding, I thought I saw something but she turned and began taking clothing off hangers and shelves without a word. She set the clothes on the table near me and looked into my eyes.

"Give me your hand." It was a gentle command and I obeyed. She took my hand kindly and seemed to study it, turning it palm up and raising my sleeve. Before I realized what she was doing she had drawn a sharp knife over my forearm. I gasped and pulled away in shock, grasping my bleeding arm. "Don't act like a wounded animal, you asked for my help and I'm giving it. Now hold out your arm!" Her words convinced me more than the command in her voice and I held out my wounded arm.

What she did next surprised me as much as the cut. She took a pair of drawers from the stack of clothes and ran them over my cut, smearing them with blood. She then dipped clean linen in the pitcher of hot water and cleaned my wound. The knife had been very sharp, the cut clean and the blood was already starting to scab over. Just to be safe she tied a small bandage over it and lowered my sleeve.

"Stay here," she said as she picked up the stained garment and opened the door. "Inform the Emperor that Fable is unfit for a visit this evening and will be so for at least the next seven days. I will prepare another young woman for this evening. If he asks why, show him this." She shoved the drawers toward the guards who backed away from the sight, scrunching their faces up in disgust.

"No need to bring that along, my lady. We will explain things to his Imperial Majesty and send a maidservant to build a fire and burn the impure cloth." The two guards bowed to Silvia and left at a trot.

When the woman turned she had a smug grin on her face. As if she spoke to herself she said aloud, "I may not have much power anymore but I can still use women's secrets against the brat." Relief and confusion washed over me. Despite my pleadings I hadn't really believed I would find help from this woman. I sat down in stunned silence.

"What happens when I do start bleeding?" I was sure her lie would be discovered and we would both be punished.

"Bah, noblemen understand nothing about women's bodies. My son will believe whatever I tell him in that regard." One surprise after another and this one was almost too much for me to take.

"You are his mother?" I asked and she nodded solemnly.

"I can't put him over my knee anymore, no matter how much he may disserve it. Not that his father ever allowed that anyway. Maybe if he had, our son would be different today." I could just picture the scene; the Emperor thrown over this woman's knee getting spanked for his transgressions. I could not help but smile a bit, feeling this would be the start of a fitting punishment.

"I lost my power when my husband died, not that I ever had much," she continued. "But this son of mine is now rounding up all the beautiful women in the Empire; or so it seems. He says he searches for an Empress, but I think he's looking for a trophy." Mention of the other girls reminded me, that because I would not be with him tonight, another girl would have to face the Emperor's voracious appetite.

"I just sent one of those girls to a horrible fate!" I covered my face with shame.

"There now, child," Silvia comforted. "You've done no such thing. Unlike you each of these girls came of their own free will or the will of their parents. You have nothing to do with that. They all seek to advance their station in society. You've asked for no such thing." She patted my head and ushered me to my feet. "Come now, we should be returning to the others."

We walked back together, entering the large room quietly but this didn't stop the girls from noticing. At witnessing my return excited whispers began. Silvia quickly called another name and I retreated into my room. When Bernadette came to bed later I pretended to be asleep. I had no wish to speak with her. Waiting until her breathing slowed into a pattern of deep sleep, I left the room in silence.

The only light in the common room came from the dying fire. I added a log and sat beside it, waiting. My thoughts drifted toward Bryant and I had to fight to hold tears back. I began telling myself a story just to get my mind on other things. Not long after the main door opened and the room filled with sobs.

"Shh, child. We don't want to wake the other girls now do we?" I looked back to see a frail young woman shaking her head, straight red hair covering her face, her shame. The girl was not much older than me and guilt welled up inside. Silvia must have noticed me because she steered the girl over and sat her down next to me. Upon seeing me she backed away, her face turning as red as her hair in shame of what had just happened to her.

"I'm Fable." I said gently. "I was with him last night." I said the last part through clenched teeth but I knew I had to offer her some comfort. Realizing I was the only one who could understand what she had been through, she threw herself upon me and wept bitter tears. I stroked her hair and tried to sooth her pain and fear despite my own. Why would someone do this? I was just glad she had not been subject to his ministrations all night as I had been. Silvia nodded and whispered the girl's name in my ear, "Kara." Then she was gone.

I sat with Kara through the night, comforting her with stories and a few songs. It was during these stories I realized what I needed to do.

"I overhead the guards talking about it last night. The Elves want to send their princess to marry the Emperor!" I spoke in a hushed voice to Bernadette the next morning.

"But I thought only certain people can even see Elves," she mused and I nodded.

"You're right! It is said that their magic can recognize a person for who he really is and then allows only those the elves deem worthy to see them. I don't know if we should tell the other girls, how can we compete against an Elven princess?" Bernadette's eyes sparkled and I knew I had caught her attention. By that afternoon the room was abuzz with rumors of the Elves. My small story now split into hundreds of rumors. By that evening the guards too were murmuring. The next morning, when another girl had joined Kara and me, Silvia came in with news from the city.