Responsibility Ch. 18

The Emperor noticed him. He even chuckled and said, "That prince is stunned."

"My Lord," Rahela said, "is the sight of my hair truly so offensive?"

He winked. He actually winked down at her! "Does it matter? That man brought a troupe of writhing, almost nude women with wild hair to my wedding. If he complains I'll banish him and start another war."

Rahela put on a little smile. "A fearless joke. It suits my great husband."

"I believe that in Tashkila," the Emperor said as he turned to look at an approaching servant with the coconut he'd wanted, "it matters not if one is married or a virgin. Women and girls of a certain age must cover their hair, but that rule must not apply to dancers." He took the coconut with two hands, and he was quite cheerful about it. "This is a coconut. It's delicious and its juices make a fine ingredient for soap."

Blinking almost like a cat, Rahela coldly stared at the thing. It looked like a big, hairy ... egg, thing. She almost couldn't believe it was a fruit. She kept her voice neutral. "Ah. It's a sturdy fruit. How does one cut it?"

"One's meant to crack it open," the Emperor said. He handed the hideous thing off to a servant and told him to send it off to Rahela's bedchamber. "I have plenty of these. If you wanted to roll it off your balcony to watch it break on the ground, I wouldn't mind."

Rahela put her hands near her belly. "Ah, another joke. You have a healthy sense of humor. I'd never dare to ruin a gift from you."

The Emperor only shrugged at that. Then he led the group off to a few bushes full of roses. They were mostly white with orange tips, although some were a dark pink with white marks, as if someone had haphazardly painted them. The Emperor took a pair of little scissors from a pouch at his black belt. He moved in to cut a rose away. "Did that Tashkilan prince attend the Testoan court while you sat on the throne?"

"Yes, My Lord." Rahela saw no reason to lie about it. "He was always so bizarre, but that could be because of the culture he was raised in."

Using one of his brooches to pin his rose to his hat, the Emperor said, "He didn't speak to you, did he?"

"No." Rahela thought he looked so silly. "He'd only speak to a male relative of mine."

"The Tashkilan husbands, or the wealthy ones, tend to have multiple consorts, and they all must be kept hidden, or as they call it, protected." His face was plain and uncaring. The rose hadn't cheered him up. "One again, that's a custom for the rich ones. More ordinary wives move as they need to."

Rahela put her fingers, which were under her sleeve, below her jaw on one side and asked, "How are the female rulers meant to govern if they are kept hidden?"

A twitch appeared at one of his cheeks. "They don't have female rulers, or not obviously so. In their culture, a wife or concubine's place is only to please her husband. If there are no sons to inherit the throne, then they'll find a cousin or other male family member."

Rahela nodded. "None of that is as disturbing as the reason why I refused to marry into their empire."

The Emperor nodded too. "I didn't need a long time to understand why you refused."

***

The Emperor told Rahela he found he had more paperwork than normal to deal with, and he wanted a late night of work. So, he told her to go on to sleep without him.

That was fine by Rahela. She could sleep in her room again, with her little sister's snoring and occasional, mewl-like noises. It was a fine night.

In the morning someone called her to go visit His Majesty in his office. They'd already eaten breakfast, so Rahela didn't mind. She brought Ammas and her girls all the way.

Inside the office, she was surprised to find the Emperor drooped over his desk, his cheek on an arm. His eyes were closed. There were bruise-like bags under them. He was still in the outfit from yesterday, although he didn't have the ugly hat. His hair was sloppy and loose, covering some of his tired face and sticking out at strange angles. The room itself was a bit cluttered, even messy.

When Rahela was standing at his desk, the Emperor pushed himself to an upright position, opened his eyes, and yawned into his palm. He even shuddered.

"Majesty," Rahela said, "are you unwell?"

"I haven't slept for long," he said. His words were slow. He rubbed at an eye. "I stayed here."

Rahela sighed very heavily. "You've put worry in your wife's heart. Please be more cautious with your health."

He made a light rumble, almost a purr in his throat. Then he picked up a cup from his desk and took a few gulps. It was probably water. He put the cup back down. His face was slightly more lively, but still quite serious. "One of those Tashkilan dancers appeared at my office last night."

Rahela was surprised enough to silently blink a few times, but she caught on. "Prince Jalil was venting his spite."

"I have the same idea." The Emperor put an elbow on the desk's tabletop. It wasn't a very regal pose. "That dancer's indiscretion vexed me. I told her if she wanted to wait at my bedchamber, then she may."

"Oh Majesty?" Rahela's fingers hovered near her lips. She happened to notice that Ammas was choking down some laughter, which was fine since the whole situation was so amusing. "Majesty? You tricked the dancer into waiting outside your doors while you slept in this office?"

Closing a scroll that had been left open and dragging paper onto the floor, the Emperor said, "The guards said she eventually toppled onto the floor. She was determined to stay awake to meet me but she's a human just as I am."

"Peace with Tashkila is an enviable thing," Rahela said, "but I've often thought that with Yahsin it might not last for long, even as much as I wish that wasn't true. It possible that Tahskila is already plotting against Yahsin, and they'd hoped to use one of their most beautiful dancers to tempt you, to move in and work as a spy, or at least as a way to convince you to work in Tashkila's interest."

The Emperor took another swig of water and cleared his throat. "I don't think that prince will approach you in public, but he might do so in private. Either way, if he comes near you, give him your most hateful expression and do everything you can to remind him that you're far above him in the hierarchy here. He's a malicious little guest with no right to make demands. Even if he must be beaten, let it be so."

"I beg you, please don't excite my bodyguard," Rahela said with almost a smile. Ammas was already cracking his knuckles with a wicked little smirk. "He hasn't been able to prove himself, and I know he'd leap to the chance to defend me in any situation."

His tired eyes sliding over to Ammas, the Emperor said, "Yes. That reminds me ... Ammas?"

Abandoning his threatening and quietly gleeful stance, curtly bowing, Ammas said, "Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Not everyone needs a sword," the Emperor began right before he yawned again, "Hahaaaaah ... but you'll have your own sword in a few hours. No longer will you borrow from the barracks."

Bowing once more, this time more deeply, Ammas thanked the Emperor.

Right then, Borys the lone squire entered the room. He was frowning. He went to the Emperor's side and put on a pleading tone. "Majesty, have you truly slept in this office?" At the Emperor's nod, the boy continued. "Have you eaten?" At the Emperor's shake of his head, the boy continued again. "Please don't let everyone fret over you. You must eat and have a fresh set of clothes, and your hair should be combed. You should have a nap too."

Running his fingers through his hair, even trying to sweep parts of it back, the Emperor got to his feet and grumbled out words Rahela couldn't quite make out. Then he let the boy lead the way out of the office, but not before he told Rahela, "By the by, Little Empress, after I've had a nap I'll have you ride with me to the hunting grounds."

Rahela gave a slight bow.

***