The Silken Slit of the Empress Ch. 11

Hey guys!

The Nika riots are about to kick off, and we are on the edge of moving into Act 3. I had a surprising amount of trouble writing this one, so it's coming out a week or so later than I would have wanted.

I hope that you guys enjoy this next chapter. Rest assured, though this one's a little light on both spice and action; the following few should more than make up for it.

Let me know what you guys think!

......

The morning bell sounded, calling all of us palace workers to our posts.

I groaned, cracking open eyes that were gummy from lack of sleep. Helena shifted in my arms pushing herself up. She stretched, and I watched the muscles play beneath the naked flesh of her back.

"Time to get up," she said.

I made another tired sound, feeling her absence as an uncomfortable spot of coolness. I pushed myself onto one elbow, trying to claw the sleep from my eyes. We'd returned late, with everything that had happened the night before. I'd be surprised if we'd managed to get more than three hours of sleep.

"It's too early," I said.

"Are you suggesting we should neglect our duty?" She teased.

Helena was seated on the edge of my bed, peering back at me through a curtain of her hair. The light of the morning sun was on her; making her tanned skin glow and transforming her auburn locks into strands of liquid fire. There was a small smile on her lips, though I could see that she was wary.

She knew better than I that, at times, words spoken in the dark, could not abide the light.

We were due another long conversation, but not right now. I was much too tired for that. So, instead, I flopped my arms around her and pulled her back down.

"Leo!" She squawked, squirming against my chest. "Let me go!"

"No."

I pillowed her head in one of my arms, pulling her closer to me and tucking her in just right. I let out a long sigh of contentment, closing my eyes and breathing in the scent of her hair.

"Leo..." I could hear the smile bubbling beneath her serious tone. "We're not going to have a lot of time to gear up."

"Don't care."

She laughed softly. She exhaled, letting herself settle against me, her warm body molding itself to mine. I let out a long breath of pleasure.

"I'd never have gotten into your bed if I'd known how lazy you are," she said.

"It's your fault," I mumbled, her hair tickling my face. "Too warm. I'll be better next time."

"Oh? Are you sure that you'll even be able to afford a next time?"

Her tone was teasing. I felt the tension in her body, however; the guardedness that would not leave so quickly.

"Mmmm," I said, opening my eyes and kissing the side of her head. "I don't know. Maybe, we can just go for a run, then."

With a herculean effort of will, I forced myself to sit up, slipping my arms from around her. I stretched; my face cracking open in a massive yawn. Through watery eyes, I saw Helena lying on her back. Her hair was a cloud of burnished fire around her head; her bared breasts, carressed by the light spilling through my window.

"A run?"

"And then we can go fishing."

She arched an eyebrow, and I grinned.

"I'm hoping that after all that, you'll be tired enough to just curl up beside me without thinking."

She pushed herself onto her elbows, letting the thin blanket slide down her naked stomach. "You don't think that I can keep up?"

"Oh, you definitely can," I said. My grin got wider. "But I'm a terrible fisherman. And I'm impossible to teach."

She laughed, and I leaned down to kiss her lips. I meant to pull away quickly, but Helena had another idea. She threw her arms around my neck, dragging me down to her pillow. Our kiss deepened, and I felt my exhaustion flee as her smooth leg slid against mine.

"I guess we'll have to go out often," she said when we finally did part. "If you're that slow to learn."

I smiled. "Maybe, every day."

"My lion," she breathed, bringing her palm to my bearded cheek. "How did I ever find you?"

"By getting out of bed," I said, looking at her pointedly. "You know that we don't have time to stay here all day."

Helena stuck her tongue out at me. She pushed me aside, slipping out of bed and stepping fully into the sunlight.

"Careful, shield mate." She stretched; her body wrapped in nothing but the morning. "Because my price just doubled."

I laughed, feeling my body respond to the sight of her light-soaked curves. I let my eyes roam the shape of her; from the knowing curl of her lips to the swell of her large breasts. I went down the ripples of her stomach to the verdant tuft of hair peeking out from where her legs flowed into each other.

My heart quickened, as my mouth dried. I remembered the taste of her silken wetness and the steaming softness of her pubic hair against my face.

"You didn't hear what I said again, did you?"

I blinked, "what?"

She laughed, shaking her head.

I tore my eyes from her body with not a small amount of difficulty. "Did you say something?"

"Completely hopeless," she said, scooping up her discarded tunica. "I need to start charging you for looking. Then, at least, you wouldn't be completely useless to me."

"Better put that on, then," I said. "Before I give you everything I have."

She looped the green cloth around the back of her neck instead; thrusting her naked hips out in a pose of casual seduction.

"Keep looking," she said, her cypress eyes alive with a shifting brightness. "I want to buy a fishing skiff."

I laughed, delighted by the sheer wonder of this woman. I felt so light, my chest buzzing with an airy sort of warmth. She enchanted me, this person who dared to be more than the world said she could.

"Toss me my tunica," I said, shifting to the edge of the bed. "I don't want to be late because of you."

"We don't have time for breakfast," she said, ignoring me. She'd slipped into her garment, bending down towards mine. "I still need to bind my chest. You're going to have to help me with--"

Her words were cut off by the letter that tumbled to the floor. I cursed, the pleasant tingling in my chest and limbs gone like the laughter in a widower's heart. I'd forgotten that the damned thing had been in my pocket.

My mother's letter.

Helena picked it up, turning the plain envelope over in her hands. "This is what Sergius gave you?"

"Yeah," I said, coming to my feet. I pulled my tunica over my head. "Just put it on the desk."

Helena didn't move. "Is it important?"

I plucked the letter from her hands, tossing it onto the desk with barely a glance. "No. It's just a letter from my mother."

I made to move towards my armor stand in the corner, but she stepped in front of me. She placed a hand on my chest, meeting my gaze with eyes that took in so much of me.

I looked away. "It's nothing, really. Now, come on." I made to move past her again, but she didn't let me. "Helena, we have to--"

"I would give anything," she interrupted. "Anything, to get a letter from my father. I don't even know if he's alive or dead."

My eyes flicked up to hers, and then away again just as quickly.

"Helena--"

"It's none of my business," she spoke over me, yet again. "But sometimes we don't get the chances we think we will."

"Yeah, I know." I let out a breath. Of course, I knew, how could I not? I was a soldier. I forced my eyes back to hers. "It's just..."

It's just that I wanted to stay happy.

Those eyes that saw so much softened. She looped her arms around my neck, pressing the warmth of her body against mine, holding me tight. My hands rose to grip her waist. I swallowed, trying and failing to speak past the lump in my throat.

"To stand together against the future," she murmured, her breath swirling over my neck. "Your shield locked onto mine."

She pressed her lips against my skin, pulling back, her arms still around me.

"I swore that oath. And don't think that I'm going to let anything keep me from it." She smiled. "Side by side, shield mate."

I snorted, blinking the wetness from my eyes. "We've been reminding each other a lot about those words."

"We're Rhodian, Leo. We're more stubborn than most."

Stubborn?" I said, finding my smile and pulling her back to me. "Or are we just a little slow?"

Her eyes danced. "Maybe it's a bit of both."

......

We slipped into the Empress' chambers a few moments before our shift was set to begin.

We'd skipped breakfast, helping each other into our armor with the frantic tugging of straps and calls of hurried encouragement. We'd only just taken position on either side of the entrance to the hall when the Empress emerged from her sleeping quarters.

"Augusta! " I said, stiffening into a salute.

Beside me, Helena rolled her eyes. "Good morning, Empress."

The Empress' lips curled into a smile. She swayed towards us; her body shrouded in purple silk. The fabric of the light dress clung to her, revealing the shadowy contours of her curving shape. Her sun-darkened flesh and walnut hair gleamed; burnished with scented oils.

Her normally bare feet were wrapped in delicate sandals; her steps still no louder than the swish of her near-translucent dress. Gold glinted as she glided through pools of sunlight. It sparkled off of the thin wires that she'd woven into her hair, the chain at her throat, and the bangles she wore wrapped around her arms, waist, and ankles.

Theodora came to us in purple and gold; an eagle of Rome swathed in the colors of Empire.

"A good morning, indeed," she said, her eyes sparkling as she took in the air between Helena and me. "How was your night?"

"It was good, Empress," Helena answered. "Thank you."

"Oh, come now," Theodora said. "You know that I need more than that."

I coughed. Pink bloomed on Helena's cheeks, lighting her smile.

"It was very good, Empress." Her eyes flicked to me for an instant. "The morning too."

"Then, I am pleased," she said.

She took another step nearer, close enough that the scent of her oiled flesh washed over me. "Now, tell me, she said, speaking from low in her throat. "How did he taste?"

Helena met my gaze, and I saw again that vastness beneath the shifting cypress of her eyes. "Like honeyed figs."

The Empress laughed, leaning over to press a kiss onto Helena's cheek.

"And will you be so sweet for me, my Leontius?" She said, stepping towards me.

"Augusta? " I asked, heat rising to my cheeks.

She lay a hand on my forearm, her smile curling at the edges.

"You didn't think that I'd forgotten, did you?" Her voice was low, her hand sliding up my arm. "I too will have my taste, my soldier."

I was frozen stiff; paralyzed by a roiling mix of exhaustion, the Empress' scent, confusion, and not a little bit of panicked concern. My gaze went right to Helena, desperate to see what thoughts might be written on her face.

Helena met my eyes with an open smile. She saw through me, of course, her expression immediately softening. And because I didn't look away from her, I saw the moment that her face flickered with impish delight.

"Empress?" She said, moving to my other side.

She'd left her spear behind, matching Theodora by running a hand along my forearm. It was warm, and I was filled with sudden apprehension.

The Empress arched an eyebrow, waiting.

"Perhaps we might grant him the Patriarch's Indulgence?"

A flicker of very real surprise crossed Theodora's features. She opened her mouth, shut it, and then looked to me and back to Helena.

"Already?" The Empress said.

Helena shrugged, her smile remaining in place. "It wasn't my idea...but yes."

"Interesting," she murmured, her fingers squeezing my forearm.

I coughed once again, awkwardly shifting. I didn't want to interrupt, despite being achingly full of questions.

"The indulgence, my Leontius, is something from our past." The Empress watched me closely, searching the feelings flickering across my face. I don't know what she was looking for, but her expression soon softened into a smile. "You continue to surprise me."

She turned back to Helena, a curl of heat blooming beneath her flesh. "Hmmm, yes, that's a good idea. I'll see to it."

Her hand lingered on my arm a moment longer, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. Then, the Empress shook herself and stepped away.

"But that will be later. Right now, our city is on the edge of disaster. We have work to do."

She moved towards her divan, while Helena moved past me and back towards her spear.

"What's the indulgence?" I hissed, my blood running quickly through my veins.

Helena grinned; her entire face stained with that same red heat. "You'll see," she mouthed. I glared, but she just winked at me before heading over to her small desk.

"Don't bother," the Empress said. "There are no appointments today. Let in anyone who comes, my Leontius."

I saluted. The Empress lowered her silk-wrapped body onto her divan. Though she lounged within the cushions, she was as regal upon it as any more ornate throne.

"We'll be here until just past lunch," she said. "Then, we'll go meet with my husband. There will be chariot races in the afternoon. Justinian hopes that that will calm things down again, though we still have to work on the speech he will give."

"Empress," Helena said, moving instead to stand behind her. "About that. Last night we saw--"

Theodora held up a hand, cutting her off. "Later, Helena. I've already read about some of what happened. We will discuss this with my husband. For now, however, I expect us to be busy."

And indeed, those words proved to be prophetic. No sooner had Helena settled into her post, did I hear the first knock on her door.

It was a man I didn't know, introducing himself as a lord of a place I didn't recognize either. No sooner had the Empress welcomed him in, did I hear another knock. It was a pair of matronly women this time, coming in to sit around what would grow into a sizeable gathering.

Throughout that long morning, visitors came and went. I saw bishops, merchants, lords, and ambassadors; coming singly or in groups.

The lady Irene even came by, accompanied by a man that I took to be her husband, Lord Arethas. She greeted me with a smile and a faint flush to her cheeks. I was happy to see a new confidence behind her eyes. She stood straighter, walking beside her husband rather than a step behind.

I was also surprised to see that the dress she wore was cut much lower, exposing a generous slice of her chest.

The lord Arethas, for his part, wore a faintly bewildered expression; the poleaxed gaze of one whose life had changed dramatically. It seemed like the lady Irene had taken some of the Empress' advice. And though her husband still appeared conflicted, I saw his eyes soften whenever they turned towards his young wife.

They would be ok in the end, I thought.

Throughout that whole morning, the Empress met with dozens, showing nothing of the fatigue that she must be feeling. And in his own reception chamber, I knew that the Emperor would be doing the same.

For while it was by birth or tradition or proclamation that the Imperial family ruled; it was the people that were the true source of their power. People were what moved the Empire; giving their time, wealth, and bodies to it.

An Emperor only ruled so long as his people tolerated him, and the annals of Rome's history were soaked with the blood of those men who'd forgotten.

Theodora was no such despot.

She spoke with each, listening to their fears and grievances. She offered her own words in return; promising to look out for them and their families. She assured them that while things may have changed, the future was undeniably bright. She thanked each for their loyalty, drawing out pledges of continued support; swearing that her husband would never ask of them more than they could pay.

She reminded each, that the dream of Empire died only when there were none left who believed.

......

"My guards were out in the city last night," the Empress said. "They can confirm some of the captain's reports. There is real wealth, real organization behind some of these dissenters."

"Traitors," Belisarius growled. The dark-haired general's cheeks were red with anger. "Augustus, let me bring my legions into the city. I can have the worst of the factions hanged by sunset."

The Emperor, Justinian, massaged the bridge of his nose. "I'm not going to let stratiotai loose in my own capital, Bel. The people aren't our enemy."

"They're burning the city down around us!"

"Captain," Theodora said before her husband could speak. She addressed the nervous-looking commander of the city guard. "We've had riots before. Why haven't you been able to keep the peace these past few days?"

The guardsman bowed low. "Your pardon, Augusta. I have few men under my command, and the Blues and Greens are well entrenched in most parts of the city. In the past, they've done a lot of the work in keeping their own neighborhoods orderly. Now, however..." He trailed off into a grimace.

"Now, they're the bastards doing all the damage," Antonina said from where she sat beside her husband.

Belisarius' wife had swept her blonde hair back from her face, sifting through a stack of reports on the table in front of her. Antonina accompanied the general nearly every time he went out on campaign. She was well used to helping him untangle the mess of paperwork that taking any sort of decision inevitably produced.

"You cannot control the city, then?" The Empress said.

"Forgive me, Augusta, but I cannot. Not on my own. I've lost dozens already in the attempt."

"Then let me bring in the legions," Belisarius said, his fist slamming against the table. "We're letting the mob run us over!"

"Enough!" The Emperor snapped. "I am not slaughtering hundreds because a few nobles are stirring up discontent! We are an Empire of laws, and I will not taint our efforts with the senseless spilling of blood."

The two men glared at each other. They were men of power, both used to getting their own way. But of course, only one was Emperor.

Belisarius looked away. "Of course, Augustus."

The Empress let out a breath. She dismissed the captain with a few words of thanks, before going to her husband. She leaned into him from behind his chair, wrapping her arms around his chest.

Justinian slumped back. "The Blues and the Greens; why did my damned predecessors have to cede so much to them?"

Theodora kissed him on the cheek. "We always knew that curtailing them would be difficult, love. Don't lose sight of what we are trying to accomplish."

The Emperor breathed deeply of his wife's scent, leaning into her touch. He let out a long sigh and straightened.

"Okay. They want me to pardon the escaped prisoners, right? Will satisfy them?"

"Seems like the minimum," Antonina said, fanning her summer-reddened face. "They've already escaped, so what's the harm?"

"The harm," Belisarius said. "Is that they were condemned to die."

"Bel is right, my love," the Empress said. "You spoke of upholding our laws; what message does it send to those watching us for weakness if we capitulate on this now?"

I shifted in my place against one of the walls. Helena and I were the only other ones in the room now, our post only a protective lunge from the Empress' seat.

They had been at this for an hour and more, a series of officials, titled aristocrats and soldiers streaming in and out of the Emperor's office. They'd been summoned to give their official opinions, testimonies, and reports; the mass of information intended to aid the Emperor in handling the developing crisis.

Or not handling it, as seemed to be the case.

I turned away, looking towards the open window. Outside, the sun was high in the sky. I could see the sloping roofs of the Hagia Sofia and the Patriarch's residence. The city stretched beyond, baking in the afternoon heat.