Till Life Do Us Part

Before.......

Night of the Summer Solstice, 1857

One glance at the people's faces and she was satisfied with what she saw. Hatred. Resentment. And even better, fear. That was all she ever wanted. But nothing came without a price. And their hatred was the price she had to pay. Not that she minded one bit. Just to get them more riled up, she proceeded to dangle her right leg over the immaculately carved arm of the throne, thereby parting the slits of her dress and exposing more skin than was necessary. Their reactions were so priceless she couldn't help chuckling to herself. The faces of the members of the Privy Council pinched with so much hatred and a few of them even glanced away, not bearing to watch her openly disrespect them so. But she was the Empress, and she could very well do whatever she liked. Reclining even deeper into the throne, she finally decided to hear them out. Not because she was tired of seeing them sitting there, so still with their hatred barely masked, but because her dear Iago awaited her. Her thoughts briefly drifted to memories of him running his hands all over her body, coaxing the loudest of moans out of her and wringing her of every sign of sanity. Oh how she missed him. Eager to get back to him, she finally turned her attention to the Council.

"Tis' late. Whatever you have to say better be worth the trouble. I have the most urgent business with Iago right this minute" Her low, throaty voice called out ripe with insinuation . And she got the exact reactions she had hoped for.

Most of them sputtered, a few of them openly glared at her in disgust and one or two even spat quietly. She would forgive them just today. And just because she felt like. Still staring them down, she c****d an eyebrow. Andrea de Wolfe finally spoke first. Of course the brave old man always had to speak first.

"Your Highness, we deeply apologise for any inconvenience we might have caused you. Please accept our grave apologies" He bowed his head and the others reluctantly followed. And if emotions could kill, she would have definitely slumped in her throne right at that moment at the intensity of the hatred radiating from all 10 of them. Or rather, she would have long passed from all the hatred and curses she received daily from the kingdoms as a whole. She had to commend them though. She personally couldn't imagine bowing for someone she hated. She couldn't even imagine bowing to anyone. She yawned audibly and bid them rise with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"What brings you here at this hour?"

"Your Highness...."Andrea de Wolfe again "....the Kingdom is in a state of mayhem. The masses are continuously being robbed of......"

"Robbed?" She interrupted.

Realizing his mistake, he bowed low and brought his voice down a notch

"Forgive me your Highness. This old man constantly makes mistakes not worth your forgiveness"

She eyed him for some seconds before bidding him to continue his speech.

"Your Highness, the citizens are starving and dying of poverty. Their hard earned incomes are spent paying the taxes that keep on increasing day by day. And the French keep on raiding warehouses. With all due respect, we beg of you, Your Highness, to extend your grace to these people as your infinite mercy is their only source of hope"

"The French dare taint my grounds with their filthy feet? And why am I just hearing of this?

"Your Highness, we haven't really been able to reach you these past days as you insisted on spending your days in your chambers with Iago. And this was the only night that you graced us with your audience"

"And what exactly are you trying to say Chancellor de Wolfe?"

"Nothing that displeases your Highness I promise". He bowed again.

She eyed the man pointedly and rose to her feet. Tucking her arms behind her back, she strolled towards where they sat on either sides of her throne, stopping right behind de Wolfe. She brought her hand up to his long white braid and fingered it lightly.

"Andrea de Wolfe, I ask again. What made you deprive your Empress of such important news?" Fisting his braid tightly, she yanked his head back and exposed the man's old wrinkled neck.

"It was naught but my own incompetence Your Highness. I beg your forgiveness". He choked out.

Eyeing him, she released his head abruptly, causing him to fall forward, nearly hitting the table in the process. He stopped himself from falling over just in time. Brushing off invisible lint from her skirt slowly, she finally turned to the rest of the members and made sure to look each of them in the eye.

"I shall decide what to do about the French rats tomorrow. Make sure to see yourselves out just fine. No staff of my palace is to be bothered". With that she made to turn away.

"Your Highness the citizens........"

She stopped in her tracks, then slowly turned to identify the source of the voice. Ah ha, Gavriel Beaux, the old man who hardly ever talked. She couldn't help wondering what had made him dare to raise his voice today.

"Master Beaux, the citizens are starving you said? Would you rather the Throne starved?" She turned to him slowly. "If the people don't starve, how is the Throne supposed to survive?"

He made to say something but he thought better of it and closed his mouth. He still had some sense in him after all.

"If the Council is so concerned about the citizens, how about we give them a percentage of your monthly wages?" She smiled widely at their horrified faces. "That sounds like a good idea doesn't it?" She felt so giddy with the excitement of watching their expressions. "The decree shall be made tomorrow. From now on, the Council members' wages shall be divided into half, and one half shall go to my poor starving citizens. Tell them their Empress really showered them with her grace this time. You may see yourselves out"

And with that she turned and strode away.

••••••••••••••••••••

On seeing her, the guard who stood outside her door stiffened and appeared even more inanimate than normal. But she didn't even spare him a second glance. He bowed as she approached and opened the door leading to her chambers. She barely registered his prescence or the sound of the door closing behind her as she beheld Iago, sprawled on one of the rich cushions in her chambers. She couldn't help her beatific smile as she slowly made her way towards him. He turned to her and their eyes met and in that instant she felt so whole, so complete. She didn't like to think of the fact that she might be in love. No, love was a weakness. And she was anything but weak. Regardless, she couldn't deny the fact that Iago made her feel things. She had long come to believe she didn't have a heart. But Iago definitely stirred something in her bosom. She also didn't like to ponder too much on those constant stirs.

"What did the Council want?" He rose as she came to a stop in front of him but she pushed him back into the seat and settled on his laps. She elegantly rose one shoulder in a shrug and lazily ran her fingers all over the exposed skin at the neck of his satin robe.

"Just one complaint or the other."

He stared into her eyes intently and she wanted to squirm like a child. He greatly disapproved of many things she did but that was one part of their relationship she didn't permit him to speak about. He was never to tell her his opinions or what he thought was right and wrong. She wasn't a coward, but she was scared that she might end up doing as he says just to please him. And then she wouldn't be the ruler of her life. No, that could never happen to her. She would never let anyone have such a hold on her. To get her mind off his disturbing stare, she worked her way up and down his chest and she felt it the moment her actions started having effect. They never could resist each other. She smiled coyly to herself as she proceeded to run her tongue lightly over the sensitive skin at his throat. His pulse quickened but he raised his arms to pull her away slightly and gaze into her eyes.

"A fine wine came in today from the Nepalis. Let's take our time my love" he whispered sensually into her ear.

He knew how much she loved wine, and that was what had got her attracted to him in the first place as he had come to the palace to parade his finest wine to her 2 years ago. Most of the citizens didn't even dare to be in her presence but the handsome Nepali winemaker had not only paraded his wines to her directly, but had dared to look her in the eye throughout the whole display. That immediately got her hooked on him, that and the fact that he was strikingly attractive. He had the signature olive skin and midnight black hair of the Nepalis, but his eyes......his eyes were the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Coloured eyes weren't common where he came from but he had eyes of the most vivid green that seemed to glow in the dark. He would later explain to her that it was courtesy of his Irish grandmother. At the beginning, he had come often to visit her in secret at his insistence till she had asked him to fully move in some months ago and continue his business here in Fladia. Of course he had been worried of what the people would think, dear Iago was always worried about people's thoughts and feelings, but of course she had got her way. Like she always did.

He leaned forward to brush his lips lightly over hers, and pushed up to get the wine. She watched him with a smile on her face before finally rising to properly settle on one of the cushions. Her chambers were big and deserving of an Empress and she liked it that way. She loved gemstone colours, ranging from the richest ruby to the brightest emerald. And she had infused a lot of that into the decorations of her chambers which he had monitored herself. Everywhere had a burst of colour and light, and even in the night, you could easily spot a dropped pin from the many lit candles and lanterns that adorned her walls. Light became an essential element in her life after she began to feel the darkness threatening to consume her when she was 10. She had never gone into an unlit room since then. Glancing to her right, she saw her reflection in the wide, full length mirror and smiled to herself.

While growing up, many people had assumed she was just too proud because of the amount of time she spent standing in front of the mirror. She was a beauty and even she knew it. From the silky black hair that hung lusciously to her waist, to her bright blue eyes that tended to often glint with mischief and danger, to her lush red lips that she loved to paint in the deepest red or black. Her height had always given her dominance and she loved the way many had always had to tilt their heads upwards to look at her. That had always given her a sense of authority. Her legs seemed to go on for ever and that was why she loved to show them off in gowns with hip length slits. That and the fact that it always left the men scandalized. She was well and truly gorgeous but that wasn't the only reason she loved mirrors. All mirrors were home to Octavia and that was why she loved them.

She felt Iago's prescence as he returned with the copper coloured bottle in hand. He filled her goblet and handed it to her before filling his and settling down on the cushion opposite hers. She held his gaze all the time. He raised his goblet in a silent toast before taking a tiny sip from it and she saw when he furrowed his brows and rolled the wine over on his tongue to decipher all the flavours. After some time he looked back at her and smiled.

"Tis' really fine wine. Probably the best you would have tasted this year." She still didn't take her eyes off him as she slowly raised her own goblet to her lips. "What did the Council say exactly?" He asked before she could take a sip. She c****d an eyebrow at his sudden curiosity.

"Such curiosity is unusual of you" She told him. He only smiled in return.

"Forgive me my love"

She stared at him for some moments before smiling reassuringly and taking a sip of her wine. They stayed in companionable silence for some time before she broke it.

"Tell me what you are thinking about" She said as she noticed his slightly pensive expression. He looked up at her and she saw that his eyes weren't twinkling as normal. She c****d her head slightly. "Is something bothering you Iago? Someone?" It was general knowledge that her Council openly detested him, but she had never let them bring him down in any way. He smiled at her sadly and took another sip of his wine.

"I was just wondering if you knew exactly how much I really love you." His words brought a smile to her lips for he did use every opportunity possible to remind her of his love for her. It was too bad she never opened up about her feelings for him too. "I really love you so much Melaniá". She was surprised at his serious tone but she still couldn't help smiling.

"That probably makes you the only one in the Kingdom" She said and took another sip of her wine. He smiled lightly at her joke. For some stupid reason, she found that she was glad that she had brought a smile to his face. What nonsense was going through her head these days.

"I really do think of you in everything I do" He said shortly and again gave her one of his deep stares that seemed to swallow her whole. She smiled again and was about to make another joke about how she was probably the one that had to worry about him when she felt it. A quick sharp pain in her belly. She frowned slightly but then it was gone. Gone so fast she was left wondering if it had ever been there at all. She took another sip of her wine and then there it was again. Sharper than ever. It stole her breath away. She gasped loudly and dropped her goblet. Looking up at Iago, she met his eyes again. Except this time they were brimming with tears.

"I'm sorry Melaniá" He said. And then she knew.

He had poisoned her.

In one quick rush, she felt, pain, anger and betrayal in succession. The feeling left her giddy. Struggling to her feet while still clutching her stomach which felt ready to burst with many more of those painful jabs, she made to take a step but found herself collapsing. This feeling of helplessness was so new to her she didn't even know how to approach or manage it. Her breaths were coming out rapidly and her chest felt ready to burst with the pressure. With a lot of effort, she reached for the goblet and dumped the remaining contents on the rich Persian rug and the flower came out with it. Arduinna's snare. It wasn't going to kill her immediately but it would definitely cause a lot of pain immediately after injection. Then she would die slowly after some minutes. The feeling of betrayal washed over her so quick she was left cold. She turned her gaze to Iago as she felt him approaching and when he finally came to her side, she saw that he was crying.

"W....why?" She choked out.

"Melaniá this is the only way to help the people" Tears rushed down in torrents down his cheeks but she didn't care. "You wouldn't listen to reason even if I had tried". He tried to reach for her and she used every strength she could muster to push him away. The action left her weak and she collapsed to her side, her breaths coming out even faster than ever. "You are not going to die. The Chancellor said you wouldn't die. The poison is only to weaken you and then we'll leave here, Melaniá. The Council promised me that. We'll leave and never return again. We'll go and start a new peaceful life together in Nepali my love" He tried to reach for her again but she snapped at him like a dog.

Oh foolish naive Iago, he didn't know he had been given Arduinna's snare. And a new life? That would have definitely gotten a laugh out of her if she wasn't in so much pain. There wasn't going to be a new life. She knew the intensity of the Council's hatred and they were not bestowing her any mercy if given the opportunity. The door to her chambers opened and she saw the Council stroll in as leisurely as if they were in a garden. Andrea de Wolfe was in front. Of course he would be. She didn't know why that wasn't a shock to her. Her vision was getting blurry but she made out 7 more people come in after him. 2 of the members weren't here. Gavriel Beaux and Drustan Montgomery. She couldn't begin to fathom why. 3 guards strolled in.....including the one that had been at her door....she hadn't even learnt his name. The door shut behind them

"Looks like the Empress needs some help there doesn't she?" De Wolfe's voice rang out and he cackled. Some of the other members joined him. He strolled over to her casually and looked down his nose at her. She wanted to say how much she hated him but her eyes passed the message across instead. "Iago Alfonso, thank you for a job well done. The Empress's bane was right under her nose all along and she never suspected. Or rather, under her quilt". That got loud chuckles from everyone in the room except she and Iago. She heard Iago's voice ring out.

"Your promise Chancellor. We'd like to leave now"

De Wolfe turned to him slowly and c****d a brow. "So impatient" then he and Iago went off in a staring contest before he finally turned away and clapped his hands "Very well then, a promise is a promise after all" He gestured for one of the guards and Melaniá knew then what was going to happen. Yet it still happened so fast. Smooth as butter, she saw the sword pierce through Iago's guts and his eyes bulged. He clutched his stomach and felt to the floor, trails of blood already flowing out of the corner of his mouth. The normal rational side of her was glad her traitor was down, but a foolish part cried out silently at the sight of the m******e. Her Iago. Her throat felt like it was closing in on her and she didn't know the tears were out of her eyes till she felt the hot rush on her cheeks. "A promise of a new life Iago. You got what you wanted." De Wolfe turned back to her and kicked her in the guts. She curled up into a ball and sputtered even more, hating herself for her helplessness. "You really thought you'd rule like that forever? Poor Melaniá..." he bent down and mockingly patted her head "....you are but a child and yet you seemed to think you were a goddess. Who would believe this is the powerful Tyrant Queen? The Empress of Fladia and the Five Kingdoms. Helpless at my feet" Her prestigious title rolled off his tongue mockingly. How dare he!!! Gathering as much strength as possible, she spat at his feet and it came out bloody. He looked at the blood quietly and before she had the time to refill her lungs with air, she felt him lunge for her and his thumbs press down on her eyelids. She couldn't take it then. She screamed and how she hated the audible evidence of her weakness. He pressed down hard and she wanted to faint from the pain. In no time, she felt the hot rush of blood as it flowed freely down her cheeks. She wondered why she hadn't passed out yet. Surely one person couldn't possibly survive all this pain. When it started to seem like the agony would never end, he finally withdrew his hands and spat on her face.

She couldn't see. Darkness. So much darkness around her. She could hear it. Snaking it's way up to her, calling her name like a lover, beckoning her into it's deadly embrace. She felt her throat close up as panic rose in her. It was coming. So close......she couldn't let it get to her. She had never been able to face her fear of the dark and she wasn't ready to now either. With much effort, she cracked open her lids slowly. She only made it halfway but it was more than enough. All she could see was a blurry red haze but it was better than the consuming blackness of the dark. She tried to blink away the blurriness but it never cleared although she saw the red thin a bit so that she could see the bright glare of her chambers a little. Light!!!!! She laughed hysterically at her success but that didn't go well with de Wolfe as he landed another kick to her ribs. She rolled into herself even more and coughed up blood. Yet she couldn't hide her glee at finally being able to see light again even though it terribly hurt her ravaged eyes. She couldn't help noticing that her stomach no longer twisted with the poison. It was settling in. Death was close.

She heard the swish of de Wolfe's robes as he stood up. "Behold your new Emperor, Andrea de Wolfe of the House of Wolves, now Emperor of Fladia and the Five Kingdoms. Bow!!!!!!" She heard the reluctance in the others' steps as they bowed. So this hadn't been part of the plan after all. Foolish people. Andrea de Wolfe was no better than her!!! Turning back to bend at her side one more time, de Wolfe smiled cynically and whispered. "Thank you for your efforts Melaniá, I'll now continue from where you stopped" And with that he stood up and left in a swish of robes. She heard him call out "She'll be dead in a few minutes. Arrange transportation and come back here to get them. You know what to do next" and then everyone marched out just as they had come in.

Oh so they thought she was going to die. She felt like laughing out loud at their foolishness, if only she could. She turned to crawl over to where her mirror stood. Octavia was always there. And she'd help her. She had told her she was invincible. She had always had her friend in the mirror right from when she was old enough to register her own beauty. When she had told her nannies of her friend in the mirror, they had watched her weirdly and had often thought she had a few screws loose. And so she had never again uttered a word of it to anyone. Except her mum. Only her mum had believed her. And had reassured her that she was normal after all. Then she had handed her her ruby encrusted ring with the phoenix insignia and had told her that a day would come when she'd finally have a use for the ring. But then to pass down the ring down to her own lass when she finally had one. Not that she had ever wanted a squabbling potato faced babe anyways. The House of Phoenix was rumoured to have magical abilities but her mum as the last surviving daughter of the House never confirmed or denied such hoaxes. Not even to her own daughter. Because of this, Melaniá always had her doubts about the ring, even though she still kept it dear to her heart as it was from her mother. She had once asked Octavia about it and she had told her "The ring would show her it's powers itself when it was ready". That had seemed pretty useless talk to her. Except she knew Octavia hardly ever said useless things. Today she would have to find out exactly what the ring was worth. And if it could help her. She needed answers. And Octavia always had answers.

By the time she stopped at the base of the mirror, she was exhausted. But she could already feel the poison working it's way fast. She felt heavy and slow and her breathing was more laboured. Not wanting to waste anymore time, she called out as best as she could.

"Octavia!!! I summon you" The surface of the mirror rippled to reveal her dear Octavia, with her beautiful mass of blonde hair and blue eyes exactly like her own which were deeply lined with kohl today. Her full lips were painted a soft coral and she wore a dress of the most shimmery silver. She looked gorgeous as always. Her sight had never been more welcome. She couldn't clearly see her through her thin red haze but there were more pressing things to be done.

"My Queen, you summ....."

"Do something" Melaniá croaked out. "W..waste no further time and..." she choked "....do something Octavia!!!!"

Octavia regarded her with sad eyes and shook her head. "Nothing more can be done my queen"

She had never expected those words. There was always something to be done. She didn't like the sound of that sentence. And neither did she like the even more rapid beating of her heart and the way her mouth went suddenly dry. Without being told she knew what she was experiencing. Fear. So this was what fear felt like. She didn't like it one bit. She managed to rise on her elbows and she infused all the anger she felt into her words.

"You...you told me I w...would be invincible!!!!!" She half screamed.

"Yes my Queen. You are invincible. But then........there isn't only one way to be invincible is there? Invinciblility could come in many forms"

She had tricked her. Another dear person to her heart had tricked her again and she had fallen neatly into her web of lies. She wanted to say so much but a new wave of pain racked her from head to toe and she closed her eyes and tried to scream it away. But she was only left hoarse and weak and even angrier at her situation. She glared at Octavia who regarded her with slightly panicked eyes now.

"'And just when the winds get ready to disperse the ashes, the Phoenix shall rise again'" Octavia repeated the words her mother had said to her as she lay on her death bed, breathing her last. So Octavia knew something after all. "My Queen, it's time"

She didn't understand a word of what she had said and so eyed her tentatively but Octavia only smiled back at her. She was dying and the wench dared to smile!!!!! Drawing up dregs of strength from every corner of her body, she screamed and lunged her fist into the mirror, shattering it and Octavia's reflection into a million pieces that rained on her. She didn't even care anymore. She was so angry, at Iago, at that cursed Andrea de Wolfe and his Council members, at her father for the stony heart he had passed down to her, at her mother for her useless gift, at Octavia, at herself. She should never have felt what fear and helplessness felt like. Yet here she was. Her body was so heavy now she could barely sit up. She slumped to the floor and wished for the agony to be over soon. Then she saw the glow.

It took her a while to realise that it was coming from her ring, but when she did, she couldn't help but mentally note how beautiful it was. It was vivid orange, and the more she stared at it through her blurry slit, the brighter it became. Till it shone too bright for her to look at. Then it filled her body. She felt it when the heat rushed into her in one rapid movement, and for a moment she felt like a Mistress of Fire. That definitely sounded good and she smiled a little at the thought. She felt the light travel down her body, leaving behind a beautiful trail of numbness. She was getting saved after all. Thank you, Mama, she whispered. And just when she felt the light reach her toes and she was blissfully pain free, her scream rang out as she went up in flames.