The Emperor's Killer Bride

2.

The palace awoke to the thundering of hooves as dozens of horses rode through the gates. Eduardo rode ahead of them, his grip on the reins so tight it nearly snapped. His hair bounced with each stride, but it seemed to stay out of his eye simply because he willed it to do so.

His eyes shifted towards the men surrounding him, and he had to resist the urge to run a knife through their chests. He despised the search party, knowing fully well who had sent them out to look for him.

Of course he still held the power to dissuade them. He could have very easily sent them away, and there was nothing they could do about it. But out of respect for his grandmother, he'd returned to the palace with them.

"My Liege," Arman said as they finally stopped in front of the courtyard, "I should remind you that there was supposed to be a meeting with Lord Janos later today. Shall I cancel it on account of your exhaustion?"

"And why would you do that?" Eduardo asked. "I feel fine."

But Eduardo was far from fine. And Arman could see that for himself as well. He kept his thoughts to himself however, choosing to keep his thoughts safe in his mind, where there wasn't a risk of them being used against him.

Eduardo made his way up the stairs, his heavy footsteps trailing him all the way to the front door. Two guards stood on either side of the door, and they quickly threw it open as he approached.

Inside, a long hallway stretched out before him, carpeted with a burgundy rug and crimson curtains. A large portrait of King Gregory Balthazaar II hung on the wall to his left. Eduardo ignored his grandfather's painting as he made his way to the stairs. His usual bad temper was prickling by the second, and no matter what he did, he couldn't shake the memory of the woman's face as he climbed up the stairs. Her face swam in his thoughts, her eyes a bright, green shade which seemed to have seared themselves into his thoughts.

It wasn't his place to do anything however. He wasn't about to get in the way of other people's business. Life was easier that way, when everyone kept their noses in their own matters. If he strayed from his own path and began to interfere in other affairs, then what would be left of him?

Not everyone could be saved after all.

And yet, the look of betrayal in her eyes was enough to rattle him. She'd known him for barely two minutes, and yet he felt like he'd betrayed an old friend.

No matter now. What happened had already come to pass. Fuming, he tried to cast all thoughts of the lady out of his mind.

He didn't bother to change out of his riding clothes. Instead, he made his way straight to his grandmother's chambers. Never mind that it was still very early in the day; surely she must be awake if she'd sent the search party after him.

Her majesty, Lady Elizabeth Maria Balthazaar, the Queen Dowager, was indeed awake when Eduardo walked through her doors. She was to be found sitting beside the window, while a maid brushed her long, greying hair. Another tended to her feet, scrubbing them dutifully. Eduardo made his way to her seat.

"Grandmother," he said, planting his hands beside him. The maids looked up sharply, bowing their heads as they realized who it was.

"Your Majesty," they mumbled in unison. Eduardo ignored them.

"Ah," his grandmother said without even turning to look at him. "They found you. Good. I thought you would be long gone by now."

"Your search party met up with me on my way back," he gritted. "I already know you were the one who sent them."

The Queen Dowager looked up at him slowly, his eyes narrowed. Beside her was a bowl of grapes on a small table, and she reached for one as she sighed.

"Of course I was the one who sent them," she chuckled. "No one else thinks it's necessary to keep a close eye on you after all."

Eduardo made his way around the chair, standing between his grandmother and the window.

"It is not for you to decide," he snapped, throwing his hands around. "Need I remind you that I am the Emperor?"

"You don't need to remind me," she replied, sighing. "I'm well aware of your position. But I believe I should also remind you that I am your grandmother. And as such, some form of respect is warranted on your part. Besides, I still hold half of the power since you aren't crowned yet."

Eduardo turned his attention to the maids.

"Out!" he snapped. They immediately fled the room, and left him alone with her. Elizabeth allowed her gaze to rest on her grandson, and for a moment he wasn't a man anymore, but the little boy she'd always known who would crawl into her bed at night until the maids came to drag him away.

She blinked, and the spell was broken. Instead he was a man now, hardened and stone-headed just like the rest of them.

She smiled, and Eduardo smiled with her as well. It was such a rare thing to witness, but the look touched her heart nonetheless. It was said that only the Queen Dowager was able to provoke a smile from the King, and Elizabeth always wanted to believe that. The truth was that Eduardo rarely smiled even in her presence. But on the rare occasions when he did, it warmed her heart immensely.

"You've got to stop doing this to me, grandmother," he said as he knelt down on one knee beside her. "I cannot have my subjects thinking I'm still under your control."

"And what's wrong with you being under my control?" she asked, clearly enjoying what was happening. "Long before you put that crown on your head, I was the one taking care of you. I see no reason why I should pretend that I defer to you at every point in time."

He shook his head, his smile slowly fading away. Elizabeth would miss it, and would continue to hope for its return.

"Where were you off again?" she asked.

"Where do you think?"

"Of course," she said, nodding slowly. "Perhaps I might have to speak with William on getting a chain and securing you to your throne."

"I just needed a bit of fresh air," he sighed, then shoved his hands into his pockets. "You of all people should know how suffocating it gets in this palace. I understand my responsibilities, and I carry them out to the best of my ability. But once in a while, I should be allowed to venture off and hunt a deer or two on my own."

"And risk you getting captured or killed?" she snickered.

"Do you really think I cannot handle myself, grandmother?" he asked.

"Of course you can," she said coolly. "But why risk it?"

Eduardo gave up, knowing he couldn't convince her this time. Perhaps in the future he might try again.

"I heard Lord Janos will be in court today," the Queen Dowager said. "Am I to assume all is well?"

"All is well, grandmother," Eduardo replied, even though the frown on his face said otherwise. "Lord Janos merely wishes to discuss the state of the Crown estate."

"I see," she nodded. "I hear his gold supply has grown short these last few months. Perhaps he's here to request a loan."

"Then it would be my regret to disappoint him," Eduardo said. "I already have to speak with Sir Denime about the loan he took three years ago which is yet to be repaid. And with the hunt fast approaching, I cannot see how we will be able to fund everything. The bridal contest also."

"I'm sure it will all go well," she said, patting him on the shoulder. She frowned however when she saw the look in his eyes.

"Are you alright?" she asked. "You seem tense."

"I'm fine," Eduardo said, rising to his feet. "I just have a lot on my mind."

He turned towards the door then, the familiar frown returning to his face.

"Are you sure?"

The long silence told her he wasn't. He had something much more on his mind.

"Is it necessary for this hunt, Grandmother?"

"Why, of course yes, Baal," she called him using the name he had always loved so much. Growing up, Baal had been the name she called him. Balthazaar was their family name, one Eduardo seemed to love and cherish more than anything. Having three names of his own didn't seem to diminish the love he has for the name, Balthazaar. "It has been a tradition, even before your grandfather became a king. The hunt is necessary to show how powerful we are over those small countries. We are an empire, and we need to establish that fact to them all."

"But taking away their young girls and having them participate in something so vague isn't showing how powerful we are, if anything, it shows how weak we are."

"Balthazaar Eduardo Caxton Bruce!" His grandmother called him in a stern voice. He had never heard her call him using all of his names, and for a moment, he was happy to have spiked her enough to do that now.

"It is simple logic. We can have them pay tribute like they do every year, and cancel the hunt game that happens every three years. Although this is my first time witnessing this as a king, I never really liked it. I wish to bring a change in that aspect."

"Have you thought of the bridal selection coming three months after the hunt?" The Dowager asked, ignoring his worries.

"Grandmother!"

"That is something you should be worried about more. You're yet to choose your future queen, and that should be your priority. Not just about the hunt used for entertainment purposes."

"I shouldn't be entertained then!"

"Eduardo!" She was clearly angry. "I do not wish to talk about this matter anymore. It has been a tradition, and it will continue to be for as long as I am alive. You are going to keep up that tradition like every past king did. I do not want to hear anything more!"

If looks could kill, then the look he pinned at his grandmother would definitely have killed her. His hands were balled into tight fist, while his jaw flexed angrily.

"Very well, Grandmother." There is nothing wrong in conceding defeat when you're not powerful enough. However, when the right time comes, he's going to show them all just who the king is.

"I will be in the chapel if anyone needs me," he said, smiling a bit. "Will you join me for breakfast?"

""If you wish, your Majesty," she replied with a strange look in her eyes. Eduardo nodded stiffly before heading towards the door.

*

The carriage swayed once again, and Regina groaned as her head throbbed once again. Her left eye fluttered open slowly, while the right one remained shut. A dull pain covered her entire face, and when she moved, it felt like a thousand blades were piercing her skin in all directions.

"Regina," Valeria's voice came softly, "are you alright?"

Regina was far from alright as she tried to sit up. Her entire face was swollen, her upper lip cut from the beatings. Her skin was still raw from the whip lashes, and blood was oozing from several cuts all around her body. Shifting slightly, she spat out some blood through the window.

Her eye returned to Valeria, who was just as battered as she was, except her face wasn't as swollen and her cuts weren't as deep. Sir Merian had been lenient with her as usual. After all, she wasn't the one who stabbed him numerous times with his own dagger.

Regina still couldn't believe that he'd survived. Foolish as she was, she'd completely missed his heart or any other vital organ. Her stabs were nothing more than flesh wounds, and the brutish man was back on his feet within minutes. Granted, he'd lost a lot of blood after her attack, so much so that he now appeared as white as a paper, but otherwise he seemed unfazed. His injuries were covered up, and he now wore a cast over his entire left shoulder.

But that hadn't stopped him from tying her to the trunk of a great oak tree and whipping her for what felt like an eternity. Regina's screams had filled the forest entirely, but Sir Merian hadn't batted an eyelash.

"You think you're clever, huh?" he'd said with a ferocious look in his eyes as the whip slashed across her back. "You think you can get rid of me and go on your merry way, is that it?"

Regina tried to swallow her sobs. She'd slumped against the tree trunk, too weak to stand on her own feet. Her arms had been stretched around the trunk, so it almost looked like she was hugging the trunk. But Regina had been far from affectionate as the beating continued for nearly an hour. She'd stopped counting the lashes after twenty seven, and by the time Sir Merian reached fifty lashes, she'd passed out on the spot.

"How bad is it?" she asked Valeria.

"You don't want to know," she replied, wincing. "I still can't believe he survived that. I can't even believe they found us."

Regina's thoughts immediately went back to the wicked man who'd refused to help them. Her blood boiled at the memory of how he'd stepped aside and allowed them to be taken once again. She cursed him once again, praying that his life would be filled with nothing but misery and loneliness for as long as he lived.

From what she'd surmised, the man was of noble birth. His companion had appeared more like a servant than a companion, which meant he must be someone really important to be traveling with a servant.

If he'd wished to help them, he easily could have. Sir Merian and his men were nothing but a band of weaklings. Surely they couldn't take on the man, powerful as he appeared to be. And yet he'd done nothing, and allowed their captors to take them once again.

The plan had been flawed from the start. What they should have done was take one of the horses and run away with them. That way, they would be long gone before anyone noticed their absence. But they'd fled on foot, which led to their easy capture.

"I'm sorry," Regina said, her voice dropping an octave. "I truly thought that the plan would work. I was foolish to think it would, but..."

"It wasn't your fault, Regina," she said, cutting her off. "You did your best, and we very nearly got away with it. If anyone is to blame, it's that bastard who allowed them to capture us again."

Valeria rarely swore, but when she did, one could be sure that she was indeed pissed.

"Why do you think he refused to help us?" she asked Regina. The latter shrugged, tugging at the chains which had been tightened around her hands and feet once again.

"He was probably a friend of theirs," Valeria said. "Or he's in the same business as them. No man of good stock would refuse to help us in that situation. He could clearly see that we needed his help, but he'd refused to do so."

"It doesn't matter now," Regina replied. "What's done is done."

The carriage grounded to a halt suddenly, and Regina felt her stomach plummet once again. Quickly, she moved as far away from the door as possible.

Sir Merian threw the door open soon afterwards, his pale face shining with a devilish flare as he stepped in.

"I'm glad to see you're awake," he seethed . "I was beginning to wonder whether it wouldn't be better to just throw your corpse into a ditch and move on to Dumborton. But since you're awake, perhaps you can join me outside for a moment."

He turned around then, groaning as he stepped out of the carriage.

"Don't go with him," Valeria whispered. "He's going to try and kill you. Please, don't go."

"What choice do I have?" Regina faltered. "If I don't go out, he'll come back in here and drag me out."

Valeria moved to stop her, but Regina stopped her as she made her way towards the door of the carriage.

The sun was blinding as she stepped out, and her feet trembled underneath her as she tried to steady herself. She had to lean against the side of the carriage, while Sir Merian chuckled as he watched her struggle.

"You didn't really think I would be so hospitable after that little stunt you pulled last night, did you?" he growled. "I have been nothing but considerate with you and your sister ever since we set out for Dumborton. I let you have your own carriage rather than mixing you up with the other filthy rats. I have made sure that you were always fed first. I have overlooked a lot of your misgivings. And how do you repay me? By trying to murder me in the night."

He moved then, his arms stretched almost as if he wanted to strangle Regina. The latter didn't flinch however. She was already in so much pain that dying didn't seem like such a bad thing anymore.

Sir Merian took a step back, sighing. His movement was awkward with the cast, and he was twitching even more than he normally did.

"Perhaps I've been too considerate," he sneered. "Perhaps my hospitality has led you to believe that I am incapable of keeping you under my control."

He snapped his fingers then, and one of his men rushed forward with a new set of chains.

"Since you want me to treat you like an animal, then that is exactly how I will treat you," he smiled sickly. "If you disregard my kindness, then you deserve to suffer."

Roughly, he dragged Regina away while she groaned in agony. Every part of her being ached like a raw wound, and every movement felt like it was burning through her flesh. Sir Merian didn't seem to care however. He dragged Regina to the back of their cavalcade, where he fastened the chains around her arms and secured them to the carriage.

"You will walk the rest of the way to Dumborton. I do not care if you cannot walk. If you fall, then I will have to drag you along. Either way, it is of no importance to me. And try not to bleed too much. There are still some wild animals in the forest. If they should pick up on the scent of your blood, there is nothing stopping them from making you their next meal."

Regina was about to speak when a heavy blow landed on her face, the force so powerful that it sent her clattering into the carriage she had been tied to. Her head felt like it would split open at any moment, and her left eye which wasn't as swollen as the right was beginning to shut itself as well.

Sir Merian spat in her face before he walked away, leaving Regina to dangle helplessly behind the carriage. Seconds later, the carriage lurched forward, and they began to pick up the pace. At first, her feet refused to budge. But slowly she found her footing, and began to trail along with the carriage. Her feet screamed with each step she took, but she had to keep going. Knowing Sir Merian, he was deliberately moving faster than before just to make sure that she wouldn't be able to keep up.

The sun beat down heavily on her back, and the sweat which trickled down her spine burned each open wound as it passed.

The window above her rattled softly then, and as it flung open, a small face protruded out through it. It was a little girl, not much older than twelve or thirteen. Her golden locks fell beside her as she looked pitifully at Regina before quickly passing a small bottle to her. Regina fumbled to hold it, and she was immensely relieved when she saw that it was filled with water. A small relief flooded through her as she drank before passing the bottle back to the little girl. Behind her, Regina could see several other faces peering back curiously at her.

"I'm Skyler," the girl said as she took the bottle again. "Don't worry. We're almost at Dumborton. You'll be safe there."

If only that were true.