Chapter 26
The Emperor watched his son walk towards him side by side and hand in hand with the woman who had thoroughly vexed him over the years. She was completely unreadable, and the only hint she gave about her thoughts and feelings was that she did not let go of Gabriel’s hand even when he bowed to his father. The Emperor’s eyes flashed momentarily when he realized that she would not; there had never been anyone who failed to show him proper respect.
“General… I was hoping you could clear up a mystery for me,” the Emperor began. “See, I recently received a report that almost 4000 of my men died in one night, yet no one saw or heard anything. Do you know what happened to them?”
“Yes, I slaughtered them,” Chelindra replied.
“By yourself?” The Emperor couldn’t quite manage to conceal his surprise. Gabriel cast her a look of stunned disbelief.
“Yes,” she confirmed.
“I find myself with a conundrum. I should demand your head for this, but we are fighting a war, and I have slaughtered thousands of your kingdom’s citizens in battle as well. To be honest, I am jealous that I couldn’t simply send someone in to slaughter all of your troops in one night.
“If I do nothing, my people will think I am a coward and weak, but if I insist on demanding your life, my son will be hurt. Considering all that, what shall I do?” The Emperor rhetorized.
“You can’t kill me, you can try, but the best you can do is imprison me,” Chelindra stated. “Besides, if you really want to talk punishment for war crimes, then we have to talk about your war crimes. The way I see it, I forced your troops out of my country, and have them running with their tails tucked between their legs. I am winning this war, and it’s the victor who gets to punish the looser.”
The Emperor forced himself not to lose his temper. “Perhaps… perhaps we are simply at a stalemate, for now.”
“You really don’t want to say such things where I can hear them,” Chelindra warned.
“Hmm… I wonder what your King would say if he heard you talking right now. You talk as if you are the only one fighting on your side. You talk as if you are the ruler.”
“King Collin would know better than to waste time caring how I phrase my statements,” Chelindra retorted.
It was then that they Emperor knew nothing he could say would get to her. The only leverage he had over her was his son, and he didn’t want to risk their fragile relationship by threatening him. Besides, he was in his 70’s and fighting just no longer appealed to him. If he could only hand the crown over to someone young and strong… this war would end much more favorably.
Chelindra used the silent occupation of his mind to look around her surroundings. His private chambers were decadently opulent. The valuable objects just laying around could have been sold long ago and fed thousands, though both Arminta and the Empire were blessed with fertile land, and had no shortage of food.
Her eyes scanned portraits of the previous Emperors, and she nearly shuddered at how accurately her vision had depicted them. Her gaze landed on the First Emperor… and the woman beside him.
“Mother…” she uttered softly. Gabriel heard her, and turned to look for himself.
“Really?” He asked quietly. She nodded. It occurred to them both that they were related, though separated by seven generations.
“I have never seen a picture of her looking so young, and happy,” Chelindra whispered.
“I can see her in you, but you are also definitely different,” Gabriel appraised.
“What are you two whispering about?” The Emperor frowned.
“The woman in the painting,” Chelindra answered honestly.
The Emperor mentally sighed, what an odd thing to discuss at such a moment! “I have an idea… what if I send you back to your King, unharmed, with a proposal for a temporary truce.”
“Temporary?” Chelindra questioned.
“Of course, I cannot just declare defeat. Besides, you must know that ending a war requires a lot more diplomacy and politics than starting one,” the Emperor stated.
“How would you know, you inherited the war from your ancestors…” She paused as realization struck her. “And so did I,” she added softly.
“Yes, which is exactly why I cannot end it. I cannot be the first Emperor to fail in my duty. The best I can do is offer temporary peace. Take my offer to your King before I change my mind!”
Chelindra turned to Gabriel. “What do you think?”
“I think everyone will be secretly glad to see a little peace, even if it is only temporary. Even those who inevitably feel cheated out of victory, and have to deal with losses that may now seem meaningless.”
“I am not so sure. How would you handle the situation?” Chelindra wondered.
“Well,” Gabriel paused to give this some thought. “I suppose that, much the same as happened at QueensHeart Castle, if given a choice of what to do, most people would choose to do something productive, and those that cannot choose for themselves can ask to be assigned a task.”
Chelindra smiled as her CCO emerged full strength. He treated this as if she had presented him with a problem, and outlined several solutions. As always, he left the choice up to her. But it wasn’t her choice to make.
“That’s why I love you, you always see things so much clearer than I do,” Chelindra kissed him.
“I disagree, I can only operate under the parameters in which I was trained. You, you can do so many wonderful things that I could never hope to do. You’re amazing, and that’s why I love you!”
They stared at each other in bliss for a few moments, completely forgetting that the Emperor was there. He instantly knew that this would prove disastrous later on. How could Gabriel fight a war against his beloved? He also took a few moments to think over Gabriel’s suggestions, surprised that they were all so well thought out, and completely different than anything he could have thought of.
“Fine, both of you go. Consider it a gesture of goodwill that I am sending my son to personally deliver the temporary truce. However, it must be understood, Gabriel, that you do not yet have any official authority. You may not change the entreaty to favor them, if King Collin wishes to change any of the terms, he must write down his suggestions, and send you back to deliver them.”
“Do you give your word that there will be no attacks on Arminta from this moment on? Can you consider the truce effective starting now, no matter how long it may take to actually come to an agreement?” Chelindra asked. “In other words, will you guarantee that you will not use the opportunity to attack while my attention is focused elsewhere?”
“I am sending my son, my heir with you. Why would I place him in a situation where he would be endangered? I swear upon his life that I will not attack Arminta while the truce is not yet official,” the Emperor vowed.
Chelindra nodded. “Good. I’ll hold you to that, because from where I’m standing, it would be much simpler to kill you and allow him to ascend the throne. He at least seems willing to negotiate peace. Lasting peace.”
“That will be up to him when he dons the crown, but until then, I must do as I must, and this is the best I can do given the circumstances. Even this much will portray me as a failure.”
Gabriel and Chelindra decided it was time to leave, and silently asked each other if they should follow protocol, or if they should just walk out. Gabriel decided to be a dutiful son.
“Imperial Majesty, I am honored you have entrusted me with such an important task, and pray that I manage to accomplish it with grace. May we have your permission to leave so that we may make arrangements to fulfill your request?”
His father smiled at him. He really is a gem. “Of course, I need time to have the documents drawn up, and decide what the official explanation is.”
“You could always tell them the truth; that you are down to only about 4000 soldiers, and that you feel it prudent to give them time to procreate a bit before sending them off to their deaths,” Chelindra suggested irreverently.
The Emperor laughed. “That may not be such a bad idea. If I portray this as a time to… procreate perhaps my people will accept this turn of events better.”
Having obtained permission, the couple left.
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Oh, God, what will I do if you don't post any more chapters for days!!!
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