“Ah,” Craxallo says, being much slower to react. “It begs the question, Prince Nerox. Why would you do such a thing? It is the gravest crime, impersonating the Emperor!”
Nerox fiddles with the buttons on his shirt. “I am aware of that, Magnificence. Hopefully my intention will be judged as weighing up for that crime. Magnificence, may I speak freely? For the past two years, things got much worse in the palace. I saw the Imperial Court doing strange things. I saw the Emperor sick and too weak to rule. I saw the Calanians removing loyal people from the Court, denying them entry. I saw others simply vanish. I saw the Empress taking more and more power for herself. I sensed the Syntrix starting to feel wrong; weak and destructive. Not long ago I dressed in a Calanian’s uniform and came in here to stand guard over your Magnificence with five others. This was during the battle of Dirimu, where Mareliux and his legion faced a large amount of Vyrpy. I expected to see Your Magnificence siton the Tentacle Throne and direct it to send your strengthening Syntrix to our forces. Instead I saw the Empress come in here, acting as if she had done it many times. She sat on the Throne, and the Syntrix turned nasty. That’s when I decided to act.”
Mareliux’s hand tightens again. “We lost that battle,” he growls. “With many casualties. There was great confusion among our forces.”
“Magnificence,” Nerox goes on, “The Empress’s eyes were always on me. Her spies were everywhere. And I was increasingly sure that there was something wrong with her. But there was nobody I could tell. Anyone might be one of her spies or allies. Even the Calanians, the most trustworthy of all your soldiers. The only one I could think of able to help was Prince Mareliux. I had to get him here. But my brother is stubborn, and we haven’t been on good terms. If I were to ask him, or send a message, there was a good chance he would ignore me. I had no time for that. Things were getting bad really fast in the palace. So I did the first thing that came to mind, and I persuaded an Imperial Messenger to bring Mareliux a message that he would think came from Your Magnificence.”
“Devious,” Mareliux mutters so only I can hear it. “He’s right. That’s about what it would take to get my attention.”
“The message had to be something that he would hate so much that he would rush to get to Khav and protest,” Nerox says. “And I could think of nothing he’d hate more than being told to get married.”
“I was just saying to my wife that that’s about what it would take, Magnificence,” Mareliux says in support of his brother. “Only a message from the Emperor himself on that topic would get me to act. But I acted differently from what you expected, Nerox.”
Nerox stops fidgeting and puts his hands behind his back. “It didn’t cross my mind that you’d actually get married right away and only then return to Khav! But you did, and perhaps that was for the best. The unexpected presence of Princess Umbra confused and horrified the Phrexz who had taken the place of the Empress. She was truly shaken.”
“And that was the beginning of the end of the Phrexz plot,” Mareliux concludes. “Magnificence, if Prince Nerox hadn’t sent that message to me, I would not have come. Umbra would not have come. The Phrexz would still be in the place of the Empress, and the Empire would be doomed.”
The Emperor leans back, staples his fingers, and seems to ponder what he’s heard. His tentacles move in languid waves, their tips slowly changing from red to a pale pink.
One of the thousands of torches along the wall splutters and goes out. It has no impact on the gloomy atmosphere in the throne room. If at some point in my life I’m in a position to give advice about this place, it will be to let some daylight in. Surely that Tentacle Throne would like to not be kept in this medieval darkness. It’s dramatic and all, but if the Throne is a living thing, then surely it would appreciate some light. If its surroundings were more cheerful, perhaps it would be stronger and it would be better able to resist enemies trying to use it. If that’s even close to how that works. I’m sure I can feel its Syntric presence, both questing and defensive.
Finally the Emperor stirs. “We accept that Prince Mareliux’s presence, and that of Princess Umbra, turned out vital for ending the Phrexz plot. The false message, while abhorrent, was thus justified. The crime of impersonating the Emperor pales in significance when compared with the looming end of the Khavgren Empire. No charges will be brought. It has not escapedmy attention that without this voluntary confession, the fact of the message being false may not have come to light. Prince Nerox is hereby pardoned.”
“And the Imperial Messenger who brought the message to Mareliux, Magnificence?” Nerox prompts carefully. “She knew it was a fake message. She also knew what was at stake. I persuaded her, and our differences in rank are such that she might not have found it possible to reject my request. Shall she also be pardoned?”
“We can’t very well pardon the mastermind and damn the messenger,” the Emperor points out. “She is pardoned. But despite the happy outcome of her flagrantly breaking her oath of faithful service, she will not be rewarded for it. Nor will Prince Nerox. All parties involved are hereby pardoned. But there will be no medals awarded. Does that satisfy you, Prince Nerox?”
Nerox glances at his bodyguard. “It does, Magnificence. Thank you.”
The bodyguard gives a short, nervous nod, eyes flicking between the Emperor and Nerox while her tendril tips glow purple.
Mareliux stiffens beside me.
I get why: he recognizes her. That’s not Nerox’s bodyguard at all. Nerox brought the messenger who gave the false message, so that she could hear herself be pardoned. He is more considerate than I would have guessed.
The Emperor reaches up and strokes one of the Throne’s tentacles. “Now to hopefully the final topic for today. Prince Mareliux and Princess Umbra: there have been raised doubts about the veracity of your wedding and your marriage. There are some who wonder if it was all real. They suggest thatthe wedding on Grefve was some kind of elaborate sham. We sincerely wonder how that idea could cross anyone’s mind. Even now, your Syntrix rings glow in a way that must mean you are Soulbound. But we want this silly rumor completely washed from your holy union. You shall therefore be wedded again, on Khav, in the traditional way. With the Emperor as a witness. Perhaps that will be enough to disperse the silly rumors. The wedding is to take place ten days from now. What do you say, Princess Umbra? Does that suit you?”
“It suits me,” I reply in Khavgrese. “I was always puzzled why some would say I’m not really married to Prince Mareliux. Our wedding was very special to me. But after this repeated wedding, there can be no doubt.”
“That’s the idea, Princess.” The Emperor looks me up and down. “We see you’re wearing Khavgren clothing. And yet your size and lack of tendrils will always mark you as an alien. We notice that you’re speaking Khavgren with less of an accent than many aliens ever manage. You appear to be taking your vow seriously. When this final wedding is over, your title will cease to be provisional and shall become permanent. That is all.”
The others all bow, so I do it, too.
Craxallo stands up and steps down from the podium. “It could be argued that I never married your mother, Mareliux, since she must have been killed by that damned Phrexz before it took her place. If we pursue that idea, it will lead us into a difficult question about the succession to the Tentacle Throne. As far as I’m concerned, I married Juriniel in good faith, and you are my stepsons. I will so inform those who need to know.” He looks around at the shock troopers. “And while I do appreciate this effort to keep me safe, I would prefer not to be surrounded by these soldiers, fully armed as if they are about to wage waron Khav itself. I understand it was necessary to subdue the Calanians, but now the danger is over and we can train new Guards. Their tradition is too strong for me to want to discard the Calanians. Prince Nerox, I want you to see to that. You are hereby appointed as Commander of the Calanian Guards. It’s about time youdosomething in this palace.”
The Emperor turns and walks back the way he came. The four shock troopers are still around him, but they’re keeping their distance and they’ve taken their helmets off.
Nerox chuckles. “That’s therealCraxallo. We never really knew what he was like. He definitely knows how to deal with power.”
50
- Mareliux-
“Making sure we’ll behave by reminding us that he can disavow his marriage to our mother and thus throw us out of the palace completely anytime he wants,” I agree, not feeling as good about this audience as I was hoping. “And that’s not even the worst idea he had.”
“That Regent’s Council is going to end in disaster,” Nerox agrees as the door closes behind Craxallo and we start to walk out, too. “He made sure to include members who will cause permanent imbalance. That Preniat is nothing but trouble. I suppose he should be let out of his cell.”
“There’s no rush about that,” Mareliux snaps. “Keep him under lock and key for as long as possible. Only let him out right before the Council meeting.”
