Two Thousand Years

by M. Dalto

  “The time has come, my Empress,” he whispered as he brushed sleepy hair out of her face.

  She peered up at him through half-closed eyes. “Whatever happened to letting me have my beauty sleep?”

  “You are apparently beautiful enough, for the mistresses have arrived to prepare you for the day.”

  “What mistresses?”

  He smiled. “Mallia is here with her assistants—the mistresses are the personal handmaidens to the Empress. They enlist as of the day of your coronation and will remain with you until the end of your reign.”

  “Why weren’t they here before?” she asked as she stifled a yawn.

  “Why would we employ anyone if you weren’t certain you were going to stay?”

  “So, because of that, I’m now to have my own entourage?” She scooted herself to a sitting position, keeping a sheet up to her chest, just in case someone else decided to pay her an unexpected visit.

  “Well, you’ve already met Mallia, and with her will be two more she’ll introduce, working under her supervision. Consider them an entourage if you will, but they’re also here for you.”

  “So, they’re Empire-approved friends?” She smirked.

  “If you want that, too, yes.”

  The thought of having someone other than Treyan to spend her time with did seem an interesting prospect.

  “Well, I suppose that will make mornings easier.” She stretched, forgetting the protective sheet for the moment. “And who will dress you today, my Prince?”

  He smirked, handing her the discarded blanket. “Sadly, I am not as lucky as the Empress and must depend on my own abilities to prepare for the day.” He stood and bowed to her. “That being said, we must part ways.”

  “You’re not staying?”

  “Absolutely not. It’s bad luck to see the Empress before the coronation…or something like that.” He gave her a wink and headed towards the door, giving Mallia a hug and a peck on the cheek on his way by.

  Once he left, the mistresses filed in. There were three of them all together. Aside from Mallia, they were dressed rather plainly, outfitted in simple dresses with their hair tied in neat buns. One was younger and closer to Alex’s age. Her name was Bria, as Mallia introduced her, with light russet hair and dark brown eyes, she seemed more than eager to help in any way she could. The other woman, who Mallia referred to as Drew, seemed much older with silver-grey hair and black eyes — pleasant enough, but quiet with a tenseness in her shoulders and a pucker to her lips. None of them delayed in beginning their expected duties. Bria went into the washroom to draw a bath, while Drew walked to the armoire, leaving Mallia to drawback the curtains to allow the sunlight to shine into the room.

  Alex realized she was still in bed and naked, but the mistresses didn’t seem to mind. Once Mallia was done with the windows, she picked up Alex’s discarded robe from the end of the bed and held it out and open for Alex to see. It took her a moment to realize Mallia wanted her to put it on, and Alex nodded her thanks and stepped into the robe, tying it around her waist as Mallia ushered her from the bed towards the washroom.

  The bath was already drawn by the time she entered. Large white and pink bubbles rose to the surface of the tub as Bria awaited her entrance. Mallia left them as quickly as they arrived, and just like a relay, the younger mistress was already upon her, offering to assist in removing the robe from her shoulders. Alex quickly untied it to allow for the robe’s easy removal, and while uttering her apologies, stepped into the tub with one leg at a time.

  The water was perfumed with roses, and though the temperature was a little warmer than she could have liked, she didn’t complain. The mistress offered to help her wash, but Alex politely denied the request, insisting she was still more than capable of cleaning herself. As she scrubbed her skin raw, she wondered if she could ever get used to the attention, regardless as to whether or not it was required of these women to be of such assistance. She wouldn’t mind the additional companionship, she surmised as she began to wash her hair, knowing Bria remained close, just in case Alex changed her mind and would request assistance. She made the note that guidelines and parameters would need to be set, if and when she was to allow it to happen.

  Soon her hair was washed, her skin rinsed, and the tub drained. The young mistress helped her out of the bath, wrapping her in a clean, warm robe, and toweling her hair dry before she was led from the washroom out to where Drew awaited her arrival in her bedroom. The elder mistress took over as soon as Alex was in sight, bringing her to the bench before the vanity dresser, where hair implements and make-up products were laid out before a large mirror.

  Drew began combing out Alex’s thick, wet hair, pinning it up into curls and tendrils as she worked through each divided section. When her hair was finished, the older mistress turned her attention to Alex’s face, priming it with powder before paying extra close attention to her eyes and her lips. When the make-up was finally applied well enough to the mistress’ satisfaction, all that was left was for her to do was to get dressed. Drew helped her off of the bench, as though she feared Alex would ruin her hair and makeup without her assistance.

  Mallia was waiting for her next to the armoire, and if the older mistress wasn’t holding on, Alex’s legs may have gone out from underneath her. It wasn’t the mistress that caught her off-guard, but the gorgeous gown that was hanging next to her. The garment was made of royal blue brocade and strapless, with strings of beads draping off the shoulders and the bodice. Silver thread wove through the material in intricate swirls and lattice work. The skirt was full and floor-length, yet smooth and flowing as Alex’s hand immediately started to trace the detail embroidered onto the bodice. She was in awe.

  “It’s beautiful,” she commented in utter amazement.

  “I’m glad you approve, Empress,” Mallia responded respectfully, with a smile upon her face.

  It took all three mistresses to help her into the dress; while one straightened the bead work, another fixed the skirts, while the third tightened the bodice. When they had finished fussing over the dress, they assisted Alex into her pumps of silver satin with blue lattice detail around the toes to coordinate with the blue of the dress. When she was able to turn around and admire herself in the floor-length mirror of the armoire, she soon discovered that she took her own breath away.

  Before her stood an Empress.

  Her hair was pinned with curling tendrils falling about her cheekbones, jawline, and collarbone. Her make-up was perfect—far better than any application she could have ever done for herself. The dress was able to emphasize her supple breasts, her delicate waist, her athletic stomach, and her feminine hips all at the same time. She turned herself from side to side in utter amazement.

  If nothing else, she indeed looked the part.

  “Treyan is going to eat his heart out,” she muttered to herself, almost forgetting the mistresses were there until their hushed giggles and chuckling at her reaction reminded her she still had an audience.

  “Speaking of the Crown Prince.” Mallia motioned to three small boxes on the top of her sitting table. The mistresses must have lined them up while she was admiring herself in the mirror. Each of them looked as though they contained a piece of jewelry.

  “Coronation gifts, from the Prince,” Malia explained to her, and in unison, the three opened the boxes.

  Drew held open the first box, containing a necklace of the finest silver and diamonds. The chain’s design matched the detail of the dress beautifully, and as the elder mistress clasped it behind her neck, the sunlight was able to play off of it, allowing the diamonds to sparkle.

  Next, Bria showed her a pair of earrings: silver lattices with encrusted diamonds that hung to her jawbone that perfectly matched those of the necklace. Alex was allowed to put these in her ears herself, and she did so with such enthusiasm so as to see what was in the third box as soon as possible.

  Finally, Mallia brought her the last box. Within was a hair comb, as delicate and intricate a
s the necklace and earrings, but there was something about it that made it her favorite piece. Treyan knew her tastes better than she did. Mallia helped position it in her hair along the curls.

  When everything was complete and in place, Alex allowed herself a look in the mirror one final time. This was it—she was ready. And none too soon, for a moment later the Councillor entered the room without a knock.

  “You are a sight, Empress!” he exclaimed as he entered the room. Alex felt her cheeks flush as she turned to the older gentleman, who had a look of a proud father about him as he stood in his own ceremonial robes whose embroidery and color matched that of her dress. “In the years we have been waiting for you, none mean more than this moment.”

  “I think you’re giving me too much credit,” she tried to challenge, but he merely shook his head.

  “Not at all,” he countered, offering his arm to her. “The Empire is more than ready for you, Empress.”

  Nodding, she gave her thanks to the mistresses, squeezing Mallia’s hand one final time in farewell before they returned to their duties of maintaining her room upon her departure. She linked her arm with the one the Councillor offered, and together they walked from her room.

  Silently they made their way through the palace until they came upon the massive, intricate doors that lead to the throne room within the main hall. The walls here were lined with palace guards, with Jamison and another guard standing at the doors. He smiled at her upon recognition, and she smiled slightly in return, beginning to feel more uneasy about the attention she received.

  She was not ready for this.

  The Councillor nodded towards the guards and they began to open the doors before them, and soon Alex was ushered into the throne room where it seemed the entirety of the Empire waited for her.

  The scene before her was like nothing she had ever seen. The entire room was full of the Empire’s elite, all there to celebrate her stepping up as the Empress. Waves of onlookers clapped and cheered upon her entrance on both sides of the aisle as she walked past. It was so surreal that she found she was starting to panic and slowed her gait.

  “It’s all right, Empress,” the Councillor assured her, patting her hand in his arm, but she knew she wasn’t going to be able to calm herself until she found Treyan.

  She searched through the sea of people, but soon found him standing atop the throne’s pedestal. He was dressed in the full regalia of his position, and though he had told her that this day was for her, not for him, in essence the Prince was off-duty. His head was bowed upon her entrance, but he must have sensed her unease for his eyes found hers and with a fond smile of admiration, she felt herself begin to calm. She allowed herself to return the smile, knowing that so long as he was there, everything was going to be fine.

  The coronation concluded without incident. It was all the pomp and circumstance Treyan warned her it would be: the Councillor performed the ceremony, begging upon her the oaths of predestined office just as she was advised, where she in turn made her promises to uphold the Prophecy, protecting it at all costs, and serving the Empire in its best interest to the utmost of her abilities. She had been instructed that the words were passed along through the centuries, each new Queen Empress making the same promise within the same ceremony ever since the Annals had been written and the Prophecy itself was put in place.

  The pinnacle of the ceremony was the crowning of the Empress. Alex hadn't seen the actual crown until that moment. Treyan had insisted that it was merely an old relic that would need a good dusting before being placed upon her head. However, when the Councillor removed the crown from its case and displayed it for the crowd to see, she realized Treyan couldn't have been more wrong.

  The crown was gorgeous. Between the gold filigree and the diamonds nested a gemstone of every color, and with a gasp she immediately knew it was the crown from her dreams.

  The same crown, she had been informed, each Empress had worn during her tenure.

  Which meant it had also been Treyan's mother's crown.

  She tried to find him out of the corner of her eye, but the attention of the Councillor ceremoniously upon her, there was no way she could be able to make eye contact with him. She made a mental note to ask him about it, and as the crown was set upon her head, a roar of cheers erupted from the crowd.

  Just like that, she was officially Queen Empress Alexstrayna.

  An elaborate reception followed immediately after the coronation ceremony, and Alex was dutifully ushered to the palace’s grand ballroom where she was expected to receive and welcome at least three hundred lords and ladies from throughout the Empire. The process was a long and tedious task, and by the time she was done the suns had begun their descent upon the horizon, her feet were hurting, and she was starving. She noticed that Treyan was not in the receiving line with her and the Councillor. In fact, she hadn’t seen him once since she entered the reception hall.

  He found her first.

  She was walking along the outer wall of the ballroom, attempting to take a break from the limelight as the party-goers danced around the room, when a hand grabbed her by the upper arm and pulled her behind a draped alcove.

  Before she could scream, another hand came up to her mouth. Her eyes were wide with panic until the blue of Treyan’s gaze came into view before her. “We can save the screaming for later,” he whispered.

  She caught her breath and pushed his hand away, looking around to see if anyone was with them. “Will you be careful? Someone could have seriously thought something bad had happened!”

  “Empress, the royal guard is doing their job impeccably. I also may have informed Jamison that I had this particular portion of the room secured and authoritatively ordered him to monitor elsewhere.”

  “Well, isn’t that an abuse of power…”

  He smiled slyly. “You’ll get used to it; Jamison has.” He stepped back then, taking both of her hands in his as he took a good look at her. “I can’t tell you how difficult it was, standing on that pedestal and only being able to watch you.” He looked back to her. “You are absolutely beautiful.”

  She blushed, smiling. “Flattery will get you nowhere, my Prince…”

  “On the contrary.” While holding her hands in his, he wrapped them around his waist. “I think it will get me exactly where I want.” He leaned in and gave her an extremely deep kiss. She held him tight, urging for more, a fire burning deep within her begging for release, but he pulled away from her ever so slightly before she could beg.

  “Not right now, Empress,” he breathed against her lips. “Besides, we can’t go messing up that make-up or ruining that hair just yet, can we? Mallia would murder me.”

  “Not if I murder you first,” she threatened as she leaned in for another kiss, of which he was more than happy to provide.

  “Come with me, then” she pleaded a few moments later, stopping herself before she ripped off his clothes right then and there. “If you’re not going to take me to bed, at least spend the evening with me. It’s like you’ve been hiding this entire night.”

  “By hiding, I assume you mean allowing you to have your moment in the spotlight.”

  “I want you there with me, by my side. I don’t know any of these people.”

  “But you will.” A sincere hand came to her cheek. “And now is the perfect time to start. This will all be over soon enough.”

  She rolled her eyes and grumbled, taking it as her cue to walk away, but he still had a hold of one of her hands. Pulling her back for one final kiss, he eventually released her to return to her party guests.

  19

  Just as Alex predicted, the party dragged on for what seemed like forever. As soon as the last guest was bid farewell and the Councillor had given her leave, she took off as fast as she could go, excitedly kicking off her heels, as she made her way back to her chambers.

  The mistresses had her quarters turned down for the night—the curtains were drawn, and the room was aglow by candlelight. Once she shut her door,
she let out a deep breath she didn’t realize she was holding and headed directly to the vanity dresser. She decided it was best to get more comfortable before she set out to find Treyan, even as she already felt the exhaustion of the day begin to sink in.

  A case for the crown was already waiting on her dresser. With careful hands she gently laid the delicate relic to rest for the time being. Looking in the mirror to begin taking out her earrings, she noticed the reflection of the room behind her.

  She turned around in surprise and only then did she finally notice exactly how many candles there were lit around her. From the door to the windows they were set on every table top, bookshelf, and flat surface they could fit. They even surrounded her bed. There her Prince quietly sat, wearing a loose shirt that showed his chest, casual pants, and legs crossed while he watched her, with a glass of wine in hand.

  “So, this is where you’ve been hiding all night?” she asked as she turned in the bench to face him, trying to hide the surprise upon seeing him.

  He shrugged. “Someone had to track down the palace’s extra supply of candles.”

  “Jamison couldn’t do that for you?” she teased

  “Not this time—this was a top-secret mission.”

  “Apparently so.” She smirked. “What’s all this for?”

  “You, of course. Just because the celebration has finished downstairs doesn’t mean it must stop here.” He smiled as he stood, picking up a second glass of wine, already having been poured, and walking over to her. “Besides, don’t you enjoy sleeping by candlelight?”

  She stood to meet him, happily taking the wine from his hand. The first, sweet sip was joyous as it hit her pallet. “I don’t enjoy the potential of my dress or bed sheets catching fire, no.”