“My son, we can’t keep doing this,” Ichiamo said. “There has to be some common ground. I’m willing to forgive if the fault is on me, but we can’t keep doing this to each other.”
Cassius nodded. “Does this mean you can bring my mother back?”
There was the nail he tried to avoid. It had been years since he thought about the order to kill Katharina Santos, the only bad mark in a long line of good ones. All of this started and ended with Kate Santos. Seeing the blank stare in his son as he asked the question, Ichiamo thought about how it could have been handled. He could had exiled her like in the past or divorced her.
“I know you will hate me for the rest of your life because of that, Cassius. I hate myself for it. But my feelings aren’t important. One day, you will be king along with Hector. You must make sure you don’t make the same mistakes I made.”
Then, another thought came into his head. One of them concerned Cassius.
“There’s something I want you to do,” Ichiamo said. “I want you to leave Crystal Metropolis for a while. When you get the word, then you can come back.”
“Why?” Cassius asked.
“I feared Crystal Metropolis is going to get more dangerous. I need you safe until then. Go to Guapa. You'll be safe there."
“I’m not leaving," Cassius stressed. "This is my home. Plus, I can’t leave my sister. Who’s going to protect her? And I’ll be damn if Hector’s going to do it.”
“I found a remedy for that. Everyone’s going to find out soon. I want Isabella to marry Hector.”
Cassius was aghast. "Are you kidding me?”
“This union has to occur. It’s for her own safety.”
“Safety for what?”
Ichiamo rubbed his wrinkled forehead. “I wish I could say. Look, don't fight me on this. I need you to go to Guapa. There are some cousins there that will keep you safe until it’s time to come back.”
“I’m not leaving, Father. Never! I've been gone for too long and I lost things slip in this family. This is my home, and anything is going to happen to me, then I’m going to face it and kill it.”
Cassius stormed out the door. Ichiamo knew that was coming. Once again, there was going to be a family riff...
****
Near the middle of the year, Ichiamo spoke mostly to the Crystal Metropolis Strator Circle, telling him of future plans for the future heirs to the throne.
However, there were a few who knew of his real plans.
One of them was Alonso Fontaine, who had been his right-hand for years, and standing by to view the spectacle. He had watched over most of the king's affairs when there were times Ichiamo couldn’t handle it. He knew that if anything, he would want the ATM to be freed for the people instead of being rule by king after king.
He told no one but a select few.
“There was a time and a place for everything. Right now, it’s a secret.”
The other person was Lucius Gaines, who had adjusted to the Crystal Metropolis streets and had made frequent trips to the Santos Palace to run errands for the king or just to have conversations about life and the universe. He also went on special expeditions for the king.
One of them was also another special plan for him.
“Sometimes, I fear that Crystal Metropolis will be destroyed,” Ichiamo told him in one of their conversations. “I want you to find some places where another Crystal Metropolis, a second Crystal Metropolis, could be built.”
All Ichiamo had ever been throughout most of his life was serious. Lucius thought the plan was ridiculous because he never saw Crystal Metropolis attacked or bombed by foreign planets.
Most of all, he wanted to address himself to the strators, his closest allies. They were going to be the most work because they represented the people, and the people needed good representation so future mistakes would not be made.
He addressed this in one of a few “final addresses.”
“I fear that you'll be the future of the ATM. Therefore, you must never forget that the people will rely more and more on you to represent them in the affairs of the planet. So you must not disappoint. I could only do so much, but I knew that much I was able to do was because all of you had faith in me.”
Benedict Biondello was in the audience to hear the speech. From what he got from them, the Santos king was admitting a sort of defeat. If that was the case, then the time had come for the plan to go to action.
****
Benedict went back to his villa where Bianca usually dwell quietly if she was not in the Santos Palace. In the next to the last speeches the king made to the Senate, he called Bianca to meet him at his home.
She came in black cloak, sat on his couch in the dining room, and the minute Benedict entered and saw her, he came right out with it.
“Bianca, it’s time.”
From there, they went over different strategies for what to do.
But there was only one simple way.
“Poison usually always works,” Benedict said. “Solaria's infamous for using it as well. You have to use it when he is at his most vulnerable. Dinnertime would be appropriate. Since Hector is away from the planet, he’ll never know what happens. I'll give him the message to come back to Crystal Metropolis after the deed is done.”
“What about Cassius?”
“One plan at a time. Right now, Cassius isn’t a threat. The threat is Ichiamo. Now, remember, you must be calm. Act like there’s nothing wrong. You’re just enjoying his company. Then, ask one of the servants to put the poison in one of his dishes. Make sure you know yourself where it’s going to be.”
“And watch him eat his life away.”
Benedict gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Pretty soon, you'll be queen and your son king. That will make your father proud.”
Bianca nodded. “Yes it would.”
****
Bianca waited for the king to arrive back to the Santos Palace after another meeting with strators. The Santos Palace was practically empty with the exception of night guards. Cassius was in Guapa, Hector was in Cyprun, and Isabella was in Illyr.
This calmed Bianca down. No one would be around to be a witness. She had a servant Ursula prepare food, which included the king’s favorite dish, ripe plums from Illyr.
She presented the food herself to the king at the dining room table, which was unusual for any queen. They had a big dinner just for two people, as if Ichiamo was expecting the rest of the family to come back to eat it.
Throughout the entire night, there was nothing but eating. Ichiamo ate quickly and Bianca took her time. She saw that the king was hungrier than he had ever been. All she could feast her eyes on was the plums. He had touched them yet. She wanted to say something, but waited. She saw that Ursula was around the side, anticipating the same thing Bianca was: would he go for it?
Then, the king went for the plums, taking one in his hand. For a split second, he saw his wife as she grinned. He stared for a while, seeing if he could find something in them. There was nothing from the distance he was, but there was something there.
Then, as if he was getting out of a trance, he chomped on the plums one by one. When he was finished with the basket the plums were in, he laid back, eyes wide open. Ursula came closer, ready to take the dishes away. Bianca got up and went around to the back of the king's chair.
Bianca went close to his cheek. Then, Ichiamo turned the corner to view Bianca's face. Suddenly, he could see it. The secret that he wondered, with death speaking in his ear, revealed itself.
“Bianca!” he whispered. “Bianca, I’m sorry. I will tell your sister the same.”
Bianca went slightly back.
Did he know all along, he thought.
Then, as if he dreamed his last vision, Ichiamo closed his eyes and went to sleep.
Ursula came to Bianca and saw the king’s face. “Is he dead?”
Bianca shook the king's shoulder."I don’t know. We’ll put some more poison in him just to be sure. I have t
o make some calls.”
While Ursula took out a vial to inject more poison into Ichiamo’s body, Bianca took out her cell made some calls. All of the messages were the same.
“The king is dead. Long live the king.”
****
The Santos family came back in full force for the funeral of the beloved king Ichiamo Boardwalk Santos. His coffin was taken to all the townships and every citizen in those townships stood by as the coffin went by to pay their respects. Some even opened the coffin to view the face of their elder king for the last time. Not since the days of Nero Horrando Santos, had a King been so beloved after shaky beginnings.
The body returned to the Santos Palace four days after its travels and ended up in the throne room, where the court stood in attention and gave their final salute. Bianca Santos supervised the toast to the memory of a remarkable 29-year reign and claimed the new rule to belonging to both Hector Bozario and Cassius Santos based on Ichiamo's will.
The cursers and advisors were proud that at least Ichiamo left a biological son of his blood to rule. Some were not too sure about the newcomer Hector ruling alongside them. His pudgy appearance left something to be desired; a complete contrast to a handsome, muscle-bound Cassius.
Also, Bianca announced another stipulation to the will: the engagement between Hector and Isabella. Isabella had no objections. Once again, Hector brought his disgust to the open. The court could see Hector and Bianca arguing with one another with whispers.
During the funeral wake held in the throne room and dining room, glares between Bianca and Cassius went on all night as they were on their respectable sides. It had gotten to the point she had to leave the party and be alone so she would not say anything about it. The court watched with intrigue as they could see something brewing between the square of Bianca, Cassius, Hector, and Isabella.
Ichiamo died peacefully, just in time for the winds of scandal to come back and shake things up...
****
“Cassius has to go,” Bianca screamed out in Benedict's living room.
“And how are you going to do that?” Benedict asked. “Ichiamo hasn't even been buried in the ground.”
“He’s starting to think I had something to do with it.”
“Why would he think that?”
“He doesn’t like me. He doesn’t even like my son. It’s strange because he's practically my nephew and I can't even say anything about it.”
“You know why!"
"I know, I know. I'm a Lysander."
Benedict sat down on the sofa with her. "Look, for now, Cassius has to feel like he’s doing his father’s work. And as you suggest, let Hector take care of himself. Those two don’t like each other anyway.”
“But I doubt he would kill him because of that.”
“Well, you’re his mother. I’m sure with the right persuasion, he would. For now, we wait. Continue to make your appearances as the Queen Mother. Don’t make yourself obvious. Act like nothing has changed.”
Bianca took Benedict's words into perspective. For a while, that’s what she did. She made her appearances. She gave some advice to her son in how to monitor the kingdom. Cassius made his plans that would make his late father proud. Throughout it all, Bianca kept her eyes locked on her nephew and niece.
****
Tension increased, mostly from Cassius’s part. He would have conversations with Isabella. They were all the same. It was all about Hector.
“Why do you deal with him?”
Isabella would come with the same answer. "Because I want peace in our house.”
Since then, Cassius and Isabella separated themselves as Isabella acted like the princess and Cassius assumed his kingdom responsibilities.
For a while, there was peace as all sides kept away from each other and tried their best to not ruffled feathers. Cassius was doing what others thought he would do being Ichiamo’s son and heir. However, Hector was doing anything but.
The roles of each ruler were presented for the planet to witness. Cassius pushed the policies his father preached. Hector escaped from the Santos Palace and into each township to find places to drink and have sex. As far as he was concerned, having the title of king only meant doing whatever he wanted.
It took a few seconds for news and gossip to hit the airwaves about Hector's alcoholic exploits and his philandering with other men's wives. It took a few more seconds for the court to ask for Hector's exile from Crystal Metropolis or at best, fight for sole ownership of the crown. He had the Starstriker ring on his finger, but no one saw him as a King as long as Hector continue to embarrass the family.
****
“How do you feel about being king?” Bianca asked as she brought Hector back down to the Special Records Chamber. She realized after all the news Hector has made that she had to get him away from the limelight.
“How am I supposed to feel?” Hector said as if he was stingy. “I’m king. What else is there?”
“You’re carrying a lot of responsibility. It’s what Ichiamo wanted.”
“I thought Ichiamo hated me. That’s what most people are saying out there."
“When I talk with him, he said that he admired you because you was my son and you had heart.”
“I don’t care for heart.”
Bianca took a deep breath, having her work cut out for him.
“Hector, what if I told you that your father was killed by Cassius?” he asked.
Hector laughed wildly. “What are you talking about? Cassius loves his father to death.”
“But he loves power more,” Bianca said. “And if he can killed his father, do you think he won’t kill me or you?"
Bianca burst in tears. Hector went to her. “What is it, Mother?”
She looked at Hector so he could see the tears. “I… I didn’t want to tell you this. Cassius wants you dead. He wants me dead. Can’t you tell from the way he looks at you? And Isabella? Do you think he can’t do the same to her? We’re all in danger. That’s the only reason why I made this trip. He could kill us all if he wanted to without question. The court is already asking for him to get rid of you. It won't be long before Cassius had the entire court eating off the palm of his hand."
“What do you want me to do?” he asked sincerely.
Bianca found his heart. “He has…he has to be dealt with before…”
She went into crying mode again. Hector hugged him tight. Inside, Bianca was doing back flips. Her son was going to do what she wanted, just like Luciana got Timon to submit to his destiny.
Benedict was right, she was thinking. Learning the history of the Santos clan was going to work for them.
"Cassius is playing some games for the court in a couple of days. That's the perfect time to strike."
Hector nodded, acknowledging that it was time to step up...
****
It was the last month of the last year of the first century. After dismal times, Cassius told his court that it was time for fun times again. So he planned some games for his royal court and the public. On one of those days, it was going to be a hunting game, with the prize being some gold courtesy of Ichiamo Santos.
The hunting game took place in open ground near Sigeberht. The target was a wild borat to cook for dinner. Most of the court and all of the family went to the Rhombus Forest wearing their most fashionable hunting wear.
Every person that had a name and a title were involved in the hunt. Leading the way was Cassius with a shotgun. With one rebel yell, the game began.
Suddenly, the swift borat pig was released into the forest and every hunter in the game ran after the pig in a wild frenzy shooting their guns. The borat ran with fury in and around hunters to the point they tripped over each other's feet.
One hunter, Hector on his white horse, kept his eyes on Cassius and his black horse, watching patiently for the borat. His horse was not fast enough to catch up to it and lost it in the fray. So many things were going through Hector’s mind. He had Cassius in the r
ight position, but was not sure if he wanted to do it.
For the time being, he followed Cassius.
Then, Cassius stopped. He got off his horse to tend to his horse. From a distance, Hector got off his horse as well. He went under his pants and took out a small pistol. Just when he was about to raise it, someone screamed out Cassius’s name. Hector saw the man come out with a sword in his hand.
“What is this?” Cassius asked.
“Down with the Santoses,” he said and launched at Cassius. Cassius wrestled with the assailant. Hector became indecisive again.
INIQUITOUS DOMINION: The Galactic Classic Page 36