Chapter 4 - Power

A/N: 1302 words for The Last Man Standing.

It felt as if I was walking out of a haze when I opened my eyes. The blurred, unintelligible shapes from my dreams dissolved, and I could finally see the sharp edges that had come to signify reality for me. Two soft green eyes in an even softer face met mine, the worry manifesting in them as unshead tears.

“My lord?” He stroked my cheek, as if I was the one close to tears. “You're awake!” He more or less jumped on me, hugging me far too tight. “I thought you had...” His voice were cut off by a sudden sob, and I had to resist the urge to sigh as I hugged him back. This behaviour wasn't acceptable from an emperor, not even around me. “There was blood everywhere, and...”

“Shh.” My throat hurt, to the point where I had to force the sound through it. “It's alright now. I'm fine.”

“The physician said that you shouldn't talk, not until your throat has healed.” Once again I confirmed that his devotion was absolutely adorable, just the kind of thing you'd expect from a dog, but he was far from intelligent. Since when had a physician ever helped someone? All they did were drain things that didn't need to be drained, and make incisions where it shouldn't be done. Anyone who had ever gone to the academy knew as much, but then again, the emperor had never even visited the place. If he had been able to think for himself for a moment, rather than panicking, he would've realized as much.

“The green bottle in the alchemy room, get it.” I had barely said it before the emperor pulled away and hurried to get the tincture. I didn't know how much time had passed since I fainted, but the emperor apparently hadn't bothered to change his clothes even though there was blood on his shirt. He had always been so pliable, and as his power grew, so had my influence over him. And now my puppet is on the throne.

When he returned with the bottle I immediately uncorked it and drank a mouthful of the thick, foul-tasting liquid, frowning as I felt the lacerations itch and burn as they healed.

“Are you feeling better?”

I got up without a word, walking over to the big oak table that dominated a fourth of my room. On it I had spread out a big map of the empire which included all the regions.

“My lord?”

I was tired, enough to make me feel dizzy and unstable, but I knew I'd need to do this as soon as possible. Sending the knights out was just a safety net, my real plan had always been to track the feather myself. Find the feather, find the guardian, find the phoenix. It was a simple plan, and yet everything I had ever fought for relied on its success. The prophecy was going to come true, and I was going to force it to work in my favour, just like I had forced everything else.

“No, please don't use any more magic. You should rest.” I felt his hand grabbing onto the back of my shirt, tugging at it like a child. “Please, go back to bed.” His voice was pleading, and I knew that if I had asked he would have gone down on his legs and begged, without a doubt. He loved me, because I had made him to, and there was nothing he wouldn't do for me.

“I'll rest when I'm done. I'm doing this for your sake, you know.” I tried to conjure up what little energy I had in my body, this time concentrating it to my fingertips as I placed them against the map. It hurt, like magic always did, but not nearly as bad as it had before. This time it simply felt as if someone was driving needles out through my fingers, until the skin finally burst and small tendrils of blood and bright white energy danced over the map, gathering together as a small, pink, shining bubble in the north. “There. That's where your knights need to go.”

Before I even realized that I was slipping he grabbed a hold of me, supporting me as he led me back to the bed. The world once again lost it's sharpness, and the figures from before moved before my eyes, continuing the play as if nothing had happened.

***

As I woke up again it was dark in the room, with the exception of a candle burning low on the nightstand, close to going out. My right side was warm, as well as my chest, and I quickly identified the softly snoring source. Really now? I closed my eyes again, letting out a quiet sigh. I was too tired to get up and have to watch my every expression, so him being asleep was actually a relief.

The three main reasons that I preferred young boys were their pliable minds, their lack of power and their potential to gain power. Their bodies always came second to that, as it had too if I was to gain their trust and their love. Now the emperor was my puppet, the principal of the academy was my puppet, the general of the army was my puppet. The only powerful faction in the empire that was not yet at my disposal was the so called “holy” knight order, but I'd soon have a puppet among them as well. Slowly but surely my power was growing, and I wasn't going to let anyone or anything take it from me. Most certainly not some old prophecy.

“My lord?”

I turned my head slightly to look at the emperor, but it seemed he was still asleep, mumbling nonsense in his sleep. I pressed my lips against his, suppressing a smirk as he woke up almost immediately. I had been neglecting him a bit lately, as the preparations for the search for the phoenix had kept me occupied, but I couldn't keep on doing that. After all, this seventeen year old was the head piece of my puppet collection, the most popular number in my doll theatre.

“Y-you should rest.”

I shook my head a little. “I don't feel like resting right now.”

***

Morning came, and I felt my power return with it. The emperor refused to leave my side until I snapped at him. He had duties to attend to, and so did I. That I had lost two consecutive days was bothersome, to say the least. As always, I had things to do, and compensating for it would be a pain – especially since I felt so worn out. At least my servant had the sense to find a teacher for my new plaything, so that he'd learn the language. I hadn't quite decided where I should place him as he grew up, so it would have to depend on his skills, inherited or acquired. I would need a trusty spy or courier. Surely that skin would keep him well camouflaged during the night?

I smirked as I imaged the boy sneaking over the rooftops of the city – clad in all black, and resisted the urge to go find him. Instead I made my way out to the patio and through the well-kept and mace-like gardens. At the far end of the gardens, close to the eastern corner of the palace walls, was a small pond. Even though the wind made the vegetation around it bow, the pond was as clear as a mirror, but the images it reflected were completely different from the picturesque garden. Knights, riding, searching. It was only a matter of time. Soon they'd find the guardian, and he would lead them straight to the phoenix. And it will lead me into the history books.