Breaker of Chains - Chapter Five

For Tenyo's Last Man Standing contest. Enjoy. World Count; 1,296.

Chapter Five

Kaisar stood stiffly behind the chair beside the throne. To his left sat the Empress in all her royal-clad glory. She'd donned the royal purple formal dress hours ago, and he wondered how she could stand the stuffy clothes for more than a few minutes. As it was, Kaisar's own deep blue jacket was making him hot and sweaty. He could feel the perspiration gathering beneath his collar, cool air soothing only the back of his neck. It didn't help that his side felt like it was on fire, but he had to stay put. Arjana had ordered him to be on guard, and on guard meant 'constant military position' behind the Empress's throne.

Across the room, beyond all those who had gathered at court to see the newest addition to the Palace's slaves, drifted a woman. She wore a dress so deep a red it was almost black. It reminded him of blood, which in turn reminded him of the high collar and tight confines of his jacket. Kaisar kept the grimace off his face. He was pretty sure his side was bleeding again, and he could only hope it didn't leak through his pristine white shirt to soil the jacket Arjana had so meticulously chosen for him.

Kaisar dragged his eyes off the woman's pretty figure and focused on Arjana. The Tahirnan Prince's jacket was a light, pale blue. Early morning sunlight glinted off it, casting it almost white in the dull light. It wasn't even midday and it was already far too warm--or was that just his fever causing him to feel far too hot for comfort?

"These are our new pets?" Arjana asked, pacing back and forth at the edge of the dias. The sound of his lover's voice had his attention immediately. He watched Arjana with careful eyes, glancing past every now and then to check on the rest of the room.

Eight figures knelt before the steps up to the dias, two of which had been positioned before the others--a young woman and a man. They both wore various shades of green, the woman's darker and more elaborate. The man's clothing was plain, but embroided. He thought he recognised what the embroidary meant, but another glancing flash of colour from Arjana's jacket distracted him. He blinked and dragged his gaze up to the guard's face. The guard leered at her openly, not bothing to hide his lecherous desires in front of court. 

Kaisar watched on in disgust as the lecherous guard reached down to grab a handful of the woman's pretty yellow hair, jerking her head back. Angry brown eyes met his and Kaisar froze, trying not to let anything show on his face. He knew that one, but from where, he could not say. He'd definitely seen her before, at the very least.

"This one says she's the chieftess," the guard said, lips curling up into a cruel smirk. The announcement hushed the room for a moment, but a moment later snickers drifted through the gathered crowd. Court found it amusing. Kaisar, on the other hand, did not. He had a feeling Arjana agreed with him. "I told her the Chieftan was dead. Killed him myself."

"Did you now," his lover murmured, loud enough for Kaisar and the Empress to hear, and the guard--who didn't comment. Arjana paused in his pacing and turned towards her. The brown eyes broke from his to met the other man's. Kaisar held himself very still, waiting with baited breath. "Is this true, girl?" Arjana asked, voice raised. The young woman spat at him. It earned her a backhanded slap from the guard. "Speak, and maybe I won't let him kill you."

The girl's face scrunched up as if she'd tasted something foul, but she met Arjana's gaze evenly. "Yes," she said, chin rising ever so slightly. He sensed her resolve, the arrogant pride of someone used to priviledge. Kaisar saw the guard's smirk grow. "My father was the chieftan. Now that he is dead, I take his place."

"Interesting." Arjana went back to pacing. He seemed to be musing over her answer. Kaisar wished they were alone so he could speak freely about the girl. He had a feeling she spoke the truth. He let his breath out in a small whoosh, trying to keep the relief off his face. Arjana cast him the tiniest of glances. Kaisar inclined his head, eyes straying back to the man he would now call Lecherous Guard. He made a mental note to corner the man alone later. Surely Arjana wouldn't mind if he killed one lowly, lecherous palace guard.

The girl opened her mouth to speak, eyes following Arjana as he swept back and forth--and the guard shoved his flithy hankerchief into her mouth. She gagged and spat it out, coughing violently. Kaisar's gaze dropped to the soiled cloth and his lips tightened but he did nothing. He could do nothing but let it happen. He would remedy that. Once Arjana took the throne, they could both remedy it. But first, it had to happen. The flightly rag was covered in dirt and dried blood. Lecherous Guard laughed.

Kaisar looked away, gaze darting over the crowd of gathered nobles as he listened to Arjana drill the girl for answers--only inconsitiqetial ones, for the nobles would seek to use the important information for their own gain. Arjana's smooth vocie lulled him into a daze, and he let his mind wander.

A flash of orange-red amongst all the dark heads caught his attention, and he scanned them quickly, hoping to see it again. For several minutes, there was nothing but the bending of dark heads and the blurring of the colourful clothing of court, and then it leapt out at him. A black dress, pale skin. He stared at the person in the crowd. She remained immobile, barely even stirring as people milled about her. Blue eyes met his, wide and frightened. The hair piled up on her head was the colour of burnt copper, curling down past her ears and into her eyes. He'd always loved that colour. Her lips shaped is name and he stepped forward, unbelieving.

What was she doing here?

Right at that moment, her image shattered and he stumbled, catching everyone off-guard. Kaisar tried to regain his footing, but the floor would not stay still beneath his feet and he tumbled towards it, landing hard on his injured side. He felt skin tear and stitches pull tight, and grimaced, uncaring of the watchful eyes of court.

"Leave us!" Arjana's voice bellowed, but Kaisar couldn't see him. All he saw were clear blue eyes meeting his, scared and pleading. He whispered her name, and suddenly Lecherous Guard was by his side, gingerly turning him until he no longer lay on his bleeding wound. He would have laughed at the thought of the elegant blue coat soaked through with blood if he had the breath to spare. As it was, all he could do was hiss in pain. Beyond that pain, he could hear Arjana shouting orders for the prisoners to be returned to their cell and for the palace healers to be summoned.

Kaisar closed his eyes briefly, one long, eternal blink, and when he opened them again, Arjana's face was hovering beside the guard's. Both were concerned. He'd been fine for over a week since the Emperor's attempted assassination, and now this. He grabbed for Arjana's collar and held tight. Arjana's face was pale. He must've looked bad for his lover to seem so worried in front of the guards. "My sister," he whispered before the wave of darkness crashed over his head. Blue eyes stared at him from the darkness before fever dreams claimed him.