The start of the Empire

Chief Cardinal Albert Pujols wearing his ceremonial white garments stood on the top step in front of City Hall. The roadway and plaza around City Hall had been converted into a stage and seating area for all the guests with the stairs being used as a raised platform for the official event to happen. The citizens of Connaissance gathered in the nearby streets and alleys as well we on the tops and windows of the nearby buildings to watch as she accepted the crown. The Cardinal pulled the crown from its Royal carrying case and his voice boomed out loudly, "Princess Emily Connaissance, do you swear to uphold the Noble values and the great oath of rulership for the people of the Empire of Connaissance?"

Emily sat up straight in her chair and spoke as loud as she could while remaining confident, "I swear to uphold the values and great oath of rulership for all of my people."

The Cardinal placed the crown on her head and then dipped his hand in a bowl of clean water and splashed her with it twice, "I name you Emily the first, Empress of Connaissance. All hail the Empress!"

A deafening roar broke out as the people shouted with joy. Men and women openly wept. The Connaissance Observer had written about how her crown had been stolen by her Uncle in the previous days and about the hardships she had been through as the leader of the city of Connaissance. Many people had only learned these things for the first time, including how much of her personal fortune had been paid out to build their current city and military might. Even many of her detractors who had always assumed things different from how they turned out to be opened their eyes for the first time.

The rulers of the nearby nations felt a chill down their spines as they heard the huge roar from the crowd and the sea of emotion it produced.

Emily picked up a speaking horn and spoke out, "Thank you, everyone, for coming out this afternoon to witness the event. There are too many of you here today to greet and thank in person. In honor of this event, I am declaring that October thirty first from this day forward will be a national holiday. I have prepared treats for the children and we will be holding a yearly masquerade ball here in the city square for those who wish to attend."

Another roar of approval spread through the crowd at the announcement of a new holiday.

*****

The party went from noon until midnight when people slowly made their way home. Around two in the morning Jon finally made it home and fell heavily into bed he turned himself over in order to make himself comfortable when he saw a pair of eyes looking at him from the other side of the bed, a soft very male voice asked, "Late night, Jon?"

"I would ask what you are doing here but I am too tired to care," Jon replied honestly. "How do I address you these days?"

"Just Drew is fine." He smiled. "I didn't have anywhere else to go and I am afraid that if it was anyone else I would be killed on sight."

"Why in Lord Léon's name would you think you were safe at my house?" Jon wearily asked.

Andrew sighed and looked up at the ceiling, "Because you know that everything I have done, has been to keep Emily safe."

Jon snorted, "Go sleep on the couch and be gone when I wake up."

"Thank you, Jon," Andrew replied and then dragged a pillow away along with his quilt. "I ate some of your food as well, I hope you don't mind. I only have the clothes on my back right now. Someone killed all my people in the city. I had to sleep in an alley wrapped in newspapers last night."

Jon grumbled, "Fine, we'll figure things out in the morning. Go to sleep."

*****

"Mi~a, my back hurts. Will you rub it for me?" Emily cutely whined.

"Not if you say, 'heavy is the head that wears the crown' even one more time. Your back hurts because you did all that dancing last night it has nothing to do with that little tiara you call a crown." Teslaimia frowned at Emily.

Emily giggled and rolled over she was only wearing the little crown her bottom half barely covered by the silk sheets in their bed. Teslaimia was in a similar state of undress as she crawled over the top of Emily and started to give her a deep tissue massage on her back. Teslaimia leaned over and gently kissed her on the shoulder asking, "Things are going to get very complicated soon, aren't they? That little tussle yesterday night... I am worried that these men are going to be even more aggressive than Beaux and Lucas in asking for your hand in marriage. They all covet your power."

Emily moaned happily and said softly, "Roger thinks he'll have the new army war ready in a few months. Norville and Winston have been working on a new type of flying machine that won't need lift gas as well. It seems Norville had a burst of inspiration in the accident at the port. As for the suitors, I have been dealing with that nonsense since I was thirteen years old. I won't be marrying anyone."

Teslaimia asked softly, "I wish we lived in a world where we could choose who we want to marry."

Emily giggled, "Do you want to marry me, Mia?"

Teslaimia sighed, "I do, I want you all for myself. I also want a little crown, like yours so I could walk around like an old man leaning on his cane constantly saying, 'heavy is the head that wears the crown'. Where did you steal that from anyway, that's stupid?"

Emily giggled and said, "It was that play we saw this summer. The one about Andrew."

"Ugh, that was awful. The one by that traveling Langlish playwright, right? Every line was like a poem, it was so boring." Teslaimia groaned, "I do admit that it was funny in places."

Emily giggled again and said, "Ok, we'll do that. I am the Empress and I can choose who I want to marry, who is going to stop me, right? I'll make you my Empress. Give you your own little crown."

"Oh! does that mean I get to order Jon around?" She smiled.

Emily snorted, "Like you don't already."

"I mean officially." She stuck her tongue out at Emily.

Emily thought about it before replying, "You would be the Empress consort I suppose, which would give you the same social status and rank as I have, but not the same political and military powers until I passed away."

"So all of the respect with none of the headaches? I accept, I also want to design my own crown." Teslaimia smiled.

"As long as mine is cuter, I already look invisible when we stand next to each other. The men only see you from the neck down anyway." Emily complained.

Teslaimia wiggled her large chest, "I can't help it if mine are bigger. I know you aren't serious though, that would be a huge scandal. At some point, we really will have to think about an heir for the throne. We aren't going to be this young forever. In the next ten years, you'll need to seriously consider which of them you want to give you a child."

Emily looked over her shoulder at Teslaimia, "I'm very serious. I have no intention of having a child now, or ever. I also want you to be my wife just as much as you want me to be yours."

Teslaimia shook her head, "My parents would never allow that. Neither would the Church or the Nobles. There are some lines and old ways of doing things that just can't be crossed."

Emily looked at Teslaimia and shrugged, "If you want it, I will make it happen. If you are opposed to the idea then we can leave things as they are. I don't fear to make changes for my own personal happiness."

Teslaimia smiled happily and then pulled the sheet down a little exposing Emily's bare bottom and gave it a hearty spank, "You are a bad girl, Emmy."

*****

The next morning Jon woke up to the smell of cooked eggs. He wearily dragged his tired body out to the kitchen only to find Andrew Windsor whistling as he cooked. Jon sat down at the table were a plate that had been prepared for him was waiting, "I had a disturbing dream that I married a former King. And then I woke up to this... If you were dressed in a naked apron right now, I would probably jump out the window."

Andrew flipped an egg using the pan, "Jon, I am in real trouble. Making your breakfast is the only currency at my disposal. I am nothing more than a beggar at the moment."

Jon started to eat the food, "This isn't bad. You could probably get a job as a cook or a chef you know."

Andrew chuckled, "My résumé is a little awkward being that my former occupation is King."

"What are you hoping for?" Jon asked before eating a piece of toast.

Andrew sighed and asked, "I might be unwelcome in the Empire, but I am Knight who has sworn to protect Emily on my oath as a Knight."

"Are you willing to meet with her about this? I don't think Roger and I can rubber stamp this, there is a chance she wants to have you put to death for the murder of her parents." Jon said, "Seriously this breakfast is really good, you should really consider being a cook. No one is going to look for the former King in a restaurant kitchen."

Andrew finished his own plate and sat down across from Jon, "You're saying I have two choices, hide in a kitchen the rest of my life or bet my life that Emily doesn't want my head?"

Jon nodded and said, "Nothing wrong with being a cook. You can still marry a fat wife, have a dozen kids, and have a chance at happiness."

Andrew shook his head, "A family is impossible for me now. As far as happiness? I lost the right for happiness the day I put King William to the sword. I only wish to fulfill my oath to my sister. Jon, that Asoka, he has evil intentions toward Emily. He is targeting her through her major weakness."

Jon looked at him with a serious expression, "I'll bring you down there today. I can't promise you a miracle, but I promise you that you won't lose your life."

Andrew nodded and then asked, "You have no idea what I mean by her major weakness do you?"

Jon looked at Andrew and said emotionlessly, "It was my nose, right? I still can't keep my nostrils from flaring when I am bluffing."

Andrew shook his head, "Princess Teslaimia. Asoka forced Darius into a political marriage."

Jon nodded, "That explains why Polo started swinging at him. Why do you think Emily will agree to it?"

"She's just a woman, she won't interfere with Teslaimia's family matters," Andrew replied as he quickly ate the food on his plate.

Jon facepalmed slowly, "You really don't know her do you?"

"What?" Andrew looked confused, "You're saying that she won't allow the Princess to return home for her duties?"

Jon rolled his eyes at Andrew, "Emily and Teslaimia are a couple. They would marry if it was allowed."

Andrew's eyebrow twitched, "You mean..."

"I mean Darius and Asoka would be facing the full wrath of a pissed off woman if they decide to go down that path." Jon shrugged, "Teslaimia is not some pretty flower that can be ignored either. She built her own fortune and has secretly put together her own team of assassins. I think she only let me discover them so that we wouldn't be concerned about Emily's safety when they were around her."

"Was Emily the one who had my people killed? Or was it Princess Teslaimia?" Andrew looked confused.

Jon shook his head and laughed, "If I had to guess? Emily removed them. She must have thought they had outlived their usefulness with you losing the crown."

Andrew looked around the kitchen and then remarked, "Oh, you need more eggs and sugar. Milk too. Can I sleep here again tonight?"

Jon sighed. "Alright."