Chapter 404: The Emperor

As the golden doors opened, Jadis’ eyes were instantly drawn to the dais at the far end of the throne room. Set nine steps above the main floor, the platform held four thrones atop it, three of them occupied. Prince Kestil sat on the far left, or Jadis’ far right. Unlike the last time Jadis had met the elf, he was wearing his full royal regalia and looked every bit the foppish aristocrat that she thought he was. Prince Hraustrekr sat on the right side, opposite of Kestil, and was wearing the same armor she had seen the man wearing the night of the Demon attack. The throne on Kestil’s right was empty except for a delicate tiara made of platinum and sapphires which had been set on a purple cushion on top of the seat.

The last throne was occupied by the emperor.

There really was no mistaking the man for anyone other than the emperor. Just like his sons, the elf had golden skin and a regal bearing that radiated from him like a burning star. His hair was silver, tied back in a long braid that fell past his shoulders. Set on top of his head was a golden crown with nine points, each one holding a different colored jewel. The platinum breastplate he wore was emblazoned with the blue eagle heraldry of his empire, and a cloak of deep purple trimmed with black fur covered his shoulders. He held not a scepter, but a silver staff in his right hand, with a perfect orb of pure eleria crowning the top. The emperor’s eyes were the same bright silver color as Kestil, yet they shone with an inner light that felt like it was piercing right through Jadis’ body to her very soul.

He was, on first impression, an awe-inspiring man. Jadis couldn’t even pretend that she wasn’t impressed. Even beyond the physical trappings of royalty that the elf had been surrounded with, Somerulf possessed an air of power to him that seemed to vibrate in Jadis’ chest with every breath she took. Jadis had never thought to ask what level the emperor was, but now that she had met the man, she felt stupid for not asking. This man felt like he was on the same level as Jack, which was a frightening thought.

The emperor was also, on second glance, the first elf Jadis had ever seen who looked visibly old. Jadis knew Eir’s parents, for example, were both more than a hundred years old, yet the couple looked no older than Eir herself. Svana looked more like Eir’s sister than her mother, and Einer probably would have been carded if he had tried to buy beer in a grocery store back on Earth. Emperor Somerulf, however, was old. Deep wrinkles lined his face, particularly around his eyes, and a long beard and mustache that had been trimmed to be just around his mouth, drooped low enough to reach his chest. While his body was hidden under layers of armor and rich fabrics, Jadis could see that the elf’s bare hands were knobby from loss of muscle mass. Jadis had heard that Emperor Somerulf had known the previous Hero from the last cycle. She had known that had made him old, but she hadn’t considered just how old he had likely already been when he had known the last Hero.

While Jadis was preoccupied by the emperor’s overwhelming presence, she wasn’t so distracted that she wasn’t paying attention to everything else in the room. The throne room was, for some reason, far less ostentatious than the much larger hall she had traversed to get to there. The walls and floor were made of a completely different material, plain stone rather than marble, and looked old and worn. The floor was so worn, in fact, that some of the stone blocks had tracks visible in them from doubtless centuries of boots grinding them down. Tapestries had been hung from the walls just like in the main hall behind her, but they were notably older. Some were frayed around the edges, and a few had holes or stains that had eaten away at the coarser materials. Even the thrones that Somerulf and his sons sat upon were simpler than Jadis would have expected. They were made of the same golden-hued wood as the carved discs were, but they had far less embellishments to them. Jadis could even see that the left armrest of the emperor’s throne had a deep gash in the wood, like someone had struck it with a blade a long time ago and it had never been fixed.

Somerulf and his sons weren’t the only people waiting for Jadis and her companions. There were several other people in the throne room, most of whom Jadis recognized. Wilhelm was standing off to one side, as were the rest of his companions, including the two that Jadis hadn’t met yet. She had briefly glimpsed Rein the Lancer that night in the street outside of Trummelton’s though she hadn’t spoken to the man or seen his face. Now that he stood there next to Wilhelm without his armor, she could see that he was a gray-skinned elf with dark hair and red eyes. He had a hooked nose and sharp eyebrows which gave him a vaguely avian look, like a hawk who was watching something distant and was trying to decide if it was worth taking to wing for.

The other member of the Hero’s party Jadis hadn’t seen at all before was the Arch-Wizard, Tiernan. The young man was a gnome with dark brown hair and light green eyes. Unlike most gnomes Jadis had seen, Tiernan had only a few of the blue markings on his face; just a trio of sharp vertical lines under each eye and a single thin diamond shape on his forehead. Jadis wasn’t sure if the gnome was exhausted from recent events or just not taking the current proceedings seriously, but he looked like he was half-asleep on his feet with his eyes almost completely closed as he leaned precariously to one side. From the amused look on Amarantha’s face, the young gnome was likely about to fall over and she was just waiting to see when that moment would come.

While the Hero and his companions were all without their armor and equipment, Jadis noted that Wilhelm had been allowed to keep his golden sword at his side.

Other than the Hero’s party, there were a few more people in the throne room. A representative from each of the temples was present, including high priests Oswin and Sholto. Magistrate Vraekae was also present, along with a small cluster of similarly dressed military types who Jadis did not recognize but presumably held equally high ranks. Next to Vraekae was another familiar face.

Severina stood tall in her fine white military dress suit. She looked far healthier than when Jadis had last seen the Seraphim, though to her surprise the woman was still missing both her right arm and her wing. Jadis thought that considering her rank and importance, Severina would have jumped the line and received regenerative treatment by then. It seemed that wasn’t the case, though whether that was because she wasn’t allowed to cut ahead of the long waiting list or not was a question Jadis would have to ask later.

A tall, bulky orc stood next to Severina. He was one of the faces mixed into the crowd of military types that Jadis didn’t know, and she would have simply ignored him if it weren’t for the fact that he was standing in precisely the right spot to cover Severina’s missing limbs. Jadis almost missed it, and it could have just been coincidence or her imagination, but something in her gut told her that wasn’t the case. The orc man’s position wasn’t an accident; he was protecting the paladin’s weak side, a gesture of solidarity that Jadis felt certain had meaning to it.

The last person Jadis recognized in the throne room was particularly unexpected. Noll the Savage stood off to one side, arms crossed as he glowered at the proceedings like a wolf who had been woken from a nap. He was wearing nicer clothing than he usually did, and from the way he was shifting his shoulders, Jadis got the feeling that he had very much been forced into those clothes against his will. Whoever had managed to shove the silk shirt onto the gruff old man had definitely been a brave bastard, that was for certain.

All of this Jadis managed to take in from her multiple perspectives in just a short few seconds. There wasn’t much time to gawk, as the world continued to move on without her. Roy and the rest of the soldiers who had been escorting Jadis and her companions stepped aside, remaining outside of the throne room. As he turned, Roy made a motion barely noticeable sign towards Syd, signaling that it was up to her to walk forward.

Each taking a deep breath, Jadis’ three selves strode into the room, leading her companions forward.

As they entered, Jadis noticed out of the corner of her eye that Aurea broke off from their group to go and stand with the rest of the high priests. The rest of her companions, including Tegwyn, stayed right behind her in an orderly fashion. Once she got to about the middle of the throne room, Jadis came to a stop. She really wasn’t certain what the protocol was considering no one had given her much prep, but she knew enough from what little Aurea had been able to tell her on the way to the palace that she wasn’t supposed to approach the throne without permission. She was also, she was certain, supposed to bow.

Bending slightly at the waist, Jadis’ selves bowed courteously towards the emperor, though she made sure to keep her eyes locked onto the old man. She wasn’t sure if that was right or not, but she felt like it was.

By the look on Hraustrekr’s face a moment later, she realized it probably wasn’t the correct formal greeting. Hraustrekr, though, wasn’t the emperor, so Jadis didn’t give him any further consideration. Somerulf, for his part, didn’t look bothered. His stern expression hadn’t changed since Jadis had entered the room. If it weren’t for the fact that she could just barely see that he was breathing, she would have thought that the man was a statue.

A man’s voice that came from behind Jadis called out the full names of the rest of Jadis’ companions as they all bowed towards the emperor. She almost flinched when the man finished his litany by introducing Alex as “The Greater Demon, Bonded Alex” which was not the title that Jadis had expected to hear.

Once the final announcement had been made, the throne room was silent except for the faint sound of the golden doors sealing behind them. No one moved at all, except for Tiernan, who startled slightly and managed to right himself just before falling over, much to Amarantha’s obvious disappointment.

“Jadis Ahlstrom,” the emperor’s voice cracked like aged parchment, “your character and loyalty to the Gods has been called into question. By order of royal decree you were arrested and brought forth to my court and have been held indefinitely pending proper investigation and trial.”

Jadis felt her temper bristling as the emperor spoke, but she suppressed the impulse. There was something innately performative about the way the elf was speaking. As Somerulf continued, she felt more and more certain that this was a formality, not an accusation.

“Due to your actions during recent events, the initial accusation of wrongdoing has been deemed suspect,” Somerulf said as he slowly motioned with his staff towards the room around him. “Who here will stand in defense of Jadis Ahlstrom’s character and honor?”

“I will,” Wilhelm said instantly, taking half a step forward. “By word and deed, I have seen that Jadis is honorable.”

“I will,” Vraekae said in the next moment. “By past action and future promise, I have seen that Jadis’ character is true.”

“I will,” Prince Kestil said a moment a moment after. “For I have heard what those who have known her have to say, and her reputation is one of sincerity. She is no traitor to the Children of Valtar.”

“So spoken, thus heard,” Emperor Somerulf intoned. “Does anyone stand in opposition to Jadis’ character and honor?”

The throne room was silent.

“Very well,” the aged elf nodded once before turning his head slightly to his right. “Do these witnesses satisfy your concerns, Prince Hraustrekr? Or do you have further evidence or claim against her?”

“No, Emperor Somerulf,” the prince shook his head without turning his gaze away from Jadis. “My concerns are allayed and I withdraw all charge and complaint.”

“Then it is done,” Somerulf lightly tapped the tip of his staff against the stone floor.

When the silver staff touched the dais, a flash of light filled the room that quickly dispersed. Jadis wasn’t sure what that light was, but she felt the emperor’s pronouncement vibrate inside of her chest. Whatever he had done had been more than just words. Magic had been involved, though what kind of magic, Jadis had no idea.

“Jadis Ahlstrom,” the emperor addressed her directly.

“Yes,” all three of her spoke at once. Then, remembering what she had read in her etiquette book, she quickly added, “Your majesty.”

“The empire thanks you for your service and apologizes for the trouble you have been put through in recent weeks. You are as of this moment freed of any and all restraints and conditions. May your continued presence in my realm bring peace and prosperity.”

“Oh, uh, thank you,” Jay stumbled out, taken off guard by the unexpected apology. “I’m… glad to put the confusion behind us.”

Jadis felt like saying somewhat stronger words, but from the looks that Vraekae and Severina were giving her, she decided to continue to restrain her impulses. The emperor had actually just cleared her of all charges, after all. Maybe the old elf wasn’t so bad?

“Now, stand aside, young Nephilim,” the emperor commanded.

Blinking in surprise, Jadis did as she was told, taking a few steps out of the way, though she stayed with her companions. Was that all the emperor had wanted from her? A quick dismissal and that was it?

“Bonded Alex,” Emperor Somerulf spoke once more with great solemnity. “You are a Greater Demon and the Spawn of Samleos, child of the Enemy to The Nine. By imperial law, your life is forfeit.”

Well, fuck. It looked like Jadis was going to have to add an emperor to her punching list, too.

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