The Goddess of Death and Her Empress (Original Version)

“We have not found the attackers, sir.” The Captain of the Royal Guards said in a strained voice. “The doors are destroyed, but we can not determine what is missing.” The eunuch sighed.

“In all my years, this is a first. Show me.” The eunuch walked from his office, down a series of halls and steps, right to the gate that separated the main castle from the treasury. The eunuch frowned.

“I thought you said the doors were destroyed. This gate is intact and still locked.” He was not in the mood for a prank.

“This gate is intact. The treasury doors themselves are destroyed.” The Captain opened the gate, and though there were only three keys, the eunuch didn’t believe the Captain was capable of theft, or the type of person to rob the Emperor. He was too proud for that kind of thing.

“Those…” The eunuch paled. The doors were destroyed, or to describe it more accurately, shredded. “Those are claw marks!”

“Yes, sir. The doors were shredded as though by a large beast.” The doors were not wood, but wood clad in thick steel. “The only ones that I know of that can shred steel like this are the offspring of Gorgon.” The eunuch heard the Captain, and shook his head.

“Or the Others."  The Others of the goddess shredded steel armor like it was paper.

“What is missing?” The Emperor waited, while the eunuch went through his lists.

“One hundred thousand silver pieces, two hundred thousand gold pieces, ten pounds of jade, twenty pounds of precious corals, ten large amethysts, twenty large amber pieces, one large silver basin to hold the silver, one large gold basin to hold the gold, ten skins of the silverback snow wolf to hold the jade, twenty skins of the armored black bear to hold the amber, ten silver chalices to hold the amethysts, and twenty gold chalices to hold the precious rare amber.” The Emperor paled at the eunuch’s words.

“The Empress’s dowry?”

“Yes, your majesty. Her entire dowry.”

“Did you search her quarters?” He asked, now visibly shaken.

“Her bed is gone, as well as all her furniture. This note was left on the floor.” The old eunuch handed him a scroll made from the extremely expensive skin of a snow wolf. The message was simple.

“Is there anything that remains that belonged to the Empress?” The Emperor asked, his complexion quite pale.

“No, your majesty.”  Those words now had meaning.  In the eyes of the goddess, the Prince was not important.

The Prince is not hers.

“As you can see, Empress, the chapel has been cleaned with lye, and properly sanitized. The altar has been prepared as well.” Lena walked around the altar and nodded. The mechanism for her offering appeared complicated, and looked to almost be a torture device.

“Can you get the hooks altered, Rachel? The barbs will make it difficult to remove the flesh from. The points should be sharp, but no barb so the hook comes out afterward.” She said as she examined the piece.

“That can be done, and I believe it can be done in time.” Lena sighed softly. “What is wrong, Empress? You sound sad.” Rachel asked quietly.

“I miss my bed. Someone strong enough to force the Emperor to let me keep it had it made for me. The curtains kept the drafts off, the mattress was soft, and the materials easy to sleep on. Silk was nice for the harem, but I preferred thick soft cotton in the winter, and the finer threads in the summer. There was no other bed like it.” Rachel smiled softly at Lena’s words.

“They will not have it, Empress. Come. There is still much to see.”

“This is not a church, Rachel. It feels like a temple.” Lena said as they walked throughout the grounds. The tall stone walls, topped with iron spikes, protected the ones inside. The outer walls had some dwellings built into them like an old manor, or a lord’s keep. One side housed the kitchen, and the ones who worked there, while some gardens could be cultivated between the main building and the outer walls. The soil had not been worked in several decades, but it wouldn’t take a lot of effort to rejuvenate the area.

“At one time, it was a temple. The room where the current altar is located was once called the Purification room. A little bit deeper into the temple is the Offering Room. It is a sacred place to this day.” Rachel smiled, and looked a bit melancholy.

“This place was important to you?”

“I was offered to the goddess here. One of the last of the proper Offering ceremonies ever completed. The temple stood for centuries, with a proper hierarchy of priestesses, acolytes, guardians, and ceremonies to keep everyone clean.” She sighed sadly. “However, as all things change, so the hearts of the people changed. Many forgot the goddess even existed. The temple could not stand for long when there were no more acolytes being dedicated. I was the last acolyte offered. The priestesses that remained were more interested in the gold donations, and ended up going to other temples.” Rachel then smiled.

“But I do not regret the life I once had, nor the one I have now.” Rachel looked around, and nodded.

“A doctor will arrive here tomorrow, and the goddess will make sure you have enough supplies until you recover. After that, what you decide to do is up to you.” Rachel dissolved into a mist and dispersed. Kata’s eyes went wide.

“Where did she go, Empress?”

“Most likely the other side, or Haven, as she called it. Let’s go to the kitchen, and see if there is enough food, or maybe some silver coins we can use in the town nearby.” Lena left the chapel with Kata not far behind her.

But Rachel’s words echoed within her mind. What you decide to do is up to you.

When was the last time Lena ever had a choice about which direction her life would take?

The quick and most accurate answer would be ‘never’.