The Goddess of Death and Her Empress

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"Empress." The woman knelt down before her. Lena looked down at her and tilted her head. She looked over at Rachel.

"Empress Lena, this is Sira. She has been hand picked by one of the Others to be your royal guard. The goddess does not trust any of the guards of this pitiful kingdom to guard her Empress." Rachel said firmly. Lena slowly nodded, but touched her swollen belly.

"Was this because she didn't trust?" She asked. Rachel lowered her eyes.

"No, Empress. This was because we didn't understand." Rachel said, and immediately knelt down like a servant.

"Our goddess gave us strict instructions to protect you, but allow you to experience life." Rachel closed her eyes. "We never expected that someone would do these things to someone the goddess wanted to protect." Lena reached out and put her hand on Rachel's head.

"I don't like the fact that I carry his child, Rachel, but it is done. But I don't want him to touch me again." She said firmly. "He smells bad." She looked at Sira.

"What is your name?" Lena asked. Rachel felt Lena's hand keep her down.

"Sira, Empress." She said quietly. Lena tilted her head.

"This is not the name you were given at birth." Lena said, which made the muscular woman raise her head in surprise.

"True, Empress. This is the name I was given when sold by my parents, and bought by my master. I was sold at age five, and can no longer remember my birth name." She said quietly. Lena nodded slowly.

"I name you Kata, my royal guard. Sira is the name of a slave who was only valued for the coin they paid for her. Kata is the name you have earned. Being chosen by one of my goddess's Others is a special privilege that only a few will ever experience. It has more value than the Emperor's treasury." Kata's eyes misted up.

"Thank you, Empress Lena, Empress of Krov." Kata said, and put her forehead on Lena's knee. Lena smiled and ran her fingers through Kata's hair.

"My first person. Remember, you are not a slave. You are my royal guard, a person chosen by a daughter of the goddess of death. Remember your value to me." Lena smiled and looked at Rachel. "My guard needs armor, and a weapon, Rachel. Will Kyrie help me with this?" Rachel smiled.

"Empress, as soon as you said the word, our goddess has dispatched her personal blacksmith to forge her armor and a proper weapon. No guard or solider in Krov will ever possess such armor again." Rachel said. Lena put her hand back on Rachel's hair.

"Do not fail Kyrie again, Rachel." Lena said firmly. "I may be the Empress, but Kyrie has given her orders. Kata is my guard, but they are not to get near enough to me to test her skills. You understand? No one." Rachel watched as Lena's eyes turned into red orbs, like her goddess, for only a brief second, but it sent a shiver down Rachel's spine.

"Your servants understand, Empress." Rachel put a finger to her temple. "The goddess has repeated these orders to the point that no one will ever doubt them."

"Good." Lena said. "Now, about my parents, and their wealth." Rachel felt a shiver go down her spine again. Kyrie has already spoken of how Lena was the Empress, but not of Krov, or of a small country on Imera.

She said no more, but they knew if they had to ask, there would be trouble.

* * *

"Though your parent's wealth is in the treasury, it's not difficult for us to retrieve it." Rachel said.

"Good. My father did business, and I learned from him. I can't do business here, or the bastard who treated me like a bitch he could f...." Lena grit her teeth in anger. She didn't want to give voice to her anger. She held it down, and would deal with it in time.

"Have the ones who killed my parents, other than that dog king, been taken care of?" Lena asked.

"Yes, Empress." Rachel said. "All the soldiers who were used to bring you here, who murdered your parents, and who seized your family assets, all are dead. They did not die quickly either." Lena let out a slow breath.

"Good. So that leaves the future. I will not stay here long term." She lightly rubbed her belly. "I hate the fact that I'm pregnant with his child." She grit her teeth again.

"When it's time, Empress, you will not have to worry about it." Rachel said. Lena frowned slightly. "Our goddess did not tell us what she did, but she knows how you will be treated by him in the future. She would not leave this weight on your shoulders when she takes you out of here. Trust her." She pointed to Lena's belly. "This is our fault for not being more vigilant. The goddess will not allow you to suffer long term for it."

"Alright, I'll trust her judgment. But I want the silver that is mine, along with the value of my father's assets." She said firmly. "In the next few years, can you send servants to the south to set up shops, buy land, and farms?" Rachel smiled.

"Yes." She tilted her head slightly. "The goddess has said that she has an area in mind already. When it's time, and you come of age, you'll be ready to gather the reins, and leave this cursed place."

"Alright, again, I'll trust the goddess. However, I want to see the deeds, and work on the account books. Whether you bring copies for me to read, seasonal trends in the south, and the like, I need things to do." She looked around the small room.

"I also need a place that is safer to sleep, and far away from that stinking dog bastard who usurped his king's throne, and calls himself an emperor." Lena did not like to swear, as her parents would not be happy with it.

However, this felt like an accurate description of a man she now loathed to the bones.

* * *

"What are you doing?" The maid asked the king's chef. He frowned at her.

"What business is it of yours?" He snorted.

"You fool, that is for the Empress!" She hissed. Again, he snorted.

"If you don't want to lose your head, step away. This was ordered by the Imperial Consort, and the Empress is no longer favored by the Emperor." He said in a superior tone.

"Correction." The maid said. "The Emperor is afraid of the one who backs the Empress, and is not allowed anywhere near her. If you do this, you will not be able to step foot out of this kitchen with your head attached." She said and gestured to the hall. "It's your choice." He snorted again, but as soon as he stepped out, just as the maid said, his head was removed from his body. The maid went over to a side door.

"Sir, we need a new chef. The Imperial Consort had the chef poison the Empress' food." The maid said and bowed. Every single person in that kitchen heard a snort.

"Stupid. This is the third time. It looks like the Emperor will need a new consort." The eunuch said. He came out of the side room, and pulled a rope. A small guard force appeared.

"Sir." The guard bowed.

"Remove the body. Remove the food and do not eat it unless you want to be poisoned." The eunuch rolled his eyes. "Why are there so many stupid people who come here? We need to make sure the ones who come are aware of their place." The guard looked at the body.

"It's been a year, and everyone in the palace should already know that there are some people you can't irritate. The one who watches over the Empress is one such being."