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     There I stood before him, uncertain of what might happen next as I answered him saying "Yes, I am terrified of dying." then I took a step back slowly, asking him "Why Uncle.., are you prepared to take my life?" at this moment, as the words of my mouth sank into his mind, a clarity in his thoughts parted the haze of darkness enclosing his heart, as I stood there shaking, fear ablaze in my eyes.
     "Do not be afraid sweet spirit..," he paused, reaching out for my hand, beckoning "Come.., sit beside me, for my own soul is heavy with despair and my body is weak from hunger."
     So it was, I sat next to him, assured by his words, full of mercy and pity in my heart for his suffering, hoping just to give him a little comfort, as I saw the warmth return to his eyes. I, being filled with great sympathy for him, for his.., mental and physical decline. For I tell you this, he appeared like a dead man sitting there, like a ghost in the shell of a human being . It was, as if, I were in the company of a phantom, no spark of life existed in him, at that time. Here is where he put his arm around me, gently, leaning his head upon my shoulder, crying heavily, saying "If only I could bring her back to me." he lamented.
     "Priscilla resides in the Palace of Hades, with dead." I told him "She can not come back across the River Styx, she is with the Spirits of our Ancestors now. Let her rest in peace. Dearest Uncle, let me give a little a comfort to thee." I said calmly, trying to be brave and supportive for the sake of his sanity. "Everything will be alright.., why, by this time next year, I promise, your heart and mind will be made whole again and you will come to love your son, with out any thought of abandoning him. But until then.., let out all of this pain, be not afraid for the sake of loneliness, for you are not alone. Now you must be strong, unburden yourself from your misery, you must share this all with your family, and I promise you will feel all the better for it. Suffer not in silence, bring out your fear to the light, cast away the darkness of your heart and mind." thereafter the sobbing and weeping went on for a long while.Then, suddenly, a strange calm came over him in a wave of silence, the atmosphere in the room seemed to change, growing heavy with tension and aggression there in the dimly lit space. Cothos remained perfectly still, his head bowed, hands on his lap, as if in prayer, his eyes closed, so still was he, I thought perchance his spirit had left his body as no air came to his lungs. This went on for what seemed like an eternity. I  did not know whether I should remain by his side, or flee. Slowly, then, he, at long last, took in a deep breath, raised his head,  turning to me speaking in an unfamiliar voice.
     "Blessed are you, who alone has come to help save me from the abyss of my despair.., thank you." he said taking my hand, kissing it. "Thank you." he said again, kissing my bare shoulder. "Bless you." he said kissing my neck. "Thank you." he said kissing my cheek, as I tried to turn my head away. Whereupon he grabbed my chin forcibly as he proceeded to kiss my mouth, parting my lips violently with thrusts of his slippery tongue, tasting of sour wine. I tried to push him off of me, but he is so big and so strong, he pushed me, hard, back into the bed, the weight of his muscular body pressing deep into me as I struggled to breathe, twisting and writhing my body like serpent to get out from underneath him. Then, just as I could bear the force of his body no longer, he suddenly eased his transgress, collapsing into a deep state of unconsciousness on top of me in a heap, so inebriated from alcohol was he! Praise be to the gods, for if he had continued on.., I would not have been able to stop him.
     "This is the truth of what happened to me, left suffering by the deplorable behavior of a member of my own family." Princess Gianna said finishing her unhappy and shocking story.
     "What did you then?" Queen Sparta asked horrified by his actions in the tale, her blood simmering with anger.
     "I crawled out from underneath him, throwing on my stolen robes and ran as fast as I could, unrecognized, back to the temple before any one noticed I was missing.., and I never spoke of the incident to anyone, until now, YET, it is only for your sake that I speak now, be not deceived, nor beguiled by General Cothos, for he is an ambitious man, having a thirst for power, and prestige, unlike I have ever seen." the worried young woman warned her a second time.
      "Have you never confronted him about what happened?" Queen Sparta asked intrigued.
     "I did.., several nights later, but he says he does not remember anything of the encounter, and he has showered me with gifts, all of which I refuse, to buy my silence."
     "So, you can not tell your father, for you had disobeyed him, and.., if you did tell Emperor Cyrillus he would surely have the General killed.., would he not." here the Queen's line of questioning drawing out answers in her favor.
      "One would hope.., but no." she sighed in disappointment.
      "No?!" Surely the attempted rape of his daughter would merit execution." the clever Queen added.
      "Upon my aunt's death, Priscilla begged my father not to ever harm her husband, for she loved Cothos so and she knew of the discord between the two, her brother being very jealous of anyone that loved his darling, dearest sister. So it has come to pass my father has taken General Cothos under his wing, not realizing he has welcomed in a viper to his nest." she said with contempt.
     "General Cothos a viper?" here the Queen said shaking her head. "Oh little Princess, you are so young and have no idea the hearts and minds of men." the Roman girl gave Sparta a confused look as the Queen opened up her mouth saying "What transpired that night was not any fault of your uncle's.., for he was oppressed by tragedy, possessed by liquid spirits that filled, and fueled, his mind with terrible things! You must find it in your heart to forgive him. For he is only a man, a sorry breed.You see..,  they have no understanding, or control over their own emotions, this is what sets men and women apart, and the only reason why men cry in the dark."
     "FORGIVE HIM!?" Princess Gianna scoffed choking a little on her own rage.
     "Yes, yes! Verily I say unto you, be not ignorant in your understanding, for, after all, he is only a man, forced to suffer under the duress of despair, anger, sadness, fear of death and loneliness, consumed with wine, ravaged by hunger.., he was not in his right mind. I am sure he is a good man, for your aunt would not have loved him so, your father would not show him such compassion and understanding.., and.., if he is a snake in the grass, as you so say you believe, then would not your own father, the Emperor have made this known to me and my brother, the King?" Queen Sparta said, playing the part of the loyal defender of the poor, ill-fated General. Here Princess Gianna did not look convinced so she added "Now do not be misled, for it is good for you to be angry with him! For your eyes are open.., however, your heart is closed to the compassion of understanding, but you are too young and naive. For it was with sympathy for your uncle and his newborn son, that you completely disobeyed your father and this is what, ultimately, led to this terrible scene." she paused then gave the young woman a sweet look of understanding saying "Any man, whom had been made to suffer as Cothos has, under the grip of drunkenness, and you came to them in secret, sitting upon their chamber bed with them, allowing them to cry upon your shoulder, consoling them so, any man, under those conditions, should be forgiven his transgression, for, as I have said, men have no control over themselves, they are not as disciplined as women in the realm of emotions, feelings, lust, our lives and homes." here she continued "Be not cross with General Cothos, for he is only a man, and these poor creatures are to be pitied, loved and shown compassion for that is what they deserve, no more, no less. So, I thank you for sharing this with me, but we shall go and speak of this no further."
     Now before the Princess could respond a loud knocking came at the door, as King Therakles ran in the room. "Queen Sparta emissaries from Athens have just arrived with grievous news from Thrace! We must convene with the War Council at once!" he panted, red faced and out of breath.

Chapter 12 continues

     Whereupon Princess Gianna, whom had not, as of yet, stepped inside the Queen's Royal bedchamber, stared around eagerly noticing the accoutrement's of war hanging like works of art upon the walls of the brightly lit room, the drapes and shutters thrown wide open, a crisp breeze blowing in scented with the calming fragrance of jasmine and gardenia. Here she lightly touched the crescent shaped shield with her delicate fingers, noticing all the many colored pillows, cushions, rugs and blankets scattered about the sparsely furnished chamber, the bed being the main focal point; which, in itself, was massive easily able to accommodate four or more persons, for sleep, though if she had that many men in her bed, she doubted anyone would be getting any rest. "I see you are truly a Warrior Queen." the Princess said as she reached out to touch the sword sheathed hanging near her. Then Gianna turned and seated herself beside Queen Sparta at the foot of the bed. "I shall tell you all, for what is done in the darkness, shall now be spoken of in the light." the young woman sighed her heart heavy with worry.

     "Of all you speak, I shall avow to keep as a secret between us, you, whom my dearest, beloved brother, adores." Queen Sparta smiled, her clear eyes and gentle voice calming Princess Gianna's fears as she gently pulled back a strand of dark curls out of the young woman's eyes.  
    "Upon the death of my Aunt Priscilla, the Generals wife, we were all completely devastated by the loss to our family." she began her tale. "For she was as sweet and kind like no other woman I have ever known, always cheerful and in good spirits, without an unkind word for anyone, ever finding the good side of people, a rare thing for we Romans." she said her eyebrows raised a little "Her smile was as pure as sunshine, eyes as bright as the stars of heaven, she could sing for hours with the voice of an angel." Gianna paused as if she could hear her aunt singing now. "When she was taken away from us..," her words trailed off as her eyes welled up with tears. "our hearts were darkened with the pain of sadness and grief; the depths of which swallowed up General Cothos, consuming him wholly."
     "The pain of loss can be unbearable, for anyone." Queen Sparta said knowing full and well, for she had not yet quite recovered from the death of her father.
     "Thereafter Cothos took to his rooms, refusing to see the child, his new born son, whom he blamed for the death of his blushing bride. So great were his lamentations he took no time to even give his babe a name. So we, as a family, decided to call him Gaius Aristicos, my father conferring upon him the title of Royal Nephew of the Emperor." Princess Gianna paused thinking of the young, motherless child. "So it came to pass, several days after the burial, my father and myself went to check in on my uncle for his health and state of mind was in a sorry state of affairs. For he having consumed no food, only taking in strong drink of any kind, wine, beer, mead, medical elixirs of gall and such. Anything to keep his mind numb to the pain and wiped clean of any memories of the past few weeks, the death of his wife." here she sat back pulling a cushion over her lap "We had brought in with us a physician and a tray of food, hoping to impart a little love and good cheer unto him, but it was all of no use.., for his mind was clouded, his thoughts confused. Then, after we had only been there a few minutes, Cothos began speaking in an unfamiliar voice as he sat curled up on his chair, glass of wine in his hand, sounding very much like there was a devil inside him. At one point he leapt up from his seated position, grabbing my wrists, restraining me, pulling him closer to him, calling me by my aunt's name, saying 'Priscilla, you have returned to me!' whereupon he threw his arms around my waist, embracing me tightly, kissing my neck! I struggled gasping for air, I found I could not breathe, I felt my heart would burst and it took my father and the physician to free me from his grasp." she recalled her pulse quickening at the recollection as she clasped her hands around her throat.
     "Were you harmed?" Queen Sparta asked sitting on the edge of her seat, eyes wide with intrigue so fascinated by the story was she.
     "No, no.., he did not harm my person.., only frightening my spirit, and so it was my father forbade me from returning to see my Uncle, until he had regained a since of balance and normalcy. So.., until this madness, of his, passed I promised to leave him be. However.., I could only stand to hear his son crying for its mother and father for so long, that three weeks later I sought to steal away from my guards, to go in and entreat him on behalf of his child, and out of love for his dead wife, only for the sake of little Arsticos, I went to the temple during the hour of morning prayers, then, disguising myself as a priestess, I slipped out the back of the temple and went to visit Cothos in his rooms appearing to be an acolyte of Apollo coming to help him with his spiritual needs"
     "You disobeyed your father?" Queen Sparta asked, disheartened by this portion of her story.
     Here the troubled Princess stood up and began pacing the floor, wringing her little hands in embarrassment and frustration. "When I entered in to see him, even though it was a hot, bright summer day, the room was darkened by heavy black drapes, and the room was unusually cold for that time of the year and day. A chill ran up and down the length of my spine as I spied him sitting motionless on the edge of his bed.., just as you are now. Here she recalled her tale as if it were happening first hand.
    "Uncle Cothos." I said stepping a little closer to him "I have come to bring good news of your son." then I removed my stolen priestly robes so that he might better see me, revealing my face to him. "'Tis I, Gianna come to see you." then he turned his head ever so sightly to one side like a dog who is unsure if this person who has just entered the room was an intruder, or its master.
     "I HAVE NO CHILD!" came his angry reply.
     He dropped his head, folded his hands in his lap as I knelt before him tears in my eyes "Uncle! Please, I beseech you on bended knees, come out of this darkness, be a father to your son as Priscilla would want you to be!" I supplicated myself before him. Then he looked at me gazing into my eyes with a cloud of darkness around him and he asked me one question."
     "What did he ask of you, pray tell?" Queen Sparta said her mouth open as wide as her eyes.
     He said in a voice as cold as winter snow and ice"Tell me little Princess.., are you afraid to die?"

More Chapter 12

     So it came to pass, the Emperor of Rome was welcomed into the Great Hall for a light lunch at the spacious Spartan Royal Palace, along with his emissaries, however, they stayed for only an hour, or so, for Emperor Cyrillus was eager to begin his pilgrimage to Delphi and sail on wards to Lydia and Ephesus, where he would trade vast quantities of gold in exchange for silks and spices from the far eastern lands. Now his talk centered around the peace between Rome and Sparta, the marriage arrangement, news form Thrace etc..., alas he spoke not a word of the matter between himself and Queen Sparta; of which they had discussed at length the previous night. He was delighted to witness, first hand, the clever and seductive Queen openly flirting with General Cothos, hanging on his every word, laughing at his amusing tales, luring him closer into her circle of trust through mutual admiration, for she was setting her plan of action in motion. The poor unsuspecting General having no idea, or notion, Queen Sparta's affection and attention was all just an act of subterfuge, he, himself actually thinking his powers of charm and sexual appeal were working.
     Whereto fore Cyrillus, along with his dignitaries, did bid farewell to the Spartans and his daughter, whom had a few tears in her eyes upon her fathers departure, though King Therakles assured her he would always be standing there ready to console her, doing his best to keep her happy and safe in her fathers absence. Queen Sparta gave Cyrillus a sly, knowing look as the two embraced, he whispering in her ear, "You shall have your reward." with that the group said their goodbyes leaving behind Princess Gianna, her chaperon the ill-fated General Cothos, as well as ten or so members of the Roman entourage comprised of maidservants and body guards.
     Now all left remaining sat themselves back down at the long table in the Great Hall of the Palace, all talking openly and freely filling the room with the sounds of hearty laughter and gentle mirth. Many times Queen Sparta would reach out lightly touching General Cothos upon his muscular arm, shoulder, hand or knee as she sat next to him, whereby, at the end of the two hour feast, he had moved his chair much closer in proximity to the flirtatious Queen. For he believed his charms were affecting her to his advantage, naturally, so he believed, but with her master work of deception in play, Queen Sparta, herself, could put the LIE in BELIEVE. Whereupon Queen Sparta entreated the handsome General to accompany her on a horseback ride through the verdant countryside, so that they, themselves, might have a better chance of getting acquainted with one another, thus giving King Therakles and Princess Gianna a little time together as he had promised to escort  her on a private tour of the vast temple complex, stables and the market place.
     "I am filled with great pleasure knowing you will come out riding with me, dearest, sweetest General Cothos." she purred in his ear in the presence of her body guard, Captain Sinos, who only rolled his eyes, pretending not to care.
     "Why I shall be delighted to see you, sitting high up in the saddle, your long golden hair flowing back behind you. Yes.., I will enjoy accompanying you, though.., I must confess, I am not an expert in the area of horsemanship, such as your legendary self." he leaned in a little taking her hand in his, whispering "Perhaps you can teach a few tricks to staying up." he said with a gleam in his eyes adding "For you, I am sure, are extremely skilled."
     "Rest assured, this will prove quite thrilling.., to take you out for a long.., hard ride through my fertile land." she replied. Here all noticed the magnetic attraction between the two, though no one dare say anything, as all ate and drank, with their bellies full and hearts made light by the good company. Then Princess Gianna gave a worried look as she spied General Cothos whispering in the ear of Queen Sparta a blush coming to her cheeks most apparently.
     "If you will excuse me while I go and change to prepare for the outing, our hard ride together."  General Cothos whispered into her ear, tickling the supple neck of our Queen with his hot breath.
     Here Princess Gianna approached Queen Sparta as she held King Therakles by the hand saying "Pray.., wait a moment longer, and forgive me King Therakles." Gianna said in a voice as soft as bird with a bit of worry clearly in her voice. "I require a bit of your sister's time and attention, regarding a matter of a personal nature."
     "As you wish, for I must go and confer with my Councilors of War and shall return within the hour."

     Here Princess Gianna gave her Royal suitor a sweet kiss upon the cheek, then, as he departed, out of sight her expression turned to one of grave concern as she reached out squeezing Queen Sparta's arm "I beseech you great Queen, I must speak with you.., privately."

     "What matter of trouble weighs so heavily upon your worried mind?" she asked, hoping all was well, leading the distressed Princess back to her secluded bedchamber, Queen Sparta's guards closing the door behind them, leaving the Queen and the foreign Princess alone.
     "You must be given fair warning, my noble, Royal Lady, you must take care with General Cothos, for my Uncle is not as charming and harmless as he appears to be." she said in a whisper as tense as wire.
     "What man is?" the duplicitous Queen replied with a smile, then she spoke in a serious tone, narrowing her gaze saying "Am I to understand you have some ill spoken words about a member of your family?" Queen Sparta gave a disappointed look.
   "He is only a member of my family because my foolish aunt was deceived into marrying him." the Princess replied her words coming like venomous poison from her tongue."'Of what I am about to impart to you, NO ONE KNOWS! Not even my father, the Emperor." she said her amber eyes wet with tears.
     "Now I am intrigued.., come sit, talk with me, tell me your story, now tell me all of it and we shall see if it is of some benefit." Queen Sparta said as she beckoned the young girl to sit beside her upon her large bed.

Chapter 12

     Dawn the next day. Overcast clouds kept back the sun that late Spring morning as a light mist of rain gently fell over the Spartan plain, whereto fore Queen Sparta lay asleep in her bed as a loud, familiar voice came in her ear "Wake up!" her brother shouted as he sat himself down in the bed next to his sister, who opened her eyes, her heart racing, his voice pulling her quickly out the peaceful embrace of a deep sleep, after hours of drinking and talking with the Emperor into the wee hours of the night, plotting and scheming.
     "Go Away!" she shouted, her head pounding, stomach churning her tongue dry as the desert sands, Queen Sparta rolling over trying to rest again, whereupon her brother went up on all fours bouncing around the bed like a frightened dog, shaking the bed making her laugh. "Therakles! Stop this at once lest you force up the contents of my stomach all over the sheets."
     "Oh dear sister, did you have too much to drink last night?" he asked raising his eyebrows with a stupid look upon his handsome face.
     "Not too much! It is just.., well I am not accustomed to the Tuscan wine, for it is as delicious as it is potent and somewhat of a shock to my system." Queen Sparta said rubbing her head saying "Now, I pray of you brother, suffer me no longer and let me sleep a little longer.., or bring me some medicine for my pains, for I require much cool water, sweet bread, raspberry jam, butter, and cheese, bacon and sausage, with hot tea with lemon and honey, a bit of sustenance of energy to get me through this day." Sparta said her eyes not as clear and bright as they should be, but Therakles knew his sister drank only to get drunk, for she was still imature and young, caring not for the flavour of the blood of the grape, so he was benevolent towards her in this manner for he knew his sister, no matter the arena of interest, always sought to live her life, with no limits, and being that she was a free born woman, a Royal Queen, King Therakles afforded her every luxury of freedom to her without fear of reprisal or judgement. He wanted her to be free, fully, in heart and mind, in all actions and deeds.
     "Very well, sister dear.., my poor sweetheart.., up all night discussing important matters of State with the Emperor of Rome.., or could it be that he had other ideas for your time together aboard his vessel?" Therakles said curling up next to her whispering in her ear. "Tell me.., did Cyrillus try to kiss you?"
     "No! Never! Now get off of me!" she said smacking him the face with a soft pillow.
     Therakles burst out laughing telling her "Very well, rest a little longer, I will send in your maid servants with your breakfast and to help dress you, prepare you for the day. You have one hour before we meet with the Emperor, who sails for Delphi and Lydia for a three week journey across the sea..,. Leaving Princess Gianna, here with me..,  safe in our care until he returns. I have made her comfortable in three rooms in the palace, filling the chambers with all manners of comforts of the luxurious Roman Palaces she, along with her entourage, are accustomed to. We must do our best to make her feel at home in these sparse surroundings, we have.., until now, only known, for theses Romans are consumed with the arts, music and lush comforts. Then in a few weeks time we shall have our contract of marriage signed, sealed and delivered, and then Our Nation shall celebrate the union of our thrones with a lavish ceremony before all the people and I shall have my heir for the Sake of Spartan Posterity." King Therakles smiled his eyes as bright as the stars of heaven, his face as radiant as the sun and he truly looked like a man deep in the throes of unquestionable love.
     "Have you been made happy by the Princess, my dearest, sweetest brother?" Sparta asked sitting herself up in bed stroking his hair.
     "Oh I can say, truthfully, my heart is as light as the feathers of an eagles wings. Her mere presence sends my soul flying! When she kisses me.., I am short of breath and I feel close to dying, revived only by the scent of her hair, the warmth of her lips, the softness of her skin." he sighed with pure delight.
     "Yes, but if only you could be a tad more descriptive in your feelings for her." she laughed, then she smiled sweetly embracing him tightly to her bosom saying "Surely the gods smile upon us, granting you, whom I love with all my heart and soul, this love and happiness."
     "Praise be to Zeus and Hera, and YOU! My sister! My Queen! For bringing my beautiful bride to Greece!" he exclaimed showering her with sweet little kisses upon the cheek. Queen Sparta wished that the two of them could sit in this blissful moment just a little bit longer together, for she knew the new changes in their world would tear them apart, however, the needs of the State out weigh the desires of a Queen; whose duties to her nation were far more pressing, stronger was the pull of the needs of her army, of whom some 7000 troops would set sail for a mission of war.
     "I will join you shortly my brother, now go, leave me in peace." here the two embraced then, at long last, Queen Sparta was indeed left alone, with her private thoughts, for a moment longer then she fell back into bed, pulling the blankets up over her body, her mind solely focused on the art of deception at hand, for Queen Sparta would have to put on a masterwork of a performance, to practice to deceive all those around her, for the purpose of taking the breath of life from the hated General Cothos. Queen Sparta planned on entreating him with kindness and sweet affection to lure him, within striking distance. For she knew from her training as loyal soldier in the Themiscyran Division, on the subject of murder.., Once you have decided upon a killing, first you make a stone of your heart.., and if you find that your hands are still willing.., then you can turn a murder into art. Of the time and manner of his death.., she had to watch and wait, taking much concern and consideration, upon this premeditated act of violence; which suited her needs best. The unfortunate, hated General, having no understanding of the dangerous peril he would soon face at the hands of our charming, benevolent and glorious Queen of Sparta.., whom desired his blood to be shed, as a testament, a sacrifice, a symbol of Unity, Loyalty, Respect and Honor, being rest assured, once set upon her course, there would be BLOOD FOR SPARTA! Soon the brutal outcome would be the talk of the Peloponnese as for the time being, Cothos spent that morning in good cheer, being light of heart, his mind full of ideas of self importance, having no idea the course of his ambition, greed, avarice and life would soon come to a bloody end, by the hands of her, whom would embrace him with kisses upon on the mouth, holding hands and more, he would be deceived by a dangerous love.

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     Murder. He, the Emperor, was clearly referring to the cold blooded act. Now Queen Sparta, herself, had killed hundreds of men in battle, for killing in the name of War was acceptable, but to take a human life, unprovoked, with malice aforethought, there was no nation on the face of the Earth that would find this brutal act justifiable in any court of law or temple of religion. However if there were some justifiable, provoked reason for the taking of General Cothos' life, well Queen Sparta's ears were opened with a mind set to hear the reasoning of the Emperor of Rome. "Please forgive my silence, as I was lost in a thought.., but I am now quite intrigued.., so please, by all means, tell me the thoughts of your own mind."
     "General Cothos.., as I have made mention, is an incredibly ambitious, cautious creature, like a viper his mind twists and turns to all manners of ways of improving upon his station in life, and if he could take my place as Emperor.., he could take the world." here his voice grew tense as wire when he spoke of his hated brother in-law. "I have heard rumors and whispers, among certain members of the senate, for Cothos could soon pose a threat to my throne, being that I have, as of yet, no male heir. This being the case, his ideas involve getting rid of me, placing my nephew, his son, upon the throne, why then the clever General would set himself to rule as the young boy's proxy. Then he plans to kill my sister's son, after a few years on throne. These are his plans for the future and they do not include there being any breath of  life in my body. My spies bring me news daily of his plots and conspiracies, treachery and treason. I can no longer suffer through his duplicitous actions, yet out of the deep love for my beloved Prisca, and the welfare of my nephew I have yet to act."
     Queen Sparta sat back taking in all this new, disturbing information as she set her wine glass down, shifted her position looking directly into his sad dark eyes asking of him "How much trouble your mind must be made to suffer, I am so sorry to hear of this, the loss of your sister, the strife of your life. If I have him executed for you.., will this better secure the alliance between our two nations and help you sleep at night?"
     "It would make a great start!" he smiled his laughter and bright eyes returning once again the he added "I can assure you, dearest Queen Sparta, spend a few weeks with him and you, yourself, will want to kill him with your bare hands!" here the two monarchs laughed together in good cheer but then he said something that made Queen Sparta quite angry and agitated when he added "Oh, I wager if you only knew some of the things he has been telling his men about you, and what he would like to do to you, then you would go off now and slit his throat leaving him in a pool of his own blood, dead!"
     Whereupon she sat there frozen for a moment, with a cold stone look upon her face, as if someone had just walked over her grave. Queen Sparta gave a stern, sharp eyed gaze with fire in her words and the feeling of brimstone churning in her belly she said "Tell me now, all of it, tell me now, pray tell, what has he said? For if the General is as foolish as he is ambitious I will have his head."
     Cyrillus smiled with delight, for this was precisely the reaction he had hoped to achieve in the young Queen, then he leaned in closer as he told her all, saying "My spies have overheard him bragging to his soldiers and servants that he plans to bed you in seven days time, saying he will pay out one thousand florins if it is not so. Also he made mention to one of his whores, whom I employee, that, were there not a suitable match betwixt my daughter and your brother, he would seduce you into bed.., and thereby seduce you into marriage, establishing himself as your King's Consort. This is all I know, I can tell you no more.., all of this is for you to act upon, however you see fit.., I do apologize for having to speak of all of this unhappiness."

    "I am shocked, and deeply disheartened by this news and can not even begin to formulate my plan of action,  so dazed by his schemes and conspiracy am I" she said her teeth clenched together her pulse racing with the rage of anger.

     "The General must be rid of so that we might stop his influence and crush all of is ambitions for power! Of this I require your cooperation and assistance so that we may solidify our alliance." Cyrillus said in all manner of seriousness.

     "In a show of Unity, Loyalty, Respect and Honor I will take these matters into my own hands, telling no one of what I shall do.., when the time comes. However.., there is one thing I require in return." she said getting up off the plush bed standing to her feet her head swimming with wine, fury and anxiousness.

     Emperor Cyrillus stared up at the towering figure of Queen Sparta and he said holding her hands "Tell me what it is you want and I will give it to you." he smiled with a light in his eyes as bright as the sun.

More Chapter 11

     "Priscilla., my dearest, only, most beloved sister." the voice of the Emperor's words trailed off as his gaze grew far off and distance remembering her sweet face. "She married Cothos three years ago, against my wishes, for I have never liked the man, nor could I understand what she saw in him. Priscilla professed her undying love for him, and this broke my heart immeasurably, however, out of the deep well of love I have for her I allowed the marriage to take place and even gave the couple vast rooms in my palace so I could keep a close eye on the ambitious captain and my darling little sister" here he paused looking back into Queen Sparta's soulful eyes continuing his story "I promoted him to the position of general, furnishing him with a large salary to take care of my dearest Prisca, as I called her, in the manner in which she was accustomed to, welcoming him into my family and royal residence doing my best to tolerate his presence." here his voice grew softer, filled with great emotion, as he recalled the incident of tragedy, his face and timber of his voice clearly upset by the memory "It was this time last year Prisca, my sister, grew great with child, during the delivery.., there were complications." a tear welled up in his dark eyes "The baby boy was born healthy and survived, however, just a few hours later, I sat by her bedside praying for her recovery for she had great difficulties breathing.., she knew she was dying." he stopped speaking as Queen Sparta sat there listening.
     "What happened then, in that hour?" she asked eager to hear his tale of woe.
     "She held my hand, pale as the moon was she, Priscilla was worried of my deep hatred for her husband and she begged of me to promise I would vow never to harm him, for I had told her earlier that if she died I would lay the blame at his feet forever; which I still do, I can not lie."
     "You made this promise." Queen Sparta replied reaching out touching his hand.
     "Yes, I said I would keep her son safe, raising him as my own, and that I, nor any of my men, would allow any harm to come him. I swore I would not, myself, seek any revenge, vendetta, nor retribution." he sighed the grief still at the surface of his feelings.
     "So you have kept your promise, though it must be very difficult for you to show Cothos mercy and restraint." she gave a little smile.
     "Yes.,".the Emperor paused smiling along with her, then saying in a cheerful tone with a hearty laugh "However, if he were to meet with some sudden, unfortunate accident while here in your beautiful country!" here the two laughed at the notion then the Emperor ceased his smiling, growing very silent, giving a look as serious and as cruel as the grave and then, as her own laughter trailed off, Queen Sparta realized that Cyrillus was not, in fact joking.