Chapter 55: The golden palace
Time passed and Zaelia was slowly but surely conquering the world. Her raids were organized, her palace was growing, and it was glorious. She was a true leader and a charismatic one.
She sat on her golden throne and admired her creation. If the view in front of her was once a tribe with a few tents, it was now a full city. She eventually had her forges to melt gold and make the shiniest palace in the world. In a year only, the first parts of the palace were built. The foundations of the city were aligned around the large white stone path. The architect imagined an irrigation system, he managed to grow trees along this path. Zaelia sat on the top of the stairs, every night she was watching the sky with contemplation.
Every night she was speaking to Achanium. She was hoping for an answer, she was hoping to see him one day coming to her. Not to make her a goddess, but to honor her in his presence. To tell her that he liked what she did. She wanted him to be proud of her. Archanium was listening to her whispers every night, regretting that he made this deal with his new brother prohibiting him from coming to meet her.
He raised his hand in front of him from his realm as he was watching her. He wanted to touch her. Like an echo to him, without understanding why. She raised her hand to the sky. She wanted to catch something without knowing what. It was a strange and intense feeling. It was a connection with something in the universe, and deep in her heart she knew it was him. She believed in this more than anything.
She stood up after this moment of calm. Everything was going according to plan and that made her proud. Her city was growing, her palace was magnificent, and her men were stronger than ever.
She was at the beginning of her glory. She understood that gold was something important in the cities around, so she massively sent raids to collect all gold from every town. Due to this, the palace was full of gold. Some decorative columns were made of gold, it was everywhere. Shiny in the light of the desert like a jewel. Her golden eyes, a gift from Archanium, never have been so dazzling.
She was slowly building an army. She became a recognized warlord and the Queen of the sun. Her name became famous around the world. People started to fear her more and more. The rumor spread that Archanium's favorite would come to ravage their land if they didn't worship him. To her eyes, this was a perfect victory. It was exactly what she wanted. People were not building temples in his name in the hope of ascending as a god and being immortal at his side anymore, no, they were doing it to obtain his favors, his protection, and his love. To become his favorite on earth. To survive. They had this illusion that Zaelia was not human, that she was the messenger of the god. They were not greedy for eternal life anymore but for love.
Zaelia didn't care about gold, she liked it only as it was the symbol of the sun, the symbol of Archanium and if he liked it, then, she needed it more than anything else. She was covering everything in gold, even herself. It was ornamented in her clothes, hairpin, and jewels. She was abusing gold to catch his eyes.
Xzander was always there for her, in her shadow. Zaelia's obsession worried him, and he regularly tried to talk to her about it. As the years passed, they were together getting older, and she was alone talking to Archanium from her throne, alone in the dark evenings, every night, while he found a wife and had kids. Xzander was worried about her loneliness, seeing that other kingdoms had monarchies, and he broached the subject with her during a quiet evening.
"Zaelia, what if Archanium never comes to you? Have you thought about having an heir to our Kingdom? Don't you want...someone?" He searched for words, not wishing to anger her.
Zaelia laughed. She was walking in the room where there would be hot baths later.
"I will not have an heir. I do not search for prosperity and personal gain. The tribe is ours, no matter who takes the lead after me, I believe our brothers will choose someone great. Probably one of your children, my friend."
She caressed the wall with care before she answered with a wink.
"Anyway, I don't plan to die soon."
In the sky, in the Golden City, Archanium laughed too.
"I don't plan you to die soon, you are right, Zaelia."
After so long, Archanium finally took his decision. He would come and meet her. Something about her was too strong for him to be able to resist, he needed to talk to her, he needed to touch her. He wanted to know the sensation of this tanned skin by the sun, and he wanted to know her caresses. He was watching her with desire. She could massacre and turn into a pool of blood a full city, but she also could show an unconditionally deep love. Zaelia was full, she was human with all these chaotic emotions.
The palace was a pure gem in this world, and it was for him. Him alone. It was made by an architect who was praying for his brother. His victory was overwhelming, and it was thanks to the young woman's impressive ideas for pleasing her god.
"I'll come and find you, just wait a little longer." He said in a terrified whisper.
As the sky darkened, Zaelia realized that something was afoot. Something gloomy, and yet she wasn't afraid. It was as if she'd heard him. One day, he'd come and tell her she'd done a good job. She knew he would.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone