บท 18: Chapter#18:Anger
"Helios." He could hear a familiar sweet voice in the darkness. He looked for the voice. Turning back and forth, the voice called him again.
"Helios." he heard again. This time the light kissed him, and everything around him cleared.
"Dite?"He mumbled, half asleep.
"Your Highness. It is I. "His attendant woke him up the way he did every day.
"Oh, it's you, Horos." he felt a cool breeze engulf him through the window.
"Ah, Aphrodite."He sighed and struggled up on the bed. The silk curtains fluttered with a cool breeze, and the sunshine entered through the glass doors of the porch.
He put his right hand on half his face to feel where his empress had kissed him in his fleeting dream.
It felt too real.
Horos had ordered the servants to prepare clothes for him and a bath before he held the next council.
His gold laurel wreath was placed on a red velvet cushion carefully in a crystal container.
It had been worn by the emperors and empresses, who were considered the noblest figures of the land. He lazily got up and tied his sleeping robes with a belt. The servant brought out the new royal blue cloak with silver embroidery, and the white tunic and toga were a part of the formal clothes worn by noblemen in Amanécer.
"The bath is ready."A servant came up and informed Horos.
Servants could not directly talk to the emperor by law. But Horos always wanted his workers to be comfortable when working. He never burdened them with their duties and compensated them if it were to happen.
A knock came up the chamber doors. When Horos reached out to open up, Rudolf stood there. He bobbed his head with a slight nod and asked Helios for his permission to enter his chambers.
"You are already here, so come in."Helios shrugged as the chancellor came in.
"I greet the first Holy light of Amenécer."He bowed midway when Helios asked him to drop formalities.
"I'd like to freshen up first. Would you mind waiting? Horos shall serve you refreshments."He smiled wryly and left.
Rudolf obeyed and sat on the couch that faced the imperial porch. The doors were opened by the butler. The wind entered, and the white silk curtains fluttered and danced in the cool wind. The porch was relaxing and beautiful to look at. A variety of plants and vines grew in all corners. It was like a miniature greenhouse within the chambers. He recalled his past when Aphrodite had her first miscarriage. Instead of grieving and losing hope, she indulged herself in studying plants and creating medicines of various kinds to help pregnant mothers to maintain a healthy pregnancy. This changed the overall outcome of the empire. It was a year later when she was pregnant with Luciana: she and Helios' first-born child.
Aphrodite felt at ease spending more time on the porch or the imperial gardens and the greenhouse studying different plants. Helios forbade her from entering the enchanted forest for her safety. He cast a barrier when Aphrodite begged to let her into it. After that, nothing was to be said. His eyes observed the imperial chambers. Until his gaze was fixated on a curtain on the wall, he got up and closed in to see what it was. He raised the corner of the curtain with silver embroidery and saw the letters on the golden frame. "Aphrodite Caelus De Amenécer." he read in surprise.
He pulled the curtain aside and saw a silver-haired woman smiling gracefully, sitting on a couch.
Her warm silver eyes shone like stars at night.
"He has her portrait that I presented to him."He placed his hand and frowned.
-"I... Should never have..."He hung his head when he felt a cool breeze kiss him on his neck.
"Brother."He heard a voice call out. He looked around as his eyes widened.
The woman in the picture stood at the open glass doors of the porch.
"A-Aphrodite?" his voice trembled.
She smiled tenderly, looking at him. The curtain fluttered in front of her for a split second, and she disappeared. He hastily ran up to the porch and frantically looked back and forth, then at the ceiling, as she used to when they were kids, to tease him. A sudden dread engulfed his heart, and he ran to the balustrade and looked down at the imperial gardens and then up into the sky. The white clouds are lazily driven by the southern wind.
"Was I... Hallucinating?"He thought, yet what he witnessed was too realistic to be an illusion.
"Rudolf, what are you doing over there?"Helios called out to him. He looked back at the emperor, who stood near the couch, as Horos gently placed the gold laurel wreath on his blonde hair that contrasted well with his attire.
"It's nothing of concern—your Majesty."He reassured and took one last look behind before going back into the chambers.
"So, what brought you to my chambers early morning?" He inquired when the butler brought breakfast to the chambers. Olives and goat cheese served with flatbread and poached eggs. Some chilled pomegranates served well in the morning to relieve some change.
"Well... It's the nobles of the imperial faction that have me worried."He sighed.
Helios stopped midway through picking an olive and frowned.
"What do they want this time?"
"I planted spies among their private meeting sessions. And they plan to gain the advantage of gaining power by submitting potential candidates for the imperial princesses," he replied hesitantly.
The room went silent. Horos remained silent, yet the eyes of the butler hinted at the shocking news. The olive that once looked smooth and palatable was now crushed to pieces in Helios's grip. His eyes could show rage. Nevertheless, he remained silent.
"Who are these dogs?"He mumbled.
"Your majesty?"Rudolf stared in disbelief.
"I will ask you once more, Rudolf. Who are these dogs who plan to take my daughters' hands to marriage?"He growled. The golden light around him started to glow. The silverware on the table began to shake violently. The chandelier started to swing. The walls rumbled.
His eyes glowed golden, and his thirst for bloodshed was seen in them.
"They sent my Luci away. And now they target my other daughters. I will serve their heads at the Philae's temple."
"Your Majesty, please calm down!"Horos tried his best, but the energy around him repelled him, causing him to crash into the wall.
-"He hasn't been like this since the last war. He even controlled himself at Aphrodite's passing. Why now?"
The pressure in the room became intense. All he could do was cry his name out.
"Helios! Think about your daughters."
"Papa!" A tiny voice called out.
He turned to the door and saw Avlynn in Melody's arms.
Both daughters stared at him. Terror filled their eyes, for what they witnessed before them.
The pressure subsided instantly. The chandelier slowly stopped swinging. The walls stopped rumbling, and so did the doors.
"Melody... Avlynn?" it was all he could say.
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