Chapter 1
Queen Uno sat on
her throne, holding a champagne glass of wine between her fingers. Delicately with her chin rested on one hand,
she watched the wine twirl around in the glass.
She did not have much of a taste for the forbidden fruit, but she did
enjoy a glass every now and again. She
yawned then noticed a vassal standing before her throne; he patiently waited
for her desire to hear his message. But
he would have to wait longer; she looked away from him to all the people standing
around her court. Her children stood
towards the front of the crowd staring at her along with the rest of the nobles. The grand doors opened, and two guards
dragged Calypso in, walking up the steps to her throne, and tossing him to her
feet. She leaned down into his face, as
he sat up. Calypso jumped back stumbling
down the stairs, into the aisle then bowed low to the floor in front of
her. She slammed down her wine; the
crystal glass fractured and almost shattered with the impact. Her scowling face softened into a smile. “Now that you’re here you will wait your turn
to be addressed.” Calypso gulped, moving
to the side. She waved the vassal up to
her, and he stepped forward bowing to her.
“Read me the news... but only what’s important. I just don’t think I can handle any more
deaths.” Uno said thinking about her
half-brother, Dawn.
“Well, I’m
afraid that… that is all I have to report.”
The vassal gulped and started to close his scroll.
“Oh, go on.” She waved her hand.
“Yes, your
majesty! [Contents Removed Spoiler] the Head of the Tau
School and Safe-house was shot down by a royal guard who sacrificed himself in
the line of duty to save his fellow guards.”
“Then we must
send something nice to his family, who did he kill again?”
“[Contents Removed Spoiler].”
“Hum... I
recognize the name. I used to know her a
long time ago. One of those resistance
fighters...” She said thoughtfully
winding her index finger around the edge of the wine glass. “What else?”
“The woman who
killed the officer was killed by the gas chamber, [Contents Removed Spoiler].” He read from the scroll.
“Hum... what a
shame, my brother cared so much about her safety. If only she had not killed that officer I’m
certain I could have spared her.” She
yawned then waved the vassal along. She
stared into space for a while thinking to herself, while the court watched
her. Her tiara lay slanted on her head,
as she leaned back into her throne. Gaudy
jewels dotted her neck and twinkled against the light of the crystal chandeliers
above. She tapped her finger to her chin,
and leaned back in her cushion, her gown hanging loosely on her thin frame.
“Um...
mother...” Calypso started to say, but
her head snapped sharply towards him.
“You do not
speak, until you are spoken to!” She
tossed the glass at him, spilling wine on his white trousers. She laughed.
“Oops guess we’ll have to burn another pair of clothes.” She stood up from her throne and crossed the
room over to him. He stood perfectly
erect, while she encircled him like a vulture over dying prey. “I don’t know why you’ve been so rebellious
lately.” She flung his ponytail over his
shoulder, and laughed in his face. “Then
again, I guess you are used to being insubordinate, huh?” She leaned onto his shoulder, and played with
the glasses over his eyes. He would not
and could not look at her; he stared straight ahead at the throne. She crossed in front of him to meet his eyes. “My dear boy, why did you leave the
colony? Have I not made a perfect home
for you here?”
“Well...”
Calypso started to say.
“Please, son,
you must understand, everything I did was for you and your siblings. All of them are submissive so why can’t you
be? Isn’t that right, Taro? I have you eating out of my hand like a
puppy.” She laughed, as Taro glared at
her. “Why can’t you be like a puppy,
Calypso? My weird little son…” She pinched his cheeks in her hands. “You have no chance of ever ruling… I would
have expected this from Taro, but not you.
I guess he hasn’t got the guts.”
She laughed at Taro, passing by him and grazing his face with her fan. “Why hate me?
I expect your brother to, he’s so close to ruling he can taste it. He probably wants me dead.” She laughed at Taro staring him in the eye.
“I don’t.”
Calypso shouted.
“Don’t what, my
boy?” Uno turned away from Taro. “Want me to die?”
“I don’t hate
you...” He said and adjusted his
glasses.
“You’re alone
then.” She frowned and returned to her
seat. She rubbed her hand over the gold
trimmed armrest, glaring at him. “I just
have to know. Is it true what you did?”
“Well, I...”
“Just tell me!”
“I didn’t
mean...”
“I need to hear
it from your own lips!” She shouted, the
room resounding with the echo of her screech.
“I married [Contents Removed Spoiler].” He bit his lip.
“Not Australis
anymore, now is it? Now she’s a
Borealis. Thank you so much, for messing
up the lineage. Our family only marries
inside the Sigma Clan, another Borealis, or royalty. Marriages with a… a demon such as your...
wife are annulled immediately.” Uno yelled.
“You can’t! I’m old enough to decide for myself!” Calypso said.
“During the time I was away, I turned of age to decide who I want to
marry. I’m old enough to make my own
decisions.”
“You’re only old
enough to disobey me and the family you were wrongly brought into. I always knew you were the black sheep that
would mess up everything. I should have
done as my ancestors and buried you under the castle when I knew you were
different! You and no one else who is in
this castle can think unless I order it! Haven’t you understood that? Now I have a half-blood vampire for a
daughter in law.” She wrinkled up her
nose. “Not for long I won’t. We have many means to dispose of such
unwanted necessities.” She laughed, fanning herself off.
“You don’t touch
a hair on her head!” He pointed his
finger at her.
“Or what…?” She chuckled.
“You’ll do what? Will Calypso,
the black sheep who always has his head in the clouds actually stand up for
himself? I guess we’re starting to see
your real self, the one that deliberately defied me by marrying my enemy!”
“No!” Someone from the court yelled. Everyone spun around to see who dared speak
out of turn. Pluto stood in the doors,
the light from the stained glass windows striking a brilliant shine onto his
dark hair. “You should learn from his
courage. He did something you could
never do!” Pluto shouted. Uno stared at him, without a word. Her facial expression softened and she stood
from the throne. During all the
confusion with Priestess Pax, Uno did not have a chance to meet with him that
day or even see him except at a distance.
Now, there he stood, like he had in her dreams and memories. He had grown older in their years away from
each other, but so had she. Age had
formed him into a gallant and handsome older man. He looked exactly how she had imagined he
would. In this silence while she stared
at him, the court expected for her to explode and to demand his imprisonment or
execution. Lifting up her arms to him,
she felt as if she could embrace Pluto once again. Oh, how she wanted to run to him and forget
everyone else? With all the eyes on her,
she broke out of her trance and sat back down on the throne.
“Pluto…” She said gently. “What are you doing barging in here? I am not to meet with you… You have lost, or have you not heard the news
that your friends are all dead?”
“I know what
happened, but I’m still here.” Pluto
said as he approached the throne. Her
heart fluttered with every step towards her.
“Why haven’t you killed me Uno, I was the leader of the organization
against you.” He walked up beside
Calypso.
“What?” Uno said turning her face away to hide the
tears forming in her eyes. “I never had
plans to do anything with you except the negotiations with you and the
priestess. Wherever the priestess is now,
I’m certain peace for the citizens is the least of her worries now.”
“That’s no
excuse.” Pluto said. “I have resisted you up until now and so I am
just as guilty as any of the others; you’re letting a resistance fighter roam
freely around your castle…”
“Be quiet, I can
have you killed any time I want.” She
swallowed the knot in her throat.
“Then why
haven’t you?” Pluto asked. The queen fell silent, and the court began to
whisper. Uno bit her lip looking around
at them all. “I’ll tell you why. It’s for the same reason you are jealous of
the marriage between Calypso and Styx.”
“You’re
senile.” She laughed nervously. “I can have anyone I want, why would I be
jealous of my son married to that albino demon!”
“Can you really
have whomever you want?” Pluto said and stepped
passed Calypso and closer to her. “Not
everyone agrees with you Uno, and you know it. You’re afraid of people like me; that’s why
you keep me out. You think because the
negotiations have been delayed, and my resistance shredded that I will join you
on your path of destruction across the colonies. Well, I’ll tell you now, I’ll never agree
with what you are doing.”
“But
Pluto…” Uno asked holding her hand out
to him as he approached her. She pulled
her hand back to her chest. “Then why did you come here?”
“Because I was
hoping for a compromise… Something that
I always wanted from you… I don’t know
why you can’t compromise… everything has to be the way you want it to be. Even about us...” He stopped in front of the steps leading to her
throne. The people in the court began to
whisper, and Uno looked around, standing from her seat.
“Stop…!” She said to them. There was never an ‘us’...” She started down the stairs towards him.
“Do you deny me,
in front of the people?” Pluto asked her
as she stopped in front of him. “The
plans we had together? I never wanted it
to go as far as it did, but you insisted.
You have charm Queen Uno, to manipulate the heart of a weaker male. The prince was mad for you. You could have had anyone in this kingdom,
though you chose me.” He grabbed her
hand and started to kiss it. Hesitantly,
she snatched her hand away, slapping him across the face. She trembled from anger, and took a moment to
steady her breathing.
“Guards…” She said nearly in tears. “Have this
delirious man removed from my court!”
She commanded while staring at Pluto.
The guards
rushed around him, fighting to pull him from the room. “Why don’t you tell the truth, Uno? About what really happened to the king! What we really had together! What I lost my whole life over! How we truly feel about each other! Maybe even, the real reason why Calypso and
Styx shouldn’t be married…” The room
fell silent waiting for the response of the queen. Her lip quivered, and she turned her back on
the court, heading up the stairs. She
leaned over on the armrests, breathing sporadically.
“You could have
been a happy man...” She whispered to
herself as if she spoke to Pluto. “But you insist on being difficult. If we ever could have had something
together... never more...” With her back
to the congregation, she played with the lion’s head carved into armrest. “Have him thrown in the dungeon, where he’ll
rot with his children...” She said just
loud enough for them to hear. The guards
started to pull him from the room, and he struggled against them while crying
out for her. The Delta Soldiers who
worked for the queen had many of the same dark powers as Pluto and they easily subdued
him. “Wait!” She held her hand up for them to stop. Pluto and the court held their breath as they
waited for her next command. Would she
admit to something or would she release him?
“Bring his daughter up... I want to see the newlyweds done away with
together... Kill his son on the spot; I
don’t want him to have company down there...”
A twinkle of hatred sparkled in her eyes. She had always hated Krono and Styx because
they were a remnant of Orcus, Pluto’s wife and a woman she had always
abhorred. The guards waited with her
final commands for Pluto. “Take him
away.” She said.
“Uno…!” Pluto shouted. “Don’t do this! You know this isn’t right! Just take me!” He cried in vein as they pulled him from the
room. Silence overtook the hall again,
and the people stood motionless afraid to budge in front of her.
“Guards…” She growled.
They clicked their heels together, slamming the doors shut to the grand
room. They raced into the aisle pointing
guns and swords at the people in the court.
They all screamed, and huddled among each other. Valaro grabbed her two younger siblings, and
Taro started walking towards her, but a guard cut him off. She leaned up from her chair, still facing away
from. “If any of you take what you heard
in this room and tell to anyone... you will die...” She grabbed up another glass of wine from an
attendant and started to sip slowly. She
leaned her elbow on her armrest and her head fell into the palm of her hand. Without looking at anyone in particular, she
whispered, “Get the hell out...” The
guards shoved the people through the opened doors, with screams and cries as
they stampeded from the room. Once the
room emptied out, she curled her knees under her chin, tears rolling from her
cheeks onto her gown. She took the last
sip of her wine and let the glass roll from her hands and down to the ground.
“What is wrong
with you?” Taro shouted and tried to run
back into the room; he cared not for the soldiers with swords pushing him back
from the room.
She stared into
space, gripping onto her head and trembling in her seat. “I don’t know…” She whispered to herself.
