Bride of the Emperor (The Prophecy of Sisters Book 4)

by Hayley Faiman

  They’re all pointing and laughing, to the point of hyperventilating, but none of them are telling me what’s so damn funny. I don’t even remember going to the Grand Canyon.

  “Dru had to go pee,” Sybilla wheezes.

  “What?” I demand again.

  “She had to pee so bad. She wasn’t going to make it and we were in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing but Native American ruins around us.”

  “No,” I whisper.

  “Dad was so worried that you were going to go in the car, and Mom was arguing with him that you very well couldn’t go on the ruins. That would desecrate them. Then Dad told her, where do you think they went a thousand years ago?” Liv says through her laughter.

  Pinching my eyes closed, I’m glad that I was so young that I suppressed these memories because I don’t want to remember them at all. Nothing about them. Not a single thing.

  “What happened?” Cassia asks, obviously intrigued by the completely embarrassing story my sisters are telling about me.

  Sybilla calms herself. “Dad stopped the car, stomped around to the side, and poor Dru was squirming so bad in her seat. I swear pee was coming out of her eyeballs at that point.”

  “So, he drags her out by the arm and stomps around this ruin. There aren’t any cars for miles. Mom is screaming from the window to watch out for snakes and to make sure she doesn’t desecrate any of the stones.”

  My face is hot to the touch and I know that it is without a doubt bright red, too. This is embarrassing, really embarrassing. Looking over to Cassia, I notice that she’s smiling and laughing softly as well.

  “What happened next?” Cassia asks.

  My sisters look from each other to me, and their lips curve up into a huge grin. “Nothing major happened,” Liv says, emphasizing the word major.

  I cut my gaze over to her and she’s biting the corner of her bottom lip as she watches me. “She peed behind the ruins, so she followed Mom’s orders on that. Then, Dad was her lookout for snakes, so that was all good.”

  “What happened?” I grind out.

  Sybilla shakes her head, her shoulders moving up and down as she attempts to control herself. “She,” she breathes. “She peed all over herself. She missed completely and just ended up desecrating her damn self. Mom had to dig through the back of the car for her luggage and change her right there on the side of the road.”

  “Whatever,” I mumble. “That story is dumb. What’s the point of even telling it?” I ask.

  Birdie hums. “The point is, pee on the grains, not yourself.”

  Lifting my hand, I flip all of my sisters off, moving my hand in a semicircle so that they get the full view of my finger. Once we’ve all settled down, I look over to Laurentia and Petronia who are still holding the grains in their hands. They dip their chins as if it’s time to get the show on the road.

  Cassia is laughing softly and she only shakes her head as she stands, she lifts her hand and Laurentia and Petronia follow behind her. Then my feet become unstuck and I get in line, my sisters deciding they need to watch this whole thing go down as well.

  “So, we’ll know in a couple of days?” I ask as I watch Laurentia and Petronia dig two small holes with their hands in the dirt. They place the seeds inside before they look up at me expectantly.

  Looking around, I try to think of any excuse I can to not do this in front of six other women, but I can’t find anyone walking around, and my skirt is long enough that it will cover whatever needs covering, though literally every person watching has seen it all.

  Biting the bullet, I do it.

  Gathering my skirt in my hands, I hike it up and squat over the first hole. Pinching my eyes closed, I pee. Then I do it again over the second hole. My face is hot and no doubt beet red, but it doesn’t matter, it’s done.

  Standing, I turn around and watch as Laurentia and Petronia cover my pee holes with dirt, then just when I’m going to ask them how they’ll remember which is which, I watch as they each place a small painted rock right above the area.

  “These will be the markers. Now, we wait,” Cassia murmurs.

  I stare at the two small mounds of dirt. I don’t know what I feel. Before I thought I couldn’t have children, the idea of being pregnant at all terrified me. Then when Aelania and Decima told me that I wouldn’t be able to have children, I didn’t want anything more.

  Now that it’s a possibility, I’m a complete mix of emotions, fear, nervousness, excitement, and more fear. So much fear.

  But then I think about Tiberius and how happy he would be. He said that he’s okay with only having me and no children, but I don’t believe him. He would be okay with it, solely because he wouldn’t have a choice, but at the end of the day, he wants children, badly.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  TIBERIUS

  We decide at dinner to tell our wives about our agreement. There is no better place to make such an announcement. Dinner with our families and the perfect time for a small celebration. Once the dinner has been served, I stand to my feet and call out for everyone’s attention.

  Instead of the normal large dining party, I decided tonight would be more intimate, family only. Brutus is at the end with his mulier, Marcellus, and Cassia join us as well along with Drucilla’s sisters and their husbands, but nobody else.

  “Men,” I call out. Elias, Aaric, and Colt all stand at my gentle command. The women look between one another in confusion and I grin, knowing that they will truly enjoy what is to come next. “We have an announcement to make,” I say before I dip my chin toward Elias.

  Elias smiles, then he looks around the room, taking them all in. “Emperor Tiberius has come up with a wonderful idea and we’re all in agreement,” he says, then shifts his attention toward Aaric.

  “We have all come to the conclusion that we would like to join our countries, to rule together instead of separately.”

  Colton is the last to speak. He clears his throat and jerks his chin. “We will rule as one, develop a contract that will benefit all people. We will convene once a year in a celebration, that way everyone can see one another and the children can get to know their cousins, aunts, and uncles. Their families.”

  It is my turn to finish, so I hold up my glass a little higher. “This is the start of a new generation. Our children will in turn only know this way. They will learn to love their family, to rule beside them, and above all else, love and trust their people.”

  We all cheer and take a drink from our goblets, but the women are staring up at us in what I assume is shock.

  Turning to Drucilla, I frown. “Are you unwell?” I ask.

  Tears gather in her eyes and I watch as they fall down her cheeks leaving a purple trail in their wake. I reach out to her, but she wipes them away, then stands next to me, inhaling a deep breath as she lifts her own goblet.

  “To a new beginning, a united world with my sisters and their lovely warriors,” she says, her voice shaky as is her hand, her goblet trembling slightly.

  The sisters stand as well and they each say something short, though I don’t pay attention, my gaze focused on my mulier. I hadn’t imagined this for myself.

  A complete family, my heart so full. I didn’t realize my heart was empty all of these years, but it was, completely and totally. Now it feels as though it’s going to burst through my chest.

  It’s breathtaking.

  When the toast is finished, I don’t let her sit back down. Instead, I reach for her, wrapping my hand around her waist and dipping my chin to touch my mouth to hers in a gentle, chaste kiss. Sinking down, I take her hand in mine and hold it tightly during the rest of the meal.

  Drucilla is quiet. I don’t know what she is thinking, but I can only hope that she is happy about what I’ve done, what we’ve done. Shifting my gaze around the room, my eyes land on Marcellus and I watch as he narrows his gaze on me.

  He shakes his head once, then turns back to his food and talks to Brutus who is sitting across from him. I’m sure that M
arcellus isn’t thrilled about what we’ve done, but at the end of the day, it has nothing to do with him. He will not be emperor and this does not impact him, at least it won’t.

  This will work and it is the will of the gods. Fate has led us to this moment and we will create a peaceful world, one that will prosper.

  DRUCILLA

  It’s been three days since I peed outside in the gardens on some seeds. I don’t wait for anyone to gather me and walk me down there to look. My sisters left yesterday, all demanding that I write to them with the results of the longest pregnancy test on earth.

  Biting the corner of my lip, I walk down the hall and freeze at the sight in front of me. Scooting back, I can’t help but watch what’s going down. It’s Laurentia and Marcellus. He has her pressed against the wall, his mouth is on hers and he’s devouring her.

  I watch as he pulls her skirts up and starts to touch her. I see the moment when she lets him, then she lifts her hands between them and pushes him away.

  “No,” she whispers.

  “No?” he asks, unused to the word, especially by a slave.

  Except Laurentia is no longer a slave. I asked Tiberius to free her two days ago and employ her as my helper. He did and she accepted the paid position. She lives here at the domum for free as part of her compensation, her position also includes food.

  “I am a free woman, Marcellus. So, no.”

  He takes a step back, lifting his hand he runs his fingers through his hair and watches her for a moment.

  “No,” he says, repeating the word to himself.

  I’m wondering if he has ever heard the word before in his life. I watch as wordlessly, he turns from her and storms away. Then Laurentia lifts her fingers to her face and wipes at her cheeks. She takes a long-inhaled breath, then squares her shoulders and walks away.

  I watch as she disappears around a corner. I can’t move, thinking about the two of them and hoping that soon they’ll get together, because it’s obvious they’re totally into one another.

  Squaring my own shoulders, I hurry down the hall and toward the gardens. Looking around, I make sure that I’m alone, then sprint toward the seeded pee spots.

  Sinking down to my knees, I look at the spots. I have mentally prepared myself to see absolutely nothing growing, not only is this the weirdest wives’ tale that I’ve ever heard, I highly doubt that it’s accurate at all, but then my breath hitches at the sight in front of me.

  Looking over to the spots, my breath hitches. There are sprouts growing. They’re really growing. Tears fill my eyes and I decide that even if this is nothing more than a wives’ tale, it’s the best one I’ve ever seen in my entire life.

  Touching the stone, I pick it up, unsure of which grain was planted where, I was just too embarrassed about peeing in front of everyone I didn’t really pay attention. Bringing the small rock up to my eyes, I look at it.

  P.

  Pupus.

  Boy.

  “I’m having a boy,” I breathe.

  I don’t know what to do. My hands shake, my entire body trembles and I stare at the little pebble in my hand, then flick my gaze to the ground and stare at the sprouts growing. My lips curve up into a huge smile and I can’t stop staring.

  I’m going to have a baby. I’m going to have Tiberius’ baby. My beautifully scarred warrior will have a little mini-warrior all his own.

  Lifting my gaze to the sky, I can’t stop the tears from flowing down my cheeks. “Thank you,” I breathe.

  I don’t know which gods and goddesses I’m thanking, maybe all of them.

  Without them, without this world, I would not have my happiness, I would not have my Tiberius and this baby. I would not have a true life. He has taught me to love, though our road was not easy to travel, we have traveled nonetheless and we have done so together.

  He has compromised and sacrificed for me, just as I have done for him. And the most wonderful thing about him, of all, is that he has united our family in a way that could never be done anywhere else in the universe.

  I love him more than I have words to express.

  I love this baby even more than that, and I can’t wait to tell him that he is going to be a father.

  “Melculum,” a deep voice calls out. “Why do you sit in the garden on your knees?” he asks, his feet rushing toward me. He doesn’t hesitate to crouch down beside me and that’s when I slip the pebble into his hand.

  I’m fairly certain he has no idea what this pebble is for, but I watch as he examines it.

  “Pupus?” he asks.

  Reaching for his free hand, I bring it to my belly, placing his palm against me there. “Yes, Tiberius,” I exhale. “Pupus.”

  “I thought it not possible,” he says, though mostly to himself.

  Tiberius is unable to hide the shock from his voice. He had wished for a child as much as me, but with the doubts that were planted in our heads, neither of us thought it possible, but it seems as it had already been done, we had already conceived.

  “Apparently, the gods had other plans,” I whisper.

  He shifts closer to me, his forehead pressing against my own. “I did not think this kind of happiness, completeness existed,” I breathe.

  And this. This is what makes me fall even more in love with my husband. I did not know it was possible. I had never planned on falling in love, but here I am—head over heels.

  Epilogue

  TEN YEARS LATER

  TIBERIUS

  “They’re going to be here soon,” Titus calls out as he runs into my office.

  “Slow,” I grumble when he finally comes to a stop.

  He’s dirty from playing outside, no doubt starting trouble wherever he can. My son is an adventurer and soon he will train to be a warrior as well.

  “They’re going to start arriving soon,” he says, repeating his words.

  I know of whom he speaks, but I search his face and ask him for clarification. “Answer me in Bunafidian. Who is going to be here?” I ask.

  Never will my child meet his fated and not be able to understand her. I have ensured that he knows more languages than his own. Unlike my father, who only sent Marcellus to become educated and for me, he only focused on my physical strength and prowess. My children will be well-rounded in all aspects of life, at least, I hope.

  “Uncle Elias, Aunt Sybilla, Cousin Elias, Eva, and Hugh. Their ship was seen on the horizon.”

  “You’re sure it was theirs?” I ask, trying to hide my smile.

  In truth, I know that it is theirs. They wrote before they left Bunafi saying they would arrive a few days early as they had some news to share with us. I’m unsure of what the news could be.

  Drucilla thinks that they have secured a match for Elias. Though he is only twelve, he is the heir to the throne. I don’t think that is why they are early. I have a feeling it is something else entirely.

  “Shall we go down to the beach to welcome them?” I ask.

  Titus nods, his head moving rapidly up and down. “Go and gather your sisters and I will find your mother.”

  Without having to be told twice, he turns and runs from me, on a mission to find his sisters. Chuckling, I stand from my desk with a groan. Moving around isn’t quite as easy as it used to be.

  In the past few years, I have noticed a stiffening in my body that I know comes with age, but I am not ready to admit that I am growing older quite yet, so I ignore it.

  It doesn’t take me long to find my Drucilla. She is sitting in the garden with Cassia and Laurentia. The smaller children playing at their feet.

  I smile at the sight of her, the sun shining on her golden hair, and her bronze skin. She is a sight, an achingly beautiful sight to see and has been since the moment I first laid eyes on her.

  Slowly, she turns her head, her violet eyes connecting to my own. Grinning, I lift my hand and silently beckon her over to me. Without a word of protest, she stands and floats toward me. Drucilla doesn’t walk, she floats, always has.

  Whe
n she stops, she’s directly in front of me, her head tipped back and her gaze focused on my own as if I am the only person on this earth. She always looks at me this way, unless the children are present, then she gazes around in amazement, as do I, at them.

  Lifting my hand, I cup her cheek as I gaze into her eyes. Those violet eyes own my soul, they have for years. Dipping my chin, I touch my mouth to hers, unable to keep from tasting her.

  “Your sister and brother are here, their ship was spotted in the distance, shall we greet them?” I ask, my lips held against hers the entire time.

  She hums, her lips still pressed against my own. She licks the seam of my lips before she lifts her head. “What do you think they are going to tell us? What is the big secret?” she asks.

  Shrugging a shoulder, I take a step back and offer her my hand. Drucilla slips her fingers in mine and I squeeze her. She turns to look at Laurentia and Cassia, lifting her free hand before she wriggles her fingers in a wave.

  “We shall return with Elias and Sybilla,” she calls.

  “We’ll tell the cooks, prepare some food and ready their rooms,” they say in unison before they giggle.

  Shaking my head, I chuckle at the sisters. There are no in-laws here. We are all family, nothing more, nothing less. Tugging Drucilla behind me, I make my way toward the front steps of the domum.

  I am not surprised to see that Titus has already gathered his sisters and they are all bouncing on their toes with anticipation of seeing their cousins.

  “Julia, Mila, Livia, are you ready to see your aunt and uncle? Your cousins?” I ask as I watch them squirm in their places.

  They eagerly nod their heads, then turn to face the shore. It isn’t a terribly long walk, but I decide that we will not be walking. Lifting my hand, I signal for the riders to come toward us. We’ll take the chariots to the beach today, enough that Elias and Sybilla will have them to use after their long journey by sea.

  After we’ve loaded in the chariots, it doesn’t take us long to approach the beach. The ship is even closer than I had anticipated it to be. We stand by the shoreline and watch, waving to our family as they approach.