by L. M. Roth
Melisande blinked when she saw her visitor and stood holding the door ajar for endless minutes. Dag waited patiently, but when waiting brought only continued staring from his daughter-in-law he prompted an invitation himself.
“May I come in?” he asked calmly.
Melisande recovered from her surprise and opened the door wider to admit him. He entered and was greeted by Gwenaelle, who limped over to hug him. He swung her around in the air, which evoked delighted squeals from the child. Melisande watched them but said nothing: she motioned for Dag to be seated.
He did not hesitate but plunged into the purpose of the visit.
“What are your plans, Melisande?”
“Plans? What do you mean, Dag? Am I supposed to have plans?”
He nodded his head and continued.
“All men have plans, they just do not think about them perhaps. It may be plans for a day, whether they will hunt or fish to provide for the evening meal, or it may be whether to take a journey to transact business. Or it may be long term plans, such as where one will live and spend their days.
“And I ask you: what are your plans? Where do you intend to live and raise Gwenaelle?”
Melisande shook her head slowly. She sighed softly and picked up her daughter and kissed her cheek.
“I do not know; I have not really considered it. I had planned to stay here, but I think your family would love nothing more than to see me leave and never return. That is right, isn’t it, Dag?”
Dag shrugged his massive shoulders and nodded his head.
“Yah, I would say some of them feel that way. After all, you did make a lot of trouble for us, Melisande. And they know that you did it deliberately; that does not endear you to them.”
Melisande sniffed suddenly and visibly bristled.
“Well, then I see I must take Gwenaelle and return to Gaudereaux at once. But I do not know how she will like it there; her whole world is here and as you know, Dag, Gaudereaux will be much different for her. She would be expected to be waited on by slaves, to have every whim satisfied in an instant, and to never want for anything. And the whole aim of society is to satisfy one’s own pleasure, whether it be for music, dancing, dining, whatever one desires. She will not be used to such, and it will be a tremendous change for her.”
Dag was taken aback at the young woman’s description of Gaudereaux: it had been his own belief that Melisande secretly pined for the way of life she had left behind there, and he was astonished at her very accurate summing up of the aimless life of pleasure that all of the inhabitants pursued. He and Judoc both felt that Melisande considered Eirinia a mere rustic province, so her words surprised him even more.
It was, however, the opening that he needed.
“Well it seems to me then, that you have two choices before you: you can return to Gaudereaux where Gwenaelle can receive an inheritance from your grandparents, who will die and leave her their estate. But when they die, which can not be before long as they are advancing in years, you and your child will be alone, with no kin about you.
“Or, you can remain in Eirinia, and raise Gwenaelle in Leith among her aunts and uncles and the cousins they will have for her to know and to play with, to confide in, and to call her flesh and blood. There may not be anything of material value for you here in Eirinia, but there is family here, if you want it.”
Melisande stared at him; his response was not what she had expected either.
“But your family hates me. Why should I stay where I am not wanted?”
“Time can heal the wrongs you have done, if you truly repent of what you have done. If you are truly sorry, they will feel it. If you are not, they will know it is all a sham on your part and they will never accept you.”
The young woman’s bewilderment only increased at his words.
“But, why are you doing this? Why invite me to stay after all that I have done? I do not understand you, Dag!”
He looked at her and thought of Brenus whom she had made so unhappy, and of Cort whom she had driven away. But he thought most of all of a light-hearted maiden he had so nearly married, and that the young woman who faced him now might easily have been his own daughter.
“I invite you because you do have family here, and it is up to you whether you wish to make amends and learn to live among them. It will be hard, because now they know the extent of the pain you have caused. But Dominio would forgive you if you ask Him, and therefore they must also.”
“But why would Dominio forgive me? I tried to turn your own daughter against Him; why would this God of yours forgive me?”
“Because He is love.”
“I do not understand.”
“That is because, my small one, you do not understand love.”
Two nights later as the family sat down to eat a knock was heard on the door of the hut. Judoc sighed wearily, having just sat down after being on her feet most of the afternoon. Maelys smiled and jumped up to answer it.
There was the sound of the door creaking open, a sound of surprise from Maelys. They all glanced up in curiosity, and beheld Melisande, carrying little Gwenaelle in her arms. She looked about the room uncertainly, almost defiantly, except for the trembling of her bottom lip.
Nolwenn flushed and Dirk stiffened; Brand paused in the act of lifting a roll to his open mouth. Dag waited patiently. But Judoc leapt to her feet and put an arm around Melisande and led her to the table.
Melisande looked around the table at the family, her face pale and her eyes wide as she waited for a response. But the only answer she saw was in the eyes of Dag, and so she addressed them.
“I have come to dinner, if that is alright. I think Gwenaelle would like to spend some time with her aunts and uncles.”
She paused and took a deep breath.
“So we shall spend the evening with…our family.”
And she smiled sweetly into the eyes of Dag, who beamed his satisfaction across the table.
Chapter XXXIV
The Emperor and the Word
Iacomus sat on his throne and fumed in aggravated fury. Where was that Minister of State of his? Really, Decimus was too unreliable, and quickly becoming more of a liability than an asset in the eyes of his Emperor.
He snapped his fingers at one of the Guards who hovered near by.
“When our Minister of State should happen to return, send for him at once.”
The Guard bowed and inclined his head. Iacomus jumped up from the throne and paced the floor, his uncertainties returning to plague him, as he reflected on the behavior of his Minister of State.
He recalled their conversation shortly before Decimus left on business for Lycenium.
“Did you or did you not help Dag Adalbart escape this Palace? Why is it that both he and Justus Lucius are friends of Marcus Maximus and yet they somehow escaped when no one ever has. I say that you helped them to escape!”
Decimus had turned rather pale but stood firm.
“I did not help them escape. And if you knew how much I loathe Marcus Maximus you would realize that he is the last man on earth I would do a favor.”
“Then why did you permit your son to marry his daughter if you hate him so much?”
Decimus groaned.
“They met and married before any of us knew about it. Indeed, Maximus and I discussed possibly dissolving the marriage, as it was not even known yet. But I realized that the maiden’s reputation would be ruined by such a move, and as much as I detest the man, I would not hurt a maiden so pure and blameless.”
Iacomus laughed uproariously at this explanation.
“You! You would not hurt a maiden so pure? Oh, Decimus, how you have changed! I remember our youth; I remember how you thought it good sport to lead a maiden on and break her heart after first seducing her. Do you honestly expect your Emperor to believe that you would not sully this maiden’s reputation?”
Decimus clamped his mouth shut tightly and gave Iacomus a withering stare.
“Yes, I do expect you to b
elieve it. This is not the days of our youth any longer. If you were a father you would understand how feelings can change. And my son loves her: I would not part them for the world.”
The tone in which Decimus uttered these words was so firm that the Emperor blinked at him. He was not accustomed to any defying him, and he wondered if he had made a mistake in making an old friend a member of his government…
“Ah, so it is the maiden herself? You would do a favor for her? Is that right, Decimus?”
“No, it is not, Your Grace. And I do not forget she is the daughter of the man I loathe above all others; the last thing I would wish is to benefit him in any manner.”
The emphasis of this statement finally satisfied the Emperor. The snapping of Decimus’ eyes when he mentioned Marcus, the way he bellowed his words convinced Iacomus that he told the truth.
“Very well,” he said at last. “We shall consider the matter closed.”
Now Iacomus had need of Decimus and he was nowhere to be found. He desired to speak to someone, for a matter was puzzling him. He had never been a great thinker, and to try to solve any riddle frustrated him and brought home to him his limitations in a manner that he did not like to admit. He preferred to think out loud and “invite” others to join in the riddle solving, never letting on that without their input he was utterly at a loss to solve anything.
At last he heard footsteps in the ante-chamber and a Guard approached him.
“I have the Minister of State, sir,” he stated.
“Ah, at last,” Iacomus said as Decimus entered the room
Decimus bowed and waited before the throne.
“Decimus,” Iacomus plunged in without wasting time on further greetings. “We have a riddle, and we wish to know whether you can solve it. We think we have the answer, but it is always amusing to include others in the pursuit of riddles, so let us play the game together, shall we?”
“I am ready, Your Grace.”
“Right. We were consulting Logos this morning, and a strange word appeared on the blade. Now you know how fond we are of Logos and the words that appear, but this one puzzles us greatly. We wonder if you may have some insight.”
Decimus’ face was as blank as a new scroll. It was evident that he did not consider this game with the same sense of enjoyment that the Emperor did.
He merely shrugged his shoulders.
“I am ready, Your Grace,” he replied.
“Very well; here is the word. ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ We already have everyone bow down to Dominio, so why should this word appear to vex us? Are we to further enforce the worship of Dominio, do you think?”
Before Decimus could respond, if indeed he could respond which did not appear likely judging by the blank look in his eyes, the sound of scuffling came from the ante-chamber. The Guards cried out, but Antonius Hadrianus burst into the Emperor’s throne room, followed practically on his heels by his wife and Marcus and Tullia Maximus.
“I can answer that riddle for you!” Antonius cried.
Decimus finally came to life, quickly and painfully.
“Son, no! You must never burst in on a private royal audience. You must apologize and leave at once!”
Antonius laughed, a harsh jeering laugh that wrung the heart of Marcus as he heard it. It was clear to him that the young man had not recovered from the shock of his father’s hidden crime, and still bore bitterness against the man he had formerly adored.
“Royal?” Antonius said. “Is he indeed royal? If he is none of the Imperial family ever knew about it, for Urbanus died childless and there was no mention of any blood relative. And that he made this usurper the Emperor is clear evidence of how deeply he deluded Emperor Urbanus in his last days.”
Iacomus gasped in outrage, but before he could react, Decimus thrust himself between his furious sovereign and his foolish son. Antonius dodged around him and stepped forward to the Emperor’s throne.
“And as for your riddle, I know exactly what it means: would you like to hear the meaning? But before I tell it to you remember this: Logos is a two-edged Sword. If you receive a word and do not obey it, it shall destroy you.
“Now, shall I tell you the meaning of the word?”
Chapter XXXV
Logos Lives On
Marcus viewed the scene before him with horror and anxiety for the rash young man who seemed to be openly courting his own destruction.
He and Tullia along with Felicia and Decimus had arrived at the harbor about an hour before the ship Antonius had sailed on, and so arrived at the Palace first. He and his wife and daughter stood waiting on Decimus in the ante-chamber, in the event that Antonius might do exactly what he did, which was to rush to the Emperor’s throne room as soon as he arrived in Potentus. Marcus had struggled with him, but the young man in his zeal seemed possessed of super human strength, and had easily escaped his grasp.
He prayed as he stood there, imploring Dominio to protect this impulsive, wounded young man from the wrath of the cruelest ruler the Empire of Valerium had ever seen. Indeed, Marcus could not believe that Antonius was not already dead, for Iacomus thought nothing of ordering a man’s death and then seating himself at a banquet where he indulged freely with no further thought given to the life just ended.
The Emperor stared at Antonius, his eyes as hard and black as that of a viper about to strike.
“What does it mean? Tell us, if you know. For we have already ordered the people of the Valeriun Empire to bow down to none but Dominio, so why should this word appear on the blade?”
Antonius did not flinch but stared boldly at the Emperor.
“The word means to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. Yet, you do not do that, for what you force the people of Valerium to bow down to is not the Dominio that true believers know and worship. What you have forced them to bow down to on pain of death is a mockery, an idol of your own making, and not God at all.”
Antonius’ breath was coming in shallow gasps as he challenged Iacomus. The Emperor rose from his throne slowly and with death in his eyes. He raised his heavy scepter with its hard pointed end and took a step forward.
“I am not finished,” Antonius declared. “That word is for you! You must repent for taking the name of Dominio in vain, for forcing others to bow down at your order instead of with the free will that He gave to man. And it is you that Logos is calling to bow down to the real Dominio, and not the idol of your own making.”
Decimus groaned and slumped down to the floor, his head cradled in his hands. To Marcus, it did seem that Antonius had just signed his own death warrant. At that instant, Iacomus stepped forward again and raised his scepter to strike Antonius.
It merely bounced back up in the air as if it had hit a soft surface that sent it back from whence it came. Iacomus gasped and stared at the scepter. He raised it again to strike Antonius; this time it flew back and hit the Emperor on the head.
“It is his ring, Father!” Felicia whispered. “It is the ring I gave Antonius on our wedding night. It was specially blessed to protect whoever wore it from danger. And it is protecting him now from the Emperor!”
Decimus’ head whirled around and he stared at his daughter-in-law and then at Marcus. He raised an eyebrow at Marcus, who nodded his head slowly. Yes, the nod meant; it was possible.
Iacomus was now in the full vent of unbridled rage. He flung the scepter across the throne room, where it landed on and destroyed a marble statue of the first Emperor, Valerianus. Then he reached for Logos and approached Antonius.
Marcus decided at this point to intervene. He stretched out a hand to the Emperor.
“I should not do that if I were you, Your Grace. Logos is never to be used in violence. And to disobey the word you were given is to invite your own destruction, for it is a two-edged Sword.”
Iacomus laughed at Marcus and swung the Sword in th
e air. The whooshing sound it made was both thrilling and frightening. Decimus rose to his feet and stepped behind his son.
Antonius merely stared at Iacomus and did not back down.
“What is it to be: shall you bow down to the real Dominio? Or will you disobey and pay the penalty, even as you have made others pay the penalty for not bowing down to your idol?”
Iacomus rushed at Antonius with drawn Sword, but Decimus was quicker. He grabbed the Emperor’s wrist with one hand and tore Logos out of his grasp with the other hand. He then stood between his son and the Emperor with the Sword raised and ready to use.
Iacomus clutched his wrist and stared in disbelief at his old friend.
“Decimus, you would not strike your old friend, would you? You would not use Logos against us, would you?”
Decimus snickered suddenly and then laughed openly at the Emperor.
“Use this against you? Logos? Indeed, I would not; I dare not! For it is not mine to use!”
Without warning he whirled around and threw the Sword to Marcus, who was so stunned that he nearly dropped it. Then Decimus turned back to the Emperor.
“But I would use this against you!” he exclaimed, as he whipped a dagger out of the pocket of his robe. “I warn you: one step more toward my son, and I will plunge this into your heart.”
“Father, no! Please do not kill for my sake!” Antonius pleaded.
“Stand back son, this is not your fight,” Decimus told him. “Logos was not the Emperor’s for me to take for him, but I did not know that, did not know what it was I stole.”
He shot a look at Marcus briefly before returning to face Iacomus.
“But this man; this man has done great evil, forcing others to bow down to what he did not believe in himself, or die for their refusal. Is there anything more wicked than that?”
Decimus shook his head. The Emperor reached out a placating hand and Decimus raised the dagger. The Emperor quickly drew back his hand.
“Well, what is it to be, Iacomus? You heard my son: are you going to obey the word or not?”
