Passion and Sand 3: Empire of Desires

by Andromeda -

  Though she slept in the emperor’s bed, she was not his wife, a title she knew was her birthright. Cornelius could not give it to her, so she did the next best thing to get what was hers: she seduced his father.

  There was no shame in her mind.

  Being Empress of the Roman Empire was what she was born to do. There was no way, of backing down. Cornelius was a sniveling, weak fool. It was no wonder his father ordered him to commit suicide; he was a disgrace to the imperial name.

  Seducing his father though, was hardly an arduous task.

  All she had to do was bribe a slave to let her into his chambers one night. She wore a thin, almost see-through gown and dropped it the moment he walked in. The old man had been so long without a woman in his bed, he grew as stiff as a board that very second. It was easy to get him to bed, and she gave him a night he would never forget.

  He spilled his seed easily, but when he did not give her a ring the next morning, she knew that she had her work cut out for her. Thus, becoming with child to force him to marry her was the only option there was.

  This was not about love at all; this was about power and control. She would have what she wants, and she didn’t care who she had to crush to get it.

  Chapter Five

  Kaiser hopped off his horse, though as he pretended to unbuckle his saddles, his eyes were on Alina. His daughter was angrily unpacking her own saddle, and he sighed. Their talk with the Vandals did not go well…

  Part of it was his own fault, as he did not tell her the whole truth of why they had gone there. In her mind, she thought they were going for a simple diplomatic mission: to talk to King Genseric. Yet, they also went there for another reason: to maybe talk of the marriage between Alina and Genseric’s eldest son, Huneric.

  When Alina found out, she was, of course, furious, and that temper that was a mixture of his own and Ayanna’s came forth. Kaiser couldn’t really be embarrassed by her outbursts. Secretly, he was proud to know that she was no pushover like some women. But that was not the proper time for her temper to spark.

  After repentantly apologizing to Genseric, Kaiser invited both the king and his son to Freiundedel to further discuss the plans of an alliance and maybe a marriage between their children.

  He looked once again to where Alina was, but she had left her saddle half-unpacked and left the stables, no doubt to the arms of Eryx. He was the only one who could really calm her down. He knew that he had messed up terribly, but while he was not afraid of his daughter, he now had to face the one person he was terrified of: his wife.

  Walking into the palace, he found Ayanna in the library, looking over petitions that had come in his absence. She was every inch a queen, her birthright in his opinion. No one was worthier than she to wear a crown.

  He remembered when they had first founded Freiundedel and he called a vote for all the recently freed slaves for the type of rule they wished to have. They all voted for a kingdom with Kaiser and Ayanna at his head. They had proved themselves greatly to be the ideal choice.

  Ayanna fell easily into the rhythm of ruling, but for Kaiser, it was a bit more difficult. He was not used to carrying the weight of so many people on his shoulders. Yet, he looked to his wife for guidance, and every day, the weight became lighter and lighter until he could not feel it anymore.

  “Bärchen,” he said, entering. “We must talk.”

  Ayanna looked up from the scrolls before her and smiled with a nod. “Of course. How did the meeting go with the Vandals?”

  He ran a hand through his hair with a deep sigh. “That is what I need to talk to you about. In the beginning, it went well… Genseric said he would like to become our ally.”

  “That is good news,” Ayanna said, “though I sense there is something else to this.”

  “There is…,” he said. He figured he might as well say it all at once. “I…also talked to Genseric about another alliance, to make it more secure. That would be the marriage of our daughter to his son, Huneric.”

  For a moment, all was still.

  She looked like a statue as she looked at him. Then, her eyes hardened with rage and she stood to her feet. Her hands reached out and grabbed a scroll, which she threw at him. Followed by another, and then another, and then another.

  While she threw whatever she could get her hands on at him, which Kaiser skillfully dodged, she yelled at him in her mother tongue. He did not understand her, but he knew that she was screaming profanities at him.

  “Bärchen!” he yelled over her yelling. “Bärchen! Bärchen, stop it!”

  “How could you?!” Ayanna demanded. “How could you give our daughter away to those…those people?!”

  “I didn’t give her away!” he said as he grabbed her wrists and held her down. “This is just talking!”

  “Which leads to marriage, which leads to little Alina being taken away!” she cried at him, tears in her eyes. “How could you do this?!”

  “Bärchen,” he said soothingly, hugging her close. “Listen to me, my love. I did not say yes to him. This is just talks. It might lead to nothing.”

  “You better hope it does,” Ayanna said as she shoved him back. “You better hope it does.”

  Chapter Six

  Alina sat on top of a bolder, trying to toss rocks into the water to skip stones. She was a couple hours ride away from the city, and though she knew she wasn’t supposed to be out here, she had to get some space between her and her father.

  She was furious.

  She felt as if he had lied to her.

  He said that they were going to meet the Vandals to try and form an alliance contract. Little did she know, she was a part of that contract.

  How could I be so stupid? she thought angrily to herself. Papa might treat me as an equal to Bo, but in the end, I am still just a girl. An item to be sold off to the highest bidder.

  Inwardly, she felt hurt. She felt angry at what she felt was a betrayal of her father as he had promised her that no matter what, she would have the choice in her own husband if she so decided to choose one. Now, it was clear she had no choice.

  Huneric, when she did meet him, was kind and sweet. But he was not at all in her tastes, as he was quiet and seemingly shy, unlike his father, who was loud and quite known to be the skilled politician. Yet, when she found out about the supposed marriage contract between the two of them, it ruined any kindness she might have felt for the young Vandal.

  The whinny of her horse alerted her that someone was near. Her hands quickly went to her bow and arrow as she heard someone step into the clearing. Turning around quickly, she saw two men emerge from the trees, and when she saw their armor, her blood ran cold.

  They were Roman.

  She knew it from the armor her father normally brought back from when he would attack a Roman settlement that was too close to their city. Though she had never seen a Roman this close before, save Aurora, who was Eryx’s mother.

  “You might want to lower that thing,” one of the men said with a wicked smile. “Someone might get hurt.”

  “That someone just might be you if you take another step,” Alina growled, her arrow pointed at his heart.

  The second one held up his hands in a submissive gesture, but he took a step forward anyway. “We just want to talk…and maybe have some fun.”

  Alina turned her arrow at him, her teeth gritted. She felt stupid for going so far from the city. Not only that, but for knocking only one arrow. She knew how to fire two at once, but like an idiot, she only had one. If she wasted this arrow on one, then the other would just attack her.

  It did not take her long to figure out the ‘fun’ they wanted to have with her, and it further enraged her to know that these Romans thought she was just a toy for them. They had no honor.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her horse pacing anxiously. In her mind, she counted the steps it would take to reach her if she fired a mock arrow at the two men. She could not waste a second.

  They got closer, and she fired. It hit
the first man in the foot and he howled with pain. The second lunged at her, but she leapt over his head, flipped herself and landed on her feet before she took off running as fast as she could. Within moments, she reached her horse and began to swing herself up, but strong arms wrapped around her waist and yanked her down.

  “No!” she screamed, trying to kick at the person holding her.

  “You’re going to pay for that, you bitch!” the man holding her whispered hotly in her ear as he threw her to the ground. “Hold her down!”

  Alina screamed and fought as best as she could, kicking, clawing and squirming. She aimed a good kick in the groin of one, but he and his friend just switched places. He took to holding her down, while the other moved between her legs and shoved a hand up her dress.

  “Virgin!” his friend yelled in triumph. “Been a long time since we’ve had one of those.”

  “Don’t be too rough with her,” the one holding her down said. “But then again, I want her wet when it’s my turn.”

  “My father will tear out your entrails and feed them to you!” she screamed at them, still fighting. “My mother will castrate you both!”

  “Too bad they aren’t here,” the one on top of her said as he began to unbuckle his armor.

  Real fear stuck through her core as she saw him, but inwardly, she swore to herself that even if they violated her body, they would not see her cry. She would fight until her last breath. They were not going to claim her easily.

  Just as the man positioned himself to thrust inside, two shadows loomed over them all. Suddenly, she was covered in blood as swords were thrust through their bodies and they gasped. The men were yanked off her, and Alina watched as Eryx and—she couldn’t believe it—Huneric, each grabbed a Roman and bashed his head in with rocks.

  When he was done, Eryx turned to his love and rushed over, hugging her tight. He kissed her cheek and then checked her over. He knew that it was wise to follow her, as there was a sick feeling in his gut the moment she had left that morning.

  “Did they…?” he asked.

  “No,” she said as she shook her head. “You got here…just in time.”

  “Thank the gods,” he sighed, hugging her tight.

  As he did so, she looked to Huneric and saw that he was sheepishly watching them, but trying to appear to not be doing so. She pulled away from Eryx and stood to her feet. Walking over to the young Vandal, she looked at him curiously.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked. “Your territory is far away from here.”

  Huneric swallowed nervously and then smiled shyly. “I, erm…was bringing this to you.” He reached into a bag at his side and held out what looked to be a book. “Traders came to our land the other day and claimed to have a lost book from the library of Alexandria. I thought…that maybe you would like this.”

  She was touched.

  This…this truly touched her heart and she reached out to take it with a soft smile. “Thank you.”

  Eryx watched this with a heated gaze. He knew who Huneric was, and he knew the reason Alina and Kaiser had went to meet with his father. To now see the man who was to be his rival, he could not help but feel a bit…unchallenged.

  Huneric was tall, but not as tall as he was. Compared to Alina, Huneric was only a head taller, while Eryx himself was two. Huneric had shoulder-length blond hair, while Eryx’s was ebony black, a trait from his mother. Huneric was muscular, but not much. He was leaner and looked like he preferred running, than say, wrestling.

  “You are welcome,” Huneric said with a sigh. “I…I guess I will be going then…”

  Alina looked up from the book. “What? No, it is getting late. You should come to the city and stay the night. I am sure we can make a room for you.”

  Huneric nodded and they all mounted their horses to leave, though they left with two new prizes: the heads of the two Romans who thought they could assault a princess and get away with it.

  Chapter Seven

  That was not the only day Huneric came to Freiundedel.

  Almost bi-monthly, he found an excuse to come to the grand city to see Alina, though it was clear that he was courting her. He would bring items that he thought she would like, such as books and maps, and while many found it sweet, it began to make Eryx a bit jealous.

  He was jealous because Alina seemed to be falling for the Vandal. He knew that it did not just take anything to get Alina’s attention, and the way she was falling for this Vandal made him worry.

  What if she forgot him?

  She had promised him, since they were children, that she would never forget him, that he would always be the first in her heart. But, he was of mixed blood, of Roman blood. Many of the people who came to the city were ex-slaves, fleeing Rome, and to know that he had Roman blood within him… He did not know what to do. He needed guidance, so he went to his parents.

  He found them in the armory, taking inventory. Several blacksmiths had escaped from Rome and joined their cause, so they now could make their own weapons. Though it needed to be counted every now and then to make sure everything was accounted for.

  His father, Artemus, was a huge man, standing almost seven feet tall and built like an ox. It was no wonder why he reigned as champion of the Imperial Arena before Kaiser came. His mother, Aurora, was the emperor’s daughter. It was a strange love, one that should not have taken place. Yet, they could not deny what was felt between them.

  “Hello, my son,” Aurora said when she saw him enter the room.

  She smiled at him, and Eryx saw fine lines appear around her eyes, obvious signs that she was aging. Yet, she still looked beautiful.

  “Mama,” he sighed, hugging her softly and feeling her kiss his cheek. “Papa. I need advice.”

  “Let me guess,” Aurora said, “this is about Alina?”

  Eryx bowed his head. “Yes.”

  “You think that you might be losing your friend?” Artemus asked.

  “I think I might be losing my one true love,” Eryx responded. “To a Vandal.”

  “Ah,” Aurora said with a smile as she cupped his cheek. “My son, you are not losing her. You will never lose your love. There were times I thought your father would be lost to me, yet here we are.”

  “You just have to believe in her,” Artemus said. “Trust her.”

  Eryx nodded and left the armory. Deep down, he hoped his parents were right.

  ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯

  The night that Huneric was to leave, he came to Alina’s chambers per her request. When he arrived, he was shocked to find that Eryx had been requested as well. Both men studied each other as they knew that they, in a way, were rivals of the other. When the doors opened, they found Alina standing there in a long gown that was almost see through.

  Eryx looked at her hungrily, as it had been a while since he had taken her into his arms, though he tried to force himself to look neutral. Huneric, on the other hand, looked at her shyly, but he could not help but admire her beauty.

  “I have called you both here to discuss something of significant importance,” Alina said, as the doors were closed behind the two men. “And I want you to listen.”

  Both men stepped inside and stood before her, though it was clear they both were trying and failing, to fight their ever-growing erections that were beginning to show under their tunics.

  “When I had my trials,” she said after taking a deep breath, “the goddess Freya told me that I had two choices before me. Take the love of my life as a husband and be childless, while Rome controls the world. Or marry another, bear his children and be the one to bring Rome to its knees.”

  Eryx and Huneric glanced at each other, not knowing what to say, so they let her continue.

  “I tell you now, I have thought long and hard about this, and while I want to be selfish and do what I want, I cannot,” Alina continued. “I must do what is right for my people, and that means I must destroy Rome.”

  Eryx’s shoulders sagged and his head dropped. He felt tears begin to p
rick his eyes, though he struggled against it. He would not cry.

  “But,” Alina said, “that does not mean I will ignore my heart and what it wants.”

  Both men looked at her, then each other, then her in shock and confusion.

  “What do you mean?” Huneric asked.

  “There are ancient stories,” Alina said, “of a queen who took two husbands as her kings. With her husbands, she conquered much of the known world, and during her lifetime, there was a realm of peace and tranquility after centuries of war.”

  Eryx took a step forward. “You…you cannot be suggesting…”

  “But I am,” Alina said, her chin raised. “I will marry you, Eryx, and you, Huneric, at the same time. Though Huneric, for political reasons, must be my chief husband. Men do it all the time with women. Why not the other way around?”

  “What of the children?” Huneric asked nervously. “We will not know…who the father would be.”

  “Of course, you would,” Alina said. “Eryx has black hair with an olive skin tone, so any dark-haired children will clearly be his. Huneric, you are light of hair and fair of skin, so any light-haired children will clearly be yours. Simple.”

  “So many people will be against this marriage,” Eryx said.

  “Are you?” Alina asked, looking to them both.

  Eryx rubbed his chin. “How would we spend the nights with you?” He glanced to Huneric. “After all, that is how you will get children.”

  “I was thinking we do what Egyptian pharaohs used to do, and I would divide my nights equally between the two of you,” Alina answered.

  Both men still did not look convinced, so she pushed forward.

  “The goddess Freya said that she watched me, that she knew I would be a special child,” she said. “I know Rome must fall, as I have the knowledge of my father and mother before me. But I need you two men to stand by my side so we can all see the dreams of millions become a reality.”