All this intrigued her.
“Anything that you’re into, I’ll be for you, my king,” she told him on their first night.
After many nights of lovemaking, they were married in the fifth month of 66 B.E. They ran all over the streets of Crystal Rome. Cassio flowers were thrown for them. In this, everything was going as planned. Cheron had the title. He had the people. He had a wife. All that was left was an heir.
****
Cheron brought the court together the next day. Together, they went to the Strator Circle. No one knew what was so special that they had to go to the Strator Circle to hear it.
A mixture of the court and strators were together. Cheron brought his podium together to the stadium and with a microphone in front of him he brought out the words.
“I had a dream, officers of Crystal Metropolis,” he said in his majesty. “The gods talk to me. They told me that once again, corruption is being talked. I know that my eyes aren’t everywhere on this planet, but know that the gods of the ATM are watching. So anything that I don’t know, they’ll know and will tell me. Because I’m their master.”
Everyone shouted with a mixture of remarks and cheers. Cheron brought his arms to the air in triumph despite it all. His point was going to be clear one way or another.
Then, one of the strators noticed that Cheron was shaking his head as if it was killing him. Cheron stepped away as the strators continued their petty arguments.
In a corner away from people, he punched his head, trying to calm himself. Unfortunately, the nightmares continued and there was no stopping them. Some were about that fatal night when his father and brothers were killed by Democrat Guards sent by Timon. One was even about the death of Touchstone, the former trusted Democrat Guard assassin of King Timon who put the crushing blow to his father with his sword. He even had them about his sister. He saw a sword going through her heart.
What are the gods telling me, he asked himself as he sat at the throne observing petty arguments from his court.
There was no answer.
****
One night, something that had become a memory years ago had returned into Cheron’s psyche. Imogen was the first to notice from her personal room.
A dangerous storm clouded the skies. She went outside and the sight was applauding. There were others cursers of his court viewing this sight as well.
Cheron was naked and dancing the same kind of dances he would perform for Timon during his reign. Cass and Rosa Santos went to Imogen. They knew what it was if no one else could not. The sisters were the only one who came out with a cover and stopped him from making more of an embarrassment of himself.
The sisters took the king to his bedroom. Andromache put him on the bed with the covers still around his soaked body. He was shivering, the trance escaping from his eyes. Cass and Rosa went out to explain to the court that observed his sleepwalk as a joke.
“What does it mean?” Cheron kept saying.
“What are you talking about?” Imogen asked.
“What happened?” Andromache asked her.
Imogen responded, “He was outside dancing. You didn’t notice anything, Andromache?”
“I was sleeping. I didn’t even know he was out of the room.”
Imogen shook her head. “I thought this had stopped. He was a sleepwalker when he was a kid. We thought it was a phase, but….”
“What do we do now?”
Imogen went to Cheron still mumbling. Andromache came to his other side. He kept talking about the gods.
“What are you rambling about, brother?” Imogen asked.
“They told me the future,” Cheron said while quivering.
“I’m going to get you some help.”
Before Imogen could walk away, Cheron grabbed her hand. Andromache took the intuitive and walked out of the room. Imogen sat on the side of the bed, and like a mother, rubbed her brother’s head. Andromache came back with something to drink and Imogen made him drink it.
A few hours went by and Cheron stopped shivering and his senses were coming back to him. Cheron told his sister and his wife everything he was thinking. Imogen was attentive as Andromache thought it was all bull. She was about to leave, but then, out of nowhere, Cheron grabbed her arm.
“Stay,” he said. “Please! I don’t want to be alone tonight.” He brought her to the side of his bed. Then, he looked at his sister. “I need you here, too.”
Then, he turned back to Andromache and kissed her. He turned to Imogen and kissed her as well. For some reason, this turned Andromache on sexually. Then, from out of nowhere, Andromache began kissing Imogen. At first, Imogen resisted but after she saw how much it calmed Cheron, she gave in and did it for the love of her brother.
Within minutes, Andromache and Imogen were both naked. Andromache was lying in between Imogen, kissing and savoring her lower extremities. Imogen moaned with passion and held Andromache's head trying to grasp ahold of the pleasure as if to make it last longer. Cheron was so amazed at what was going on, all he did was watch until Andromache got up and began passionately kissing him. Imogen walked up behind Cheron and started kissing on the back of his neck. Imogen grabbed Cheron's robe and took it off. Before Cheron could do anything else, Imogen grabbed him, turned him around and started kissing him. Andromache joined the kiss between the two.
Imogen and Andromache lied on the bed and gave Cheron his choice to choose from. For the next couple of hours, Imogen and Andromache indulged Cheron in his sexual fantasies, doing whatever he so desired.
When Cheron awoke the next morning, Imogen was gone and Andromache stood over him.
“Andromache, what’s wrong?” said Cheron.
Andromache looked at Cheron and said, “I’ve wanted to tell you, but with all of the chaos going on I didn’t know when would be a good time.”
“Tell me what?”
Andromache grabbed Cheron’s hand and put it on her stomach.
“I’m pregnant”, said Andromache.
Cheron’s eyes lit up and new life entered him again. Cheron had been the happiest he had ever been in his life.
The next couple of days were followed by celebrations throughout the entire kingdom. All of Crystal Metropolis celebrated the coming of the baby.
Everyone with the exception of Imogen. In front of everyone, she put on an act as if she was ecstatic about the coming of the baby. Inward, she envied Andromache and wished it were her.
****
67 B.E.
The day had come; what all of Crystal Metropolis were waiting for. It was spoken of in the streets, then to the court.
It was the day of the birth of Cheron’s new heir.
But there was a problem. When the baby was born, only high cursers saw their baby. They were beside themselves.
It was not a boy. It was a girl.
Cheron was so sure that she was a he. They did not find out until they wrapped the baby in sheets. Cheron was mad, but did not lose his cool. He told the cursers around not to say a word. The people wanted to see the son.
“And a son they were going to get,” he said.
So the trick was being played. He forgave Andromache and brought the child to the court. Everyone anticipated the new heir; even the former heir apparent, Pedro Santos, who was at this point just a common servant.
“Everyone!” he shouted. “My son, Arturo Santos.”
They were amazed, just like Cheron thought. He stared at his high cursers, the only ones who knew the truth.
Like a shrine to the gods, everyone went to it and bowed to the new heir. This went on for a few days. Then, the baby, completely covered except for the face, was brought to the people of Crystal Metropolis. The same happened. Everyone from poor thief to the wealthy merchant in the Bull Market Triangle came to praise the new baby of King Cheron and Queen Andromache Santos.
Everything was right with his world. With the new heir, or heiress in this case, Cheron’s family was complete. There was nothing that could go wrong. Nothing at al
l.
****
Two months went by and gossip spread once again. It had been said that Imogen Santos was pregnant with a child as well, and it belonged to the king himself. It did not catch on to Cheron at first, but it was not until one of his main trustworthy cursers, Malvolio Nihon, told him about it. His older sisters were acting funny when he told them about it, trying their best to hide the secret from him. Plus, Imogen was absent from court since the birth of Cheron's heir.
The rumors went further to say that because she was in fear that the king will find out, she plotted to take him down and killed the entire royal family. Thinking about this unfortunate possibility, Cheron was having headaches that lasted for days wondering where his sister could be.
As rumors continued to grow, Imogen returned to the Santos Palace. It was true that she was gone for a time. It was true that she was pregnant. It was true that her sisters were the only ones that knew and Imogen told them not to say anything to Cheron. When she was gone, she had written many letters to Cass and Rosa, telling her to calm the king down until she came back.
They were alone when Imogen came into the Godmaker Room, a new room the king himself had for his meditations to the gods.
“What is this I’m hearing about you being pregnant?” Cheron asked.
“I didn’t know,” Imogen said. “I thought I was careful. That night...that night when you were sleepwalking, you…caught me off guard.”
Cheron chuckled. “I caught you off guard? That’s your excuse? Do you know what I’m hearing? I’m hearing that some strators are going to use this to take me down just to say I’m not a benevolent king. Do you want that to happen to me?”
A pause.
Cheron took a breath. “It’s no problem. Just get rid of it. No one will ever have to know.”
“You want me to get rid of it?”
For the time she was away, Imogen dreamed of being a mother. It was even better if the baby was hers and Cheron. Seeing her brother's face, Cheron was feeling disgusted at her as if she had contracted a disease. Imogen stared into his eyes. She found out that this was not the same Cheron.
“The gods told me this would happen,” the king said. “He told me that people that I love would betray me. And sure enough, here I am. What was your plan, huh? Were you going to leave the planet, have the baby on some moon, and then, ten, maybe twenty years from now, he would come and kill me so he can take over? Have I got it right?”
Imogen was getting scared. Her brother was not himself. “When have I ever betrayed you? I have done nothing but been your greatest supporter. Brother, look at me.”
Cheron turned his back. “I can’t even bare to be in the same room with you.”
“Brother, please look at me,” Imogen repeated.
Cheron was doing something behind her back. “Get away from me, sister. I planned that you go away from this palace and this planet before you regret it.”
“Not until you talk with me. I need to know that you still care.”
Imogen kept going. She knew that there was some way she could reach her brother. Then, she gave him a push, a good push in the back that staggered Cheron a few feet.
Suddenly, without a matter of thought, Cheron launched with a sword. It went through her stomach. Imogen’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped as blood leaked from the lips. Cheron did not know what he had done until Imogen’s body fell to the floor.
Then, from out of nowhere, Strator Ichiamo Santos came in and saw what had happened. Cheron stood frozen.
“What happened?” Ichiamo screamed.
Cheron ran to him, choking his neck.
“She did this to herself,” Cheron stressed. "She didn’t want to live with what she had done. She betrayed me. What am I going to do now?”
Cheron went back to her. He tried to pick her up, but every time he did it, Imogen would not rise up. Ichiamo ran scarily away from the siblings.
Cheron looked up to the ceiling, praying to the gods to revive her sister. This time, he found out that the gods were not speaking to him. He was alone; alone with his bloody, dead, pregnant sister on the floor.
****
69 B.E.
The Santos Palace faced gloomy times. With Imogen dead, Cheron’s mind was nearly gone. It started slowly, increased by the end of 68 B.E., and by the start of 69 B.E., it had gone beyond relief.
When Crystal Metropolis heard about Imogen Priam Santos' sudden death, most were confused on how to take it. Then, Cheron talked about Imogen as if she was nothing more than a conspirator, making Crystal Metropolitans fringed.
At first, Cheron had the support of the people. They never questioned what he did. Then, concerns arise over not only Imogen’s death, but also past deaths and past executions.
To make matters worse, for two months in 68 B.E., Cheron was gone. He left one day, and only a few people knew about it. His sisters Cassandra and Rosaline had no clue where he went to, but after their little sister’s death, they began to question their own worth in Cheron’s regime.
No one knew where he went or when he was coming back. All they knew was that he had put Strator Ichiamo Santos and Queen Andromache in charge of his administration until he came back.
Suddenly, without warning Cheron reentered the Santos Palace with a whole new mind and heart. He was more ruthless than ever to put his actions to work, and he was quick to kill if necessary. Then, he gave positions to his new friends, but they were not nobility. They were from the streets, from mentally-challenged patients in Crystal Metropolis’ hospitals, pimps of the streets, prostitutes, and even some of the most hardcore prisoners who had just been freed from the Crystal Metropolis’ dungeon system.
He brought them to the palace on their first day and for the first time since Pisanio’s murder by his comrades had there been some kind of panic in the Santos Palace. No one knew how to handle the news.
Most of the court went to Cheron’s sisters to see if there was any way of talking to their brother.
Cassandra and Rosaline tried to talk to him when Cheron was in his special Godmaker Room, a room he used more and more since his new spiritual transformation.
During his time on his knees and with his eyes closed, Cassandra walked to him and touched his shoulder. With the slight tough, Cheron went into a defensive stance. Cassandra stepped back.
“What are you doing, Cheron?” Cassandra asked. “People are starting to wonder what happened to you.”
“What are you trying to say?” Cheron asked coming closer to Cassandra with evil eyes. "You think something's wrong with me? You want to take me down as well? Just like your sister?”
Before Cheron could do anything, Rosaline grabbed his waist and kissed him on the neck tenderly. Cassandra turned confused as to what Rosaline was doing, but Rosaline gestured her to come closer. Cheron’s muscles relaxed with Rosaline’s touch. Cassandra caressed her face, going to the first thought in her head. Rosaline went to the other side of his neck and kiss that side of him tenderly.
Rosaline knew what she was doing. She remembered than intense night she had with Cheron after the Symbel Crystalis meal in which she had a little too much to drink and got into a fight with her little brother over her hypersexual ways.
Then, Cassandra hugged her brother with Rosaline grabbing Cassandra’s arms. Cassandra kissed Cheron’s neck. It became clear to the sisters what their move had to be. They had to be close to him like he was to Imogen without angering Cheron. By this point, Cheron’s anger gave way to passion and he kissed Cassandra on the lips. Then, he turned to Rosaline and kissed her on the lips as well. Cheron backed away and from there, Cassandra and Rosaline looked at each other for a few seconds and knowing that Cheron was watching, the older sisters kissed one another and continued with the passion until Cheron took off his shirt and came back to them with his arms wrapped around both of their waists.
From there, the older sisters had taken over Imogen’s place as close confidants to the king. However, despite saving themselves from
possible death, the same thing could not be said to the entire royal court. One thing Cass and Rosa did accomplish was that they knew the inevitable.
Officially, Cheron has lost all grips with the world, and it was far from over.
****
After his love fest with his older sisters, bringing the family closer than ever, the king made another obscure move.
Like Timon did throughout most of his life, Cheron had been taking drugs. The drug of choice in Crystal Metropolis had become “red lilies,” name after the two women that made the drug in Troyuvant, both named Lily. More potent than Jove, it played on the same gambit without the intense pleasurable feelings that came from its predecessor. It was strictly for the aggressive, and no one on the planet was taking the drug harder than the king himself. One time, he told his sisters that he thought he saw demons flying all over the ceiling. He put the entire palace into shock and everyone was running out, trying to escape his drug-induced paranoia.
INIQUITOUS DOMINION: The Galactic Classic Page 11
