Where there should've been whispers and muffled sandals snapping, there was silence. Somehow in a room with several people, he couldn't hear a thing.
Cool air fell through the small holes at the rafters of the Great Hall, where its reddish brown hue and grayed stone mesh together for an appearance of force and foundation.
The Captain was humbled by the place. It lacked the overly materialistic excess that he couldn't appreciate in the Carolingian Empire. Yet, it flourished with silks, furs, and crystals between seating, cushions, and columns.
The consorts and their children shared looks between them, but none had answers for the Empress' behavior.
And she would not explain herself.
Akhutenan, for what reasons his scrambled brain could not make sense of, was not frightened of the Empress. Her eyes reminded him of his omega father's and many things over his lifetime appeared to have reappeared in his memory. His omega father's knowledge of the language of the Sonhrai. His appearance as a foreigner, but the capacity to support himself in a foreign empire. Well-educated and well-spoken but without any title somehow allowed to marry into the elitist French family? He had taken his parent's story as purely a fairytale but he imagined more than a bit of luck was involved.
Perhaps it wasn't luck at all but leverage.
"You--," the Captain paused as the Empress loosened her hold, but her look was no less intense. "You have eyes like my omega father."
He ended whatever else he was going to say.
The Empress said, tightly, with her hands loosening further, "Cousin, you told me the child was dead."
"She was to be married off," the Grand Princess added. "You were to be married off. Her family thought to use the child as a bargaining chip. And I--I interceded. It was easier to say it was a miscarriage than ruin it all."
"And Lakshmi?"
"Wanted nothing to do with him."
He kept quiet for a moment longer before he said, weakly, "I'm sorry, but--I just wanted to make clear--whose child?"
The consorts sitting on their cushioned dais had already stood up by now and he could see in his upper peripheral that a few of the Empress' heirs were giving him hard looks. Like stone.
"You're slower than molasses, things most certainly are inheritable," the Grand Princess sighed. "Malika, your omega father, is the long-lost child of my cousin here. Making you a direct, albeit secondary branch, descendant of the Empire."
"You went too far in court today," the Empress pointed out. "A demoness isn't to be seen in public."
"And if I hadn't, you would've had the campgrounds burned to the ground and killed your grandson!"
The Empress pursed her lips.
Wuhyab, who had taken Akhutanen's earlier words to heart, tugged at his shoulder and said, lowly, "Tell them!"
He was right.
Priorities.
The Captain took a step back bowed, formally, in the style of the Carolingian Empire, recognizing that it was always odd that he had known the difference since before reaching these lands, and how much sense the wild words that were thrown around make, he said, "Commander Berman will be arrested and accused of murder. There is evidence proving that he murdered Commander Rasoya and even the previous Commander. Along with that, he is accused of investing in black-market dealings to the detriment of positive relations between the two empires. I request a formal declaration of a response on behalf of the Carolingian campgrounds."
"I do not trust the campgrounds leadership," the Empress said. "I formally declare that you be elected as one of the Commanders. No one else."
Wuhayb's excitable energy could be sensed from his side, and the Empress, noticing him, said brusquely, "Tell your guard here to send a message. Lawali, go with him and make sure the message is heard."
He peered up at the Crown Princess, who stepped from the dais and bowed.
"As ordered by Empress Mother, it will be done."
His general tried to give him a look as the Crown Princess dragged him off, but Akhutenan had his own matters to deal with as the Empress' family neared like predators on prey. From behind her shoulder, the Empress couldn't see the ravenous looks on every face save for one, whose attention was on those quietly standing at the columns by their side.
"Will Malika be marked in the Molokohiyya dynasty lineage records?" The Empress's Consort, Evie Shemesh, glided down the dais with gold sparkling at every step. Her wrappings contorted around her like vines and tree trunks. "We have no reason to list her omega mother's name."
"No," the Empress said. "This will have to be a secret, said by word of mouth and acknowledged by us only."
"Empress mother," one of Evie's children, with his twisting braids plaited against his scalp and falling over his shoulders like spears, his eyes a bright blackness, said. "I am to be married into Minister Cissé's family. How will I hold my face if it appears you do not care for his standing? His standing will be my standing. For this bastard--"
Empress Consort could see the Empress' frown deepen as their omega son spoke and cut in, "--illegitimate but still valuable part of our family bloodline. Whom, as valuable as they are," the Empress Consort lightly pushed her son aside as she continued on, "cannot be spoken for while our son can be. Should be. Are you dissatisfied with Minister Cissé?"
"No," the Empress furrowed her brows and then sighed as she pinched her bridge. "He aligns with the factions that are against foreigners. You know as well as I do, he is a necessary balance. His son even moreso. He's flexible and decently clever but--"
"--not too clever to cause issues down the road," the Empress Consort agreed. "He has the posture of a good man. And about Meketaten's marriage?"
"The Adewole clan fits our dynasty's needs."
"Then, I have nothing else to add," the Empress Consort smiled and motioned for her children to follow, with the young Hurulari clutching Meketaten's legs on her way down the dais. "We will prepare for the wedding. Many blessings upon you."
With the proper bows and a few grumbles from Khaemwaset, the Empress' Consort and her brood departed.
Akhutanen watched in admiration but chilled when the Empress Consort's eyes fell on him like daggers.
Those were the eyes of someone who wished him dead.
She passed him by and felt a small fraction of his soul leave his body.
"Empress, if I may," the alpha woman standing off the side walked forward and kneeled with a deep bow. "There has been no instruction of what shall be done with my husband and his brother."
"You should've read the room," a sharp and drum-like voice sounded. It was Imperial Consort Malik and Jata Naira quietly at his becking. "If not even the lovely rose of the Madurai clan can be written down in the records, how could you? Your husband isn't even a direct heir to the dynasty."
There was no recognition on the Empress' face that any words had been spoken at all. She stood there in repose with her eyes sliding over their faces before she sighed.
No words were said still.
The Grand Princess snuck up on Akhutenan, with her hands blocking her mouth as she spoke lowly, "That's your grandmother's maiden clan—the Madurai. They hail from far in the northwest, somewhat out of the empire, but we've always been close with the people of those regions."
"I can't possibly qualify to be Commander simply because of my ancestral clans," Akhutenan replied as the quiet appeared to aggravate the Imperial Consort. "This is unfair to the rest of the soldiers."
"But it's what's best for both of the Empires," the Grand Princess said with pressure in her eyes. "Or would you prefer war?"
Akhutenan shook his head.
The Imperial Consort paced back and forth as she said, "The great lineage of our dynasty cannot have the improbability be on the table of your descendants calling us family."
"May I speak, Empress, your highness?" Chuli turned to the Empress with her head still lowered. "This is a matter of family. Deeply."
"Is it now?" Imperial Consort retorted with incredulity, coloring his voice. His feet stomped angrily. "And what should it matter now what your family suffers?"
Jata Naira patted her father's shoulders as if to soothe his anger, but only able in abating the angry stomping.
"Love," the Empress leaned over and patted the Imperial Consort's hand only to press a few times with an affectionate kiss. "In matters outside of bloodline, the people must be treated as if they are all my children. Let the young woman speak."
Imperial Consort huffed and turned away. "I want nothing to do with this any longer. I'm tired. Hungry and bored."
"We should prepare for the campground funeraries and celebrations of new soldiers then. Perhaps, new recruits?" Jata Naira said questioningly with her gaze falling on the Empress and briefly on Akhutenan. "It would be--proper?"
The Empress patted the Imperial Consort's hand again before waving them off. "Please do, my child. And rest well, Eli, my love."
The two shuffled off and out the room, with the Imperial Consort huffing the entire way.
"And with that," the Grand Princess bowed lightly. "it's our time to leave and prepare."
Akhutenan opened his mouth but the Empress clapped her hands on his shoulders and said, lowly, "I will command you for a personal audience. And I will wish to know all there is to know of your omega father."
"I can do that," Akhutenan said and then snapped his mouth shut before he bowed lowly and sharply exited with the Grand Princess' laughter echoing in the halls.
When the doors shut behind him, he exhaled in relief with his hands on his knees. The adrenaline flew out of his body, and he started to finally be able to breathe again.
"Captain!"
The shouts of soldiers, his fellow captains, and generals ran over with questions he couldn't begin to answer. Many of the guards that left the Great Hall perched at the exterior columns. His eyes fell over their blank gazes as they watched them and their every step. There had to be over fifty of them that he could see, not including the ones waiting at the exterior and the halls.
Even if they wanted to fight, they would be overcrowded in moments.
"Are we to be killed?"
"What are we to do with Berman?"
"Who should inform the Emperor?"
"Should we return home?"
Akhutenan turned to ask if the Grand Princess knew the answers, but the older woman and her husband were nowhere to be seen. He's been Captain for ten years now, a general for a few, and a recruit for most of his youth. It seemed he was still learning much about this land that he's been living in for most of his short life.
He knew these people and the proper guidelines, but for now, he said, "We will be making arrangements for Berman to be sent back to the Empire and allowing them to handle his punishment. But we will be beginning an era of compromise and cooperation with the other empires. The Empress has impressed upon me that we have no other option."
"Will we?" Captain Roy Casas broke through the group and crossed his arms. "And did the Empress inform you of this directly?"
"She did," Akhutenan admitted. "But it gets worse."
"I'm not sure, mate," General Orellano added. "This sounds pretty good to me. Maybe we'll finally get to rotate our deployments. Maybe, year to year?"
"Where did General Cordero go?" Captain Luciano growled. "If they took him in, we need to break him out."
A few soldiers punched their fists in their palms or unhooked their swords. Many of them ready to go to war for just the one of them. It reminded him how tight the campgrounds were run on trust.
His lie--it couldn't be known to them.
A lie that he never even knew he had until today.
"No, no," Akhutenan laughed and motioned for them to put their weapons back, especially as the guards perked up at the movement. He wouldn't be surprised if the guards were excited for something, anything new to happen. "He ran to the campgrounds to tell you all the news. Even the Crown Princess was sent along. I don't sense this is a trap."
Luciano grumbled but conceded to point.
The soldiers began to hoot and holler and dance as they realized that there would be no war. No one would die because of their commander's reckless and violent actions. Even Luciano shared a flickered smile that broke out even as it fell back into a neutral line soon after. General Orellano and General Gomez had already begun brainstorming on what they should be doing next with the campgrounds.
But Roy waited until the others were distracted before he said, "We should speak on the walk back. There's something else you need to know."
Akhutenan ordered the soldiers to make their way back to camp with the generals and captains following behind as Roy walked by the tail end. His quiet stillness buried a worry in Akhutenan he couldn't pull out. He could feel Roy's eyes following the back of his head as if he knew something already.
All he had to do was keep it together.
Or, do as he promised, he would make his way back to Donte.
No matter what he had to do to make sure it happened.