[Xiomera]

Palace of Flowers
October 4th

"You look so pretty," Tiacamaco said, with tears in her eyes. Atemin, her husband, had a huge smile on his own face as he looked at his daughter. "The formal dress is very fine, but it helps that someone as beautiful and graceful as my daughter is wearing it."

Calhualyana smiled in response. "You always say that, father. But I'm not a kid anymore. It's okay to admit that I am not the most beautiful person in the world, even though you always told me that when I was little."

"But in my eyes, you have always been the most beautiful little girl in the world," Atemin said with a parent's pride. "I knew that you would grow up to be someone exceptional, but I never dreamed that the two of us would be standing in the Throne Room of the Palace of Flowers, watching you prepare for your wedding. You have no idea how proud we both are of you."

Uncharacteristically, Calhualyana blushed. Few people could bring out her emotional side, but her parents were still among those who could. "I'm glad.....that's all I ever wanted."

Atemin grinned more broadly, looking towards the man standing next to her. "You look almost as good, Xiyāōtl," he said with a chuckle. "No offense."

Xiyāōtl smiled. "I would never expect a proud papa to elevate anyone higher than his daughter." In his formal Imperial Navy uniform, Xiyāōtl did cut a dashing figure. But in her formal dress, perfectly arranged hair and tastefully done makeup, the Empress was the star of the show. As she should be.

Xiyāōtl's own parents, Poyotlaha and Ualixoztlin, had big smiles on their faces as well. "You've done us proud too, son," Poyotlaha said. "And I have to agree with you, Atemin. We also never dreamed our son would be standing in the Palace, to be the betrothed of an Empress. Our kids have definitely done well for themselves," he said, placing a hand on Atemin's shoulder.

"As much as I enjoy the proud parental enthusiasm, we do have to get a picture taken," Imperial Steward Xiuhcatli said gently. The two sets of parents laughed agreeably, moving to the side of the Throne Room as Calhualyana and Xiyāōtl stood next to each other for the formal portrait.

Within hours, that portrait, along with the news that a date had finally been set, was making its way into the Xiomeran and international media. Invitations were also going out to select national and international guests. Royal wedding fever had officially begun in Xiomera.

[Xiomera]

Mocentlalia 

Eyatzin put his tablet down, a slight smirk crossing his face. “So the Empress is finally getting married.”

Maloxili looked at him with a strange expression on her face. “I don’t see why you’re smiling about that cow getting married. It’s the typical Xiomeran story - a happy ending for the rich powerful people. Nothing good about that particular fairy tale.”

“There will be, if we rewrite the ending she has planned,” Eyatzin said, his smirk growing into a cool smile.

Margaxi chuckled, getting his meaning. “So, we fine members of the not-so-loyal opposition can throw a few edits into her perfect script, yeah?”

“Indeed. Nothing muscular, we don’t have the numbers yet. But I can think of a few ways to remind Calhualyana that the opposition to her is still here, and that instead of eliminating us, she only drove us underground and made us more dangerous.” Eyatzin looked at both of them. “Get as many other UP members together as you can. I have a plan, but I will need a few people to serve as a distraction to pull it off.”

—-

Chuaztlapoc

Yauhmi took a drink of her coffee. If anyone could have drank a hot beverage in an angry way, it would have been at this moment. Her grimace was as much from the news of Calhualyana’s wedding as it was from the coffee.

“Gods take that horrible woman,” she murmured to herself. Next to her at the breakfast table, Tlalmaxxi laughed softly. “I take it you won’t be sending her a wedding present,” she said.

“Not unless I send her a picture of you and my son, to show her what a real loving couple looks like,” Yauhmi snorted. “Unless…..” her voice trailed off into thought.

“Oh dear. Will you be sending her something after all?” Tlalmaxxi’s raised eyebrow was a statement in and of itself.

“I am thinking…….of something absolutely perfect for the two of them.” Yauhmi laughed slowly. It bore a very marked similarity to her slow, slightly menacing laugh of the old days. Tlalmaxxi didn’t have it in herself to feel sorry for Calhualyana, but hearing that laugh, she almost did. Almost.

[Democratic Republic Of Eiria]

Chancellor's Manor, Geminus
8:22 PM

The simple black box sat on the table, its two felt-lined compartments empty. Chancellor William Lancaster examined it carefully, running one hand across the felt. "Perfect." He muttered, glancing at the door to his study. He had only told his husband and his chief of staff about his plan, and he didn't intend for anyone else to find out either. He bought everything with his own money, after all. There was no reason anyone else had to know.

In one compartment, he carefully placed a bouquet of white flowers, which were tied together with a black ribbon. The phrase "My condolences" was written across the ribbon in white cursive English. He took a blank note card from his desk drawer and wrote "For the Groom" in blue pen. He placed the card on top of the flowers with a smile.

With a self-directed nod, the Chancellor moved on to the other compartment. He opened one of the bottom drawers of his desk and removed a bottle of decent-quality Mazoir Delannoy Eirian champagne, placing it on the desk. He paused for a moment, before writing "For the Bride" in large cursive across the label. He packed the Champagne snugly with packaging paper and stepped back, admiring his idea with a spiteful smile. This is amazing. The perfect message.

He grabbed another card from his desk, considering what to write. Intricate and long, or short and sweet? He decided on the latter, writing "Congratulations", before adding his three initials in the bottom corner. He placed the card in the box and sealed it, adding a small bundle of ribbon across the top. This may be the favorite gift I've ever given.

He picked the box up and headed for the door, hesitating for only a moment. Is this too much? Passive-aggressively mentioning and taking responsibility for a poisoning isn't likely to go unpunished. He shook his head inwardly, quickly leaving his study.

Ava Christiansen, his ever-loyal Chief of Staff, stood behind her desk, packing up her laptop and files. Lancaster placed the box on her desk, nodding to her. They had planned this beforehand, to maximize efficiency and prevent news of the secret gift from reaching the rest of the staff. "Have a good night." He said, quickly turning off the lights and heading for his Suite, a smile on his face.

Enjoy your wedding, Madame Empress.

[Xiomera]

Palace of Flowers
October 22nd

While Xiomera was a country where tradition was revered, it was also a country where people weren’t afraid to alter traditional practice as needed. The traditional wedding practice in Xiomera, therefore, would be altered for the wedding of Empress Calhualyana in a few ways.

In a traditional Xiomeran wedding, the ceremony took place at the home of the groom’s parents. This was a tradition that had already been altered before, as Xiomeran women achieved an equal status to that of men. Weddings of the traditional sort were now held at the home of either the groom’s or bride’s parents, depending on who had the interest, bigger home, or resources to do so. In a traditional Xiomeran wedding, the groom’s family would also send an ah atanzah (a professional matchmaker) to propose the marriage to the bride’s parents. This was a tradition that the modernization of Xiomeran society had also altered; now either side’s parents could send the matchmaker to make the formal proposal. Given the superior social status of the Empress, it had been deemed only reasonable and fair that the proposal be sent by her parents. The acceptance by Xiyāōtl’s parents was a mere formality in any case; they weren’t about to turn down the chance to have their son become the second most powerful person in Xiomera.

There was also one other change to accommodate both tradition, and the message Calhualyana wanted to send with her wedding. Instead of the events taking place at either set of parents’ homes, it would happen at her place.

—-

Throughout Tlālacuetztla, and in every other city in the Empire, the streets were lined with Imperial flags and banners touting the royal wedding. It was shaping up to be a major national celebration. The traditional Xiomeran wedding was a four-day event, with the wedding itself taking place on the first day. This was followed by days of feasting and celebration. As such, it was essentially a four day holiday throughout the Empire.

At the Palace, the largest gathering space had been prepared for the ceremony. The audience in the hall consisted of foreign and domestic guests, as well as important Imperial officials and business figures. The greater audience, however, consisted of whoever had access to a television or the internet, as the event was being broadcast and streamed live. Those watching would see a grand space, decorated with gold leaf and precious jewels. Works of art lined the walls; one wall held floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto one of the great flower gardens of the Palace.

At the front of the hall, a small fire had been lit, representing the fire normally lit in the hearth at the beginning of the wedding ceremony. Incense was brought to the hearth and ceremonially burned as an offering to the Xiomeran gods, as priests chanted and looked on.

Once that offering was completed, Xiyāōtl would be led in first by his parents. Instead of his naval uniform, he would be wearing a master-crafted traditional Xiomeran robe, made of the finest cloth and silks and jewels woven into it. A golden medallion of the sun hung around his neck on a gold chain. He walked to take his place at the front of the hall.

Not long after that, the Empress would be led in by her parents. Calhualyana wore a long robe with the bottom end tailored into a skirt. Her featherwork crown shone in the light of the hall as she walked to the front. Her arms were decorated with red feathers; a red face paint with shimmering crystals shone on her features.

With a smile, Calhualyana stood at her place in front. At a word from the high priest, both of them sat down on a set of mats in front of the hearth. As the priests continued chanting in Huenyan, the bride was presented with a set of clothes from the groom’s parents; the groom received a set of clothes from the bride’s parents. At another word from the high priest, Calhualyana and Xiyāōtl stood up. The high priest ceremonially tied his cloak to her skirt, formally completing the bond of marriage.

As the crowd cheered and applauded, Xiyāōtl and Calhualyana walked down the aisle together, hands clasped as a married couple for the first time. A grand reception for their family and guests awaited them, the kickoff to the days of celebration which would follow.

[Xiomera]

As the newly married couple led the group of guests and family to the private area of the Palace where the reception was to be held, a buzzing noise was heard. As the Empress and her new husband looked up, they witnessed a curious sight. Several drones were flying over the Palace grounds. Hanging from the bottom of each drone were banners insulting the Empress and her husband, wishing the married couple ill, and demanding freedom for Xiomerans. Calhualyana's eyes narrowed.

Gesturing quickly to the head of her personal guards, she ordered them to redirect the guests and family members down a different path to the reception hall. Once the crowd was out of sight, the Empress took a rifle from one of her guards. As if she were skeet shooting on a pleasant afternoon, she blasted each drone out of the sky.

After the shattered machinery clattered to earth, Palace servants quickly cleaned up the mess and hid the rude banners. Any guest or family member who asked about the sudden gunfire was blandly informed that the guards were firing a salute to the married couple as part of the ceremony. Nothing to worry about, nothing to see here.

As the Empress handed the rifle back to its owner, she hissed at the guards commander. "Find out where those drones came from. The culprits cannot be far away."

---

The culprits were, indeed, not far off. A pleasant vacation home in Montelin, not far from the Palace, was currently vacant. Or, at least, it was supposed to be. It was a perfect base of operations for the drone operation.

Eyatzin slammed his headset down on a table in frustration. "I lost signal to all the drones. They either jammed them or just destroyed them."

Maloxili laughed. "Don't worry, we'll replace your precious robots. They served their purpose."

"It would have been better if they had bombs on them," Margaxi said pragmatically.

"They're drones. Not robots," Eyatzin said plaintively.

"Yeah yeah. Grab your stuff, we need to move before the police show up," Maloxili said. "Off to phase 2 of Ruin the Royal Wedding."

[Xiomera]

While the wedding reception took place inside the safety of the Palace walls, mischief was taking place outside in the Imperial capital.

---

October 22nd
3:45pm

In a rough clearing on the outskirts of western Tlālacuetztla, a group of people was busily working. They knew they didn't have a lot of time. The soft hissing of helium canisters, the clinking of metal and twine, and the occasional beeping was the only sound. Talking wasn't required; they had rehearsed this enough.

With a final set of beeps, and a quick communication over a burner phone, phase 2 was ready.

With a flourish of wind, balloons began to rise in the air. Many, many balloons. All of them had a picture of the royal couple on them, with a big red X drawn over them.

As the balloons rose over the capital, the people of Tlālacuetztla couldn't help but notice them.

Miles away, Eyatzin got the phone call, and at the pre-planned moment, pressed a button on the phone. The resulting signal sent a message to the tiny devices he had created to add to the balloons' tethers. With a series of clicks, the cords were severed. The balloons began soaring faster into the air, released from what had been tied to the end of their cords. Small plastic containers began falling to the ground throughout the center city. As the containers hit the ground, they would pop open, releasing flyers. Many, many flyers - all of them very much anti-Empress and anti-XCP in nature.

This would not be as easy to shrug off as the drone incident.

---

7:55pm

The final phase of "Ruin the Royal Wedding" was a bit simpler than the first two. Child's play for Eyatzin, compared to the other two phases.

Throughout Tlālacuetztla, a series of projectors had been set up by the celebration planning committee for the wedding. At sunset, they had begun displaying images and messages celebrating the wedding, the Empress and her new husband, the XCP and the Empire on the sides of major buildings and sites throughout the capital. It had sounded like a good idea at the time, to go along with the banners and flags and other decorations around the city.

This would prove, in practice, to be unfortunate.

About an hour into the projections, the messages abruptly flickered and changed. The resulting displays around Tlālacuetztla were not at all celebratory. Insulting, yes. Obscene, perhaps a bit. But definitely not celebratory.

The messages would be quickly shut down, then restored to their original content, by Imperial computer experts. But the damage had been done. The images from the balloon drop and the projectors would soon spread both within and outside Xiomera, making it clear that not everyone in Xiomera was in the mood to congratulate Calhualyana.

At the end of the reception, once out of sight of guests, the Empress was advised of what had happened. Calhualyana paused for a moment, taking off her wedding veil. Once the veil was put aside, she grabbed her Security Minister by the throat. As Quihichua gasped for breath, the Empress whispered in her ear. "Find who is responsible for this and arrest them. Unless you want to be sitting in your own cells."

The Empress released the Security Minister with a shove into the wall, before calmly taking her new husband's arm to leave for her honeymoon.

[Xiomera]

December 11th
Ministry of Loyalty complex, north of Tlālacuetztla
Imperial Security Agency headquarters
7:00 pm

Upon taking the Obsidian Throne, Empress Calhualyana had one very clear domestic agenda: to reshape Xiomera according to her image of what it should be. Major construction projects to create new symbols of power, such as the Imperial Parliament building, were one tangible sign of this. Replacing faltering icons of the Empire before her, such as the Cauhloc, were another one.

The Cauhloc had already been leveled, and construction was already proceeding at breakneck speed on the new Ministry of Information complex which would occupy its former site. Much like the Parliament Building, crews there were working 24-7 shifts, construction proceeding nonstop to build the new Xiomera. The newly created Ministry of Loyalty, whose Imperial Security Agency had taken over ASI's former role of domestic and internal security, was hardly homeless however. Its own new home, the MoL Complex in the foothills north of the Imperial capital, had also been proceeding at a breakneck pace. While there was still some construction and final work to do, and a few sets of prisoners here and there to temporarily move to other sites, the new home of the ISA was essentially open for business.

And not a moment too soon, Minister of Loyalty Quihuichua thought to herself as she settled into her new, state-of-the-art office. The Empire was facing challenges like never before. It would need to bring all of its technological, martial and economic prowess to bear to overcome them. This new complex was both a recognition of that reality, and an affirmation in steel and concrete that Xiomera was up to the challenge.

Quihichua rubbed her throat slightly. The bruising of the chokehold that the Empress had given her had already faded. But she imagined she could still feel Calhualyana's hand there, and had no desire to repeat the experience. ISA had been investigating nonstop since the embarrassing incidents at the wedding, while ensuring that the Ministry of Information spread the correct version of the government's story about those incidents to the nation and the world.

As Quihichua pored over the latest reports, a voice came over her office intercom. "Minister, Agent Cualtzi is here," her assistant said. The Minister ordered him to be allowed in. Cualtzi was the lead investigator into the wedding incidents. He walked in, a smirk on his face. "We have the lead we've been waiting for. Or the leads, I should say."

"Good, then perhaps we'll both live," Quihichua replied in a tone that was only half joking. Cualtzi passed over a tablet to the Minister. "We were able to track down the origin of the message containers that were attached to the balloons. They were of a unique construction. The materials involved were traced to a small workshop in Huitzitaca. Surveillance video helped us identify the person likely behind their construction." Quihichua looked first at a video clip, showing someone leaving the workshop. She then looked at an attached file, a record from the Imperial citizens' database. "Eyatzin.....techie type, formerly registered as a Unification Party member....description and image match." The Minister nodded. "Have you been able to identify anyone else connected with him?"

"Oh yes. The only problem is finding the actual people. We've begun interviewing his work connections, and we're rounding up his family. We also have leads on his close acquaintances. It shouldn't be long now," Cualtzi said.

"Many of them seem to have a connection to this bar in Italman....Mocentlalia." Quihichua made a note, swiping quickly with the tablet's pen. "Send teams to raid that place. I want everyone there rounded up and questioned. And this business itself seems to be a locus of discontent. Once everyone there is rounded up, burn it to the ground. That should show anyone affiliated with it exactly what you get when you play with fire."

Cualtzi nodded. "With pleasure, Minister."

---

Italman, Tlālacuetztla
9:45 pm

"I can't believe the government is still trying to spin the wedding debacle," Eyatzin grumbled. "They're seriously still trying to push the line that it was foreigners that pulled everything we did. Blaming the Eirians, the Lauchenoirians, and the Milinticans. Saying they wanted to embarrass the Empress because of the Auria thing." Eyatzin sighed. "We didn't get any credit at all for it."

"It is a bit insulting," Margaxi replied. "It almost makes it seem like Xiomerans can't resist on their own, and that only foreign intervention could ever challenge Calhualyana." He gave a deep snort. "We are just as capable of despising Calhualyana as anyone else, and just as capable of making her look dumb," he added with a deep laugh.

Their grumbling session was interrupted by the door slamming open. As the two of them jumped up in shock, Maloxili burst into the room. Quetia, another opposition member, was with her. "Don't you knock? You scared me half to death, I thought it was the damn police.....wait.....what's wrong?" Eyatzin said. Maloxili was crying. "They burned it down. They arrested everyone," she said.

"Burned what down? Arrested who?" Margaxi demanded.

"Mocentlalia. The police and ISA showed up just now. They rounded up everyone at the bar, Quetia and I were lucky to escape out the back. They put them all into police vans and then they set the bar on fire. Teli tried to stop them," she said. Teli was the owner of Mocentlalia, and had provided a haven to the outcasts of Xiomeran society for decades. "They beat him up and took him away like everyone else." Quetia put his arm around Maloxili's shoulders as she quietly sobbed.

"We have to go help them," Margaxi said, grabbing his bag. Quetia sighed in response. "There is no helping them now. Mocentlalia is burned to the ground, everyone there is already under arrest, and there are dozens of cops and ISA swarming the area. We have to get out of here. Eyatzin, grab whatever you need and let's go."

"Go? What are you talking about?" Eyatzin replied, still in shock.

"Don't you get it? The fucking ISA didn't show up at Mocentlalia on a whim," Quetia snapped. "They knew whoever made Calhualyana look bad at her own wedding was connected to the bar. They know who you are. They are looking for you."

Eyatzin turned pale. What had seemed like a simple game was suddenly not fun anymore.

Quetia and Margaxi helped the other two gather whatever essential they could take with them. They watched as Eyatzin then set off a kill switch that would destroy all the data on his computers and other devices. This was to ensure that ISA couldn't gather more information on the opposition......assuming ISA couldn't recover the data.

The four of them then bolted, into the streets of Italman, seeking whatever shelter they could find now.

---

Xihuimara Imperial Estate
Cenotillo Island
December 12th

The Xihuimara Estate was one of several properties that were owned by the government for the use of the royal family. Before the war, it had belonged to Yauhmi and her family. Now, it belonged to Calhualyana, along with the other royal properties. Just as the staff at the Palace of Flowers had been busy preparing for the wedding, the staff at Xihuimara had been busily preparing the estate for the honeymoon. Stripping it of any vestige of its former owners, and making sure it reflected only the glory of the new royal couple, was a major part of that.

Calhualyana and Xiyāōtl had been enjoying the vacation, along with the presents from the wedding. At present, the Empress was seated in front of a computer in the office suite of the estate. "Are you playing that game that Pavía sent you again?" Xiyāōtl said with amusement as he walked in. Sandra Pavía had sent the newlyweds a copy of a popular video game in Lauchenoiria, where the plot was that you're a politician in a democracy and have to win elections.

"Trying to. I never seem to pick the right options," Calhualyana said. She snorted and closed the game. "This game just proves to me that democracy is nonsense."

Xiyāōtl laughed again. "Maybe Pavía was trying to send you some kind of message." He nudged the note that Pavía had included with her present to the newlyweds: "For the newlyweds to enjoy when they need a challenge, I've found such games excellent in encouraging players to develop empathy for those in different situations to themselves, especially situations which are so far fetched from how they live."

"Perhaps she was," Calhualyana mused, looking at the note once more. "In any event, I need a drink after that game."

"Hmm. There's this box here," Xiyāōtl said, opening a nearby present. Inside was the flower and bottle of champagne that William Lancaster had sent them. Calhualyana's eyes narrowed as she looked at the bottle. "I don't get it," Xiyāōtl said. "I mean, the flower is self-evident, but...."

"It's nothing important. Just a confirmation of something I suspected already. And a reminder of a lesson I owe someone." Calhualyana shoved the box aside. "I wouldn't drink that Eirian swill anyway, even if it was safe to do so. Just dump it down the toilet," the Empress ordered one of her servants. It was another present that would be discarded. Yauhmi, through her own connections, had made sure that her present also got to the newlyweds. It had been an image, carved in obsidian, of the newlyweds being embraced by Mictlāntēcutli, the god of death. The priests had warned that the image was meant to be a bad omen, and had hastily taken it away to be sealed up in the Huēyi Teōcalli.

As the servant walked off with the box, one of the Imperial Guards entered the room, handing the Empress a tablet. It contained a report of the previous night's raid. The Empress read it and smiled with satisfaction, her thoughts turning to the people who had disrupted her wedding. Whoever you are, if you wish to play games with me, I'll play. But I don't play for fun. You'll learn that soon enough.

[Xiomera]

Epilogue
September 20th, 2022
Imperial Military Hospital, Tlālacuetztla

Acacochtl, the personal physician to the Imperial Family, smiled broadly as he finished his examination. "I have excellent news, your Majesty."

"Wonderful," Calhualyana said with a slightly sour tone of voice. She was eight months pregnant, and the discomforts associated with pregnancy were making it increasingly difficult for her to maintain a civil demeanor. "What is the news?"

"Well, as you can see from the ultrasound," Acacochtl said as he turned the monitor to where Calhualyana and Xiyāōtl could see it, "your babies are quite healthy and where we would expect them to be at this point of the pregnancy."

"That's good," Xiyāōtl said. He paused, as the exact wording the doctor had used dawned on him. "Wait....babies?"

Calhualyana's tired grimace shifted slowly towards a smile. "I'm having twins?"

"Indeed, your Majesty. A boy and a girl, if I read this right. The gods and goddesses have chosen to bless you and your future dynasty twice over." Acacochtl's face took on a more sober expression. "Now, I must warn, this will make the final birth harder and more challenging."

"I can handle it. And I will," Calhualyana said firmly. "This is the best news we could have gotten." Xiyāōtl gave her a gentle hug around the shoulders. "Indeed it is, and I know you will be magnificent. Xiomera will be blessed with our children guiding its destiny long after we are gone."

"It will. This is our destiny - a line that rules a strong Empire forever as their birthright." Calhualyana no longer seemed tired; the news had energized her. "Forever."