11-04-2019, 04:37 AM
Palace of Flowers
One hour after the Great Selection
While a formal coronation still needed to be done in accordance with Xiomeran law, Yauhmi saw no reason to wait to use the Throne Room. The Palace of Flowers had been her home for almost two decades, and she was as familiar with the Throne Room as a normal Xiomeran would be with their living room.
As she walked into the Throne Room, she briefly imagined that she could see Topilpopoca sitting on the Obsidian Throne, resplendent in his customary general's uniform, smiling at her as he had so often while she sat next to him on her own smaller chair. "Well, Topilpopoca, I'm here again. I hope I didn't have to keep you waiting too long," she said softly as she neared the throne.
The image of Topilpopoca sitting on the throne smiled at her, one last time, before fading away as Yauhmi once again confronted reality. She no longer had a husband. But she had his chair.
The Obsidian Throne was not, as its name implied, a giant hunk of volcanic glass. Topilpopoca had often joked to Yauhmi that if it had been, it would have been as comfortable to sit on as a chair made of rusty razor blades, or swords, or something equally preposterous like that. What the Obsidian Throne was revealed itself to be a masterwork, perhaps the masterwork, of Huenyan craftsmanship, artistry and creativity. For 600 years, Xiomeran Emperors had sat on that throne, ever since the first Emperor, Quiauhticue, had ordered it to be crafted - and then killed its creators so that no one could ever replicate its like. The Throne was created from firestone and blackwood, with obsidian inlays shining like the finest jewels, and all of it carved with symbols of Huenyan religion and Xiomeran history with the finest artistry. And in keeping with its name, every single part of the Obsidian Throne was solid, jet black - except for one.
On the top of the chair, a single jeweled gold piece ran. It had the symbols of the four tribes of Huenya carved into it, on either side of an image of Huītzilōpōchtli. Above the image of the patron god of the Xiomerans, a golden sun flared. This was what the Emperors of Xiomera had drawn their authority from in the days of Quiauhticue - the power of the gods, the mandate of Huītzilōpōchtli.
Today, they drew their power from farcical elections by corrupted experts. But it mattered not. Whatever source this chair derives its authority from, it is the most powerful chair in the Xiomeran Empire. And that power belongs to whoever sits upon it.
Even though she had lived in the Palace for almost twenty years, Yauhmi had never sat upon the Throne. She was not ready to do so yet. There was still one piece of unfinished business. "Bring him in," she told the Shorn Ones guarding the Throne Room.
The golden doors of the Throne Room, bearing the Xiomeran seal upon them, swung open without a sound - more superior Xiomeran craftsmanship at work. Tepilcayotl walked in, flanked by a pair of Shorn Ones. When he neared Yauhmi, one of the Shorn Ones stopped him as if he was going to search the Security Secretary. "That will not be necessary," Yauhmi said, waving the Shorn One back. "I trust that you have no further plans to do away with me?"
"I do not," Tepilcayotl said. "May I congratulate you on your victory, Empress. You have proven to be the most worthy of opponents."
"As were you, Tepilcayotl. You made this much harder than I anticipated, you should be proud," Yauhmi said. "I could say the same for you, Empress," Tepilcayotl replied dryly, his once-frontrunner status in the Great Selection now just a distant memory.
Yauhmi laughed slightly at that. "Do you wonder what Topilpopoca must think, watching his wife and his best friend scheme like this against each other from the afterlife?" she asked. "I imagine he is quite angry with me for trying to kill his wife. I also imagine he is equally angry with me for failing to become Emperor," Tepilcayotl replied. This earned a much more robust laugh from the Empress. "That does sound like Topilpopoca.....he would have been beside himself about who to root for."
"Yes, but he would also have accepted it. It is our way, the Xiomeran way," Tepilcayotl said calmly.
"So it is. And so, you know what I must ask you to do now," Yauhmi replied, gesturing to one of the Shorn Ones. The Shorn One stepped forward, a dark black box in his hand. When he opened it, he took out an obsidian técpatl. The dagger shone darkly in the golden lights of the Throne Room.
"Left alive, you would be a dangerous rival. And as fun and productive as squabbles among friends and family can be sometimes, a civil war is the last thing Xiomera needs right now," Yauhmi said quietly.
Tepilcayotl took the dagger from the Shorn One, raising it to his chest. "I know. And I would never allow myself to become an instrument that does the Empire harm. I did not serve Xiomera for fifty years for nothing." As he gripped the dagger, he looked up at Yauhmi. "I genuinely hope that you succeed and thrive as Empress. If you succeed, Xiomera will succeed. And that is all I have ever wanted."
"I know, Tepilcayotl. Thank you for your wishes...I hope you reach the afterlife and a place of peace worthy of your service. When you see Topilpopoca there....tell him I said hello," Yauhmi replied softly.
Tepilcayotl nodded, before taking a firmer grip on the dagger and looking up at the roof of the Throne Room. "For the Empire," he whispered, before taking a single sharp thrust.
When it was over, Yauhmi bent down on one knee, closing Tepilcayotl's eyes and retrieving the dagger. She cleaned it with a silken cloth, before handing both back to the Shorn One holding the box. "Make sure he is sent to the afterlife with the highest honors. He may have become my enemy, but he served Xiomera well and true for longer than you have been alive. He deserves our respect and our honor," the Empress told him. The Shorn One bowed deeply, before he and several others picked up Tepilcayotl's body to carry it to the Huēyi Teōcalli.
As servants rushed forward to clean the blood from the floor of the Throne Room, Yauhmi walked back to the Obsidian Throne. And, for the first time, she slowly sat down upon the most powerful chair in Xiomera. I am truly Empress now. Not just an Emperor's wife, not someone who just lives in the Palace. I rule Xiomera now. And things are going to change.
One hour after the Great Selection
While a formal coronation still needed to be done in accordance with Xiomeran law, Yauhmi saw no reason to wait to use the Throne Room. The Palace of Flowers had been her home for almost two decades, and she was as familiar with the Throne Room as a normal Xiomeran would be with their living room.
As she walked into the Throne Room, she briefly imagined that she could see Topilpopoca sitting on the Obsidian Throne, resplendent in his customary general's uniform, smiling at her as he had so often while she sat next to him on her own smaller chair. "Well, Topilpopoca, I'm here again. I hope I didn't have to keep you waiting too long," she said softly as she neared the throne.
The image of Topilpopoca sitting on the throne smiled at her, one last time, before fading away as Yauhmi once again confronted reality. She no longer had a husband. But she had his chair.
The Obsidian Throne was not, as its name implied, a giant hunk of volcanic glass. Topilpopoca had often joked to Yauhmi that if it had been, it would have been as comfortable to sit on as a chair made of rusty razor blades, or swords, or something equally preposterous like that. What the Obsidian Throne was revealed itself to be a masterwork, perhaps the masterwork, of Huenyan craftsmanship, artistry and creativity. For 600 years, Xiomeran Emperors had sat on that throne, ever since the first Emperor, Quiauhticue, had ordered it to be crafted - and then killed its creators so that no one could ever replicate its like. The Throne was created from firestone and blackwood, with obsidian inlays shining like the finest jewels, and all of it carved with symbols of Huenyan religion and Xiomeran history with the finest artistry. And in keeping with its name, every single part of the Obsidian Throne was solid, jet black - except for one.
On the top of the chair, a single jeweled gold piece ran. It had the symbols of the four tribes of Huenya carved into it, on either side of an image of Huītzilōpōchtli. Above the image of the patron god of the Xiomerans, a golden sun flared. This was what the Emperors of Xiomera had drawn their authority from in the days of Quiauhticue - the power of the gods, the mandate of Huītzilōpōchtli.
Today, they drew their power from farcical elections by corrupted experts. But it mattered not. Whatever source this chair derives its authority from, it is the most powerful chair in the Xiomeran Empire. And that power belongs to whoever sits upon it.
Even though she had lived in the Palace for almost twenty years, Yauhmi had never sat upon the Throne. She was not ready to do so yet. There was still one piece of unfinished business. "Bring him in," she told the Shorn Ones guarding the Throne Room.
The golden doors of the Throne Room, bearing the Xiomeran seal upon them, swung open without a sound - more superior Xiomeran craftsmanship at work. Tepilcayotl walked in, flanked by a pair of Shorn Ones. When he neared Yauhmi, one of the Shorn Ones stopped him as if he was going to search the Security Secretary. "That will not be necessary," Yauhmi said, waving the Shorn One back. "I trust that you have no further plans to do away with me?"
"I do not," Tepilcayotl said. "May I congratulate you on your victory, Empress. You have proven to be the most worthy of opponents."
"As were you, Tepilcayotl. You made this much harder than I anticipated, you should be proud," Yauhmi said. "I could say the same for you, Empress," Tepilcayotl replied dryly, his once-frontrunner status in the Great Selection now just a distant memory.
Yauhmi laughed slightly at that. "Do you wonder what Topilpopoca must think, watching his wife and his best friend scheme like this against each other from the afterlife?" she asked. "I imagine he is quite angry with me for trying to kill his wife. I also imagine he is equally angry with me for failing to become Emperor," Tepilcayotl replied. This earned a much more robust laugh from the Empress. "That does sound like Topilpopoca.....he would have been beside himself about who to root for."
"Yes, but he would also have accepted it. It is our way, the Xiomeran way," Tepilcayotl said calmly.
"So it is. And so, you know what I must ask you to do now," Yauhmi replied, gesturing to one of the Shorn Ones. The Shorn One stepped forward, a dark black box in his hand. When he opened it, he took out an obsidian técpatl. The dagger shone darkly in the golden lights of the Throne Room.
"Left alive, you would be a dangerous rival. And as fun and productive as squabbles among friends and family can be sometimes, a civil war is the last thing Xiomera needs right now," Yauhmi said quietly.
Tepilcayotl took the dagger from the Shorn One, raising it to his chest. "I know. And I would never allow myself to become an instrument that does the Empire harm. I did not serve Xiomera for fifty years for nothing." As he gripped the dagger, he looked up at Yauhmi. "I genuinely hope that you succeed and thrive as Empress. If you succeed, Xiomera will succeed. And that is all I have ever wanted."
"I know, Tepilcayotl. Thank you for your wishes...I hope you reach the afterlife and a place of peace worthy of your service. When you see Topilpopoca there....tell him I said hello," Yauhmi replied softly.
Tepilcayotl nodded, before taking a firmer grip on the dagger and looking up at the roof of the Throne Room. "For the Empire," he whispered, before taking a single sharp thrust.
When it was over, Yauhmi bent down on one knee, closing Tepilcayotl's eyes and retrieving the dagger. She cleaned it with a silken cloth, before handing both back to the Shorn One holding the box. "Make sure he is sent to the afterlife with the highest honors. He may have become my enemy, but he served Xiomera well and true for longer than you have been alive. He deserves our respect and our honor," the Empress told him. The Shorn One bowed deeply, before he and several others picked up Tepilcayotl's body to carry it to the Huēyi Teōcalli.
As servants rushed forward to clean the blood from the floor of the Throne Room, Yauhmi walked back to the Obsidian Throne. And, for the first time, she slowly sat down upon the most powerful chair in Xiomera. I am truly Empress now. Not just an Emperor's wife, not someone who just lives in the Palace. I rule Xiomera now. And things are going to change.
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