Anu regarded the young girl nodding slightly."Hurry on your way child. Don't waste your time here... It's not healthy to dawdle." He didn't smile, not much. The look of wide eyed fear on the girl's face was far out of propertion to the situation. It was likely she was a farm girl, or house slave sent to the Palace as a gift.

 Deciding he should see to it himself, not eager to leave his post but also not convinced a messenger would be able to get to the General directly he summoned two men to take his place and pulled on his cloak. The collar of the Empress should be enough to convince any who questioned him to let him pass. Quickly leaving the palace itself he strolled with a purposful stride. while he was a slave he was no common drudge or slut boy. Few who saw him would confuse him for a lap boy or pet.
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:23, Wed 09 Jan 2008.

         " At once," Petal kept her head down as she replied,she shuddered at the thought of being used by dozens of soldiers, that frightened her more than any beating or punishment she could imagine." I will remember the mistakes of the traitoress ma'am."

    Returning to the Imperial chambers she wuietly slipped into the dressing room, gathering the clothing in the hamper carefully inspecting each garmrnt for tears, stains or any defect that would mar their appearance. She neatly foldied the fine garments idly imagining how it would feel to wear such beautiful garments. the touch of fine linen and soft silks against her skin. the wieght of the beads and embroidery decorating several of the dresses as she swept across the dance floor at some grand ball.

    Then shaking her self out of her revelry she silently chided herself for such foolish thoughts. placing the clothing neatly in her basket and silently slipped out of the room. She had to remember constantly she was a slave. the collar about her neck, and the simple tunic she wore were all she would ever get to wear. all she could do was hope to serve well and earn her mistresses approval. It wasn't a terrible life, on the contrary it was usually rather pleasant. well fed, sleeping indoors and sheltered from the crude men who roamed the streets and preyed on the children of the freemen. Im amny ways her collar was a shield. anyone spying it would think twice before tampering with another mans property.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:09, Wed 09 Jan 2008.

   Stepping quietly from the shadows, the enigmatic astrologer appeared just behind Sidi and rasped quietly so that she alone would hear, a strange echoing whisper, cold upon the Empress' ear.
   "I am always here, Sidi, and I am bound to obey you, so long as the Empire lasts," he replied in an almost sorrowful tone.  "My Empress summons me and I await her bidding.  What does your Majesty wish of her humble servant?"  He inclined his head, still cowled, his glowing golden eyes never leaving her face.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:23, Wed 16 Jan 2008.

"OH! There you are my friend. There are two new slaves here, one a girl named Petal. The other is a janissary called Anu. I wish to see if you can run their charts to see how trustworthy they are. When you get time, of course."

She jumped up from her chair and turned around, having halfway expected his sudden appearance, so she wasn't as startled as she might have been.

  Sighing slightly Petal loaded her basket and silently padded out of the dressing room ducking past the guards smiling shylyas she padded past keeping her eyes down slightly and making sure everything was neatly packed and not going to be creased by her handling.

      Arriving in the Laundry room she carefully laid ot the clothes smooting out the fabric to insure there were no wrinkles such fine clothes required very careful handling. she would hate to see them handled roughly not wanting the young Empress to have any reason to be displeased with her services. After laying out the clothes she hurried back to the Head Slave bowing as she presented herself.

      Ma'am I have finished with the tasks as you instructed." Petal spoke softly. What is your next order, how may I serve?"

"Now we must clean the Empresses apartments."

She gave the girl a broom, a dustpan, and soft clothes and beeswax polish for the furniture.

          Petasl took the supplies and once more returned to the apartments smiling at the guars once more trying to be as quiet as possible balancing the broom and rags and beeswax at the same time wondering if she would ever be able to finish the apartmentsa. Her late Mistresses entire house had only four slaves one housekeeper, a very grumpy cook, and the House Mistress it looked as if it would take a platoon of servants just to polish all the silver in the room.

   Taking a deep breath she looked around and tyomg a scarf around her head she dove in sweeping and dusting rubbing the soft beeswax deep into rich wwood of the tables, chairs and wooden furnishings. She put her best efforts into her cleaning using a white clothe to check the corners and crevices scrubbing until they glistened. by the time she had the wooden furnishings clean to her satisfaction she was dusty sweaty and had a smear of dust on her nose from scratching it.

    Stanbding with her hands on her hips she treid to imagine what she might have missed, she carefully rearranged the flowers to show ff their brightest colors and shifted a chair to where it was in just the right position by the sidebar for her mistress to be able to reach anything set on it with one casual movement.She had to wonder how comfortable it was for a young girl. Even the Most powerful woman in the empire might need to be a young girl once in a while. with all the guards courtiers and advisored around she felt slightly sad for the young empress. As a child she had been very busy, working in the house until late at night many days but she still had her few dolls and playmates to have a little fun with.

         " Silly girl she's not a little girl she's the Empress your Mistress," Petal sighed as she spoke to herself," If this is how she wants her room this is how she wants her room."

"Empress?"
Raynald stood outside the room which Sidi was inside of. Though the general often wore chainmail and his abttered, if trusted, old sword. Today, however, he was dressed to impress. Clad in a suit of gleaming silver platemail, he wore a gilded, basked-hilted longsword at his hip. His hair had been combed back from his head, which was the only part of him not covered in armour, while his beard and moustasch had been trimmed up.
"Your Majesty, I am ready."

    Anu followed the general into the chamber led by another janissary Guard and the Janissary Commander. His every buckle polished and secured his light chain shirt cinched tightly and glittering in the light. Anu eyed the general with a brief practiced glance not that he suspected the man, but his duty was to treat every living thing as a threat to the Empress, no matter their station. Better to be beaten for disrespect than to allow anyone within arms reach of His Mistress without inspection.

          His hand rested lightly on the cerimonial pike he had been given. Nearly blunt and too heavy to be useful it was more a hanger for the Empresses colors than a weapon. with a light rap on the floor the three Janisarries came to attention and blended into the background as much a part of the furnishings and the statuary.

She gave Hieronomous a last glance, noting his sadness and his alienation.

"You can come to the wedding too, you know."

She stood up and went to join the General, nodding approvingly at his Dress Uniform. She smiled and took his arm, as they turned toward the stairs down to the special conveyance, the Royal Litter. They would arrive early enough to get settled before most of the guests would arrive at Sadina's Banquet Hall.

"You look quite nice General Raynald. Thank you for escorting me today."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:57, Fri 11 Jan 2008.

Raynald bowed to Sidi, unable to keep a grin at bay. When he put his mind to it, the ageing General could make himself look quite nice.
"Thank you, Empress," he said, straightening. "But it is you who do honor to me today. There are many a handsome noble in Arn, and yet you chose me of them all."
Of course, he doubted that were the true case, but a little bit of humor in such a time as this never hurt.

"I doubt we will be needing a carriage?" Raynald asked Sisi as she took his arm, and they descended the stairs. His question was soon answered, however, as the Royal Litter came into view. He would have objected, save that it was the Empress herself. Raynald would have much preferred to ride astride the litter.

"It shall be a good day today, your majesty."

She grinned mischieviously at the regal and distinguished looking General then nodded toward the General's horse, saddles and caparisoned, being held by one of the stable slaves.

"You may of course ride with me General, but if you'd prefer, you may ride beside me on your horse."

       Following along silently Anu kept his posture errect and carrying himself with pride and dignity as he fell inbehind the Jannisary commander his eyes fixed forward. He kept his pace locked with his fellow honor guard. To escort the Empress was more of an honor than any Jannisary could expect. Keeping his posotion in the line of honor guards he took one the doors to the littler opened it and dropped to one knee holding the door open for the Empress as his fellows stood to either side of the door.

   He watched silently, his amber eyes following them as they left Sidi's room.  He  pointedly ignored the pang in his heart as the Empress smiled easily, and the General slipped his arm in her's.  Turning away he composed himself, mercilessly drowning the feelings of sorrow and regret with the sheer strength of his resolve.    He could not afford friendships, he had given that dream up long long ago.  He was lonely, at times he would admit that, but it was inconsequential.  He had sacrificed love, along with all other vestiges of mortality, centuries ago, for the 'gift' of foresight.  There was no point in regrets; they were of no use to him anymore.
   Contemplating the task he had been given, he pulled his robe about him and stepped into the frigid darkness, letting it enfold him, smother him, and open the doorway to the Other place. The Realm Between, the only place he ever truly felt at peace.  He stepped into his cavernous sanctum, a thousand candles alighting with the merest wave of his hand.  Already he could hear the murmers of ghosts whispering about him as he made his way to the inner chamber.  He spread his arms as he gazed upwards at the aperture high above him, searching the sky, his eyes gleaming with golden fire.

Raynald, who had been resigned to the litter, perked up a bit when Sidi told him he could use his horse.
"Thank you, Majesty," he said to her, giving ehr another bow, before offering his hand to assist her into the litter. He could hardly imagine how he would look, coming out of it, the honor guard waiting as they arrived. Oh how they would laugh, at least behind his back.

       Taking up his positon in front of the litter Anu lifted the Empresses Banner high holding the pike steady in the wind allowing it to unfurl and flap i the breeze as the Thralls took up position on the bars of the empresses Litter. Keeping his posture agressive and his eyes hard and his face a mask of stern and unyielding He marked time as the collumn prepared for the procession.

The litter Bearers picked the litter up, and carried it toward Lady Sadina's Banquet Hall.

       Petal had no sooner finished the Empresses room than she was caught up by the scruff of the neck, rushed to a bathing chamber and scrubbed within an inch of her life. She found her self stripped washed oiled and powdered like a prize lapdog. her simple collar was removed and replaced with a inlaid one bearing the empresses seal instead of the household slave glyph.

    The Head Slave was scowling growling and spouting instructions faster than she could follow as she weas hustled to the street and shoved in the line of servants and found herself kneeling in the litter next to the empress bearing a small coffer.

The Head House Slave scolds the slave girl and hurries her into the back section of the litter, usually reserved for slaves, attendants or lessor assistants.

"There you are girl! It's about time! Now, get into the litter and don't bump the Empress or drop that chest! It's the Lady Sadina's Wedding Gift."

"Me!" Petal Squeaked as she took the coffer and looked up in stunned surprise."Yes ma'am... of course ma'am! I wouldn't dare ma'am!" Petal bowed and nodded nervously as she slipped into the litter looking up for a second then kneeling in her place quickly.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:45, Sun 20 Jan 2008.

After returning home from the wedding ceremony, she spent time bathing and preparing for the evening then sent all her slaves and attendents away except her personal body slave and a new girl just bought. She spent time with them, then retired.

Shortly after the Royal Tribute Caravan had left the city, The girl retired to Sidi's quarters and set about doing whatever Child Empresses did during the day...Lessons, audiences, naps, meals, more lessons...meetings.

 She entered the Palace and went to seek out her friend and Mentor, the Astrologer. She greeted the guards as she entered the Private areas of the palace and entered the Empress' wing, where the Royal Astrologer had his tower.
 She entered the anteroom from his workshop and sat, waiting for him to notice she had arrived. She never bothered him when he might be working.
"I am here Hieronymous." she whispered in a barely breathed sigh.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:54, Mon 01 Dec 2008.

   Hieronymous lies on his bed, eyes wide open and glazed, as if he is somewhere far away.  He gasps, as if he cannot breath, and then suddenly begins to thrash, arms waving wildly, as if he sought to push something away from himself.  His mouth begins to move rapidly, though no words escape his lips.  He topples from the bed and falls to the floor, still struggling, still with eyes that look out into nothing.

   Stepping from the shadows, three of the al-muqtar appeared, immediately dropping into a crouch as they looked around.  Silently, nearly imperceptibly, they made their way to the Empress Royal Bedroom.  They knew they would only have moments to fulfill their sacred task, and they wasted no time.  Their leader leaned out of the alcove that concealed him and threw his poisoned needle dart with deadly accuracy, catching the guard in the throat.  Meanwhile his companion had tossed his own weapon at exactly the same moment from the opposing side, with similar results.  Both guards went down with barely a gurgle, the poison rendering them paralyzed.  The two al-muqtar forced their way into the bedroom, searching for the Empress, while the third despatched the guards and watched for signs of the palace alert...
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:18, Tue 02 Dec 2008.