~Mother And Son~

Granted, there was no way Mikeal could have stopped a raging emperor in any way, he still felt bad for letting the elusive man slip away when he let his guard down.

Of course, he knew there was no way to restrain the ruler of the New World safe for crippling his legs. In the past Mikeal had tried do many things to keep his half-brother away from trouble.

His room had a balcony so locking Hermes in never worked. The emperor was smart and strong enough to break out of any shackle they could have put on him—and tying Hermes up wasn't exactly legal. Even the guards could not stop him because they had to listen to his command.

Mikeal could only hope that Hermes lost his heart to one of the many women striving for it. That way he would finally have a method to make the man obedient.

Now he had no choice but to stare helplessly into space as Faeradaigh paced worriedly in front of him.

He had been escorting Hermes back to his room when all of a sudden, he experienced a change of heart. Without a word or explanation, the emperor disappeared.

Well, he ordered them not to follow him then disappeared.

Mikeal couldn't disobey an order. Hermes gave him free reign to do what ever he wanted for this very reason. An order was an order. Obedience was obedience.

"Faeradaigh, where is Magnus?" he asked, a thought occuring to him.

The eunuch looked up at him and stood still for the first time since Hermes left. "In his quarters, why?"

"I need you to bring him a message."

"Him?!" Faeradaigh's eyes darted all over the hallway in fear as though he expected the man to pop up right at that moment. His voice dropped to a squeaky whisper. "Why?"

"The Emperor's safety is my priority," Mikeal whispered back, glad that he was still wearing his cloak. There were too many guards around that could easily discern his identity. "We can't follow him, but Magnus and Eugene can."

Mikeal had learnt early in life that most orders had exploitable loopholes. He didn't know whether they were created on purpose or not but he always used them to his advantage. This situation was one that required such.

"But," the eunuch inched towards to him. "Why me? Why can't you go?"

"I am an unknown servant hiding my identity, do I have clearance to see the emperor's advisor?"

Faeradaigh stayed silent, obviously giving up the argument. Without so much as another squeak, he hurried down the hallway and disappeared.

Mikeal let out a breath of relief, glad that worry for Hermes had made Faeradaigh forget that with his skills he could break into any room in the palace unseen.

"Now, if only I could just as skillfully break someone out," he mumbled to himself as he walked away. "How grand would that be?"

~

"Mother?"

The moment Hermes walked through the inner doors of the Empress Dowager's chambers, all the maids and servants fell to their knees in fear and laid their heads on the floor submissively.

Hermes didn't have the strength to ask them to get up so he could only leave them prostrate. He still hadn't gotten used to people kneeling the instant they saw him. Just years ago, he was the one who kneeled in submission at every turn.

The first thing Hermes' eyes landed on was Alice. Nearly half his size, she always looked small and delicate, especially so when she something more delicate in her hands. Her soft features only lended to that image. With silver hair that didn't yet reach her shoulders and pink irises, she looked more fay than human.

She was the first to notice him, his mother still droning on about the art of making tea beside her.

The girl dropped her teacup in fright and Hermes had to stop himself from trying to prevent the porcelain's demise. He knew that he wasn't fast enough to catch it and so didn't bother trying.

Apathetically, he watched it smash against the floor.

"Y-Your Majesty," Alice averted her gaze and hurried to curtsey, drawing his mother's attention to his presence.

"Son!" the Empress Dowager said cheerfully, setting down her own teacup. "You have already visited me this evening, I wasn't expecting you."

She rushed to side and grabbed him by the arm as a servant rushed in to sweep away the shards of the broken teacup. "How are you doing? Those useless physicians didn't say a word to me when I asked them what was wrong with you."

"Sorry to bother you, mother," Hermes said while Wei Wei pushed him into one of the cushioned seats.

Coincidentally, he ended up sitting next to Alice. The girl blushed when their gazes met, the pink glow spreading all the way from her neck to the tips of her pointed ears.

Hermes looked away. Alice was the only student of his mother whose company he enjoyed. She was reserved and smart, and most importantly she had her dignity. She didn't throw herself onto him and he had no fear of her manipulating events just to get to be in the same room as him. In fact, it was as though she purposefully avoided him.

He had no plans of marrying her though, even though in the end he would be forced to give her a position in his harem. He had never planned on marrying any of his mother's girls. Just like Andrea, he had watched them grow up by his mother's side. It would be wrong of him to put his hands on any of them. But the situation in court had been tense when he had just risen to power.

Back then, all his officials wanted him gone. As the first emperor on this half of the Great Sea, his court had to have ministers from the seven major and fourteen minor States. Few of them had supported his act of unifying the States so most of them started out as his enemies.

He had to prove himself constantly and face attacks from all sides. Back then, assassins had sought his head day and night. There were only a select number of people in the world who didn't want him dead. After all, to them he was the harbinger of evil.

"Here," his mother's voice broke his reverie.

Hermes watched her place a tray on the table. "You should let the servants do this."

She waved off his concern. "Have some tea."

He poured all three of them a cup. "Mother, have you decided what to do with the nun?"

Wei Wei twirled her teacup and fanned the steam towards her nose. "Quality tea!" she praised. "Andrea brought it. It was made in the Western States."

Alice sipped quietly on her tea and said nothing.

Hermes threw the scalding infusion into his mouth and set the empty teacup back on the tray. "Alice, please excuse us. I have some matters to discuss with my mother."

Alice got up immediately and curtsied. "Yes, Your Majesty."

When she left, Hermes settled all his attention on the woman seated opposite him. Cruel, he knew she could be. He had seen her plot the demise of other women in his father's harem when he had been younger. He had seen her best servants to death. He had seen a great deal but he always held the believe that everything she did was to protect him.

"What is it you want to talk about?" she asked, not lifting her gaze from the steaming tea.

"She has been interrogated, the nun," Hermes said and leaned into his chair. "She said that you were framing her."

"Do you believe her?" Wei Wei quirked an eyebrow, humor woven into the question.

"How can I put the words of a rebel over that of my mother?"

"Then there is no problem," Wei Wei concluded with a beautiful smile.

"Of course, it is up to you what to do with her," Hermes examined his nails. Most of them were chipped from the many times he had punched a wall on his way here. Somehow he had managed to get his emotions in check just in time. "I don't interfere with matters of the harem. You will have to give the ministers an explanation."

"I will," she said down her cup. "The Lady of Inqa instigated the common people to rebel and accused the Empress Dowager of framing her. She also threatened the Emperor in court and made false claims during her interrogation. Just one of those crimes is punishable by death."

"I am afraid you missed one crime," Hermes said and filled both of their cups with tea.

Wei Wei looked at him, her slender brows furrowed. "Which?"

"Slander," Hermes ran his finger round the rim of his cup, thinking to all the poisoned teacups that has been found in the nun's room. "The Lady of Inqa said that the Empress Dowager imprisoned the Emperor's birth mother in the palace dungeons out of jealousy. Unbelievable, isn't it?"

Wei Wei said nothing. The room went quiet for a second.

"Mother," Hermes reached for his mother, ignoring the way she jumped when his skin touched hers. He knew that he had to be freezing though he couldn't feel it. The dungeons had been ice-cold. "You spilled some tea, do not burn yourself."

He took the cup from her and held her trembling hands in his. "Are you frightened?"

"Son. . . That is a massive crime. You don't believe her, do you?"

Hermes chuckled, looking into his mother's eyes. "I just wanted to say that her crime deserves her being dismembered by five horses."

Wei Wei managed a shaky smile. "It is not that serious. Just some thoughtless words."

"No, Mother. You always taught me that the punishment must fit the crime. You should know that I would never let anyone slander you. She should be used as an example."

Wei Wei nodded weakly and pulled one hand free to place on her head. "I think I need to rest. I am feeling quite inconvenienced today."

Hermes didn't let go of her other hand. "Understand that I have to investigate this personally. I heard that all the inmates in dungeon now know those malicious words. You have to delay executing the nun until I have personally interrogated her. I have to put and end to this matter before the rumor spreads and your reputation is tarnished."

"Personally investigate?" Wei Wei asked, her eyes widening by a fraction. "That isn't necessary. You are recovering, it is unwise of you to stress yourself. Just send one of your subordinates to do it."

"This matter concerns your well-being, I will not be comfortable putting the case in the hands of someone else," Hermes placed a kiss on the back of his mother's hand then rose to his feet. "I will interrogate her at first light. Don't worry Mother, everything will be resolved soon."

Wei Wei got up as well. "Thank you, son. With you handling this, I am more than relieved."

Hermes smiled brilliantly and kissed her hand one more time. "I'll be off then. Rest well, Mother."

The moment he stepped out of the room Wei Wei collapsed into the chair behind her, her smile gone.

~

Oh wow. Hermes practically gave her the most polite b-slap ever. Who was worried that he would just blindly defend his mother? Raise your hands!

I owe you guys a chapter. Might be a cliffhanger though, so don't blame me. *evil laugh*