The Phoenix

Flavia, disappointed hearing the door lock, still wasn't willing to give up. She shrugged off from Julius' hold and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Julius held Flavia back and she still struggled to get out of his hold.

"Let go," Flavia said, angrily.

Her mind was entirely filled with that hurt and abused girl, who didn't even understand everything happening around her. She wanted to protect her.

Julius looked at the other knight by the door and he nodded and walked to the end of the hallway.

"Pumpkin, he's your Emperor; not your son. You cannot go disturb him when he is-" Julius held her cheek and let out a short sigh seeing her eyes getting red.

"He waived the presence of witnesses for the bedding ceremony and I don't think he'd appreciate you disturbing him. He was longing to get inside the nuptial chambers for the first time in his life and I bet he's already pounced on her," Julius kissed her cheek. "Isn't that better? He finally got interested in a woman."

"But-"

Flavia's refusal was buried by Julius' soft kiss on her lips. His lips curved and his voice turned soft as he remembered their first night, which happened a long time ago, "Do you remember our wedding night, pumpkin? You were so shy and I had to-"

"That girl has never been on the rag, Julius! He cannot consummate the marriage!" Flavia resorted to lying. Her husband's grip was too hard for her to get loose. And she certainly didn't want to reminisce about their wedding night now.

It's... embarrassing.

"What?" Julius raised his eyebrows out of shock. "How can her family send her off-" he stopped himself. He already knew the answer.

Why would the family care about the well-being of their daughter when they can escape death using her? But...

"He said she's four years younger than him and that makes her-"

"Three," Flavia corrected her husband. "She's twenty-one but that's not-"

As she was speaking, they heard the door banged open and Maximus shouted Julius' name. But seeing Flavia together with Julius, his expressions calmed down a bit. Closing the door, he walked towards them.

Flavia out of courtesy did a curtsy but Maximus didn't even notice it. "Flavia, did you notice? She's..." he said nothing more and his eyes reddened.

"I was about to speak to you about that, but-" Flavia could see he was starting to get mad and tried to soothe him. Julius just took a step back.

Those two have a language of their own and he never bothered to know what it is. He'd rather keep it that way for the rest of his life.

"I'll kill them! I'll kill them all!" Maximus fisted his hands and Flavia placed her hand on his shoulders and patted.

"Think this through, Maximus. Is it wise to kill her family now?"

Maximus looked at the floor in deep thoughts. Whether her family loved her or not, having a family who is alive would be better for her when he returns to his Kingdom. A girl with no backing or no illusion of backing won't survive in the Palace; especially when 'that woman' is around.

"Calm down..." Flavia patted his arms and Julius watched his emperor calming down like a baby.

Maximus has been always like this with Flavia. He might never say it aloud but he considers Flavia as his mother.

"Julius," Maximus called and Julius stepped to the front. "Call for a doctor first thing in the morning. And..." he seemed to be in deep thoughts.

Julius watched Maximus whispering something in Flavia's ears and rolled his eyes.

There they go!

Flavia whispered something back and with a smile and a skip in his step, Maximus walked back to the door.

"What did he ask?" Julius whispered to his wife and Flavia smiled at him playfully.

"Not telling you..."

"Pumpkin!" Julius glared at her but seeing the smile on Flavia's face, he couldn't help but smile back.

"Julius!"

Maximus' usual calm and calculative voice interrupted Julius' smile.

"Sire," He knelt in front of Maximus.

"Guard the inhabitants of this castle. No one can leave or meet with anyone else. Send a letter to the Chamberlain to announce my wedding with Lady Felixa to all nations of the Empire and to prepare for the Royal Wedding ceremony and the Crowning ceremony of the Empress of the Lethusian Empire. Commence the festivities. Announce tax cuts for the commoners and give raises to our soldiers. And..." Maximus took a deep breath.

"Make sure that woman knows that Felixa is the wife I've chosen for me... and that I am very pleased with Felixa."

Julius bowed with reverence. "As you command, Sire."

That woman Maximus mentions is his mother. She won't be pleased with this development.

Never in a million years will she allow someone from Deberia – the land from where the enemy of the Lethusian Throne is said to appear, to sit beside the Emperor of the Lethusian Empire.

Is he the path he chooses? To go against the Dowager?

-----

Felixa didn't feel very comfortable around that bird. She felt like something was clashing between her and the bird; like they are oil and water.

"Let me out!" Felixa didn't know what she was doing or whether it would work, but she yelled at the bird. She didn't like to stay locked in the room with the bird.

But the bird didn't move. On the contrary, the bird started to glow in a bright golden shade. As she watched, it started to become opaque and grow in size. Its eyes turned sapphire blue and its exuberant tail became gold with streaks of red on them. With its wings spread out as it stood on the windowsill, it looked majestic.

Felixa took a step back as she sensed a large amount of mystic power from the bird. More than being afraid, she felt uneasy around the bird.

As she walked back staring in the blue orbs of the bird, she heard her ears ring and her eyes blinded for a moment. In that fraction of the moment, she felt like she was transported elsewhere.

Wearing armor, sitting on a horse, amid a large plain surrounded by the screams of men and neighs of horses, she was swinging her sword against the oncoming horde of soldiers wearing a different color of surcoat. Her eyes turned towards her back.

And there he was...

The same man she saw in her "dream" earlier. That tall man wearing a cape. His raven black hair swirled in the wind as he plunged his longsword in the chest of a commander with the spear. Drops of blood that glittered like rubies in the setting sun, splattered towards the sky.

Along with the shouts of victory of their men, a melodic voice of a songbird was heard.

She looked in that direction, and there it was – the golden bird breathing fire on the trebuchets behind the enemy line, turning them to ashes just in a fraction of a moment.

A Phoenix!