After that, the days became so pleasant. The only days where I didn't see Osirek were days when he had to leave the palace to go to another region on the planet. I learned that he ruled the entire planet on his own for the most part. He had vassals, but there was no other true ruler. For someone as busy as he was I saw him often. Whenever he was home he would dine with me for lunch and dinner, and at night he would make my body sing in ways I didn't know were possible.
Months passed in this way, and I have to admit things felt like paradise to me. I'd never been so happy in my entire life. I was treated better than I had ever been in my life, and I seemed to finally have everything that I had ever wanted. The life that my mother had wanted for me.
About six months after my full recovery Osirek told me that he would be holding an event in the palace to introduce me to his vassals and the high society of this dimension. I was surprised, since no such thing had ever happened to me. I asked him what brought on such an idea and he simply said that I would find out at the ball. A ball. I'd never heard of such a thing. A tailor came to see me to take my measurements and choose a pattern for a new dress specifically for the event. I was told that 'his Imperial Majesty' insisted I be the most breathtaking woman in the room and so my dress must be of the highest quality and design.
Things became a flurry of activity in the palace, the servants were excited and I caught them whispering excitedly together as they went about their work. The entire place was polished and cleaned, the ballroom and banquet hall were spotless and decorated with my favorite colors, somehow Osirek must have found out. There were blue and yellow flowers, and decorations in blue and gold. Matching china of deep blue with golden filigree, flatware of pure gold, and crystal so clear it was literally magic. Instructions rang out in a slightly hollow voice that came from the air itself, and I hadn't heard such a thing before that a servant stopped to ask me what was wrong. I was informed it was the palace's artificial intelligence that aided the head maid and the steward in their jobs.
I had never heard of such a thing, and as the maid scurried away with her arms laden with linen, I turned to the attendant with me to ask what in the world was an 'artificial intelligence'. I was entirely confused by her explanation. I didn't know what a computer was, I didn't know what electronic meant. I knew that there was technology in this dimension that didn't exist in mine, but it baffled me. I only knew magic, that was the only education I had ever had. I had learned money, but that had been essential to my survival after I left Philae. I knew nothing else. I could read and write of course, but I knew nothing of practical education. And it was clear to the maidservant that I couldn't understand what she was talking about. So she suggested that I ask Osirek instead.
When I did ask him at dinner that evening he put it in terms of magic for me, and I was able to understand better. He also told me that I would need to begin being tutored. He knew that I didn't like to not understand things, he knew I liked to learn. I didn't know he had another purpose for educating me, but I was happy all the same. And he had already found a tutor for me who would teach me to read the language and teach me the culture, science, and technology. I had to admit I was excited.
I was wakened by the maidservants earlier than usual the next morning to bathe and dress to meet my tutor. The people in this world were naturally taller than I was accustomed to, even my attendants were at least six feet tall or more, and my new tutor was no exception. He seemed to be almost seven feet tall, but he had a friendly disposition and face and I immediately liked him. Osirek was well aware of how my education had been when I was a child, and he knew I didn't learn well that way. So when I met Hamid I was relieved.
He asked questions to assess my knowledge and to see what I needed to learn and what I didn't. I was well versed in formal etiquette, I was already fluent in speaking the language, though I still had some to learn, and I couldn't read it at all yet. My science was nonexistent, culture, and for some reason I had to learn matters of state as well, and when I asked why I was told it was an order from Osirek. I wondered at that.
During the days I spent a lot of time learning from Hamid in the days leading up to the ball that Osirek was throwing me. My etiquette was flawless when Hamid did a demonstrative assessment and he was so pleased that I felt like I could have flown. I have to admit that Hamid was an excellent tutor, but I admit that I did sometimes get a little distracted. The man was beautiful. The people in this world were all gorgeous that I had seen. None quite so much as Osirek, but there was a great deal of temptation for me because of my habits in my own dimension. I didn't put my hands on a soul though. I had no need because Osirek kept me on my toes and there were times where if he simply caught me looking at him a certain way I was done for.
The ball inched closer, my dress was delivered by the tailor the week before in case it needed any adjustments, but of course it didn't. Matching shoes the likes of which I had never seen before were brought with it. I usually either went barefoot or wore flat shoes, I wasn't sure if I would be able to walk in these, the heels were so high that I would have to walk and dance on my toes. But oh they were beautiful. A royal blue that matched the dress, with pure golden vines accenting them and wrapped around the stem of the heel and a rounded toe.
Osirek took it upon himself to teach me to dance, since he knew very well that I had never danced in my life. He was patient as I learned with him in the evenings after dinner when he had downtime. For a planet ruling emperor he always made time to spend with me if he wasn't in another location. I picked up dancing quickly, and by the time my dress arrived I was no longer stepping on his toes and no longer counting steps or looking down or getting blisters from the practice heels.
The day of the ball itself finally arrived, but guests from far off on the planet had begun arriving a couple of days prior. The palace was more alive than I had ever seen it. I was no longer used to this much hustle and bustle that I mainly took to the gardens during the morning.
There was no time to have lunch with Osirek that day, and I had a small, quick meal while my attendants, Erin and Ara, made sure they had everything they would need to turn me into an empress, to use their own words. They were always saying those kinds of things because I was Osirek's favorite and they seemed as if they wished I really was the official mate of their master. I didn't think such a thing would really happen though. In over three thousand years that I had known him, and after five hundred years together in Greece I had still been left. I didn't think he intended much more than what we already had when he hadn't done so in five hundred years in Greece.
I was bathed, with rose scented soaps and oils that had become my absolute favorite, and Erin and Ara did something elaborate with my hair, curling it but also leaving half of it hanging free past my hips. It was brushed until it gleamed before they started braiding and curling and making the most elaborate hairstyle I had ever seen in my life.
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I was so glad that corsets were not a thing here when it came to putting on my dress, especially where I had such a small waist as it was. When the dress was buttoned it fit like it was supposed to. It had been made specifically for me, and it fit better than anything I had ever worn. I stepped into the elegant shoes as the sun was setting. Erin was helping me with jewelry when Ara came over with Osirek, who held a box in his hands and a smile on his face that I couldn't identify.
He opened the box, and inside was a matching pair of earrings and necklace that shot shards of light in every direction. The jewels were blue and white set in mithril. It was a simple necklace, but the stones were as big as my thumb nail and seemed to shine with an inner light of their own rather than refracting light that landed on them. I looked up at Osirek, I was astonished. He'd given me gifts before, but this wasn't a day dress or something small, these would cost more than a fortune.
He didn't wait for me to say anything or to question him, he put the stones around my neck and hung from my ears. I looked into the cheval glass and I didn't even recognize myself. I had never been dressed in such a way in my long life. My alabaster skin was radiant, my green eyes were bright, and my hair was so well cared for that not a strand of it was out of place. Truthfully I didn't even recognize myself. The person in the mirror wasn't someone I had ever seen before and I was shocked.
The smile on Osirek's face was somewhat smug in the mirror's reflection, and he ran his fingertips over the necklace he had put on me. “You wear this every day. They don't come off.”
I nodded, though I didn't understand why specifically. But the item felt as though it had its own heartbeat, as if it was full of life of its own, and it was warmer than metal usually was. He stepped out from behind me and leaned down to kiss me, careful not to mess up Erin and Ara's hard work with my hair.
He escorted me downstairs, and we were announced into the ballroom. Osirek led us in and I had never seen so many people in one place. Nor had a seen a room as big as this. It was the size of the entire town back in Scotland that I had last lived in. There were hundreds of nobility, and it felt like every single pair of eyes was on me. The way things had been decorated and set up to match the blue and gold of my dress had made things quite clear that I was the reason for such a big event.
I felt self conscious of all the eyes on me as Osirek welcomed the nobility with me beside him. Erin had told me to expect the unexpected during the ball, knowing something that I didn't was clear. But no matter what, I couldn't have expected the announcement that he made next.
I don't remember his exact words, but he introduced me, and named me his mate and empress. I was speechless, but Osirek was smiling, albeit a little smugly, as the palace steward appeared at his side with a cushion in his hands that held a pristine and delicate crown set with red and blue jewels in platinum. I stared at it, slightly panicked, until I heard Osirek tell me to kneel down in a quiet voice that I think only I could hear. It might even have been in my head.
I knelt down, still in disbelief that this was even real, my back straight and my head still raised. I had seen coronations before, I just had never thought an actual crown would ever be put on my head. It was surprisingly light, and yet I felt its weight all the same as Osirek put it on my head. There was silence for the moment in the entire ball room, though at first there had been a bit of an uproar at the sudden announcement.
I was certain that I was hearing him in my mind now when he told me to rise, because his mouth didn't move. Slowly I rose to my feet, such a thing on my head made me feel as though it would fall off. What another shock to me was that when I rose, every person below the balcony in the ball room knelt almost in unison. I had never expected such a thing. When everyone rose once more Osirek turned to face me again and he pulled me in to kiss me, and the entire room burst as if the bubble of silence had been popped with a needle because I heard uproarious cheers and applause.
When he pulled back again, he was smiling in a way I hadn't seen before except fleetingly, and those indigo hues seemed brighter than usual. I finally realized the emotion on his face and it struck me like a ten ton weight in the chest. Love. He seemed to notice the light bulb go on over my head because he chuckled as he drew my arm through his and he announced the ball to officially begin.
The night was a whirlwind. I was greeted by possibly every single person there, danced with Osirek, ate, and drank until dawn broke the sky with the first sun. Every time I was introduced to someone it was clear that they were thrilled that their ruler had found a mate, and I got the impression that he hadn't taken a mate before, these people were overjoyed. I had ruled before, but from the sidelines, from the shadows. This was going to be very, very different now from what I knew.
When the guests had all returned to their quarters for what remained of the night, just the two of us remained in the ballroom, the musicians having gone as well. The only other people were servants who were cleaning up and covertly watching us because Osirek was dancing with me to the silence. He had been by my side all night, and now that we were essentially alone his affectionate expression turned to something more like hunger, an expression I knew well by now. He stopped dancing and leaned down to kiss me, and the half growl that came out of him turned me to jelly, and a soft answering moan escaped me before I could stop it.
Suddenly we were in our chambers, Osirek had blinked us to the rooms we shared, and his hands were already pulling pins from my hair to let it tumble free in curls and braids, the crown he had placed on my head somewhere on a table nearby. He could have magically removed my clothes, but he took his time undoing the tiny buttons on the back of my dress while he left biting kisses and red marks along my neck and shoulders. He let the dress fall in a puddle on the floor and I was bare beneath it as always. He picked me up and brought me to the bed we shared, and those shoes fell off my feet when he did. The only thing left on my body was the necklace that he had given me that evening and told me to never take off.
We spent several further hours in our bed, and it was noontime when he left my arms to go and see to his work. He sent Erin and Ara in to attend me and bring me a meal. Being called 'Your Majesty' was very different for me. It was a title I never expected to have. I was bathed, and dressed in light fabric with my feet bare to recover from wearing those shoes the night before. After dressing I was brought a meal consisting of a hearty vegetable stew and bread and the most fragrant wine. Erin started to explain the duties of Empress to me while I ate, telling me about running the household and organizing events, playing hostess. I wouldn't have to do it all by myself, but it felt daunting just the same. This was a bigger household than I was used to running, but if Osirek had faith I could handle it then I knew that I could do it. Though I worried about screwing up.
I would be starting the next day since the night had been long for me and they knew that I had not slept. I would be working with some of the female nobility, or rather, they would be working for me. Everything seemed to be different in such a good way. In the coming days I heard of celebrations going on in towns and villages all over the planet as people heard the announcement that their emperor had taken a mate. I learned what was expected of me as empress, and I found that it was easier than what I had been doing in Egypt when I was still the head mage working for my family for centuries.
Everything felt like a breeze compared to anything else I had ever done. I ran the palace, I organized events, festivals. I handled anything that didn't have outright to do with politics and matters of state. I entertained the 'nobles' when they came to visit, their mates. I have to admit that I enjoyed the role immensely. When Osirek had to travel to other parts of the planet for one reason or another, he left me in charge of his own duties. He knew of the training I had had when I was a child, he knew that I had been the one actually ruling Egypt from the shadows. Things always went smoothly, though I missed him terribly when he was gone.
He always returned with some sort of gift though, be it a gem to be made into jewelry, fabric for a new dress in my preferred style, food I had never tried, and sometimes even a strange creature to me to keep as a pet and raise. Our nights were always filled tangled up in one another. I had never in my life experienced such pleasure as I did with him. I didn't seem to ever be satiated when it came to Osirek. The only thing that made me sad was that I could never give him any children. Years went by without so much as a flicker of such a thing. I don't even know how long it had been anymore since I had been there. They say that time flies when you are happy, and I can tell you that it's true.