Alsace walked away from the other women in the room. For the last few weeks, they had been eating dainty little food from small plates and drinking rather a lot of wine. She kept to the bare minimum to ensure appearances were upheld, or at least, what she thought she should be doing.

The Palace was just a sprawling house, filled with things that other people valued highly stacked on top of more expensive furniture. She didn’t see much of the appeal. The bedding though; that was different. She was given her own bed, raised off the floor with a couple of stuffed mattresses to sleep on. The sheets were soft and cleaned regularly by the staff. The pillows were so stuffed with feathers that even when they would escape and drift down to her bedroom floor, there was still plenty more to keep her comfortable. She had heard of beds being gifted in wills or as a wedding present. Now she finally understood why.

So far she had not been troubled by the Emperor. The others invited into the Palace on his return to the city talked about it like it was some high honour, but Alsace didn’t see it like that. She was here against her will. Even still, she knew that her dreams of escaping were largely just that. Dreams.

She wandered to the window, looking over the city. Over the past few weeks, it didn’t look like too much had changed from up here. But she knew that the Emperor’s creatures were down there, out of sight from most of the citizens, silently keeping watch for any more signs of resistance. And then there were the strange caravans arriving from elsewhere in the Empire. Wherever the Emperor had been holding court most recently. Slowly but surely, they filtered into the Palace and took up residence in the endless halls. She never asked where they were from. She merely bowed and tried to keep herself to herself.

She had heard the screams from below. In the dungeons, where more and more prisoners seemed to be taken. She had heard snippets of reports that the jails in the city were becoming more stretched too.

“Alsace. Come here please.” A soft but commanding voice crept through the room. She had been worrying about it all day, ever since the servants told her to expect a call from the Emperor and to make herself look presentable.

She turned and saw the Emperor standing by the door. He was smiling softly and he was wearing a fine black and white shirt with matching dress trousers. He ushered her out away from all the other women of the Palace and towards the library. No doubt he had been told by his servants this is where she spent much of her time.

“I trust you’re settling in well?” He said.

She bowed a little, as she had been taught to do. “Yes, your highness. It is more than I could possibly have dreamt of.” She was trying to sound sickly sweet. As though this was the stuff of her wildest fantasies, like it would be for many girls.

“Good. Good. I’m glad you like it. Before I realised what a beautiful and strong woman you were, I was planning to have you killed. To punish your ex-husband, you understand. But when I saw you, I thought of a much better use for you. How you survived for so long in the Slums. Well, I’ll never know.” He talked with utmost politeness and he talked about ordering her death as he might discuss what he ate for dinner last night.

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He’s trying to get a rise out of me, she thought. Well not today. She knew that her life depended on him. She wasn’t about to rise to his taunts. “I have thanked the Gods every day that I have woken up in such a wonderful place, your highness. Your goodwill truly knows no limits.” She kept her face as faux thankful as she possibly could. Sickly sweet, she reminded herself.

His smile grew larger. He either knew what she was doing and was satisfied with her answer, or he really was flattered and intrigued by her.

“You can serve me in a much greater way now in any case.” He took her wrist and drew a pattern on it. ‘Class IX’ rose up in purple letters. He put his hand over it and looked her in the eyes.

She suddenly felt a rush of power and a stinging pain in her head, just behind her eyes. She hardened her gaze and looked directly at the Emperor. He forced more into her, she thought she might pass out, or die. But she was going to meet his gaze no matter what. She grew hot and cold. Pain lit up her nerve endings and they fired in all sorts of weird patterns. Her toes started growing numb sequentially. Yet still she stared into his eyes. She was determined not to show any discomfort.

His smile was a true smile now, there was no hiding it. He took pleasure in the struggle. And it all stopped. “There you are my flower.” He said and he removed his hand. She felt a tremendous amount of power still within her, as though he had left some behind. Shocked, she looked at her wrist.

‘Class I.’ It read.

Her jaw dropped and she tried to take a sharp intake of breath. But nothing came. She panicked and tried to force the breath. Eventually it came. And she calmed herself. Her face flushed in embarrassment.

“Don’t worry my flower. That is the most smooth transition I’ve ever seen for such a large jump. But having survived in the Slums next to that pig of an ex-husband, I know you must have been through worse.” He laughed.

Alsace checked her wrist two or three more times. She didn’t need to of course, she could feel the power within her. Though, now she knew that even a Class One Mage had nothing even remotely close to the Emperor’s power.

“I want you to start teaching those in the Slums to fight for me. You have the power now, and I’ll see to it that you’re given as much training as you think you need. But I want the army in as close to a year as you can manage. They will receive a small amount of pay, which should help. But they will follow one of their own, I think.” He smiled and met her gaze.

“Of course, your highness.” She glanced at her wrist once more. “I’ll do my best.”

He smiled and walked away, Alsace studied him as he walked. Why me? Why this?

“Well that’s all anyone can ask for. After all, isn’t that all we can do?”

He turned just before the door exiting the library. He put his hand on the sill of the doorway and leaned into it. “Your ex-husband decided to turn his back on Qursa and betray it. We’re going to turn it into something special.” He smiled and spun on his heels. “I trust my confidence in you shall not be misplaced.” He shot her a knowing smile and left.

“Of course not, your highness.” She whispered.