Empresses of Pangaea: The Clash of Queens [ BOOK 1 ]

18

Location: The Empresses Main Study, Main Palace Residence at The Royal Palace of Sekhe, West African State, African Lands

Rehema was sitting at her desk when her younger sister Esi barged into her office unannounced. Rehema was stamping documents and looked up, seeing her sister holding a wrinkled letter.

"What brings you here now?" Rehema asked returning to her work. Her sister never came in to help just to deliver news, mostly discouraging news.

"Keyon sent a letter, he wants to visit with Monifa and Jatau," Esi said with a smug grin.

"Really?" Rehema said surprised.

Jatau and Monifa were the last two children of the late Empress Tamela Eze, but Rehema didn't have a connection with them as she did with Esi because their father Keyon Eze being resentful towards Rehema and Esi. Upset and jealous that he had two children with the empress and neither achieved a high status compared to Rehema and Esi's fathers. 

Rehema wished to bond with them liked she did with Esi, but that always seemed to fail. Since they were kids Jatau always gave her a nasty, distant attitude, and when thier father got dismissed from the harem. They all moved out the palace to god knows where.

Esi didn't complain, to her they were just spoiled brats with no respect. "Your dad got poisoned and mine lost his favoritism, and yet they still complain about their status," Esi told her when it was reported the two youngest siblings packed up and left. They didn't  have to leave with their father but they choose too. 

But Rehema didn't like this. They needed to be a stable family to run the empire, and the state correctly. The last thing she needs is to be constantly fighting with her own family.

"I don't know, I say we reject the invite," Esi said sitting down across the desk from Rehema.

"No," Rehema replied. "Let them come for dinner, let's see what want."

Esi twisted her face, "Why?" She whined.

"Because this is a chance to mend things," Rehema replied and she went back to stamping papers.

"There is no mending anything with Keyon, you know how bitter his heart is," Esi shot back.

"Well, we need to try," Rehema said. "And see what they have to say."

"Probably nothing but rubbish," Esi responded.

Rehema went on to start drafting a response to her two other siblings. That was when she heard a knock on the door. Esi got up and opened the door, standing outside faced an advisor from Rehema's council.

The advisor jumped at first seeing Esi, "Uh is her majesty here?" He asked. Esi opened the door fully to let him in. Rehema looked up from the paper that she was writing on.

"Yes, what do you need Midge?" Rehema asked dismissing her paper.

Midge walked into the room and stood in front of Rehema, quickly doing a bend on the knee.

"Your majesty, a letter from Empress Fan Du of the East Asian Lands," he said handing it to her. "A pigeon delivered it today."

Rehema took it from his hand and looked at the envelope. Expensive paper and nice penmanship. So, this had to be something important.

"Thank you, Midge. I will get a look at this later."

"Looks like you got some eager friends already," Esi grinned. "What could she want?"

Rehema shrugged, and sighed returning to her important daily duties, "Don't know, read it out loud for me."

Esi took the letter out and scanned the paper, "It says here, I hope you receive this at a convenient time, Empress Rehema. I am sending you this letter to reinstructed myself to you. I hope you are doing well, and I wonder if you are happy with the concubine you've chosen. If there is anything you need you can always reach out to me, and maybe in a few months you can even visit the East Asian lands. I send nothing but blessing and good wishes to you and the African Lands, Sincerely Empress Fan Du."