Whispers of Gold (GxG)

Prologue

A/N: Hello and welcome! This is going to be an LGBTQ+ story in a fantasy setting. We'll have a whole religion about lesbians, so put your panties on because this is going to be a detailed af ride. I hope that you will enjoy it and I'll soon be back with our first actual chapter. Happy reading!

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The late Emperor Kalayavan was an ungodly man. Despite having a wife fit for an Emperor, he spent his days drinking and his nights sleeping with whores. There was a sad and likely true rumor about how their daughter was born. One evening, when Kalayavan was too drunk to remember his own name, let alone where he was, he mistook Empress Nuru's chambers for his own. Upon entering, he thought his wife was one of his common whores; that was how they ended up spending their first and last night together.

It was only the Goddess's blessing that a child came into the world from that little mistake. Otherwise, the throne would be empty now, or someone unworthy would be sitting on it. Kalayavan's choices led him from the path the Goddess designed for him, so Drerris did not favor him anymore. Although he was close, Kalayavan was not an elder when his health began to decline rapidly, but even in his weakened state, he did not reach out to the Goddess; he did not seek Drerris's forgiveness and guidance to the afterlife. And when it was time for Kalayavan's poisoned soul to leave his body, a beacon of light flashed in front of his eyes. He saw her for the first time; he truly saw her. For all those wasted years, he barely acknowledged her existence and ignored her presence, but then he saw her for who she was. With his dying breath and remaining power, he called out for her in a faint whisper.

"Zareen..." But it was all for nothing. Emperor Kalayavan never heard the whispers of gold, and no tears were shed upon the tyrannic Emperor's death.

And Zareen swore that she would never be like him, that she would never turn her back to the Goddess and her people. She did not want to have the same fate as her father. And while the people did not look forward to her reign, fearing that a young woman would be just as careless and oppressive as her late father, Zareen managed to prove them wrong.

It had been close to a decade since she became Empress Zareen, and while it seemed like a long time had passed, there was always more work to be done and more mistakes to correct. "When someone lies to me, I do not take it lightly. But when someone steals from the weak, my Lord, it is unforgivable." Yet, even with a stern and angry expression on her face, Zareen looked divine sitting on her throne. Her long dress flowed down the stairs like a black river with bridges of gold, ending right in front of the kneeling man.

He did not dare to lay his eyes on the sovereign, afraid that even one glance at her golden eyes would pierce deeply into his heart and rob him of his soul. Instead, he pressed his forehead against the cold floor, ignoring the unpleasant temperature in desperation. "Please, Your Majesty! Please, have mercy on me!" The man pleaded desperately, his tears wetting the shining palace floors.

"Even now, you are selfish," Zareen claimed, her voice cold and calm. "I have your family locked in your home, and all you can do is beg for your own life. You are truly pathetic." After releasing a frustrated sound, the Empress turned her gaze to the guards who had earlier dragged the man inside the throne room. "Lock him up. I'll come up for a fitting punishment for him."

The man now dared to look at the Empress. It is too late for him anyway. "No! Please, no!" Zareen only furrowed her brows and did not react in any other form as he was taken away, his screams echoing through the entire palace.

"Strip him of his titles," Zareen said as soon as the doors closed behind the guards and the criminal. "I want a thorough investigation. Find me every information you can about his finances and pay back to those who suffered any kind of damage from him. Then, of course, you shall use his money. I suppose he has more than enough to repay for everything he had done."

"Of course, ma'am," The Empress' secretary spoke. "What about his family? We can not guard them forever."

"His children are still young, they should not cause issues, but we must stay cautious in the future. Hopefully, they will not decide to take revenge on anyone for ruining their family. As for his husband, he must be interrogated. He is either innocent or guilty. If the latter, then the children will need new guardians to raise them. Perhaps they could come to the palace and receive good education here. They shall become honorable people, despite having ill in their blood."

"It is possible that the husband doesn't know anything, Your Majesty," The secretary assumed. "Some men tend to not tell everything to their spouses when it comes to finances. Perhaps that's why even the Goddess prefers the ladies. I can not blame her."

Rising from her throne, Zareen seemed to have paid no attention to her secretary. She has no time to chat about such things when there is always so much to be done. "I shall visit my mother. I assume she's praying again."

The Empress Dowager seemed to have found the meaning of her life in the temples, away from all else. Now that her daughter was a grown woman, she spent her days meditating and praying, something that tended to displease the young Empress. While Zareen was a devoted follower of Drerris, she understood that there was more to life than faith. She would not let it distract her or keep her away from her duties.

"Mother," Zareen called out for Nuru upon her arrival. "Good evening, mother." The lingering smell of incense seemed to trouble the Empress. She did not like being here, sheltered from the world and locked inside without being able to breathe.

"Good evening, dear," The Empress Dowager said with a smile as she withdrew from her prayer and turned towards Zareen. "Are you here to join me for an evening prayer?"

"No, mother." While talking, she walked toward her mother and sat beside her. "I simply wished to bid you goodnight as I plan to retire earlier this time."

"I suspect you had an eventful day. But tomorrow, you must join me. It is very important to find comfort in the Goddess' embrace to truly connect with her," As Nuru spoke of her faith, Zareen gave her a disapproving look that made her mother sigh. "And you already know all of this."

"I can be a believer even without spending my whole life on my knees, praying to Drerris, and that is exactly how I prefer to be her follower," The golden-eyed Empress sounded severe as ever, but then her voice softened. "I do not wish to turn away from her, mother. I know what happened when our ancestors rebelled against the Goddess."

"They paid with their blood and with Olera's."

Zareen knew the story of Drerris and Olera very well. She first heard it as a childhood tale, and her mother explained the entire story to her when she got older. Precisely on the night when Emperor Kalayavan died, but Zareen never thought much of it. It was just a coincidence, nothing more.

Some said that Drerris and Olera had the truest love. Olera was just a simple girl, a mortal healer, but the Goddess fell for her. When the humans, the ones with magical powers, turned against Drerris, Olera sacrificed her own life to save the Goddess. Olera's death calmed the humans, but the loss of her true love angered Drerris. She sent the Goddess of Destruction to deal with those mortals and only spared a few of those families to maintain a peaceful balance. Some of their descendants are still alive and deeply respected because together, they are still quite powerful.

Zareen could only dream of a love like Drerris and Olera's. Her duties were always her priority, and at the mature age of 26, people now expect her to choose a spouse and birth an heir. This spouse can not be just anyone. They must be fit to become Empress or Emperor Consort, so Zareen's feelings do not matter.

For years, she could not let her own desires get in the way. It would be selfish; she always told herself when she caught herself wanting anything that would benefit Zareen more than her people. But would it be so sinful to listen to the yearning of her heart? To finally give in to the whispers of gold?