The Emperor's Concubine

Chapter Forty-Seven

(Trigger warning: Read at your own discretion.)
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Emperor Cabel arrives at the fallen kingdom of Avris.
He looks at the buildings of the town, boarded up and abandoned. He walks through the ghost town, focused on the castle in the distance.
Sprinting through the forest that separates the town and castle, he soon arrives into an open field.
A small pond surrounded with lively wildflowers, it stands hidden by the lush growing trees. Bending down, he plucks a small yellow flower.
Looking around the area, he notices a small cape hung on a branch.
Cautiously approaching it, he finds a small leather bag filled with various jewels and necklaces. A small message tied to the tassels that read;

'Please live well.'

Glancing at the crumbling stone castle at the top of the hill, he places the pouch into his pocket before ascending.

Only a few strides away from entering the forest, the emperor summons a thin spike from his shadow.
Spinning he stares at the demonic figure that stands behind him, the spike stabbed through its head. Vibrant neon green blood drips from its skull onto the lush green grass. The demon drops the axe it held in its hand until dissolving to black ash.

"What the hell?-" Emperor Cabel mutters, soon cut off.

Groans and screeching begin echoing through the field. The ground rumbling as demons crawl out from the soil, wielding weapons and shields.
Their faces rotting with glowing neon green eyes. Their species all different, some with horns on their heads, others with tusks and razor sharp teeth.

A loud screech echoes through the lands, shaking the ground once more.
Behind the emperor, within the trees, a giant demon appears. Large black antlers—bloody flesh dangling from them—the demons arms drag along the ground, knocking over the trees in its path. Sharp claws on its dry scaly hands, its hoofed legs as tall as the great pine trees it stands among.
Its head shaped like an ogre with a black mane resembling a lions, large bloodied fangs in it mouth, the demons piercing neon lime eyes stare directly at the emperor.

"What an ugly thing you are." Emperor Cabel unsheathes his sword, watching as the giant saunters towards him.

The demons shriek as if making a battle cry, beginning to charge swiftly to the emperor.

Hanging by her hands, Luna remains unconscious. Her face dampened from tears, a dark red bruise forming on her throat.
Changed into a white wedding dress, a metal collar is locked around her throat. Her eyes and cheeks are wiped clean with a cloth, with red lipstick applied.

Her red lips part as she struggles to breathe. Her eyelids twitching, she slowly opens them. 
Looking around, her eyes widen as she recognizes the familiar throne room.

"This place..." She mumbles.
Her memories flood in from the beatings she endured. Memories of the knights harming her as her parents sat on their thrones watching.
The crisp quick sounds of her back being whipped with King Weslium's staff, and all the times she's begged and cried for mercy in this room.
Growing faint from the overwhelming sounds that haunt her, she looks ahead.
The faint memory of a woman who bows against the ground, her forehead on the marbled floor. The woman's screams fill the room along with her cries.
Luna flinches, shutting her eyes tightly from the nightmarish sounds.

"Remember?"
Micheal walks out from behind the curtains that stand beside the old broken thrones.

Wearing a black suit, a black fur trimmed cape hangs from his shoulder. In his hand, he holds a velvet pillow.
Two crowns sit upon the pillow, both encrusted with gaudy jewels and gems—the same crowns the previous rulers wore.

"You and I are meant to sit here. We'll raise our children here, and get revenge on that bastard who ruined us."
"What?"
"I warned him not to interfere, but if he wants to die young that's fine with me."
"W-What are you talking about?" Luna asks, confused.
Setting the crowns on a table, Micheal moves to tug on a chain as he walks towards the windows.
Dragged along from the chain, Micheal takes Luna by the jaw, forcing her to look outside.
Her eyes widen as she see's a hoard of demons at the base of the castles entry.

"W-What is that!" Luna exclaims, horrified by the monsters.
"That foolish emperor thinks he'll get to us. Let me share a secret." Micheal chuckles, peering into her eyes.
"I'll make sure he suffers and lives the rest of his life locked away. I'll have him watch you give birth to my children. I'll break his sanity for brainwashing you to love him." Micheal grins manically.
"Y-You're a monster! He didn't do anything!"
Watching her silently, Micheal ruminates on her words.
"It seems you haven't reflected." He mutters.
Roughly releasing his grip, he pushes Luna to the ground.
Approaching the throne, he grabs a staff that hid behind the seat.
The blood drains from her face as Luna watches Micheal turn to her.

"I'll make you come to your senses that I'm the only one for you, Celeste." Micheal coldly speaks, approaching closer—their father's crystal staff in hand.

"M-Micheal..." Luna whispers, her eyes stuck on the sight of the horrifying staff.
"This was supposed to be mine... This was supposed to be mine as long as you were by my side. So tell me, why have you given your heart to him, when you knew it should only be mine?"
"P-Please calm down! I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry Micheal!" Luna pleads, tearing up as she tries to shuffle away from him.
"Enough!"
Luna screams as Micheal lifts the staff.
The staff quickly hits her face, slashing her cheek.
"You are mine! I'll teach you to remember!"
Micheal's rage continues to grow, viciously beating her.

Her cries and screams fill the room, she can only curl into a ball as she tries to protect herself. Her white dress soon bloodied from her injuries.

His rage subsides, the staff drenched with Luna's blood.
Throwing the staff to the ground, he kneels down to her.

"Celeste." Micheal roughly grabs her face to look back at him.
Her blood dripping down her cheek as it mixes with tears.
"Do you finally understand? You were born as a perfect wife for me. I won't let some man with different blood taint you."
"I-I'm sorry. I'll be better. I'm sorry." Luna trembles, muttering as her empty eyes look back at him.
Gently brushing her hair out of her face, Luna can only stare at the ground.