Chapter 19

Clapping his hands as if applauding the Emperor, Prince Mamadu walked confidently into the courtroom, wearing a smirk on his face, a sword tucked to his belt. Behind him were around forty Dark Army soldiers holding the empress in the middle as if shielding her from attacks. The Royal guards who who stood by the Emperor had at first contemplated attacking the Prince but retreated when they saw the huge number of soldiers the Prince had. The Emperor moved to the middle of the courtroom when Mamadu walked in, staring and glaring at him murderously as Mamadu clapped towards him, stopping just three yards away.

"And here we have the great Emperor, Micaleaon Ochondrion, enjoying the comforts of his palace in the..." Mamadu began mockingly addressing the Emperor. But before he could finish, the Emperor spun and struck him on the nose with one electrifying blow that threw him flying onto the wall of the courtroom, collapsing with a thud onto the floor. The Emperor picked him up by his neck and threw him up into the air toward the ceiling and when he was about to fall, placed an arrow perpendicular to Mamadu's chest, letting him fall on the arrow like a bag of cement. The arrow pierced into his chest to his back.

Pointing his sword at Mamadu's neck, "how dare you touch Regina you coward! Why couldn't you just face me if you are man enough, huh? Did you want to overthrow her or to overthrow me imbecile." the Emperor said as he stared menacingly at the Prince who hadn't moved at all. He lifted his sword into the air and targeted Mamadu's neck, intending to separate his head from his body. As a royalty, Mamadu couldn't die unless the Emperor used a powerful dark magic. But the Emperor wanted to cause him so much pain that would take him years to recover from. He wanted to make the Prince regret challenging him in the most painful way possible. Before the sword could land on the Prince's neck however, Mamadu dug himself into the floor, disappearing completely as if the ground had swallowed him, leaving the arrow behind.

The Emperor looked round and round trying to see him but he couldn't see anything beyond his own reflection on the floor. "Coward!" he shouted. "Why don't you face me like a man and stop using magic to disappear?" He turned left, right, up and down, trying not to be caught unaware by the Prince.

"Looking for someone brother?" Prince Mamadu asked as he emerged in the midst of his soldiers, holding a sword to the empress' throat.

"If you dare hurt her I swear to you Mamadu..."

"You swear to me what Micaleaon? What will you do to me that you haven't done already? What mighty Emperor?" Mamadu asked as he moved forward to the Emperor, the empress still held tightly in his grasp, his sword roughing her neck. "You don't scare me Micaleaon, you don't."

"If I don't scare you as you say my coward brother, why then don't you want to fight me directly? Why use a woman as a shield Mamadu?"

"Fight you? While you are still the Emperor? I'm not that stupid Micaleaon. I can't face the emperor in a physical combat. Nobody does."

"What do you want then Mamadu, to cause chaos and just walk out free?"

"You don't get it, do you? I've always known you are stupid but I didn't know you are this blind too. I don't intend to walk away my brother, I intend to assume power. You have sat on that throne long enough Micaleaon, it's time for your reign to end," Mamadu said as he pricked the empress' cheek with the sword and let her blood flow on the edge of the sword and then showed it to the Emperor. "I know I can't kill you but, I can kill her."

"What a sick joke this is you are playing Mamadu, kidnapping the empress to use her as your leverage against me? That's not befitting of a prince Mamadu. But then again, you were never a prince."

"Call it whatever you want Micaleaon but today your reign must come to an end or the empress' life. Her life is in your hands, do what I say and she goes free, challenge me and she dies." Prince Mamadu's voice was cold and harsh, meaning every word that came out of his mouth.

The Emperor found himself in a tight corner. Regina was his life, his everything. He couldn't let her die for anything in the world, not if he could prevent it. Mamadu was a cold-blooded beast who would not think twice about killing her if he sensed any form of challenge from the Emperor.

Giving up the empire into the hands of a power hungry monster like Mamadu was tantamount to betraying his people, selling them into slavery or handing them into the open jaws of a hungry lion. But was the empire greater than the life of the empress? What would become of him if Regina died. How would he live through the years without her smiles, her nagging, her praises, her advise. How would he face the disasters of life if she would not be there next to him, cheering him on, encouraging him. Would he live or just exist, would he enjoy life or just pass through life. What good would the palace be without her golden musical voice. Would the foods taste the same? Would air smell the same? Would sleep feel the same? Would life look the same?

He had lost two sons. It was only him and her left, the two of them, fathering and mothering the empire, breathing life to it and giving hope during times of difficulties. How could he let her hand go because of an empire? But what if he gave up the empire, would he be able to protect her from Mamadu? Was there any guarantee that Mamadu wouldn't come after them? By making Regina bleed Mamadu had proven to be in possession of powerful magic, dark enough to kill him had he to relinquish power. That's why Mamadu was hellbent on taking power. If he lay his hands on the crown, what guarantee could the Emperor have that Mamadu wouldn't kill him and Regina and erase his entire lineage from the surface?

"You are taking too long to decide old man!" Mamadu shouted. His patience was always as thin as a thread. He had waited for so long to put Micaleaon in this position, to show him how it hurt to feel defeated. To finally lord over him and make him kneel before him. He knew Regina was his weakness for Micaleaon loved the empress more than he loved his own life. There was no way Micaleaon could let her die to save the empire. What Micaleaon didn't know was that regardless of his decision, Regina was bound to die. If he he didn't get power, Mamadu was ready to kill her to make Micaleon's life miserable for without the empress, the Emperor's life would be worthless and useless to him. Micaleaon would mourn for ages and Mamadu would have gotten his sweet revenge against him for the humiliation he suffered ages ago in the Noble War. But if Micaleaon gave up the crown and he became the Emperor, Mamadu was going to annihilate them both for Micaleaon without the crown was as vulnerable to the dark magic as the empress. He would kill them and stick their heads in the city Square and gloat to the entire empire.

"You have to decide now. The empress or the empire?" Mamadu commanded once more, his voice becoming harsher and deeper, his threat reverberating in the courtroom as he pressed his sword hard against the empress' throat, strangling her and slowly piercing her skin, letting out drops of blood.

The Emperor looked at the empress' distressed eyes, the deadly fright in her eyes sending chills throughout his body. She was his life partner, his other half and because of him, she was in harm's way. He couldn't let her die, not for any reason, not even for the empire. Whether Mamadu was going to kill them both after assuming power was immaterial. He would cross that bridge if and when he reached it. For now he was going to save his life partner, his friend, his confidant, his love and his everything. He would build her an empire in his heart, a palace in his body and make her his empress in his soul.

"Ok," he finally said, painfully removing the golden crown from his head and putting it on the seat of the throne. "You win Mamadu," he said as he walked back to him. "I give you the empire in exchange for my life, the empress. Let her go now and you can have the throne to yourself."

"You think I'm stupid brother? The crown and the throne are both behind you, what guarantee do I have that you won't change your mind once I let her go?" Mamadu asked, salivating at the throne. This was it. A delicious victory.

"You have my word. I won't try to stop you. Just let her go already, you are hurting her."

"If you try anything funny Micaleaon, I will nip through her body with this sword so fast you'll regret ever..."

"Enough!" Micaleaon shouted." I have given you what you wanted you... Let her go or I'll have to change my mind."

"Easy big man. Change your mind and do what? You are not planning to give up the empress, are you?" Mamadu said as he pushed the empress past Micaleaon until he stood next the throne, the empress standing between him and the soon-to-be former Emperor Micaleaon. He gently released Regina and then pushed her towards Micaleaon. "There you go," he said as he reached down for the crown. The only thing that would remain after wearing the crown would be formal swearing in and all the powers of the Emperor would be bestowed upon him. The crown would in the meantime make him immune to Micaleaon, more powerful than him.

His fingers must have been just an inch closer to the crown when something speared into him, crushing through the wall of the courtroom onto the courtyard so fast no one in the courtroom saw anything that happened. They only felt a sudden rush of wind and heard the wall crack but they saw nothing. It was when they looked at the hole on the wall that they knew what had happened for they saw Prince Mamadu and Malin wrestling in the courtyard. The Emperor swiftly wore his crown back as if afraid someone else might try to grab and throw it to the prince. Just then, Jonathan and his men emerged into the courtroom and on seeing them, the Emperor ordered the death of the Dark Army soldiers with whose help, Prince Mamadu had captured the empress. It was an order that Jonathan carried out in pride, slaughtering the soldiers like animals. The Emperor wrapped his arms around the empress and ordered everybody out, crying on each other's shoulders as they clang to each other like their lives depended on it, on that moment.