12. The medicine man stood over the Emperess, with his hands held together, his face serious and sadden by the fact of her declining health. 

"Your power, I managed stop some of the bleeding this time."

Her voice very hoarse, her eyes barely open, laying on her bed covered by her golden sheets amongst her large golden room, the Emperess manages to look at the medicine man and says to him, "thank you...You may go then..."

He nods his head and bows before turning to the door, walking past the Emperess's handmaiden's to make his way out, but, bursting into the room is the Princess Marishi, looking very disraught in the face, but well designed and decorated on the outside.

Wearing nothing but red, black, and gold, the princess walks past everyone bowing to her, only bringing her attention to her sickly mother.

Kneeling beside the bed, the princess says to her mother while holding her mother's hand, "your Power, how are you feeling today?"

The Empress manages to turn her head to see her daughters beautiful face, "I am still very sick, nothing is changing, I am cursed..."

"You are not cursed mother."

"My child, look at me...I am dying horribly...I just want this misery to go."

"And by having the death of the Twilight Warrior, it will be done, your misery will be no longer."

Sitting up a bit, the Emperess frowns, "how is that? I would still be sick?"

Marishi lets a grin come upon her face, "no worries mother...You still have me to help you, I would be able to help you rule, and you would pass in peace from the way I would run this empire."

Frowning again, the Emperess let's go of Marishi's arm, "I have no use for such thing, I want to heal of this!"

Yelling this out, Marishi sits back, looking at her mother as if shocked.

Then she smiles again, standing up and saying to her mother, "well mother, I would have told you earlier but...I was already engulfed in my anger, so...I sent word to the Temple Guards in watch for Takashi, who I heard from the spy I sent that he was disguising himself as the master Norshi."

The Empress looks concerned, turning to her handmaiden's to say, "did you know this?"

They shake their heads no while Marishi stands back on her toes, a very innocent and childlike composure as she says, "they wouldn't know, your power, I told specifically my guards to heed to my word, I'm just waiting to get the word back from them."

"He is not one to kill easily, they say that our Creator himself has given the Warriors their power, I am very sure they have failed, just like I have in exposing him and this sickness he must have cursed me with, you know...He plans to overthrow me..."

Marishi side eyes her mother.

"My daughter, you must stay strong, you must keep practicing your strength, your moves, your power. He must prove to me that one day you can spar with someone as strong as Takashi."

Marishi slowly smiles, happy to hear this from her mother, "I am already a step ahead of you."

"I am sure you are my daughter, just promise me that when I do pass, you will not let him take over our empire..."

Serious as ever as the Emperess's golden eyes pierce through Marishi, she says to her, "find out what caused this sickness of mine, give me justice...And keep what is ours..."

"You said it was Takashi..." Marishi's eyebrows lower, not liking the idea of her mother lying about what caused this pain.

"I figured it was him...But...I may be wrong."

"I don't think so...He never publicly denied like an accused one would" Turning her back from her mother, Marishi says, "I have some words to say to the spy, I need to know how the ordeal went."

"Marishi, where is your nanny anyways, she should still be with you in these hours?"

Still not looking back to her mother, Marishi says boldly, "I fired her, she's no longer needed, plus" She slowly faces her mother with a grin on her golden face, "I'm knowledged enough to take care of myself, I never needed her...You know..."

With a slight chuckle, the strange ten year old girl walks out of her mother's room, leaving the sickly Empress speechless.

.....

Roaming the hallways, staring at all the paintings, touching the decorations that spice up the gold and ruby walls, Marishi, suddendly tilts her head towards the large and opulent stairs to see one of her guards coming up.

Marishi slowly turns around and takes three steps forward as he makes his way to her.

"Princess, Takashi is here, he is here with word that he wants to tell the Empress."

"Take off your mask before speaking to me..." The princess demands.

The guard nods, "yes, your power."

He takes off his mask, revealing a dishuffled man who is visibly shaken by fear.

Marishi snaps at him, "what is your problem? Tell me what other chaos the Twilight Warrior must have commited for you to act this way!"

Her deep but child voice echos through the halls.

The man backs up, scared as if. 

This movement instantly makes Marishi chuckle.

"How pathetic," She crosses her arms, "that a thrity three year old man would fear a child." Her voice is pouty while saying this, filled with mockery indeed.

The man bows, "your power, I wish to not make you angry."

His head still bowed, Marishi simply lifts a finger and pushes her pinky finger into his forehead, then she pushes his head upward, forcing him to stand straight up again.

"I already am, try not to next time..." She says while walking around him.

He turns to her and says, "your power, he wishes to greet the Empress, The Great Speaker is also making his way here."

Marishi looks over the banner of the stairs and watches as the palace doors open up. "Welcome!" She shouts with a wider grin on her youthful face.

Walking through the huge doors, Takashi stands in the midst of all the palace guard.

Walking up the stairs, Takashi looks Marishi right in the face, but not startled, Marishi keeps her smile and happily says, "I can't wait to see you die, what a waste of a warrior you are."

"What a waste of a human you are, your mother should have berid of you." He smirks.

A malicious grin covers her face. 

After saying this though, three of the guards smack Takashi, to where he wasn't able to say anything else for the bit.

The guard who was with Marishi says to her, "I need to inform the Empress of his arrival."

Running into the Empress's quarters, the guard says to her, "your Power, Takashi is here."

The empress tries her best to sit up, and with what strength she still has, she manages to lean towards her door and say, "tell him to come here."

The guard nods and walks out, informing Marishi of what was said.

She turns to Takashi and says, "don't say anything a simpleton would" Before walking ahead of him and the guards.

Making it to the Empress's room, Takashi is lead forward by the guards to stand right before the Empress, and as things get quiet now as the Empress just stares back at him, she finally says something, saying "I would like something to drink, please."

One of the guards fetches her some water, she drinks it feeling slightly refreshed and ready to speak. "Takashi, I know it will be hard to have you killed, but the least you could do for this crime is be put in the dungeon for the rest of your life."

"I will do neither" He casually says.

Marishi chuckles, but the Empress silences her saying, "no need for any of that, I will have that done now."

Instantly, the guard rough him up, holding him steady as the Empress says with a strong firm tone, "Let him speak first!"

The guards hold off on him just a bit for Takashi to stand forward and say, "I have made a mess of things, but I have the evidence that proves you wrong, your Power."

"Show me."

Takashi takes out the cloth from his attire and says, "this is what was ripped of my attire when we were sparring together, you came on to me after I denied your offer and you did this to me which caused to me only push you ever so slightly, it evolves no curse and no internal harm, whatever this is, is not my doing."

The Empress smirks, "regardless or not, you still rejected me, and I lifted you up, you disrespected me and I can't have that."

"Are you admitting to putting this on me?"

"Yes..."

They all look around in shock, with Marishi walking up to her mother, confused and saying "What do you mean? What caused your sickness then huh?"

"I don't know...But it's taking me, and that's all that matters at this point."

"Your Power, I know that you use Timid to fly people over and drop them into their dungeons, but how will you do that...If Timid answers by my call?"

"What are you saying..."

Only having to tap his charm three times, a sudden and loud quake shakes the entire palace, then hearing the noise from the people outside, only to then hear the roar of Timid shouting outside the palace.

Not only this sound occurs but the sound of a dragon accompanies it. So shocked to hear this sound, all of them face the window as one of the guards say, "do you want to push back the curtains?"

 

"Push it back!" The Empress shouts angrily.

Pushing back the large golden curtains, the two guards who opened it are met with the fierce stare of a red dragon and a lion like creature with wings, both of them floating directly by the balcony awaiting whatever it is that Takashi needs to say or do.

Takashi looks to the window and smirks.

As the guards let him go, The Great Speaker, who was strangely quiet the whole time, speaks up to the Empress and says, "we should seize him now! This is treachery, he is deliberately trying to take control of this empire by poisoning the brain of Timid as well!"

 The Empress frowns, "poison? Poison as well?"

Marishi turns to face the clearly trembling man.

Takashi let's his smirk turn into a smile.

And through this, the guards face the Empress again, although some still afraid of the creatures outside the window, just waiting to wreck havoc if needed too.

Marishi runs up to the window and looks directly at the creatures, waving at them harshly as if that will return Timid to her and her mother's trust again.

"How is this possible? Timid can't just ignore me? He has been ours for decades, in no possible way is Timid listening only to Takashi."

The Empress says to her daughter, "the Dragon."

Then Takashi finishes her words, "you're correct, it fears the Dragon."

Marishi instantly replies to Takashi by saying with a firey attitude, "in no way is that true! Timid would never fear another creature!"

Takashi tilts his head to Marishi but doesn't look directly at her saying, "if it wasn't true...He would still be rotting in his face you all enclosed him in."

Marishi just stands there, angrily looking to him.

Then the focus returns to The Great Speaker as he says, "By poison I met as reference." Trying to clear himself, the Empress angrily replies by saying, "I have not been poisoned! This is a curse, a curse that lasted me almost two years! If this poison, I would have died by now."

Marishi walks up to be mother, looking distraught as she tried to win Timid back over. "Timid has been my pet since I was five, how is this possible?"

Now walking around the room, throwing a complete fit, the Empress just ignores Marishi and says to Takashi, "regardless or not, you took advantage of me, you plan to overthrow me to what? Make this a better place?"

"I want to make Naminek it's own without us needing to compete with the great Lesothia for power. We need to better the circumstances of Naminek within, the slavery and the poor conditions of the town's and village's."

The Empress chuckles as Takashi speaks, even with Marishi and some of the guards laughing. Takashi though keeps speaking through the laughter and says, "This country is in shambles, and I'll change that with the power that was given me by the Creator himself!"

Now yelling this out, everyone stops what they are doing along with their laughter.

The Empress sits up and says deeply, "you would need to kill me and Marishi to accomplish that."

 "That's the easy way." Takashi replies casually, "but easy is too easy..." Takashi sighs after saying this, then he proceeds to say, "well, what's your decision-"

"You! Quiet!" The Empress leans back and softly says, "and to think that I fell in love with you..."

Leaning all the way back, the Empress falls silent as if falling asleep.

The handmaidens and guards beside her try to comfort her and help her relax.

"Empress, your Power, I didn't mean to offend you with my word choice." The Great Speaker steps up, trying to appease the Empress.

The Great Speaker side eyes Takashi, "please, whatever choice you make is great Empress."

"I don't want to hear any of you anymore...Just get out!" Tired of it all, the Empress just lays down in her beautiful embroided bed, slowly waiting to fall asleep.

Marishi snickers, "make your choice mother, you can't let Takashi walk out of here free! He's trying to destory our legacy! Our dynasty! You must make your choice, I'm tired of this!"

Takashi laughs.

She snaps at him while pointing at him as well, "shut up shut up!"

The guards try to come her down, but through Marishi's fit, the Empress says, "now Marishi..." Her voice now hoarse and filled with sorrow, "Takashi is a warrior from our above, he's fate...Is not easy to decide, especially in my condition, let's just let it go."

Marishi steps up with the wickedest smirk and says, "he may be a warrior, but he is just human behind his mask, you can still have him killed..."

They all look to Marishi except Takashi.

The Empress replies to this with the longest sigh, "why have I birthed you...My child...You refute my words...That simple occuring is not easy to be done unless it would have been done by our time now."

Marishi yells and throws one of the golden statues on the ground.

"Marishi!!" The Empress yells out the anger she can.

They all step back as Marishi says after, "I hate this! This is not right!" She looks out to Timid and the Red Dragon still flying around outside. A tear comes from her left eye, and with this occuring she wipes her tear away and leaves the room, with her two handmaidens and six guards walking out with her.

The main handmaiden walks over to them and bows before saying, "the Empress has fallen asleep, as of now, we must all leave the room and let her rest."

The Great Speaker then turns to Takashi and says, "no more killing for you tonight, you will be put into a dungeon until the Empress says to let you out" He looks out the window, "we will handle the creatures, regardless of your pathetic charm."

Nudging Takashi for him to move, the guards walk him out and take him to the prison yard to throw him into his cell.

Locking him in there, Takashi sits back and calms himself, knowing well that the dragon and Timid will make their way to save him.

.......

But if only they all knew that this would finally be the Empress's last night alive.