The ink-blotted pen stroked along the paper gracefully. Allura Anois, Empress of Anoisn, sat at the front of a long wooden table drawing on a sheet of paper. The voices of men and women filled her ears, but she tried not to pay attention. These talks did bore her so, all about finance, land disputes, and politics of all sorts. All she wanted to do was sit here and draw. She had just finished the final line of a masterpiece, a large inked image of a veiny cock next to a pair of tits. She smiled at her handiwork, and then realized no one was speaking. When she looked up, everyone was staring at her expectantly. 

“What?” She asked. Behind her, a servant blushed and giggled, barely able to keep in her laughter after she had seen what was on Allura’s ‘notes.’ Allura held it as long as she could, but soon her smirk gave way to laughter. 

“Your Majesty!” Clarita, her financial advisor, said in a frustrated tone. “What are we to do about the cost of wheat?! It is becoming too expensive to trade with other territories!” Allura looked to Clarita, dumbfounded. 

“That’s what you’re all staring at me for?” She asked. “Wheat prices?!”

“Well, Your Majesty,” Her military advisor, Henri, chimed in. “It is the Lady’s final decision…” Allura regarded him stoically and raised an eyebrow. 

“We have huge plots of land with no use,” she said. “See to it that they are used to harvest wheat, I could figure this out in my sleep. A group of trained monkeys would be of better use to me!” 

“Erm… huge plots of land, My Lady?” Clarita asked. “Whatever could you mean?” 

“Just outside of town, in the west,” Allura said, putting her feet up on the table and leaning back. “Near the river.” 

“The… slums, Mademoiselle?” Clarita asked to confirm. Allura nodded. “They are lived in. That is what houses the poor and underprivileged. You agreed to the order to build them not two years ago… do you not remember?” Allura thought for a minute. 

“Did I?” She asked. “Well, I’m sure they’ll land on their feet. Have their homes destroyed to make way for new farmland. They are on precious soil.” 

“Very well, Your Majesty,” Clarita did not question this. “It will be done.” The door opened after this, and a man strode in. Scrawny, tall, and pompous. Allura’s brother, and head servant, Lucillo. 

“Where have you been?!” Allura demanded angrily. “I had to sit in on this ridiculous meeting because I could not find you!” She turned to her council of advisors. “Leave us, now!” She yelled. Some opened their mouths to question, but closed them, and stood. Allura then turned to the servant just behind her. “You!” She said, turning back to the sheet of paper she had doodled cock and tits on. She signed her name on it and thrust it in her direction. “This should be worth something. Run along, now!” The servant took the paper gingerly, bowed and thanked the Empress, and then followed the advisors from the room. Allura then turned back to Lucillo. “You better have a good reason for your absence, brother! Or I’ll have you working in the stables shoveling the horse shit!” She growled. Lucillo simply gave her a smug glare. 

“I’ve just come back from the house of Marella Evanteus D’oiler,” he began. Allura rolled her eyes and stopped him from finishing. 

“Your personal affairs do not and never will concern me. No matter how childish and stupid they are.” She retorted. 

“That’s interesting,” Lucillo said smugly. “Evanteus… a common name, isn’t it? Of the last empire?” 

“It was the last name of the Emperor, and all who followed him had to take it on out of respect,” Allura said tiredly as if she were reading it out of a book. “There are still some that can be found, who were assimilated into our new empire. But most have since changed their last names out of fear.” 

“Ah, yes! The emperor. And… what was his name?” Lucillo leaned in and smirked. Allura looked up at him like he was the dumbest human being on the planet. 

“Magnus Evanteus,” she spat out. “Curse his name, the foul wretch! The Loveless Knight! Taking up as much land as he pleased, snuffing out all who stood against him. What about him?” 

“I think I may have found him,” Lucillo said. 

“Impossible,” Allura replied. “Ember of house Eloux drove a sword through the top of his head, and he died in his throne room as it crumbled. How could he still be alive?” 

“However should I know?” Lucillo groaned. “The woman Marella stupidly moaned his name while we were fucking. Her husband fits the description, he must have changed his face!” Allura rolled her eyes. 

“Look, if you can prove it then maybe I’ll take you more seriously,” she said. “For now, go away. I don’t wanna see your stupid face anymore.” Lucillo’s lips tightened, and he swept his robes off the floor angrily as he bowed. 

“Your Majesty,” he said tersely and stormed out of the council room. 

“Bloody pest,” Allura said, standing up from her seat and stretching. 

Her current bodyguard for the night, Jacob, was standing dutifully outside as she opened the door to the council room. He stood to attention as she came out, her black dress flowing behind her. She stopped for a minute and looked over at him. He was a fairly muscular man, with blond hair that waved down to his shoulders. He wore a leather tunic with no sleeves. She always tried to keep her guards in as little armor as allowed. At least the pretty ones. “Jacob, My dear!” She said, holding her arms out. 

“Your majesty,” Jacob stared ahead. By the book, this one. She had hired him about a month ago and hadn’t yet quite broken through his shell. She smirked at this and sighed softly. 

“I think I may want a bath tonight,” she started. “Would you care to come… protect me as I bathe? Who knows what assassins or brigands could be lurking in my bed chambers, hm?”

“Of course, Ma’am,” Jacob said. Allura could see the slightest hint of blush across his cheeks. She wagered that wasn’t the only stirring the oh-so-dutiful knight had concerning a rush of blood. 

“Come, my faithful knight,” she said. “I wish to retire to my bed chamber.” She began to walk, taking care to walk in front of Jacob and swaying her hips more than she usually would when she was walking. Both of them got up the stairs before someone called after them. 

“Your majesty!” Someone behind her said. Allura tensed up and sighed. She turned around slowly to see who was at the foot of the stairs. A middle-aged woman was standing at the bottom of the stairs. The head guard, Sophie. She wore thick-plated armor and had short-cut ginger hair. Just below her eye was a tattoo of the Anois family crest. “We have a situation!” 

“So, handle it,” Allura rolled her eyes and elbowed Jacob playfully. When he didn’t respond to that, she looked back to Sophie. “You’re still here,” she said. 

“We’ve tried to handle it, Mademoiselle,” Sophie said. “A very powerful rogue magic user, possibly an assassin, has killed at least two guards. We think he may be after you!” 

“And your first idea is to come to get my help? What if he were to kill me?” Sophie did not answer. “I understand. You need my special touch, hm?” She winked at Jacob. “Very well. Jacob, wait in my room.”

“Your majesty, I should remain by your side-”

“Do as I say!” Allura demanded. “Good boy,” she said as he continued onward to her room. “This better be worth it,” Allura said, descending the stairs to meet Sophie.

…

The man’s crooked hand glowed a sickly green as he held one of the guards in the air, who was choking, deprived of air. “I want to see Allura Anois, now!” he screamed. A dozen other guards stood at the ready, backing away slowly. The man tossed the other guard aside, who hit the wall and fell to the ground, barely alive. He bore his claw-like hands and grimaced at the other guards. “Let me through and I shall not harm you. My only quarrel is with Lady Allura.”

“You have her attention,” a voice called from behind the guards. There she stood, black curly hair waving in the wind, her black dress flapping and flowing. “Who might you be?” she folded her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow.

“My name is Augustus Evanteus, of the Evantean empire!” He declared proudly, pounding on his chest. “You took the throne from the emperor, and for this shall suffer the ultimate punishment! I have been training for the past decade to take you down!” With the last word, he created a spear of blue lightning in his hand and thrust it out toward her. Sighing, she raised a hand and it stopped in mid-air. Augustus stopped, and stared, breathing heavily. 

“You do know it's illegal to perform magic without a permit, yes?” Allura asked as the lightning bolt fizzled out. “There’s a scarcity, unless you use your body, of course. Or someone else’s, which is also illegal.” Augustus took a step and balled his fists. “However, being the empress does have its perks.” As quick as the lightning bolt just hurled, she extended a palm, and Augustus felt a large spike of pain course through his body. He screamed as he fell to his knees, blood gushing from his nose. Allura walked forward, and the guards parted for her. She twisted and contorted her fingers, and the blood leaking from his nose began to congeal in mid-air, forming into a large spike of iced blood. Augustus looked weak and frail, and Allura smirked wildly. The spear of ice crashed down into his side, going straight through him and embedding itself into the concrete behind him. He screamed out, clutching the large spear. Allura strode up to him as he cried and shouted, drooling all over the ground in pain. 

“Pathetic man,” she said, folding her arms. “Do you understand where insolence gets you now?” Augustus did not respond. “Look at Mommy,” she demanded. He strained in pain, but looked up and met her eyes. “Say you’re Mommy’s loyal thrall.”

“W-what?” He asked. “You have to be fucking… joking…” He said the last word through gritted teeth as he began to bleed more. Allura had her hand raised, red energy coursing through her palm. 

“Say it,” she commanded. 

“I-I…” He trailed off as blood began to pour from his tear ducts. “I’m… Mommy’s loyal thrall…”

“Correct,” Allura flicked her hand and his eyes instantly rolled to the back of his sockets, his mouth hanging open dumbly. “Put him in with the rest,” she waved her hand at him and he fell back. “What a joke, you really needed me for that?!” She called back up to Sophie. “I’m going to take a much-needed bath!”

…

Allura’s bedroom door swung open and she entered. “Your majesty!” Jacob stood at attention, looking ahead. She chuckled at this, and let the door slowly squeal to a shut behind her. 

“Be a dear and get the water running, will you? As hot as you can make it,” She asked. Jacob nodded and stepped into the bathroom. A few different buttons with different temperatures were nestled just next to the tub. Jacob pressed the hottest option, and somewhere near the castle, a bell rang. Coal was shoveled into a furnace, and boiling water was sent up the pipes. The bathtub sputtered to life, and steamy water began to fill the tub slowly. “I am so sorry to keep you waiting, dear,” Allura said from outside the bathroom. 

“‘Tis my job, Mademoiselle,” Jacob said. “I live to protect you, and I will die protecting you.” 

“Aren’t you sweet,” he heard her say. 

“Your water is ready, My Lady. I’ll just wait for you outsi-” Jacob trailed off as he turned to leave, and she stood right in front of him in the doorway.

“Would you undo my bra?” She said, turning around. Jacob went red in the face and at first, reached up, but then his hand shied away. “Come on, I won’t bite you… well, maybe I will.” Slowly, she backed up until she collided with him, getting goosebumps as his metal armor cooled her flesh. “I can’t get into the tub without it off, boy,” she said. Jacob composed himself, feeling her warmth and presence just next to him, and went to reach up. He unlatched the hooks on her bra and watched as the straps fell lazily down her shoulders. Gulping, he felt his pants tightening just a bit. But as quickly as it started, it went away. They were both startled by a hefty knock on the door. 

“GO AWAY!” Allura said angrily, her entire demeanor suddenly changing.

“Allura?!” a voice said from the other side. It was Lucillo. Allura could have ground him up into a paste and served him at a party on a cracker. “Look, I’d really like to talk to you!” Allura looked back at Jacob and smiled reassuringly. 

“I’ll just be right back…” she whispered, before heading over to the door. Throwing it open, Allura stood in the doorway angrily, her bra hanging loosely on her arms. Lucillo looked stunned for a moment and then held up a hand. 

“Erm… I erm…” 

“What do you want?” Allura said through gritted teeth. “I am taking a bath! Or I was about to before you came along!” 

“I just… didn’t like how our conversation went earlier, sister. I wanted to talk about it,” Lucillo was more sheepish now. He could tell she was angered, and making her angry was not something anyone would enjoy the outcome of. 

“Sister?!” Allura said, turning red. “I don’t care about some dead emperor who you think has come back to life just because someone’s wife moaned his name while you were fucking her! Magnus isn’t an uncommon name even today! It was a popular name, you fucking idiot! GO AWAY!” Allura flicked her hand and Lucillo was sent back into the wall with a grunt. She slammed the door on him and sighed. Reaching up to her lip, she found that a drop of blood was dripping down from the corner of her mouth to her chin. “Oh! Fuck me! I shouldn’t have-” she grunted and then looked to Jacob, who stood at attention fearfully. “Oh, honey I’m sorry my brother ruined everything,” she thought for a moment. “I um… I’m just going to have my bath and go to bed, okay? You are dismissed.” 

Jacob hesitated for a moment, and then nodded, walking over to the door, and exiting. Lucillo was moaning and pushing himself up as Jacob swung the door open. Allura sighed, putting the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. She wanted so badly to be rid of that man.