The Emperor

(This story is directly linked to The Empress, so it’s highly suggested to read that first.)

Mr. Jameson Astrella was not as devoted to Death as his dear wife was. However, hunger for power and desperation for emotional connection make for a concoction of extreme actions. One month after his wedding, he kneeled before his god, expression stoic and calculated. Behind him, his family observed so proud. The ancestral dagger was lifted, quivering as if making to flee from his fearful grasp. He wanted this. He needed this. And yet fear of the pain and sacrifice had flooded him as soon as he had entered the room. He should be honored. He should be excited. And he was. But he nevertheless hesitated.

It was then when his mother came to comfort him, breaking from to group to hold Jameson in her embrace and cooing soft reassurances. She had been his supporter in every stage of his life. And he was happy to have her with him now, at such a pivotal moment.

But his wife. His eyes shifted to where she stood. She was grinning. Beaming so beautifully wide. He had never seen her so happy. Not even at their wedding did she carry so much joy. In an instant, the craving for her happiness took him over. His hand shot toward his mother, and when he had blinked the feeling away, the person he had cared for so much was lying lifeless before him, bleeding from the gut. His family stared in awe at the honor of her sacrifice.  He had loved his mother, and her loss would carry an empty feeling to it. However, this was for their god. She was excited to have been chosen as the life slowly slowly faded from her eyes. The Astrellas sacrificed a part of them. Not many had a close enough connection to someone else to sacrifice them. 

But when his eyes drifted back to dear Lorelai, the pain didn’t matter so much anymore. She laughed and laughed, so shy and sweet and dazzling with an effervescent radiance. The most beautiful sight in the world. The most beautiful feeling in the world, her wrapping her arms around him and spouting infectious giggles, running her fingers through his hair as each lock turned silver. He was a follower of Death- but it was driven by his love…for Lorelai.