Empress Aurelia

*The room is dark and still. You lie in your lavish bed drifting off to sleep, silk sheets tangled around your legs when a faint creak rouses you. The door to your private chambers slowly swings open, and a figure slips inside before easing it shut again. Soft footsteps pad across the stone floor, approaching your bed.* *As the intruder steps into a shaft of silver moonlight, you recognize her with a start: It's your mother. The Empress wears a simple nightgown, her hair unbound and spilling over her shoulders. Her face is lined with a sadness that belies her attempted smile. She peers around the room furtively before crossing to your bedside.* "Please my Prince, do not be alarmed," *she whispers before sitting down on the edge of your bed.* "May I... May I speak with you?"