Chapter Text
“Pardon my interruption, your excellency” uttered the infinite seer softly, “we’re approaching planet 374 on our star maps. The Galactrius will be preparing to land soon”
The galactic emperor rose from his chair in the central command bridge of the ship, he shifted his hat slightly while giving a small adjustment to his eyepatch. The scenery outside the window of the command center began to change from the dark void of space into the bright blue hue of a new planet’s atmosphere.
An imperial admiral stepped forward and spoke, “Excellency, do you need more soldiers for this escort?”
He tilted his head back with a slight eye roll to follow, “Hardly. My seer and I will be more than capable of treading the ground of another lowly planet.”
The seer picked up her staff and moved to his side, “Though perhaps, your excellency, we might wish to not call the planet lowly to its occupants. We are, after all, trying to gain their favor.”
He snarled as he moved towards the exit door, “I will act as I see fit, seer. Your advice is best withheld until solicited.”
She followed behind him, shutting the door behind her. The two moved through the halls of the galactrius as they made their way to the hangar for when the ship would dock.
She sighed, “You know that my advice only comes from my concern for you, your infinite grace.”
He growled deeply, “Hmph… You’ve seen the future seer, is this decision a wise one?”
She adjusted her veil as they continued on, “Yes, the rebel forces will continue to try and ambush our troops with every crusade that the empire attempts to make. If we desire success with minimal fatalities, this is our best option. We need the highest blessings in the nebula if we want to improve our odds. Besides that…” she paused, looking over to him, “There is a limit to my healing abilities for you. We cannot lose you to the melody of the universe, your grace. We must find someone stronger.”
He sighed, “... Very well.”
A voice called out over the hangar intercom, “We have arrived and docked, your infinite grace! Please exit directly out the main door!”
—
A short distance from the landing zone was a vast field with a singular building visible on the horizon, the Chantry of the Starlight Maidens. The emperor floated on the cobblestone path alongside his seer, observing the meadows of tall grass and wildflowers. There were a good many planets within the span of the galaxy that sustained natural vegetation, but it wasn’t often that the emperor would actually set foot on one. The pair approached the gates of the building, a priestess donned in the hooded silver cloak worn by the maidenhood opened the doors of the gate offering a bow as the two passed. The pair was then met by a small elderly woman who ran the chantry for more than half a century. Known as the elder mother, it was her who received the news transmission that the grace of the infinite would be visiting her sanctum. Always boastful and full of pride, the elder mother bowed to him and spoke energetically, “Welcome, esteemed emperor. We are truly blessed to be graced by the infinite!”
He merely towered over her glancing around, “Yes, mmm very good” he muttered dismissively, “Shall we begin the search process? I have obligations to fulfill today and don’t have time for frivolous chatter”
She hid the small bout of fear she developed from reflecting on her face, “O-Oh yes of course! Please follow me into the main temple.”
The emperor and seer followed the elder mother down a long marbled hall surrounded by passing priestesses, all who bowed their heads silently at the sight of him floating by. It wasn’t often that a man should enter the chantry, let alone the imperial ruler of the galaxy.
He spoke coldly, “I will be direct with my criteria. I wish to select one priestess to perform a ritual of blessing at my request. The infinite empire continues to expand and with it comes resistance. It’s inconvenient to have to replace troops when they are wounded or fatally struck down. It’s my understanding that this chantry is a temple for the maidens of starlight.”
The elder mother beamed, filled with a sense of pride at the mere mention of their reputation. “Yes! For centuries we–”
He held up his hand in an order for her to pause, “Good. I need an experienced priestess to be made available when I come here. I’d prefer to not be passed around from person to person each time I seek a blessing.”
“Certainly without question, excellency!”
She led him and the seer into a grand service room with a row of priestesses who stood at the ready to be interviewed and presented, each with their hoods donned and covering their eyes and hair, “We have many women here who have dedicated several decades of their lives to their maidenhood, you’ll have plenty to choose from.”
Several hours passed, each filled with drab and dull introductions to each of the high priestesses. With each conversation the emperor only leaned on the armrest of the guest throne, muttering and disinterested as none of them stood out as worthy to serve for the benefit of his empire.
The seer leaned in towards him, “Excellency, these seem to be the most experienced candidates. Perhaps we should realign our criteria in order to make a selection?”
Irritated at the request he sighed, “I do hate compromising. But if this is really the best you can offer then– hm?”
He stopped short hearing a new sound coming from an unseen area from within the chapel. Unfamiliar and perhaps, pleasant? He rose from the throne and floated to the opened window that overlooked the gardens outside.
The elder mother walked over to him flustered at the interruption, “Ah my sincerest apologies, your grace! It must be the children in the garden. We often take in orphaned girls from neighboring planets and help raise them until they decide if they wish to join the maidenhood. They’re harmless, however noisy they are. Y/N should be watching them more closely, I’ll have a word with her later!”
He looked closer at the garden and saw four young girls, all various ages laughing happily as they darted about the flower beds and green lawns. But it wasn’t them that he heard, it wasn’t until he focused more closely and saw the source of the noise.
It was a young priestess singing.
“The nebula will shine, her children all lay sleeping, her gentle hand so kind, sweet memories for their keeping…~”
Unlike the others, your hood was lowered as your braided hair flowed gently in the breeze and you smiled as the girls ran and joined you as you watered the moonflowers that grew on the tall archway trellis. You handed them each a flower and picked the smallest child up so that she could see the blossoms that grew on the very top. A picture of gentleness and grace, there was a radiance that couldn’t be found from any encounters he experienced before. For a ruler of an entire galactic empire, he had never seen anyone quite so… fascinating.
He turned rather annoyed to the elder mother, “You failed to mention a Y/N in your group of priestesses. Are you not intent on showing me the best you have to offer?”
Her face paled as she stuttered in a panic, “Absolutely n-not, your infinite excellency! Forgive me! Y/N has only just passed her maidenhood rite into becoming a priestess, I-I thought it best to offer only our most experienced maidens of the starlight for the chance to serve the empire!”
The seer joined him at the window, “My emperor, it may be wiser to choose a priestess who has more experience in blessing rituals.”
He floated back from the window and cleared his throat. “Her. I should like to meet the priestess Y/N. Seer, lead me to the garden.”
The seer led him and the elder mother into the garden shortly thereafter. The trees lined with blossoms and petals that began to dance on the passing breeze. He was not accustomed to such a calming atmosphere, one where the ambiance of nature took priority. He noticed the smaller child holding a stuffed borlax toddling about trying to play tag with the older girls, only to trip and land face first in the grass a short distance from where his feet floated off the ground. Without any fuss she raised her head and made eye contact with the looming emperor, her face blank. She gathered herself leaving her toy behind as she toddled back to you calling, “Lady Y/N!!” before hiding behind your dress.
You smiled down in her direction, “I’m right here, Mira what is it— oh!” You looked up to see the ruler of the stars, his stoic seer, a fuming elder mother standing behind him. You whispered to the children while pulling up the hood on your cloak, “go water the roses now, I’ll be along shortly.” The children did as you said and scuttled off to the bushes to hide, while not subtly peeking out to see what happens with their new guests.
The elder mother strides forward, “Without your hood up outside, AGAIN. You knew we were expecting his excellency, Y/N!”
You froze, only muttering out a nervous apology. You’ve been scolded by the elder mother before but never in front of outsiders. The sisters within the chantry all became accustomed to her jabs, but it was particularly embarrassing to receive any type of tongue lashing from her in the presence of strangers.
The emperor looked at you carefully, seeing how your expression changed from joyful to stone-faced once you were separated from your small companions. He glanced down at the dropped borlax doll and floated it into his hands, inspecting it carefully before floating closer towards you. He extended it in one of his clawed gloves and spoke clearly, “Forgive the intrusion, I didn’t intend on frightening the younglings.”
You stared at his hand, unsure if you were permitted to take an item from the grace of the infinite, letting out only a soft “I-it’s alright.”
The elder mother turned her usual angry shade of pink “Y/N you are speaking to the infinite emperor, show the decorum we taught you in this chantry!”
Remembering yourself you kneeled shakily and bowed your head in reverence, “I am… honored to be blessed in person by the grace of the infinite. Thank you, truly…”
His patience with the elder mother’s temper ran thin and he turned to her with a burning purple flame emanating from his uncovered eye before uttering, “You are dismissed now. I should like to talk with this priestess alone.” Her face changed colors once again at the demand, “I—I just—“ before shrinking as his gaze turned into a malicious glare. “Certainly, your grace. Please let me know if you require anything else” before hobbling inside, now humbled.
He turned his attention to the children peering from behind the rose bushes and smiled, “Come now, I vow that I’m here on a peaceful proposition.”
The girls looked towards each other hesitantly, while Mira crawled out and waddled over awkwardly to take the doll back. She looked at you and took a breath of relief as you gave a reassuring nod. She curtsied to him, “Thank you, your majesty!” before running back to join the other girls who clamored over her.
The emperor inhaled and turned back to you finally addressing your presence, “Now then, priestess. Do you know why I’m here?”
“I’m afraid not, your grace. The elder mother said your visit was reserved only for meeting with her and several of my sisters here in the chantry. Forgive my ignorance…”
“Hmm. Very well. I’ve come here because the blessing power of the starlight maidenhood is renowned throughout the nebula. Your predecessors had even blessed the royal family as they came to power. I’m here for that same ritual.”
“A blessing ritual, excellency?” you inquired softly while fiddling with the petals of a flower.
“Yes, in order to ensure the best possible outcome of the infinite empire, I must proceed with the blessing of a starlight priestess. And I believe I would like you to perform it.”
Your eyes grew wide at the request and your mouth suddenly dried. “m-me?! I’m sorry, you’d like me to perform the ritual? Not the high priestesses?” You shyly took one step back.
He read your nervous body language like a book, the side of his mouth forming a slight grin. “Yes, I’m aware that you are a raw talent in your circle. But the universe tells me that your energy is what I need to cast good fortune for the empire. Will you accept this role?”
You stared down at your feet, your cheeks flushed. The rite of maidenhood was only just completed, could you really handle this task? Your nerves got the better of you, just as you opened your mouth to respond the children emerged from the bushes to gather right behind you.
“Lady Y/N can do anything!”
You spun around embarrassed, “N-now girls don’t—“
“Yeah she sings really pretty!”
“And she makes us snacks!”
“Her healing powers are super strong! She heals our cuts and scrapes all the time!”
“And she tells us stories at night when we have bad dreams!”
Your face was as red as the roses on the bush behind you as you blurted out, “Girls that’s enough!” all while they giggled happily.
He knew his intuition was right. If you could provide your blessing and grant your healing energy to him, he knew that he’d have found his missing crown jewel. He extended his hand once more to you, this time with an open palm. “Their endorsements have convinced me, shall we begin then priestess? If all goes well on my next expedition then trust I will be back again for another blessing.”
You looked at his hand, and hesitantly moved your arm. He really did have faith in you, and you knew that if you could pull off a successful ritual then you and your charges would gain the favor of the empire. That and something about his demeanor gave you the confidence you lacked, you extended your arm and took his hand. “Yes, please.”
—
Within an hour you and the emperor sat in a stone pavilion outside in the garden. You kneeled to the ground clasping his hands chanting the blessing spells of the nebula you memorized in your training. He could feel a warm fluttering sensation as the light that came from your hands warmed him from the inside. For that brief time, the whispers of the universe stopped, it seemed like the world around you both disappeared into a black hole. An empty void, where the only vision in front of him was you, kneeling with your head bowed forward as you chanted and slowly lifted the pain away from his mind.
“Your excellency? The ritual is complete, you can open your eyes now…” you whispered softly.
The emperor inhaled deeply as his eyes twitched open. The sun was beginning to set on the other side of the garden, turning all of the surrounding flowers and residual clouds a warm tint of orange and red. He looked at your face, seemingly tired from calling the gifts of the starlights to bless him in his crusade to bring order to the galaxy’s planets. However, you smiled, as if to provide reassurance to him that your efforts would be worth it.
He cleared his throat and spoke, “You are thanked, priestess.” He stood and resumed floating off the ground as he stretched his arms out, only to gasp when he realized.
The pain was gone.
The seemingly endless migraine had ceased, the ache in his joints faded, the pressure in his skull subsided. The pain of using the power of the infinite nebula for centuries seemed to have completely disappeared.
“Priestess, did you heal me as well?”
You were shocked that he noticed. “Oh, yes! Yes, your grace. I noticed that during the ritual you began to experience some pain. It seemed to be internal, I wasn’t sure if it might’ve been an old war wound but… does it feel any better?”
He paused, his face still perplexed but just stoic enough that you couldn’t tell if he was truly pleased. “Er. Yes, very good. Thank you. I shall be leaving now, my efforts begin anew tomorrow. Should I be successful, trust that I’ll be back again.” he nodded quickly as if to say goodbye before returning to the front of the garden where the seer was waiting for him. She smiled at you and bowed as they left. You felt a rush of dizziness hit you as you slowly crumbled to the ground. Your young charges came running out from inside the chantry, all of them clamoring with concern for you.
Your eldest charge spoke, “Lady Y/N are you alright? That ritual took a long time and you look really tired!” You smiled weakly as they helped you up before noting, “I’m alright, thank you. It just means I’ll need to get stronger won’t I? The elder mother will be cross if I get too tired!”
Mira grinned clutching her borlax doll as she walked alongside you on the way in holding your hand, “Yeah…” she leaned up to you though and whispered “I kinda think she’s a witch though!”
You chuckled before whispering back, “I think so too…!”
News of the emperor’s latest conquest spread quickly along the star maps in the following days. He was able to take down some of the rebel watcher forces in the next star system over with no casualties. “It was almost unheard of!” One of your sister priestesses told you while excitedly clasping your hands. “Usually there’s a loss in troop members from the empire! Your blessing did wonders, Y/N!”
You could only blush and thank her as the other head priestesses praised your efforts, while the elder mother quietly stewed over the fact that her selection of priestesses “would have been exceptional”.
As you resumed your duties the following day in the garden, the elder called you back to the pavilion to visit with an “honored guest”. You did as you were told and placed your flower basket down and as you walked over you saw him, the emperor, true to his word returned. He turned to you and smiled, “The true reason for our success has arrived!” He exclaimed, “I believe you know why I’ve returned!”
You froze after hearing his compliment, gathered your emotions and spoke, “Thank you, your grace…”
—
For weeks this was your pattern. Following each blessing the emperor would leave aboard the galactrius for another mission, and within a short span of time he would return with praise for your actions, citing another flawless victory, and you both would prepare for another blessing.
Even as you performed your duties successfully, you still couldn’t help but supplement your efforts with prayers at the shrine of the starlight. You were still weakened by the rituals each time, so you thought it best to pray for the emperor’s success and his eventual safe return. Every time he returned to the garden, you felt an immense wave of relief as he stood before you and smiled. Even if he was just using your powers for gaining power, you began to feel the tug of an internal bond as you tended to him. You wondered each time as he returned in a state of discomfort how he was receiving so much damage that put him in physical pain. Could it be that the infinite was actually harming him?
In your most recent meeting your ritual and healing were nearly complete when he broke routine and asked you a question.
“Priestess, how did you come to this chantry?”
You paused while finishing the ritual, looking up to meet his gaze. “It is… out of character for you to ask me personal questions, my lord.”
He quirked an eyebrow at you, slightly taken aback at your remark and your lack of an immediate response, replying with “Is that so wrong? You’ve supported my efforts for weeks now. I should think it would be commonplace to interact with you slightly.”
You couldn’t argue with that.
“… You’ve seen the young girls who live at the chantry who I care for, yes? Well I was like them once. I had no home, my planet was torn apart by war and famine. I don’t remember much about my family, save for the fact that they're the ones who gave me up to the maidens. Maybe to give me a better life? Or maybe so they’d have one less mouth to feed?” You sighed and paused, “either way I made the most of my life that I could while here. The sisters cared for me, and now I do for these younglings.”
His gaze focused on your expression, how you couldn’t fully look him in the eye as you recollected your past.
“… Then my decision is the right one.”
You snapped to attention, “Pardon me, your grace?”
He rose from his seat and departed quickly, only turning briefly to say “Meet with the elder mother tomorrow morning.”
—
You could hardly sleep that night. What did the emperor mean by that? The morning went as routine would normally dictate, you dressed in your robes before waking the children and helping them get ready for the day, You had just finished helping the younger girls pull their robes down over their heads and were about to help the older girls with braiding hair when suddenly one of the high priestesses came running into the children’s room out of breath, “Sister! Come quickly! The elder mother wants to see you right away!”
You stood to attention and swallowed hard. Why did she need to see you this early in the morning? It was too early for you to have done something wrong. Morning prayer hadn’t even begun yet and the children didn’t make a mess. A cold realization came over you.
The emperor’s request.
You instructed the older girls to help out the youngsters as you left the room quickly following the priestess. Your short trip ended at the main service hall of the chantry, where the elder mother paced around the main steps. She caught in her glance that you had entered and she nearly scuttled over to you with excitement, “There she is~!” she sang out, “There is our little traveling star seeker!”
You stood perplexed, the elder mother was NEVER this overjoyed to see you. However a short delay later you realized how she addressed you, “I’m sorry, elder mother? What do you mean?”
She was beaming with a grin that went from ear to ear, clapping her hands together she proclaimed, “It’s the emperor!”
“The emperor? Did something happen to him?! I just performed a ritual last night Is he hurt–?”
“No no quiet, girl! Quite the opposite! He’s on his way here now aboard his ship! He’s now requested that you join him!”
“... WHAT?! I mean– forgive my outburst but, joining the emperor? Leaving the chantry?”
She paraded around a bit more as she led you down the hall back to your room, “He was so pleased with your efforts that he requested that you join him immediately upon his return! And the empire made a GENEROUS donation to our resources for the chantry in exchange!”
You couldn’t tell if her happiness was from the funds they had received or the fact that you had been exchanged and got a free ticket to kick you out of her thoughts for good, your mind was racing at the prospect that the emperor himself requested that you join him. After enough excited ranting from the elder mother, you were left to pack what few belongings you had as the galactrius touched down. The children all peered into your rooms with tears in their eyes as they heard the news, one by one they came and hugged you goodbye.
Mira offered up her borlax doll to you, “So you won’t be lonely aboard the ship! And so that… you’ll think of us” she sniffed.
You wiped the tears from her eyes as well as the ones forming in your own before pressing the doll back to her, “Shhh, you need to keep him here with you!” you smiled “I made him for you with my own two hands, he’ll protect you while I’m gone and remind you that I’ll always be here with you…”
–
You ventured down to the main hall carrying a small bag with a change of robes, your ritual prayer book, and a dried flower crown that the children had made for you secretly. The halls were lined with your sister priestesses, some of them whispering wishes of good luck and a safe journey. You smiled and thanked them as you reached the main gate of the chantry, where the emperor stood waiting alongside two men you hadn’t met just yet. One looked to be an alien from another star system, his skin tinted a periwinkle sort of blue, with worn clothing and a large augmented combat gauntlet on one arm. The other man was dressed in decorated soldier attire for the infinite empire, a slightly older man with grey facial hair. The emperor turned to you and smiled.
“I greet you, priestess. I trust you’ve now been briefed on the purpose of why we’re here this time?”
You nodded, “Yes, your grace. And I accept. Please, however, will it be promised that the children here at the chantry will be well cared for and provided with everything they need? I won’t be around for them anymore and it would give me peace of mind…”
The hood on your cloak was raised and prevented him from meeting your gaze, however he could see the corners of your mouth shifting worriedly as well as the concern in your voice. He realized that to you, these children were as good as your own, and now that his crown jewel would be joining him, he would do what he needed to reassure you.
“You have my utmost pledge, priestess, that the provisions from the empire will be enough to care for your charges well into their lives” he paused before reaching out his hand, “I know how much they mean to you. They will be comfortable and happy under my order. Now, will you join me? The infinite empire is now riding on my command and your blessings.”
You looked past the edge of your hood to see his hand and noticed that the once cold expression you’d grown so accustomed to seeing on his face seemed… genuine. His one exposed eye radiating a soft purple glow, but you could just barely make out the shape of his iris. It felt like for the first time since you’ve met, you completely locked eyes with one another. You took his hand and stepped forward.
“For as long as you will have me, your excellency.”