Chapter 20 -History

Gregor stood outside the eastern gate, several minutes early. Despite his punctuality, he had taken his time getting ready. From eating slowly during breakfast, practicing fencing forms on his own with renewed gusto, to choosing the right clothes, then making sure the book was properly hidden, and so on. Typical morning routine. He regret not reading more last night before he slept, or even this morning. But yesterday he had gone through a lot, and he had decided on this rendezvous the day before. No matter, it all worked out. He would just have to read it tomorrow. Possibly tonight.

He sighed as he waited. What would he do when he was emperor? Would he have time to mess around like this? His foot tapped on the ground as he envisioned what the future could hold. He would probably have to delegate more tasks to others if he wanted to continue pursuing his own education to such a degree. But then there was always the question of practical application of his studies as well. His lips parted and he let his head fall back as he sighed again.

“Something on your mind?”

Jerand walked towards him like a lazy cat. How the man managed to walk so… predatorially yet aloof, was beyond Gregor. He had tried imitating him before, but it just felt contrived.

“Yeah, you could say that.”

“Anything you want to share?”

“No particu- well… I find myself wondering what things will be like in the future when I am emperor, and I actually have responsibilities. I do all this studying, but what for? I will have generals to help me manage my armies, bankers to help manage funds, the church cares for religion, farmers sustain cities with their produce and I sit here doing whatever I wish. I realize I’ve gone off topic now, but that is because I’ve also just realized that the problem is not only one of the future. It’s a question of my contribution. There have been people in the past forced into situations from a young age where responsibility finds them, and they excel at whatever they do, even if it is tyranny. But what have I been doing? Chasing fancies. One topic to the next, one art to the next. I spend time fencing with you, but will I ever be in a position to duel someone? I doubt it. I feel as though I have wasted all my time trying to learn everything, but in the process have rendered myself incapable of truly knowing anything. And that time chasing knowledge, has come at the expense of utilizing said knowledge. I see you shaking your head, but hear me out. Would you think someone who has only read about fencing from various manuals, or who has only ever watched fencing, would be able to pick up a blade and fight with any degree of proficiency?”

Jerand shook his head as Gregor continued to speak, staring at his feet.

“That is the position I find myself in. Reading almost everything I can get these far-reaching princely hands on. Then do I ever practice? Forget ruling or being an emperor, now I speak generally. Have I ever truly practiced anything enough to be able to claim mastery over any discipline? And forget mastery, but just any degree of expertise? Now lets go back to what I will eventually be tasked with, ruling. Not governing a single province or even two, but seventeen. Managing the Felian Empire. Largest empire in Belnara’s thousand year history. I question my aptitude to live up to the task.”

He trailed off, gesturing towards the walls and what lay behind them.

“I see what it has been raised to. I remember the flowers and cheers as we rode in through the pristine gates of Letalona. I witnessed the breadth of the empire and diversity of its subjects. I saw the progress that has been made in this generation and find the crown too heavy for my head… and I keep hoping that someday I will learn something that can assuage this doubt that I have… and if not one thing, then perhaps I can make up for it by learning everything I can.”

The sun was hidden behind a cloud, and a breeze blew straight through Gregors skin. It chilled his bones and he shivered.

“But to this day, I find everything I learn wanting. All the books, insufficient.”

A familiar but unexpected voice spoke up, “In that case, I hope one day you learn something that helps you and makes our burden easier for you to bear.”

“Father, I was just.. chatting with Jerand here. Sorry if I have made you wait.” Gregor said, slowly scratching the back of his neck and failing to make eye contact.

Jerand glanced between the two, then bowed to the emperor, who acknowledge him with a downward tilt of his head. The fencing master took his leave, telling Gregor that they could continue the conversation another time. After he left, Garshik began to walk, and Gregor fell into step beside him. Guards trailed them a short distance behind. It felt ridiculous to Gregor, especially in the safety of the palace walls, but they were always there. Garshik saw his son eyeing the retinue.

“You get used to them in time, I can hardly remember the last moment I have had entirely to myself. A man can hardly even shit in peace. You are lucky to have been spared for this long.”

Gregor’s eyes widened a tad. He hardly ever heard his dad curse.

“So, if memory serves me right, you wanted to know what happened to the Queendom, why it is not around today, and why it had marched on the Felian Empire. Correct?”

“Yeah, but also what it was like for you, things that you had noticed. I’ve read some speculation about it, but I feel that you would be the best source.”

“Hmm, in that case… Where to begin becomes the most important question, for in part, I would say it was staged to fall from the very beginning.”

“How so?”

“Unlike the monarchy here and in other places, the Queendom of Tell followed a… different set of circumstances in electing their monarch. But that is also not early enough. It fails to elaborate on why it was a Queendom to begin with. However, that would be a topic for a different day. We would be here until dinner if we went that far back. So for the sake of this conversation, we will skip it and start from the selection of the monarch. And yes, key word -selection. The Queens were not born into their role the way you were, or the previous emperors were. They all come from one, singular, noble family but that family has become fairly large over the years. Of course, based off of purity of bloodline some potential candidates are eliminated from prior to any selection takes place. Now, take note that purity of bloodline is not only determined by lack of intermingling. If one of the royal women marries a man who has also managed to achieve much in his life, his accomplishments deem him fit to be royal, thus preserving royal purity. Likewise, if some of the royal women live only in luxury, they are unlikely to be considered ‘pure’ and are no longer candidates to be Queen. Following?”

“Yes, but I don’t yet see how it’s related…”

“Well, here is where the first nail in the coffin of Tell was placed. It presented itself as Princess Lidja. Even as an older woman I remember her as being strikingly beautiful. I cannot imagine what she would have looked like around your age, when she began to cultivate her popularity. Beautiful, kind, caring, fierce and protective. Before she reached her twenties, everyone knew her by those attributes. From as early as that, people whispered that she was going to be Queen. Until one day it was found out that she slept with her cousin’s husband. This was the first of many attempts to ruin her image, and despite the piling accusations of indecency, she continued to deny them all. Slander! she cried. Legend has it, she prayed to the All-mother for three days and three nights, then on the fourth night she was told of a way to restore her honor… She needed to fight in the coliseum. It was quite peculiar given the culture, but this is how her story was told.”

“Do you remember the coliseum in Katentin? How grand it was with white stone from top to bottom and engravings depicting previous fights that had taken place?”

“How could I forget?”

“Yes, well now, picture the opposite of that. You see, there were several fighting arenas throughout Tell. One of the most infamous arenas is in a city, no, a den of criminals, called Chereba. There the worst of the worst would be taken to fight until the victor remains. Trial by violence. That was where this princess was to begin her redemption. And she did. One life-or-death brawl after another, she clawed her way to the top of the arena, conquering it and the hearts of the people. From there she returned home and made a name for herself in Katentin’s coliseum. Not only would she fight, and win, but she would lead mock battles in strategic exercises. Her duels would draw in people from three cities, and her hair would fly about as she overwhelmed her opponents with her speed and prowess. It was said that if you hear thunder on a cloudless day, then know that she has defeated another opponent -such were the unbridled cheers. Her success was not limited to this, and her reputation was repaired. But now I ask, if criminals were gathered, then ordered to kill each other until the last man standing, what does this achieve? Does it purify the person? Does it prove their innocence? Does it teach them how to lead? Such a system teaches nothing but fighting, and all it proves is which person is the best fighter.”

“Then, Lidjia was in luck. Swathes of pirates began to raid the coasts of Tell, and a Queen was not yet elected. Who better to repel the invaders than the warrior princess? In that time, she proved her ability to lead, but more importantly, her ability to manage. Now, I cannot say if she had assistance in the matter, or if she happened to be a natural at logistics, but she secured one of Tell’s greatest military victories before the age of twenty six.”

“Her luck continues, and, seemingly from the gods, rain is plentiful. For years the Queendom enjoys prosperity, if not peace. But one day things begin to take a turn for the worse. To give you some idea of the timeline, this is around twelve years after I was born, about eight years after the Tyrant’s rise to fame from crushing the eastern invasion. By my fifteenth birthday, the problems began to pile up. It started with the farmland. A fire here or there, not too abnormal, but then more kept burning, massive crop fields reduced to smoke. Other fields would stop growing produce, until famine crept into the households. Money lost its worth. People only wanted to eat.”

“Now, lets take a moment to recap. How did the Queen rise to power?”

“Fighting.”

“What sort of problem faced her now?”

“Famine.”

“What would you say a fighter’s first instinct is when confronted with any type of issue?”

“Fight it…”

“And the most direct way to ‘fight’ famine when your own crops don’t grow, is to take food from someone else.”

“But herein lay another issue. The Felian Empire and the Queendom of Tell were on excellent terms and enjoined in mutually beneficial trade, however the Queen was accruing a substantial debt. Year after year in an attempt to appease her people and keep them fed she took loans from entities like the Golden Alliance Holdings, the Bluefingers, and the Fair Merchants. I assume she wanted to hold out until the drought and wildfires ended, but nature works on its own timeline, and her end came first.”

“As it became increasingly obvious that she would be unable to pay back any of her loans, she began to explore other options and sent her cousin as an emissary to Emperor Sienel. And the rest is history. Under her orders, the Tyrant marched on Felia. Piece by piece, he seized the farmland, massacring our citizens to make way for farmers from Tell. But Queen Lidja knew that it would not be enough in the long term, and with the most talented general Tell had ever seen, she was confident in their ability to sack the capital. Why take the hand, when you can take the arm and everything else that comes with it? They were close to succeeding too… it is likely that the Tyrant could have accomplished it if not being pressured to move faster, but in his haste, he made mistakes.”

“So, to return to your original question, what happened to the Queendom? In short, disaster. Disaster compounded by a ruler who lacked the foresight and skillset to cope with said disaster. This is why it is so important for the crown to have its own funds outside that of external entities, and also why grain should be both stockpiled -of course not all in one area as you should never keep all your eggs in one basket, but precautions should be taken. On top of this, it is also crucial not to antagonize the merchants and banks, but at the same time not to be dependent on them.”

“Does that answer everything?”

“I believe it does…”

The two of them continued to walk as Gregor mulled over what he had just learned. It had been… more than he was expecting, but he should have known better. His father always provided a precedent that led to an outcome. He never left it at the effect. Between the detailed explanation, order of events, and subsequent summary, his father proved to be a better teacher than most of the hired tutors. But still Gregor had questions. How did Garshik come into play in all this? What was Garent’s and Zana’s role?

Garshik probably excluded them for the sake of time. Besides, Gregor could ask his grandmother later. A first-person account would be better anyway.

“I hear you have landed on some engaging books recently.” Garshik spoke up, ending the silence.

Gregor frowned for a moment, “engaging books?” he asked.

“Something about different fighting styles?”

“Oh! That, no… its not… I mean, yes it is engaging.”

“Excellent, perhaps after you have finished you can pass it on to me. I have been meaning to write my own book eventually, but I find myself lacking charming sources to take as inspiration.”

Gregor gulped.

“Yeah, just as soon as I finish it…”