Chapter 10

Imperial Capital

As the carnage of the battlefield stared back at her, she could only look on in stunned silence. Both armies had pulled back, and she could just make out the forces of the Iberian Empire from the hilltop, shaded figures remaining in their wooden fortifications which stood ominously on the distant hills like thorns, surrounded by corpses of her people, dimly visible in the early morning’s twilight.

Her clothes, the metal plates decorated with feathers over her green tunics acting as armor, the heavy blade she couldn’t lift yet, the jewelry that decorated her hands and neck... It all felt too heavy as she slowly pushed on, unblinking, her senses taking everything in as she pushed on. The smell of blood and corpses haunted her nose, her ears picked up every pained moan from the injured and dying. She could almost taste metal as if the air itself had been permeated with blood. But her eyes took it all in.

Corpses covered the fields like a blanket, a few crows already scavenging the dead for an easy meal. Passing by a tree, she saw a girl, one that couldn’t have been older than her, a broken ax beside her, blue paint on her ears and nose identifying her as a warrior from another tribe mixed with the now dried blood from her split open head. She paused to get a clearer look. She noted the second corpse. This one of the Empire, a soldier, seemingly embracing the fallen warrior on the floor, the dagger in his neck making it clear what had happened.

She remained stationary, staring at the particular scene among many others.

Neither could’ve been much older than her. Not by much. The Imperial Legionnaire appeared almost as old as her late brother. The dead warrior was too petite to have been on the frontlines, yet there she lay, dead. She felt a coldness in her chest as she looked on the desolate battlefield, similar scenes all around, broken bodies, weapons, and armor littered the bloodstained fields that had once flourished with greenery.

“Majesty, this way, please.” one of her guards called to her with an air of impatience, the older woman seemingly unaffected by the horrors surrounding them.

Did she not care?

Were these not her people as well? Even if they weren’t all from their tribe, was the sight of the dead not something that bothered her? At least the other warriors appeared exhausted, as though the carnage had an effect on their beings, their souls seemingly crushed under the weight of the previous day’s battle. Yet her advisor was wholly the opposite. A part of her felt anger at the stoicism of the older woman, but she forced it down.

Now was not the time to grow angry with her elders.

Sitting by a tree, she saw a man in the declining years of his life if the graying beard was anything to go by. Another warrior was tending to his head wound, one of his ears missing, a bloody rag in its place, the other twisting and twitching every which way as she approached.

“Sir Aidan...” She managed to speak softly.

The man turned to her, sighing before standing up, towering over her, not unlike her late father. But the look he gave her was not one she’d ever seen her father wear. Faintly, she could detect resentment, disappointment maybe. But mostly disgust as he remained standing, never bowing. She stiffened as she waited in silence for him to inform her of the current situation.

After a moment of silent contemplation, the man spoke.

“We held them back, majesty. At great cost, but we held.” He replied, tiredness lining every word.

She nodded slowly, keeping her eyes off the corpse-littered battlefield. She had sensed the awful news in his tone, and when he spoke again, she braced herself.

“However, we weren’t able to evacuate the southern villages. From the looks of it, they’re all gone.”

She winced.

All gone?

“A-all of them?” she managed.

The man only motioned to his left.

She immediately turned to the horizon past the battlefield, squinting. Then, almost over the horizon, she saw the nearly imperceptible puffs of black smoke peering over the hills behind the Imperial fortifications, too far to have been their own fires.

“Set ablaze, my queen. Fire is probably mostly out by now, but the villages and their people are all gone.”

Her heart began to race, she could feel more eyes falling on her, detecting fear, easily so, but she couldn’t help it. Warriors stared at her, many wounded, some unscathed, some not even able to fight, all calm despite it all, and her, who hadn’t fought at all, was on the verge of panic. Still, she forced herself to ask.

“T-the children at least?” she asked, though a part of her already knew the answer.

“Queen Thule, it-”

She couldn’t let him finish. Not yet. Just the illusion that there was hope was enough.

“T-they wouldn’t... the-the Empire would never... they promised they would...” speaking became impossible as she shut her eyes, trying to push back her tears. There was no fooling herself. She couldn’t face away from the truth.

“Queen Thule!” came the reprimand as strong arms were placed on her shoulders, her guard darkly saying “If they are gone, they are gone! Crying like a child will not bring them back!”

Then, whispering as quietly as possible, “You mustn’t show weakness right now. We cannot afford it!”

She managed to swallow her despair and terror, covering her mouth to conceal her shaky breaths as she eyed the ground, hiding her face, still unable to find her voice as she hoped her long hair hid her features from those around them.

Aidan whispered “Take her back... she’s still a child. Don’t need her here right now. Not like this.”

“She is of age.” her guard replied curtly.

“No... not entirely... her parents coddled her too much.”

Oh, her parents.

Mother, father...

Gone...

Coldness enveloped her; darkness clouded her vision.

Accusations...

Insults...

Screams...

Pain...

Then she woke up.

Thule’s ears twitched. Her humid eyes shot open, drawing sharp breaths as she quickly sat up entirely on instinct. The forest was gone, replaced with the brick and mortar of her prison cell. But the shame remained.

She ignored a moth that flew into the torch’s flame, dropping to the dirty floor in a smoking pile. Instead, she wiped her eyes and steadied her breathing. Quickly she began adjusting the rags that covered her body as she waited silently in the darkness, forcing the memories away. Loud, heavy footsteps got ever louder, little by little as they approached her cell.

Knowing what was coming was probably preferable to not knowing. At least in her mind. It led to dread, but also allowed her to prepare for the inevitable, even if it never made it easier. The glow of the approaching torch made her stiffen slightly, but she forced herself to appear calm in spite of her internal turmoil. She left her cot and stood in the center of her cell for a moment, the steps rounding a corner.

She kneeled down, remaining still; silently waiting for her tormentor, smiling pleasantly as the glow got brighter.

"Ah, there she is! How is my little bunny tonight?"

"Rejoiced to see you, your majesty." Thule replied, bowing courtly and solemnly, pressing her sullen face into the dirty stone floor so it was out of view when she spoke. Whatever contempt she may have unknowingly shown would remain hidden.

“Indeed, so stand up, stand up!”

She did as told, and the cell’s iron door was swiftly pushed open by a guard with an indifferent expression. She couldn’t really blame the man. Who really cared what happened to her, anyway? Just another slave to be used and thrown away once broken, right? No, she couldn’t blame him.

She could hate him as much as anyone else in that damned empire.

But she hid her emotions further.

Not yet... not yet...

Lucius Sol Traianus smirked, brimming with confidence as he entered her cell. He appeared taller, the unkempt blonde hair had been recently cut, and he appeared as though he’d recently left the bathhouse, his skin glistening more than it should.

"Right then. Come on!"

His powerful right arm grabbed her wrist, half leading her and half dragging her out of the dungeon, walking up its steps.

It was here, away from the guards that he spoke again.

"This is a special occasion, Thule. Did you know?" he said, a level of self-pride that she’d grown to hate with a passion, but she forced the feelings away.

"Special?" she asked, trying to feign ignorance.

"A doorway to another world was opened in the Alpine mountains! Soon my father's empire will spread along a whole other world."

"That is incredible news, your majesty!" she said, feigning happiness, trying to ignore how he gripped her wrist to the point that it hurt her. As they got to the top of the steps, he stopped, saying nothing else, only humming something as the heavy door was opened by the guards on the other side. Then, before exiting the prison, he grabbed some of the chains on the nearby wall and tightly bound her arms together, the rusty iron scraping her pale skin as he then used them to pull her along like one would their pet.

Just another mark...

"Special. Special indeed. A special week, I daresay. But today, I-"

"Sire!"

They turned and saw a young soldier arrive and kneel before Lucius.

"What is it? Can't you see I am about to commence the final part of my celebration of our expansion?" The emperor’s son replied, frustrated.

"Sire, my deepest apologies, but the emperor has called for an emergency meeting, and your attendance is requested!" the soldier said, pressing his forehead deeper into the marble floor.

The prince frowned, still gripping her wrist… tightly… before spitting on the ground.

"Fine. Come along, Thule. This should not take long."

She didn't object, not that she could, but she was curious about the meeting.

As they ascended from the prisons below, the halls of the palace became cleaner and brighter, the reds and purples of the Imperial colors everywhere, the dirty stone floors turned to polished marble. Architecture and decorations that could only have been achieved by a great power stared down at her comparatively insignificant and undignified existence.

Once again, she hid her contempt by turning her crimson eyes downward; staring at her reflection on the marble floor.

Eventually, they arrived at the royal hall, the marble floor glistening, the throne’s purple and golden furnishings pulled everyone’s attention to it and the man sitting upon it. The room itself, however, was fairly barren, only the royal family and several generals were present, one of them with a tattered uniform standing in place, eyes on the eldest prince.

And now her.

However, seeing the worried look across their faces were the generals and the redheaded young princess that Thule knew liked to play soldier in her off time...

...Disgusting wench that she is…

As the thought entered her mind, it was quickly followed by the realization that the atmosphere in the room was oddly tense.

Emperor Adrian Sol Traianus glanced at his son, then at her, a brief look of disgust on his face that vanished instantly as he turned back to the officer kneeling on the floor, his voice calm and measured. Too measured. Too calm. She could tell the man was restraining himself as if trying not to betray his true emotions.

"Repeat the message for those who have not heard, General Atilla."

"Yes, your majesty. Our scouting force was obliterated to the man in less than three hours upon setting foot beyond the doorway. After moving the body of General Titus back, our wyverns were knocked out of the sky by screaming metal eagles, and before we could process that, we were informed of an approaching enemy counterattack. General Darius ordered General Octavius and myself return, and as we did, the land behind me erupted as if a volcano had come to life or thunder had struck-"

"Perhaps the city the doorway opened to is near an active volcano with many angry metal birds. Father, if this is a matter of cowardice I will be most-" Lucius Sol Traianus interrupted, but was quickly silenced by his father.

"Let him finish, please." Emperor Adrian stated, Thule faintly able to hear the racing heartbeat of the old Emperor.

Is he...?

The tired general continued.

"I turned back expecting to see smoke and fire but instead I saw men, your majesty… men with… with weapons that spat fire and death, cutting down anyone and everyone in their line of sight without the need to get close. General Darius and Magus Sirus among them.”

Thule felt her eyes briefly widen at the words, and she shifted her head ever so slightly, still keeping it low, but now able to just barely gauge the reactions of the other generals as the man continued. To her disappointment, they all seemed more invested than frightened at the information despite the man’s testimony painting only a grimmer picture.

“We had seen a few of these... wands among the soldiers that were protecting the doorway. Wands that the accursed slave-girl had failed to show us I must emphasize, but the ones these other men carried were wholly different. No mage that I have seen can accomplish that level of death in that matter let alone in such a short amount of time, emperor! It’s as if someone turned a crossbow into a blade that kills through sight alone. We barely escaped across in time to warn the second wave to hold the line with General Octavius and deliver the news to you myself!"

"And that is why you are here while they continue to wait for the enemy? Cowardly. Just force that slave to close it shut." Lucius accused.

"The doorway cannot be closed, your majesty! If that beast could close it, the sniveling animal was taken by the enemy before she could be killed or forced to shut the doorway down. We don’t have her anymore. However, the enemy did not and has not followed us through. I ordered the men to begin barricading that cursed opening as soon as I got there and assumed command! We were preparing constructions to fend off an attack, but I requested this meeting to discuss an important matter in person! We need to destroy that doorway. Bury it, obliterate it, drown it- it doesn’t matter! They must not be allowed through if they intend to destroy us!"

Thule could sense the desperation in the man’s voice in spite of his valiant effort at suppressing it. Emperor Adrian remained without a reaction, however, and the generals appeared to be more pensive than anything.

She looked away, glaring at the floor at the memories of these same men only three years before.

Lucius spoke immediately, loudly, nowhere near the measured control of his father’s.

"You want us to admit defeat, General Atilla?! If you wish for anything, then it better be to charge back across that doorway and slaughter as many of them as you can for daring to embarrass our glorious empire with such a defeat!"

Thule instinctively lowered her head further, not willing to risk anyone getting any ideas that could be hazardous to her wellbeing. Or at least more so than what she was already living through. To her relief, no one focused on her as General Atilla quickly responded.

"Your highness, several survivors managed to escape after me during the first night, and they have said that it is not just the mages that we deal with. They have war machines that surpass anything we have, the flying monstrosities that leave our dragon riders struggling for breath before cruelly cutting them down from a distance are but one of the horrors that lay beyond that doorway. It is like they can throw lances from leagues away without consequence and with impeccable accuracy! Only in the Era of Heroes have such weapons been heard of!"

It was a woman who spoke next.

"Could we attack them with ranged weapons of our own? Perhaps a line of ballista from maximum range?" she asked slowly, trying to be helpful.

Thule felt her eyebrows furrow slightly at the honest suggestion from the young woman. Princess Parthia Traianus was certainly a curious member in the imperial family. His two sons were both blonde, tall, imposing, a product of the Imperial line of succession. Princess Parthia had wavy red hair and a freckled face, was shorter than Thule, and her appearance was almost meek in spite of her fancy armor and short sword. Anyone could see she was a bastard, the daughter of a lucky concubine, playing soldier.

Yet she had all the benefits of a member of the imperial family.

...and no one complains...

Thule kept her vision on the polished floor, her emotions suppressed as much as she could, but she couldn’t help her hands balling into fists, so she gripped the chain binds tightly.

General Atilla replied with exasperation.

"I set up some lines of ballistae near the doorway, but we need to effectively seal that entrance, Emperor! With that detestable animal betraying us, who knows how long it will be before the enemy formulates a plan to attack us and destroy the forces we have there! We must stop them before they recover!"

Emperor Adrian Sol Traianus finally spoke.

"Then work to do exactly that. This doorway cannot be closed, so we will seal it… I was hoping it would lead to more… positive results. No matter. We consolidate our forces, establish defensive lines around it. Anyone else coming through it shall be killed on-site. Understood?"

"Yes, Emperor!" the soldiers shouted.

“Father, what about sending diplomats? Explain it was a mistake? Blame the slave even?” the other member of the imperial family spoke then.

Thule hadn’t seen much of Antonius Sol Traianus. Even then, he had been standing off on the farthest corner of the room, to the right, no less detestable than anyone else in the room. However, she had to admit, that the unspoken part of the sentence almost made her grin.

Clearly, this had been the emperor’s fault, even if the slave had tricked them all, he had ordered his men to attack first as a show of force, no? Was that not how the Iberians greeted other civilizations? This was, unquestionably, a catastrophe of their making. At least the middle child of the royal family was intelligent enough to keep that part unspoken.

The emperor also ignored the unspoken aspect, quietly asking “And appear weak, Antonius?!”

Thule winced at the odd cracking in the emperor’s voice, realizing her suspicions.

He... is afraid!

The younger royal replied “Must we go to war over this misunderstanding? The slave tricked us, and-”

“Exactly! The slave tricked us! The slave led to the deaths of two generals and an imperial mage! Gentlemen of our empire! We cannot ever admit to that! Am I understood?!”

“Father, I do believe Antonius has a point. Perhaps we can-”

“Not now, daughter! I’ll consider everything in due time but right now we must prepare for the worst, am I understood?!”

There was a shakiness in the old man’s voice. As though he was struggling to maintain his composure in front of those nearest to him. Thule heard no reply, but she imagined the others nodded or gave some sign of affirmation, as the emperor then began speaking to his generals.

“Gather your armies and prepare to assist general Atilla and Octavius in the Alpines. We must also inform the useless cattle in the senate... can’t have them causing trouble. Not now. I’ll speak to them myself. Lucius, you’re keeping that animal on a tight leash, right?”

With a sigh, Lucius tugged at her chains, pulling her forward an unsteady step.

“She speaks to no one but I, father. Worry not.”

Thule could feel the emperor’s gaze burning through her. She was unsure if she should look back or try to appear even weaker to dissuade any violence, but she doubted it would work at all, so she kept her head and ears low.

The emperor said “Fine. Go on, get out of here. I must discuss with my generals about going forward.”

Lucius shook his head, mumbling "Why summon me here, then? So pointless."

Thule on the other hand had become almost entranced as her mind began to really analyze the situation and its implications.

An army that completely destroyed the imperial invasion force?

Scouting force or not, anyone with a touch of experience against the forces of the Iberian Empire knew that their first wave was a hammer of destruction. Even their scouting forces, with cavalry and monsters that were capable of grandiose feats of brute strength and immense bloodlust were sent up front to slaughter any defense established by the poor defenders. Always followed by skilled human fighters, their legions of well-armed and equipped men could cut what enemies remained down and occupy territory with ease. Bows, swords, spears, and even waves of superior numbers buckled against such might.

She remembered how even her now fallen warriors had stood against them at great cost. She also remembered how she had been promised their survival if she just gave herself up and ordered her people to stand down.

Now their screams haunted her every night.

But suddenly another army from somewhere else had broken that hammer with some degree of ease? Even if it was just a scouting force, the implication they had been so badly destroyed to the point the imperials were frightened of them spoke volumes of this other world. It wasn’t monsters or weather that had done this, but men if the general’s word was to be believed. Was there hope beyond that cursed doorway opened by magicians? Had the Empire’s arrogance finally resulted in their retribution?

She pondered this when the chains pulled her forward once again.

"Come now, Thule… my patience is fleeting." the prince said, grinning as he half-dragged her towards his room.

Knowing what was in store never made it easier.