“Are you certain?”

“Yes, my emperor.” The tired looking man bowed his head deeper. The man’s voice was clear but carried a sense of emptiness. The news was not good.

“Thank you for rushing to bring me word. You are clearly exhausted, one of the servants will see to your needs.” The emperor’s words seemed to echo in the empty throne room. In better times the embroidered carpet the man walked on would be the only part of the floor visible.

Today though, he took in the room. The long, vaulted hall was empty revealing cold stone floor from the edges of the carpet. The worn stone could be seen stretching past the columns supporting likewise empty balcony to the mosaiced walls. Today it is as empty as my dreams upon ascending to the throne. I would have been the unifier of the continent, but one stupid decision and I lost a war already won.

He was pulled out of his self-recrimination by the sound of someone clearing their voice. He saw his chief steward standing to his right, holding a piece of paper. The tall hook-nosed man was the spitting image of the previous steward and at only twenty he was just as gifted. The presence of this man was one of the few blessings the emperor still had. “Steward.”

The man bowed his head slightly before unrolling the paper. He cleared his throat again and began to read. For a man whose voice was capable of drowning out the noise of a hundred souls, the softness it achieved when presenting information never ceased to him.

“Please,” the emperor interrupted the list of titles and other nonsense nobles enjoyed adding to the start of their letters. “What is the point?”

The steward rolled the paper up. “Your cousin, the duke of the south marches, is coming and demands an audience with you. Based on the date, I believe he knew the fate of the cavalry before your scout. I assume, he means to use this as an excuse to get concessions from you.”

The emperor sighed. Will the humiliations never end?! The heretics in the Kingdom deny the path of the goddesses by sending peasants, PEASANTS! to fill their armies. Now my retainers are ignoring me, and my cousin is rebelling in all but name.

In exasperation the emperor slid down on his throne and turned his eyes to the ceiling. The beautiful painting showed his ancestor founding the empire by leading his army against impossible odds. How far have I brought us? How much further will the empire crumble around me? You had one hundred men and built an empire. I took the unit named for those heroes and I cannot even fill their ranks.

The emperor sat up. No, it was only ninety. The other ten were added to recognize later heroes. He looked at the guard standing unmoving against the wall. “Come here.”

To be called out by the emperor in the throne room was unheard of, causing the man to hesitate a split second before approaching the throne. He came to a stop where the messenger had been and knelt awaiting his emperor’s orders.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“How many of the immortal names are not under arms?” he asked watching the man closely.

“Thirty of our number are yet missing,” the soldier replied with poorly hidden sadness.

Seventy men. An impossible task. He glanced back at the image of the first emperor ending the age of strife. But so was ending that dark age.

Turning his attention back the kneeling man, “What is your name? Not the name you bear for the Immortals, but the one your parents gave you.”

The man almost stuttered, “Rodrick.”

How long has it been since he last used that name I wonder? The emperor stood, “Rodrick, the Immortals have served the empire since its founding. Today, I am the first emperor unable to fill their ranks. So today I consign those names to history as the legends of the founding. “

Rodrick’s head snapped up to stare at the emperor. Shock and grief were painted on the man’s face.

Not surprising considering that it was the life dream of nearly everyone born into the militant paths. The emperor stared into the man’s eyes, “The Immortals were the heroes of the founding. Today the empire needs heroes to rebuild it. Rodrick will you and your fellows serve me not bearing the names of former heroes, but with your own, heroes to again raise an empire?”

Tears filled the man’s eyes, and a smile spreading across his face. “Yes! Our lives are yours!”

“Then return to the barracks and tell your fellows that we ride in an hour. Tonight, we will carve OUR names into history.” The emperor projected his voice to carry across the hall. I am unworthy of these men.

Rodrick bowed then rose and rushed from the room. The other immortals serving in the room followed him to prepare.

The emperor waited until the doors closed behind them before turning to the blank faced steward. “I will make it clear to my cousin that one does not make demands of the emperor, or die trying. Should I return victorious, I will need a list of every other lord who needs to learn their place. And…”

“Should the goddesses be blind to your cause, I will serve the new emperor faithfully. Though he will be sad to note your beloved daughter, the princess, is visiting troops by the border. I imagine he will be quite irritated that she got news quickly and slipped into the kingdom. A place she will find sanctuary with her fiancé.”

This man is a blessing. Few would understand without me having to explain. The emperor stood and walked toward the door of the throne room hoping it would not be the last time. As he reached the door, he heard something he was probably not meant to. “May the goddesses guide your path to victory.”

The emperor did not turn back as he left the room. Thank you, my friend.

[at the loom]

Clo ran her finger over the emperor’s thread. All those subtle nudges, but at last he is moving. I was worried I would tear the fabric before he understood. She watched the threads motion as the fabric was slowly created by the loom. “Atr, how is it looking?”

“Better, he is going to spend many years in the saddle crushing all resistance to his rule.” She shook her head. “The army will be smaller because of this, but it will be hardened.”

“The deviation is small, then. We should be happy; few follow their path as closely.” Clo added feeling how well the thread lay in the fabric. “He just needed a few nudges to get moving after the aberration that knot caused.”

They both looked up at Lac.

The youngest sister glared back at them. “The threads are Kao’s job. Be thankful I have managed to catch and untie the ones I have. If you are not happy with my work, you are welcome to do it yourselves.” Lac nudged a large basket of colored threads at her foot.