we came in?

Being one of the Emperor's advisors was a job contested highly by those who wished to gain a presence within the political nation. It was a position Yakob never thought he would reach. Many who came before warned him of the drawbacks that came with such an occupation, yet he had always failed to listen. The long walk beginning in his quarters from deep inside the castle walls up to the Great hall was especially agonising for him today, as he carried with him less-than-favourable news. Wisteria’s Western neighbours, the Kingdom of Carnation, had been reported as restless and revolutionary for the past 2 months. Only in the early hours of the morning had they somehow taken control over half of the military committee’s across the country. Yakob’s peers believed this to be a more calculated effort than the other revolutionary attempts seen across Pangea in the months prior. The plan was clear and simple yet evidently effective, with no military support the standing government could only surrender to the revolutionaries. Yakob’s problem lay in the fact that it was his job to communicate with Wisteria’s allies in the Kingdom of Carnation, in the aim to prevent and suppress any revolutionary efforts, to keep the current King in power. Due to the seemingly random nature and surprise of the attacks tearing through the country, Yakob and his team had no way of predicting them, let alone coordinate any sort of response that would be effective. This raced through Yakob’s mind as he shuffled through the tight corridors of Wisteria’s Grand Capital Castle.

Turning the final corner before the Great Hall, the two guards posted on either side of the staff entrance eyed Yakob as he gingerly walked from across the room. Drawing level with them, Yakob recognised their look, it was one he had noticed before, it was just never directed at him. The guards had seen many a man in Yakob’s current position, and they knew exactly what was coming next for the young advisor. Forcing in one last deep breath, Yakob turned the ornate brass handle and eased the ancient door open. The staff’s entrance was tucked away behind the throne in the hall, out of view from the luxurious guest’s entrance. This meant that Yakob had to approach the Emperor from the side. Despite it being a daily occurrence, His Royal Highness never failed to abuse his staff over this issue, as he apparently hated being approached from the side. This was just one of the many gross incompetencies with his job that Yakob had discovered whilst working under the most senior authority in the Empire, he decided that it was probably something to do with the Emperor enjoying bearing down on his subjects, watching as they squirmed beneath him.

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“Good morning, your Majesty”, “A fine morning to yourself Yakob, what delights do you greet me with today? The emperor seemed to be in a bizarrely chipper mood, different from usual. ‘Great’ , thought Yakob, as he now realised he would ruin a rare good mood. “Well you see… uhm, the unknown organisation ravaging the empire, set their sights on Carnation early this morning”. “And”, drawled the emperor, in a playful manner “And at this point more than half of the military committees have fallen, it’s only a matter of time before the Government surrenders and…” “Enough!”, interrupted the emperor, turning from playful to lethal, “The extent to which you are out of the loop continues to amaze me. Did you really think I would be concerned with such a trivial manner?” Yakob dared not to reply. “Your job is to be my informant, can you tell me why I am the one, informing, you?” The emperor emphasised this sarcastically in an effort to coax Yakob into retorting back. “Your Highness!” Yakob desperately pleaded, as if he knew what was coming. “I am merely a humble advisor, I can only relay the information that I am told and offer my opinion”. “Have some more respect for yourself boy, you’re the head of the greatest spy network in Pangea!” “What…” Yakob defeatedly replied, “Since when?” “Since about 5 seconds ago”, said the emperor gravely, a faint chuckle giving away how much he was enjoying making the young, helpless advisor flounder around in his own despair. Leaning forward in his throne, he continued, “Somebody’s head must roll for this and it certainly won’t be someone of any real value”.

Clearly satisfied with himself, the emperor sank back into his throne as Yakob hung his head in despair. Before calling the guards in, the emperor reflected on this morning’s activities. Unbeknownst to the young advisor, Wisteria had already sent out a sizeable response to deal with the revolutionaries three days prior, the emperor wasn’t joking on Wisteria’s strong network of spies. Implemented throughout the three other kingdoms surrounding Wisteria as well, they were the unknown entity that kept society at large in keeping with the law. That being said, it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep the working class quiet and content. A new revolutionary group had begun to organise efforts, making uprisings continually more frequent and devastating. The emperor realised that drastic measures would have to be taken in the future to ensure he stayed in control. To outsiders it would appear as if Yakob was at fault for the delayed response, but the emperor had already received news that his forces had successfully began to regain control of the military committee. The emperor was satisfied that he had started the week with his favourite activity, killing. Although he would never do it himself anymore, he took great pleasure in watching the life drain out of people eyes in front of him. Becoming aware of his surroundings again he focussed on Yakob trembling in front of him ‘What a useless waste of space’, he thought as he put himself out of the misery of having to look at the sorry state in front of him, “Guards!”.