Chapter 28: Emperor Idris

We lost the Earth rune.

We lost over a million square miles of land.

But, more importantly, we lost the trust of our brothers and sisters.

How had we strayed so far?

How much more were we going to lose?

“Isa Youssef Ziedan,” said Mushir, the highest ranking military official in Midaharia. “You are charged with reckless endangerment, assault on a civilian, and treason. Each one of the stated charges were raised by the esteemed Istan Ferik, The Third. We also have testimony from General Tears Sajda supporting Istan Ferik’s charges. These are serious accusations, General Isa. What have you to say in your defense?”

Oh, I have a lot to say. What good would it do me now? Standing here shackled like a common criminal while Istan is free as the wind. “Nothing, sir. Nothing at all.”

“As you must know that treason is punishable by death, however, thanks to our new emperor, you will be spared; this time. If it were up to me, you would lose your head.”

Idris pardoned me?

“General Isa, you are hereby sentenced to a year’s suspension from your post. You will relinquish your rune and, as part of your punishment, you are required to repair the damages you have done to Istan Ferik’s abode within sixty days. Not much of a punishment, if you were to ask me.”

I certainly didn't.

“This session is over. You are free to go, General.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Don’t thank me, General Isa. Thank our new, young emperor. I pray he knows what he’s doing.”

That made two of us.

***

Dust clung to my throat, sharp and bitter as I stood atop the dais; a stew of emotions stirred within me. For generations, the land I called home had bled in an endless waltz of vengeance, and now, here I stood, with a pledge; a promise to break the rhythm.

Was that even possible? In the back of my mind I had my doubts, but in my heart I knew there was no other way. It was encouraging to see the many different faces in the crowd. But I didn’t see any officials from the Empire, despite being invited.

My voice, when it came, was a rough rasp, sandpaper against the silence. "Mothers," I spoke, the word catching in my throat, feeling alien on my tongue. "You who birthed warriors and wept for fallen sons, who stitched wounds and sang lullabies soaked in sorrow, your tears fall no more."

A ripple of surprise coursed through the crowd. Mothers? Not queens, not figures of distant power, but mothers - the heartbeat of every nation, the keepers of stories whispered across battlefields. I was speaking their language, not the pronouncements of a ruler.

“My mother lost her will to live after the atrocity that befell her birth place, Haggard. With a broken heart, she passed away fearing the same thing I do; mutual assured destruction. And I failed to ease her fears.”

"For too long, Ras Almal’s thirst for conquest, for supremacy, has been carving rivers of sorrow throughout this land and beyond. Because of that, fellow Midaharians have lost faith in the rulers of the kingdom and have chosen to separate themselves from the mainland by any means. The rulers of Ras Almal only have ourselves to blame for that.”

“There’s nothing I can do to change yesterday, but as long as Idris Hajah is in power, there will be a new age of peace and prosperity for all walks of life.”

"Let the vultures find no purchase on our fields. Let the mothers sing lullabies, not dirges! Let the barren earth bloom with crops, not corpses!"

The reaction from the audience was encouraging, humbling, and a little frightening. Frightening because there were still drummers of war in all the ranks of government. After hearing my speech, I was sure they were not pleased.

The atmosphere in the capitol was overly positive and, dare I say, hopeful. Tears and my replacement, Oda, gave me a round of stimulating applause as well. General Oda hailed from the same region as the Omusha, and moved up in the ranks rather quickly.

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I instructed Tears and Badr to keep a close eye on him.

Arabia kept the celebration going with her rhythm and songs. She wasn’t too thrilled when she heard she’d share the stage with her rival. I wanted today to be a day of unity under peace and a new direction for the kingdom.

Besides, she easily outshined him anyway.

For centuries the emperor would usually rule over the people living a lifestyle few others would be able to afford. That wouldn’t be the case for me. We were also supposed to style our locks into a crown of royalty.

Well, that wasn’t my style either.

As I was leaving the dais, the last person in Midaharia I ever expected to approach me moved anxiously through the crowd. And she was smiling. I’ve never seen her eyes sparkle so much.

“Emperor,” she said. “Are you in need of a wife?”

“Uhm...” The old widow took me by surprise! She never bothered to say two words to me before! “At some point, I imagine I will be.”

“Aaliyah, my eldest, would make a fine wife for you. She’s a fine young woman. I’ve trained her well, and she’s always said such great things about you.”

We’ll see about that. “Thank you, Lady Seema. I’ll be sure to pay you a visit one day after I get settled.”

“Yes, yes! I look forward to that very much. May your reign be a fruitful and successful one, Emperor Idris.”

She was still smiling and bowing respectfully as she parted. I hoped she didn’t plan to force one of her daughters on me.

That wasn’t my thing either.

***

The celebration continued into the early hours of the next morning. Much of my time was spent in the barracks as updates about the Omusha were brought to my attention. They moved like ants, swiftly building their defenses without interruption.

An attack from Ras Almal motivated their hastiness.

While we would be within our right to do so ( I mean, it was going to take a while for Badr to fully recover ), I was determined to exhaust all means of diplomacy first.

We still needed to smooth things out with the Empire. That was going to be more challenging than losing ground to the Omusha. It was a step we had to take, lest the two of them join forces against us.

Isa wouldn’t hesitate to blame me for that, if it came to pass. I doubt he’d ever thank me for pardoning him for his role in Istan’s schemes. Istan deserved an all out banishment for what he’s done, but I’d rather keep someone like him where I can see him.

“Idris,” called Tears. “Excuse me; Emperor. That’s going to take some getting used to.”

“You can skip the formalities if you want.”

“That’s not very respectful. Saying your goodbyes to this musty old building?”

“I guess so. Living in my father’s old cottage is going to feel strange.”

“Right, well, that place is in desperate need of a security wall and --”

“That’s not necessary. I want to show the people that I’m no more important than they are by living a simple life.”

Tears raised an eyebrow of disapproval.

“I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right,” I said, lowering my voice. “That’s why I’m holding on to my rune.”

“Good plan! Allow me to escort you to your abode, Emperor.”

I was the emperor, wasn’t I?

Even after the day’s events, my ascension to the throne really hadn’t sunk in before now. I wonder what Lahan would think. I wonder what my father would say.

And you, mother. How would you feel about ---

“Emperor!” a familiar voice beckoned from above. Before I could mount my steed, Noel and his griffin dropped from the sky, with company.

“Idris,” Arabia said, jumping off the griffin. “I’ve been looking all over for you!”

“So have I!” Noel said, digging into his vest. “How come you didn’t tell me you were the next in line to rule? I could have given you this when we first met.”

Arabia jumped in front of him. “Me first! Did you forget, Idris? I told you I had something to show you.”

“Always the popular one, eh, Emperor?” Tears remarked.

“What do you have for me, Arabia?”

“This!” She held out a rune with a wild symbol then tossed it to me. “I found it on the day of my auntie’s wedding. You can have it.”

Tears leaned over in his saddle. “Which one is that?”

“Uhm...I’m not sure. We should probably ask Isa.”

"You're welcome!" Arabia sang.

“Is it my turn yet?” Noel asked her.

“It is!” she replied, hopping back on the griffin. “Could you take me back to my papa, Noel? Thanks!”

“Yeah, sure.” Noel turned to me and mouthed the words ‘she’s so annoying’. “Here you are, Emperor Idris.” He handed me a rolled up parchment, but quickly retracted it when I reached for it. “Guess where it’s from.”

“Noel, I told you before ---”

“Remember the far away place I told you about?”

“The Kingdom of Chichimeca,” I said, anxious to be done with his games.

“Guess again.”

“Noel, give me the parchment, please!”

“Fine. You’re a very unfun person,” he conceded, finally! “You need to work on that.”

“Good-bye, Noel,” I said. “Thank you, Arabia!”

“You’re welcome, Idris!”

“Be seeing you, Emperor!”

The parchment was sealed with an emblem resembling the rays of a sun. That was new to me. How far away was this place?

“Which nation is it from?” Tears pondered as I unraveled the parchment.

“It says ‘The Mikados of Nihon.’

End ACT III