Thala read the letter of a fnar duke with a worried expression. The duke informed the empress about the kramstuk rebellion breaking out. It was obvious that the Empire’s golden ages were over, and they had to face the kramstuks and cha’rions at the same time. We can’t invade Cha’rion, Thala thought. She wanted to somehow inform Grahol about the rebellion, so he won’t start another war.
She hurried to the throne room, knowing Veer had also been informed about the kramstuks. Before she could reach the emperor, she saw her son, prince Rolan playing with a guard in the corridors.
“Rolan, what are you doing here this late?” she asked.
“Hey, mom,” Rolan waved at her. “I just visited dad. He was talking with ser Marc about the kramstuks. Marc said we’re at war with them. Is it true?”
“Yes, it’s true,” Thala sighed. “But don’t worry, your father will handle this, and we’ll win, as always.”
“If you say so,” Rolan responded, trying to sound confident. Thala knew he was worried, as he was still a child and had never experienced war in his life. The prince ran away, probably to play a little bit more in the gardens.
Thalia approached the entrance to the throne room. The two fnar guards opened the large wooden door, and Thala went inside. The room was massive and was full of expensive carpets on the floor and the walls. She could see emperor Veer sitting on his throne at the other end of the room, speaking with Ser Marc.
Marc, from house Rod’les was the greatest warrior Thala had known. The Rod’le dynasty was also a powerful house holding the Duchy of Is’kru. Marc was the duke’s second son, so he wasn’t a line of inheritance. That meant he had to earn a title for himself, and he grabbed every possibility to do this.
Emperor Veer glanced at Thala as she approached them. Marc did the same. He didn’t quite like the empress, as she was coming from house Dorg, a rival family to the Rod’le dynasty. Marc hated the fact that Veer married a Dorg instead of a Rod’le.
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“Thala,” Veer greeted her. “I didn’t expect you here right now.”
“I’ve heard the news,” Thala said. “The kramstuks started a civil war, just as we wanted to start our invasion against Cha’rion.”
“That’s true. We’re already talked about this with Ser Marc. He’ll lead our army against the rebels, while your brother will lead the invasion against Cha’rion. We’ll easily win both wars.”
Thala hated that Veer was so confident, even though everybody knew that the Fnar Empire’s existence was in great danger.
“I advise you to call back general Grahol, and invade Cha’rion once we’ve defeated the kramstuks, my lord.”
“You shouldn’t tell me what to do, dear Thala,” the emperor responded. He clearly hated when someone told him how to lead his own empire. “As I said, we can win both wars. We have the greatest empire on Yagrott, and nothing will change this. You can go now.”
Thala couldn’t even argue anymore. She was surprised that the emperor sent her away this quickly. He’ll cause the collapse of this fucking empire, Thala thought to herself. She was 15 when lord Dorg informed him that she’d marry the emperor. Even back then, she knew that it would be the end of her.
As Thala left the throne room, Veer looked at Ser Marc.
“Do we have any information about the kramstuk leaders? Or do they even have a leader?”
“They’re unorganized,” Marc responded. “They don’t have a clear leader yet, but that’ll change soon, I think. If our information is correct, general Nymar Damford is also part of the rebellion.”
“The general who betrayed the kramstuk king?” Veer smiled. “I’m surprised they haven’t killed him yet.”
“I don’t think the kramstuks know about his treason. It’s a secret only the fnar army knows.”
“It’s a secret we can use to create tension between him and the other rebels, isn’t it?” Veer smiled, showing his yellow teeth.
“Yes, my lord. Do you want to reveal it publicly?”
“No, Ser Marc, not yet. But when the time comes, these fucking rebels will kill each other, we won’t have to do anything. You can go now. Assemble an army, and take back the rebel territories!”
“Yes, my lord,” Marc kneeled down in front of the throne, then slowly stood up and walked out of the throne room. He could finally earn his well-deserved promotion, and maybe he could even get a castle. The kramstuks will die, he thought. He would’ve killed every kramstuk in the empire if he had to.