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Prologue
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2021-06-27 15:51:08Smoke rises to the sky from different locations in the outer and inner city of Casia. The screams of women and children, can be heard above the sounds of conflagration.
The street is littered with the bodies of massacred soldiers, all bearing the emblem of the King of Casia, little gullies of blood run through the ravaged streets, from the bodies of men, women, children and animals alike. In the midst of all the chaos, a horse in golden armour struts through the street, undeterred by the carnage. On it’s back, sits a rider in golden armour who urges the gentle beast forward while he surveys the damage done to the kingdom.
The wailing women instantly become quiet, lowering their heads as the man in the golden armour rides past them, the crying children hide behind their mothers’ skirts. They don’t meet his gaze, the ones that are brave enough to do so cower instantly, shivering uncontrollably, as through the slit in his helmet, they see his cold gold eyes, the eyes of the devil himself. He pulls the reins of his horse, bringing the majestic beast to a stop at the bottom of the marble steps of the Casian Royal Palace. He pulls the golden helmet off his head, revealing locks of golden hair, he stops for a moment to admire the large columns that hold the roof of the Palace, thoroughly enchanted by the beauty of the architecture. He is pulled out of his musing by his Generals who rally before him and lead him into the palace of the conquered Kingdom, after he dismounts from his horse.
The palace, which is more exquisite on the inside as it is on the outside, impresses the man in the golden armour who sits himself on the throne, he listens and watches with a bored look on his face at the commotion, as the King of Casia and his family are dragged out and arrayed before him on their knees. With a wave of his hand, the whole family is executed at the same time, hacked to death with the swords of the Generals. They are all beheaded, King, Queen, Princes and Princesses, their heads taken out to be hung on sticks for all the remaining survivors of the land to see.
The man in the golden armour takes the white cloth given to him by the older man standing by his side, to wipe the specks of blood off his face. This man is dressed in a silver armour, similar in design and structure, his white hair tied in a bun, his white beard, braided. He has a good 35 years on the golden armored man but he bows respectfully before him and only stands to his full height when he is told to rise.
“Emperor Jin, the men are ready to match on the next kingdom. We only await your orders.” His voice is gravelly from the years of many battle cries on the battle field.
“As much as I would like to march on Dion as soon as possible, I feel a new approach is needed. We have been attacking our enemies using the same tactics, we have become…predictable and I would like to change that.” The Emperor says, his voice much cooler than his general’s, his accent distinct.
“As you wish, my Lord.” The general bows.
“But one cannot deliberate on an empty stomach, have the men bring something for me to eat.”
The General barks an order to a soldier standing by, a meal is brought from the kitchen, served in the dead King’s platter and wine served in his golden goblet. The Emperor eats the assorted dish while blood continues to seep out of the rapidly cooling bodies on the floor.
When all the diplomacy is concluded, a new Governor appointed for the conquered Kingdom, the Emperor and his Generals trot up the hill on their horses, where they can see the city of Dion. Wind whips the golden locks of the Emperor’s hair as he watches the next city in line to be conquered, while the sun set. His General sidles up next to him.
His golden armour gleams, the rays of the setting sun make it seem like his locks are on fire.
“They will see the smoke and they will know we are coming, they will be waiting for us. We won’t strike yet, I want them to wait until they are sick with dread and anticipation from the sound of our war drums as we make our way to their city gates. Dion is a stronghold in this region, conquering it is our top priority. Make sure they do not see our line of attack until we are on them.”
The Emperor turns his steed around and spurs it on, heading for the camp.
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The inhabitants of Dion make their way to the edge of the city where they can see Casia burning to the ground. In the distance, they see the Emperor’s army marching towards their city.The war gongs sound, throwing the city into chaos, people begin reinforcing their houses, their stalls, soldiers parade the city, moving from one location to another, the turrets are prepared, with all kinds of arrows, which are stacked by the walls, archers restore their longbows and short bows, spears are recrafted, the blacksmith and his apprentices are hard at work, his furnace burns hot and the clang of his hammer on steel resounds in the square despite the commotion.Soldiers take their defense positions around the city walls and the gates, which remain closed indefinitely, Casia is only a day’s ride away from Dion, they had to be prepared before the Emperor struck.Kiara watches the proceedings in the market place, all the city is abuzz with the news. She naviga
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She heads to the kitchen, where she is saved from having her head smacked in by the bowl of hot soup in her aunt’s hand.“Where have you been, you stupid girl?!”“I am sorry aunt, I went for a walk, to get a breath of fresh air and lost track of time.” Kiara gathers the serving bowls and utensils in her arms.Her aunt mimics her in a high-pitched voice. “That’s how you’ll lose track of time and forget you have a husband at home to feed. I wonder what that poor boy sees in you. I’ve told him several times, it is not too late to change your mind, Corgan. There are several dainty, meek girls in the city, from good homes, not this strong-headed mule I call a niece, but he doesn’t listen to me. I won’t take you in if he brings you back after a few days of your nonsense. You better find another home to stay.” Her aunt says this, as she walks into the dining room to serve her family.Two of
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Kiara opens her eyes at the break of dawn and smiles, today was the day. She gets up from the bed and checks the box to see if her attire is still there. It is foolish behavior, but a part of her still thinks her aunt is very capable of removing her dress from the box as the last resort to keep her in this house forever.She takes her bath in the small iron tub at the corner of her room, adding orange peels to the bath water since she can’t afford essential oils, she scrubs her skin to remove every layer of dirt, every bad memory from this house, cleansing herself for her new home.She dries herself and applies a little perfume from a small alabaster bottle on her skin, careful that not a single drop goes to waste. She saves the rest for later, tonight. The thought makes her blush and she chides herself for behaving like a love struck virgin. This wouldn’t be the first time she and Corgan had been intimate. She reminds herself that this time, it would be di
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Kiara wakes up in a cell after a bucket of water is dumped on her. Two soldiers are in the cell with her.“We are here to prepare you for the Emperor.”Kiara does not anticipate the blow until the foot makes contact with her side. Both soldiers kick and stomp on her until it hurts to breathe, Kiara curls into a ball, using her arms to cover her face. She is struck repeatedly until she passes out for the second time today.When she wakes up, she is in intense pain, she pulls herself off the ground in a kneeling position holding the side that hurts the most. She whimpers, taking in short painful breaths before realizing something crucial. She is not alone.She turns around and finds the Emperor sitting on a chair, he is still in his gold armour but Kiara notices that this one is different, shinier. Up close she can see his features, they are strong, yet somehow delicate at the same time. High cheek bones and a strong jawline, yet he has thin bro
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If I agree to this, promise me you will spare the lives of my people.”“I give you my word.”The priest of the temple of Dion is dragged by soldiers into the prison where Kiara is held and tossed to the ground. He quakes with fear in the presence of the Emperor.Nothing is said by either Kiara or the Emperor, she isn’t even given the courtesy of being let out of her cell, or given new clothes to change into, none of the rites of marriage are observed, no vows are exchange, there is only a proclamation by the stuttering priest who can barely get the words out. And just like that, they become man and wife.In a daze she is let out of the cell, into a hallway and out of a building she soon discovers is Dion’s jail house. The sky is fiery red and orange outside the jailhouse, Dion is still on fire, soldiers supervise the remaining inhabitants who are in chains, whipping anyone who as much as breathes the wrong way. None of the ev
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The Emperor looks through the opening in his tent at his newly conquered kingdom. He is aware of his General’s presence in the room but does not turn around until the man clears his throat, announcing his presence. The Emperor leaves the makeshift window and sits himself on the pillows, before the meal spread out on the table. The General takes his seat only after the Emperor is seated, he unbuckles his sword from his waist and lays it by his side. The Emperor pours wine into two goblets, which the men drink from before eating in silence, observing a custom they had shared for more than two decades. The Emperor looks at the gray hair on his General’s head and wonders how many more years they have before death or war snatches either of them from this table. “I heard you are married now.” The General’s gravelly voice brings him out of his reprieve. Word does travel fast. The Emperor waves his hand, dismissing the statement. “Jin…” The General calls out
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Kiara wakes up with an indescribable pain around her neck. She puts her hand around her throat and makes a sound, she panics when nothing comes out. She tries again and manages to make a small hoarse sound. She looks around the room and recoils in fear and somewhat shock, when she sees the Emperor sitting on a chair, just a few feet away from her. He is shirtless, his midriff is bound with white linen. He leans forward, putting his elbows on his knees, a posture that must be incredibly painful, considering his injury. Both of them hold eye contact for a long time, before she finally speaks in a voice that is not her own. “Why didn’t you kill me?” “I told you, death will be too easy for you. I intend to make your life a living hell. Besides, I am a ruthless killer, not a heinous one, rumors that I killed my wife during the night of consummation will ruin my reputation.” His voice is cool and toneless as he says this. “Since when are you worried about b
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Nia joins her in the carriage where she has been dumped and locked in for two hours at least. Kiara turns her face away from her, to hide her tear stained face from the girl. Nia doesn’t say anything. The carriage begins to move, soon after, Kiara hears a whip crack furiously and various unintelligible sounds coming from the hostler. “Where are we going?” She asks. “Home.” Nia replies. “What about court?” Nia looks at Kiara, her features twisted in utter confusion. “The Emperor said we had court this morning.” Kiara expatiates. “You can’t hold court with people who no longer exist.” Nia’s voice is toneless and cold as she says this. Kiara feels the tears pool in her eyes. She is the sole reason her people have been annihilated. The sole reason. She cannot bring herself to make eye contact with Nia. The carriage begins to move with neck-breaking speed on uneven road, the car
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By the time dawn breaks, Kiara is positively sure that she doesn’t have any arms. She is in intense pain. Like the previous night, the Emperor rolls over to her side of her bed to seek warmth when the temperature drops at the middle of the night. When he opens his eyes and finds his face almost buried in her bosom, his face turns dark. He pushes himself off the bed and goes to the foot of the bed to unlock the shackles on her feet. When he comes back to her hands, Kiara is sure he hoists the chain to make her feel the most pain but she doesn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing. She bites down on her bottom lip to stop her from crying out. He leaves the room without saying anything, which Kiara is grateful for. Nia comes into the room not long after, her cheeks are puffed out, if her complexion was a few shades lighter, her whole face would have been bright red. “I don’t know what you did last night, but he is in an absolutely foul mood this morning.” She starts.
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Nia takes her through a corridor different from the others because of the absence of windows. Lamps line the walls and burn brightly even though it is only noon, the other wall is lined with paintings depicting violent war and bloodshed. Kiara sees soldiers getting impaled on sword and spears, she sees an executioner in the act of beheading a man, an overflowing basket of heads beside him, she doesn’t realize Nia has stopped to talk to another servant. She turns around the corner and sees a man sitting on a throne made out of skulls, his golden eyes and wild golden hair reminds her of an older version of the Emperor, now that she thinks about it, she realizes the resemblance is uncanny. Before she can contemplate further, she sees a soldier coming out of a room by the corner, she looks into an open room and sees the armour she had knocked over during the squabble with her aunt. “Isn’t that…” She breaks away from the company and follows the men into the large room. If she tho
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Nia comes into the room after the Emperor leaves, she finds Kiara rubbing her sore wrists. The fact that the Emperor shackled his new wife to the bed on their first night together was hot news in the servant quarters. The men who installed the chains started the rumors, their story was further corroborated by the unfortunate maid who had heard the mistress pulling on the chains and crying out in the middle of the night. All sorts of conclusions were going about, and it was talk that Nia wanted no part of. If word of any of it was to reach The Emperor’s ear, it was sure death for all of them. She pulls open the drapes. “You have a big day today, its your first day in the throne room. Your formal introduction to all the members of the royal court as well as the first time everyone will see what you look like, you’ll be receiving a lot of gifts as well from many people.” “Why do I have to go?” Asks Kiara in a grouse tone. She did not want anything to do with that brute.
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Nia massages the oil very gently into Kiara’s skin, she moans in pain when Nia’s hands touches her sore ribs, or her arms that had taken the beaten from her aunt’s slipper as she tried to protect her face. It occurs to her now, that the henna decorating her skin serves another purpose other than announcing that she is a royal bride, the intricate lines and swirls also cover the bruises on her skin. Nia’s tour of the castle was overwhelming for Kiara, she couldn’t even remember the name of the rooms or what they were for and they had only gone through half of the East wing before Nia had declared that it was time for lunch. Kiara did not eat with the Emperor, a small mercy she is grateful for. After lunch, Nia and Kiara take another walk through the remainder of the East wing, at the end of it all, Kiara feels she has been in a maze, she knows she will certainly get lost if she comes here alone. They had a light evening meal by the window where Kiara watched the sun set. Afte
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Kiara stands there, not sure of what to do. She wanders to a large window overlooking the courtyard of the castle, the place where all the inhabitants of this kingdom where standing, still cheering. A few spot her and begin pointing at her, she moves away from the window, afraid of what the consequence of her action will be, more so, after being warned by the Emperor himself. What did he call it? Behaving like a filthy commoner. Nia comes around the corner, giving Kiara a little shock. “Come now, it’s time for you to have breakfast with the Emperor at the rooftop.” Nia says, pulling Kiara along. “The rooftop? Why the rooftop?” Kiara swallows, she had just seen the height of the castle, now she had to eat up there? “You came to the city wearing a ceremonial mask, no one saw your face, it is bound to spark some rumors. So, you have to show yourself, so the people can be reassured that it is indeed a woman. You might not know this but something s
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If I agree to this, promise me you will spare the lives of my people.”“I give you my word.”The priest of the temple of Dion is dragged by soldiers into the prison where Kiara is held and tossed to the ground. He quakes with fear in the presence of the Emperor.Nothing is said by either Kiara or the Emperor, she isn’t even given the courtesy of being let out of her cell, or given new clothes to change into, none of the rites of marriage are observed, no vows are exchange, there is only a proclamation by the stuttering priest who can barely get the words out. And just like that, they become man and wife.In a daze she is let out of the cell, into a hallway and out of a building she soon discovers is Dion’s jail house. The sky is fiery red and orange outside the jailhouse, Dion is still on fire, soldiers supervise the remaining inhabitants who are in chains, whipping anyone who as much as breathes the wrong way. None of the ev
