Chapter Ten - Third Life

Chapter Ten - Third Life

Darkness and a feeling of eternity, then warmth and pressure and then light. My emotions are overwhelming and I dont try to stop them, crying as a woman pulls me away. Unlike last time, the worried voices do not stop and people are rushing around in confusion. My first surprise didnt make much of a dent in my emotions, it was hard to care about the screen in front of me.Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience

[Congratulations, you are now a Level 1 [Imperial Princess]!]

[You have learned the Skill (Imperial Decree)!]

Even if I had cared all that much, I wasnt given much time to do so, as I was hastily put into my new Mothers arms. She Didnt look well. Her face was pale and her arms were shaking and I suddenly had a terrible feeling.

She was trying to smile at me, and I was sane enough to try and hug her - to try and comfort her - because I had an idea of what was going to happen. She held me and I held onto her even as I thought, I am sorry, I should have never been born

He- Hemetre She says, stroking my head with a shaking hand and then she seems to slowly fall asleep. I am not so naive as to believe that though, my Mother is dead. All I could do was cry.

***

I think my grief was worse this time around, although it is hard to compare them, but there is something exceptionally painful in knowing that my second life had been worse than my first. With Mother already dead giving birth to me, my third life was shaping up to be worse still. My worries, long forgotten, that this was some kind of hellish afterlife had returned and I was terrified that this would be an endless loop of suffering where I could do nothing to end it.

My new life was strange as well. I had a wet nurse and there were servants who took care of me and worked to teach me to walk and talk, but I dont think I ever saw Father for the first few years of my life. My rooms - which I was too small to leave very much yet - were richly decorated and obviously part of a palace, but I wouldnt describe them as comfortable. Everything was made of stone which had been painstakingly carved with decorations and painted, but all there were for rugs or bedding was thin linen. So everything was beautiful, but hard.

It didnt help that nobody gave me any clothes! I had jewelry - golden necklaces, bracelets, anklets, and armlets - adorned with rubies and sapphires, but not a single thread to my name. The very first question I asked in this new language was why they had clothes but I did not, and I was told I was too young and had to wait until I was six!

Not that I was all that different than anyone around me, because no one wore all that much. Not because they were perverts or anything, but because it was unacceptably hot basically all the time. I learned I was in the RaSharon Empire, which translated roughly to Streams through the Suns Land. It was a civilization in much the same kind of place as Egypt, stretching along a great river that wound throughout an otherwise inhospitable desert.

Men wore little more than a linen skirt most of the time and women a linen dress and no one wore shoes. You could tell the class, but not the Class, of the people around you by their jewelry and the color of their clothes, with bleached white being reserved for some of the higher classes. In the distance, I had seen [Slaves] working, and they had worn nothing at all!

Those thoughts distracted me from my misery, but I always came back around to it. I had [Servants] and [Tutors] and [Guards] but at the end of the day, I was alone. I had half brothers and sisters, and more than a few because our Father had a harem, but I had little in common with the younger ones and the older ones viewed me as competition. So I was alone, surrounded by people. At least it gave me time to think.

Most of that thinking was just self pity, but I started to get a handle on myself after four years of self-loathing and depression. I was five years old when the realisation hit me like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky.

Of course, it was my fault that my previous life had been so painful, how much effort did I really put into it? I didnt leave my home for ten years and after that I had done nothing but drift through the years as a [Maid]. Oh, I certainly had purpose, but it was nothing that couldnt have been provided by anyone else.

I had occasionally had conversations with Cat where I brought up ideas from my world and time, but did I ever bother to put pen to paper and try to spread concepts that could benefit people? No, I didnt. Did I ever try to invest, or get Cat to invest, in research towards technology I knew could exist? No, I didnt. Did I ever even try to improve the health and safety of my family by teaching hygiene practices I had learned from a more scientific world?

No, I didnt.

I could have shifted that worlds course and improved it for the better, and I simply didnt. I should have remembered the dangers associated with medieval history, because when you take out the Classes and the Skills, the death of my family and myself was utterly predictable. Even if I couldnt know the exact cause, I should have known about all the dangers lurking in the shadows.

If I wanted my misery to change, I had to change and I had to do it soon.

***

Princess Hemere, a [Servant] called out from behind me as I strode forth. Please, wait!

For what? My mind is set on this, I didnt stop walking, but they still caught up easily because my six year old legs werent that long. I see no reason I shouldnt gain the [Scribe] Class.

It is beneath your station! The [Servant] tries to explain, but he cannot stop me. If he were to lay hands on me, he would lose them soon after. It is a punishment I personally find atrocious, but that is the least terrible option I could choose - my siblings would likely have him executed instead. More mercy than that was not an option because it was Fathers decree, and in RaSharon his words were inviolate.

You can already read and write Princess, he protests. What need have you for a lesser Class?

I have no interest in competing with my siblings for the throne, I reply, exiting the cool shade of the palace complex and stepping out into the harsh sunlight that bathes the city Shar. Undoubtedly, one of my brothers will claim it and any rivals still alive will be purged at that time.

The [Servant] sputters as I say that. It certainly is true, but it isnt the kind of thing you are supposed to say out loud. Palace intrigue hides behind euphemism, with the losers retiring to an oasis or sadly returning to the Gods of natural causes. Well, the last one is certainly true, as a dagger through the heart naturally ends ones life.

The Scriptorium is just across the plaza from the palace. It was a busy place, as the main temple complexes were also here as well. While the public couldnt enter the palace, they could enter the plaza and visit the temples, and the area was crowded. And yet, I had no fear of being trampled or of being kidnapped.

Where I walked, the crowd split for me. Men and women bowed or kneeled or prostrated themselves as I passed, because they believed I was descended from the Gods and that the blood of the divine flowed in my veins. It was a bitter amusement that I was more in danger from my own family than I from even the most criminal element of the lower classes.

The commotion I caused was noticed, and there was a [Head Scribe] at the entrance to the Scriptorium awaiting me. His many bracelets were stained with ink and so was the linen skirt he wore, a sign that I had interrupted him at work, but that was always going to happen. The business of an empire never ceased.

Princess Hemere, he said as he knelt down, as much to be eye level with me as to show respect to my station. I greet you and ask that Emre and Thijo bless you this day.

In Emres name and by His blood I bless you, I reply, offering him respect in turn with a response that gave him honor by calling my lines Patron - the king of the Gods and God of the sun, Emre - attention to him. May his light ever illuminate the shadows and his wrath never strike you down, [Head Scribe] Djept. Rise, please, and let us discuss in the shade.

The Scriptorium is less decorated than the palace, but it is no less intricately carved. The difference between the two is that the palace is decorated with art for the pleasure of the viewer, and the walls of the Scriptorium are covered in writing. Stories, myths, legends, and history fill the halls here, although it can be difficult to tell which is which when it comes down to it. After all, this is a world where [Priests] can actually call on the Gods and be answered and where monsters prowl the desert and prey upon unwary travelers and unprepared towns alike.

We were seated in a garden courtyard, meticulously maintained by [Gardeners] so that it was lush and green even in the brutal heat of the summer. [Servants] brought chilled drinks in cups of gold and ivory; wine, well watered in my case. [Scribes] were part of the upper class of society, equal to [Warriors] and below only the [Priests] and the Royal Family.

I was grateful for the drink. The heat of this land was unlike anything I had known in either of my other lives. Even the cool, white linen dress I wore seemed oppressive during the day, although I blamed not being allowed to have clothes for years for that feeling. I was quite thankful that my skin was not pale like before, but an olive-bronze that resisted burning much better than my previous bodies. I was less thankful for my black hair, despite how excellent the straight black hair looked with gold bands and rubies woven into it, it was hot as hell in the sun. Why did men get to shave their heads? Lucky bastards.

I wont take up much of your valuable time Djet, there isnt a table between us, so I hand off the drink to a [Servant] to hold for me as I speak. I wish to gain the [Scribe] Class, and as soon as possible. You will help me in this.

Watching Djet bow and acquiesce to my request, I thought that I could understand why nobility lasted so long. A girl could get used to this kind of power.

***

Name: Hathe-Emra Hemere Age: 16

Class List: [Imperial Princess] (lvl 9) [Muse] (lvl 14) [Scholar] (lvl 11)

Statistics:

Strength: 87

Endurance: 92

Vitality: 103

Agility: 162

Dexterity: 130

Perception: 99

Acuity: 142

Willpower: 111

Charisma: 204

Magic: 72

Luck: 103

Abilities (Incarnator Tab, hidden)

[First Words] (Incarnator Skill, hidden) [Better First Impression] (Incarnator Skill, hidden)

Skills:

[Imperial Decree] [Eyes of the Empire] [Loud and Clear] [Perfect Pitch][Inspiring Voice]

[Improved Footwork] [Find the Rhythm] [Dancers Grace] [Always in Tune]

[Instrument of Bliss][Art is an Experience] [Muses Inspiration] [Magic Stylus]

[Better Paper] [Everything is a Record] [Scholars Eye]

[Imperial Decree]: Your voice carries the command of your station. Any commands you give or demands you make are harder for the target to refuse. This Skill is heavily affected by your Charisma Stat.

[Eyes of the Empire]: You can immediately see and recognize those who attempt to harm you or your empire. This Skill is heavily affected by your Perception and Acuity Stats.

[Loud and Clear]: You can project your voice over a great distance and be heard clearly even in loud environments.

[Perfect Pitch]: You have a supernatural ear for pitch and instinctively sing in tune.

[Inspiring Voice]: Your voice - especially when singing - inspires emotions in your audience depending on what you desire to to inspire. This Skill is affected by your Magic Stat and heavily affected by your Charisma Stat.

[Improved Footwork]: You have improved balance and instinctively know where to place your feet while moving, fighting, and dancing. This Skill is affected by your Agility, Dexterity, Perception, and Acuity Stats.

[Find the Rhythm]: You can instinctively sync your movements to the rhythm of music or combat, even predicting sudden shifts in tempo. This Skill is heavily affected by your Perception, Agility, Dexterity, and Acuity Stats.

[Dancers Grace]: When dancing, your Agility, Dexterity, and Charisma stats are massively increased.

[Always in Tune]: Any instrument you use will automatically be tuned correctly.

[Instrument of Bliss]: Any instrument you play has a smoother tone and is easier to listen to for your audience.

[Art is an Experience]: When combining artistic styles (singing, dancing, instrumentation, etc) it is easier to use them together and the relevant Skills have improved efficacy. This Skill is affected by all of your Stats, and heavily affected by your Agility and Acuity.

[Muses Inspiration]: You can charge your art with emotion and your art will share that emotion with the audience when experienced. Those who view your art are more likely to have a feeling of awe and other artists may become inspired by your work, boosting their Acuity and Dexterity temporarily. The stronger the emotion used to charge this, the greater the effect. This Skill is heavily affected by your Charisma, Willpower, and Magic Stats.

[Magic Stylus]: You can summon a stylus to write with. You can also create ink to use when writing on certain materials.

[Better Paper]: Paper you write on becomes stronger and more difficult to damage. This Skill is heavily affected by your Magic Stat.

[Everything is a Record]: Every day you can store your memories of the last twenty four hours perfectly by meditating. Stored memories can be recalled after a short amount of meditation. This Skill is heavily affected by your Acuity and Willpower Stats.

[Scholars Eye]: You are able to examine any object you can see and obtain information about it. The amount of information you can obtain is dependent on your personal knowledge as well as your Class quality and level. This Skill is heavily affected by your Perception, Acuity, Magic, and Luck Stats.