Chapter Eighteen - Departure

Chapter Eighteen - Departure

The Peace of Flowers is often cited as one of the most single important treaties in the ancient world. While it is true that the treaty laid the groundwork for the formation of the Imperial Confederation nearly a thousand years later, modern archaeologists and anthropologists have found evidence that the marriage of [Princess] Hemetra to [Prince] Suth may have been the more significant event.

Neither the treaty nor the marriage seemed to have been treated with much importance at the time. Before The Descent, Dungeons had yet to form and the eastern HinTye lands were riddled with spawning pits. RaSharon was more concerned with rebellions and conquest in their southern territories and had little interest in conquest past their northeastern border. This treaty was merely a formalization of the disinterest the empires held in fighting each other.

However, many of the advances and philosophies that came out of the HinTye empire have been traced back to [Princess] Hemetra herself. New techniques have allowed us to more accurately date artifacts and have lent evidence that the first prototypes of the famous HinTye armor were pioneered by Hemetras [Personal Guards]. Those [Personal Guards] also were likely to be the origins of the [HinTye Elite Soldier] Class which allowed the HinTye empire to dominate the eastern border of the Imperial Confederation.

(-an excerpt from: The History of the Imperial Confederation: an analysis of pre-Descent politics in the near east by Karen Smith.)

I seem to have gotten into the habit of sleeping late these days, and I cant imagine why. Sarcastic thoughts aside, having busy nights made it truly difficult to get up in the morning. For myself anyway, it was to my great displeasure that I learned I was suffering alone in that regard. Having high Endurance, Vitality, and Willpower meant that Sut had a lot more energy than I did. He confessed that the lack of sleep would eventually catch up to him, but it wouldnt be for another day or two at least.

There was also a Skill involved in there somewhere, but knowing that my Stats could influence how much sleep I needed made me rethink my Stat distribution choices a bit. Not that I could change them while I was alive, although my latest Class consolidation had effectively reduced my total levels so it was possible for me to get another Class relatively easily right nowThis chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com

Well, that was a thought for later, my current thoughts were wrapped up in yet more preparations. Before I even considered travelling, I had to come to some sort of terms with my siblings. Surprisingly, it was not nearly as hard as I had imagined it would be; my brothers and sisters were far more friendly than they had ever been and on reflection it was obvious why.

It is a sad fact that I think all of my siblings actually wanted to be a family together, but were too paranoid or scheming for anyone to ever feel safe in each others company. We didnt hate each other, but everyone was always aware that they could be stabbed in the back at any time. I had tried, over the years, to seperate myself from this and now I had succeeded.

I was safe to talk to now, because my path to potential power no longer rivaled their own. Indeed, I was now a valuable connection to the HinTye on top of not being a rival any longer, so it made sense to seek me out. As a result, I ended up meeting and speaking with almost all of my siblings before I left.

Throughout these meetings, I expressed my desire: to see our two empires work together and grow together. Insofar as I could - or would - lend support to my siblings here in RaSharon during their various power plays, I would support those whose plans and ideas benefited that goal. Admittedly, I doubted my support was worth all that much right now, but I suppose they were investing in me on the basis that as a wife of an [Emperor] in the future, I would at least have his ear.

My eldest brother even came north finally to meet Sut, the two [First Princes] sizing each other up as I introduced them. Presuming the political winds did not shift, these two would be the rulers of their empires in the future and the treaty would be in their hands. I suppose, in that sense, this was a historic meeting. The impressions made here and the discussions the two held might influence the world for centuries to come, perhaps even millenia.

Of course, all of this was only on the political side of things, there were many other - more practical - preparations to make for the long and arduous journey. I wasnt just joining the HinTye contingent alone, it wouldnt be proper for a [Princess] to travel alone in a group of men, even if one of those men was her husband. No, Aj and Sere would be accompanying me to Hasa. Undoubtedly they would continue to serve as informants, but the distance would limit their capacity to do so immensely. They would be my [Attendants] first and foremost.

Sut just shrugged in response to that saying, our [Priests] also say there are thousands of gods who often are worshipped and defended by a single people. Who are we to say that there are not many underworlds? Such a thing is beyond even the reach of an [Emperor] and best left to the gods and [Priests].

As for what kinds of monsters you might see at a chasm, there is not a limit. Some kinds may be more common, but on any one day anything could crawl out. You could find a pack of direwolves or a massive griffon or a murder of flesh eating crows, but you also could run into a weak little horned rabbit that runs away as soon as it sees you. Sometimes, the creatures are formless, manifesting as clouds or liquids and a few being shapeshifters that can assume the shape of a man to lure you close by.

That sounds terrifying, a vision of shapeshifting murder crows forming in my mind. Cant they be sealed off somehow?

They are far too large for that, and the monsters would dig through any obstruction besides. Sut sighed as he leaned back, and there is no magic strong enough to hold them back, we certainly have tried.

I dont know much about magic, to my sorrow. The [Priests] and the [Pharaoh] are the only ones who are allowed to learn and use magic. Maybe our [Priests] might be able to help somehow?

It is kind of a glaring hole in my education, but knowledge of magic and religion were heavily monopolized in RaSharon. I could have become a [Priest] if I had wanted to learn, but I wasnt able to learn if I didnt take the Class. I was rather wary of that though, because what if the gods are real and they take an interest in me because of being an Incarnator? I thought it was better not to risk it.

Perhaps, Sut didnt sound like he believed that. Personally, I believe that the best solution is spears and forts, with [Charioteers] patrolling between them. It is not perfect, but it works well enough.

I am not sure what well enough is in the context of containing monsters. Maybe this is just my previous lives talking, but I would have thought that the only acceptable amount of monsters to have escaping to terrorize travelers was zero. Still, I hadnt even left RaSharon yet; it was easy to judge people from afar, but if I understood the situation fully that might change.

I didnt have much sentimental attachment to the palace, so when we left it to go to AlaXeria, it wasnt a very emotional moment for me. No, my only friend, the [Scribe] Djet, had died last year. Still, I did turn to take a look at the palace complex one last time. Even if it had never truly felt like home, I could never deny its beauty.

Nor could I deny the beauty of SharonAn and the gardens and farms that lined its banks. The fertility of this land was due to the river, and it was not hard to see how people who lived in a desert would come to see it as sacred. The delta, where Alaxeria was situated, was truly a vision of paradise. A natural garden that stretches for miles with flowers and fruits in abundance, I would be lying if I would not miss this place. My original plan to retire here was not really an imposition on me.

In Alaxeria, I ate dinner with [Governor] Almalek one last time before heading east into the desert. I took Suts advice to savor the meal, because it would be the last decent meal until we reached Bilos. Considering it was a plate of sea caught fish, I might not taste anything like it for a very long time because Hasa was far inland.

Almalek was giddy, of course. Everything had gone exactly as he wanted and Alaxeria was poised to become the richest and most influential city in RaSharon. He showered Sut and myself with gifts, which we had difficulty finding room for but had to accept to avoid insulting the [Governor]. If you had told me in my first life that one day I would be trying to refuse being given gold and gems because it was just too much to carry, I would have laughed and said that I wished that were true.

Somehow, we managed to find room for it all and finally left the city and went east. It didnt take as long to travel to the border because it was done entirely by chariot and we soon were approaching the border fort where this had all begun. There, we rested overnight, and the next morning I took my first step out of RaSharon and into the HinTye empire.