Lord Chamberlain Pliny returned from the maiden competitive football match in Korazin, between teams from the two Grand Institutions of Learning. The sport was not entirely new to Korazin. Seven years ago, the king, as he then was, had brought with him a few men and women from the Zenj, or Scovian, Empire, particularly from San Vilgraek where the sport was a large part of life. Now, learners from those lands, from all over Moab, and from Xaxanika, flocked to Korazin to be part of the great institutions, colloquially known as the Polemian Colleges. There were also a few students from the Seven Territories of the Korazite Empire. Lord Chamberlain Pliny was here to report the arrival of the Behemoth Gully, which was now docked at Botterein commercial port.
'The Gully?' her Imperial Majesty Shaniz was shocked.
'His Imperial Majesty was shocked too,' said Pliny. He had left K'rar back at the stadium, but the Empress had stayed back because she had had to deal with a difficult legal matter, but also because she had no interest in football.
'Of course he was. The Gully has been gone five years!'
'The Emperor has the correspondence from Admiral Rubin. She is to arrive in four days. At the very least, she has distressing news.'
'Well, she's alive at least. I want to see it.'
'His Imperial Majesty is holding on to it. He will show you later. There is something else, Empress.'
'Is it distressing or good?'
'I'm afraid I cannot tell which it will be for you once you hear it. The Emperor has been sad and downcast over it. I am going behind his back to tell you since we're alone, and I might be punished, but the Emperor is increasingly stressed over it, and I believe it is because he is not able to tell you. I believe it will take the load off of him if you know. For the good of the empire.'
The Empress was now even more shocked and suspicious.
'What are you talking about, Lord Chamberlain? What is my husband stressed over?'
'Two weeks ago, he received a letter from Ambassador Ollinz from San Vilgraek.'
'Ollinz? Did he impregnate someone already? He's only been ambassador for a year.'
The boy Ollinz had been appointed Ambassador at only seventeen, and had been representing the Korazite Empire and its interests since, including threatening economic war against the Scovians over disputed southwest Zenj territory.
The Lord Chamberlain was stung by the Empress' words. He felt like withdrawing his words, but there was no turning back.
'I can't believe you spoke of pregnancy, Your Imperial Majesty.'
'Did he?'
'Empress, Ollinz was approached by one of the Scovian royal family called Samolla.' He was struggling to speak in spite of his outspokenness. This attribute was one of the mandates of the Lord Chamberlain.
'I know Samolla. I've met her before. Speak up, Lord Chamberlain, speak up!'
'Samolla was kicked out of their palace nine years ago because she became pregnant. According to Ollinz, with the Emperor's child. They met when the Emperor was taken there from Tshekaland, and…'
The Empress had just risen from the throne, shaken as if by a spirit that had just gone through her. She was blush with terror.
'Water,' she said. She was the one with the bell to ring if she wanted servant assistance, but she seemed to have forgotten completely about it, 'bring me water.'
'Empress, the bell,' he pointed at it shakily. She took it and shook it. The servant who came in could tell. She said,
'Your Imperial Majesty, shall I call a physician?'
'No. Just bring water. Quickly.'
The maid scuttled out hastily, and Pliny said,
'Your Majesty, perhaps you ought to sit down.'
She agreed, and fell back into the throne. The throne room Urdian eagle came flying in just then, and took the perch just on top of its cage near a pillar. She took a look at it, and said, while still doing so,
'Why am I only learning of this now? Have we not had an ambassador in the Zenj for six years? How true is it anyway?'
'I do not know why it has just come out, your Imperial Majesty, but it would appear that the intelligence is real, considering how the Emperor has reacted to it.'
'What else? Is the child a boy or girl?'
'She is a pariah in her land now, and so is her son. Apparently, she has asked the Emperor to host him here, as his life is a living hell.'
'What? To host him here?'
'At your command, they can both be brought here and eliminated before this causes unnecessary worry.'
'No, that is insane. We cannot just kill him. He carries my husband's blood.'
'Isn't that the prime reason he must be removed? The imperial house is already blessed with two heirs, who are younger than him.'
'We are not one of the uncivilized societies under our administration. No one will die, okay?'
'Then, will you not berate his Imperial Majesty, but let him know that you know?'
She was waving her long fingers at him,
'Go. Go now. I will talk to him. But I need some rest first to verify all this.'
The Lord Chamberlain bowed, and left.
Without even taking her water, she left for her bedchamber heavy-headed, not knowing what to think of this new intelligence. Of course, it was bound to cause severe upheaval, which is why the Lord Chamberlain suggested instant hard action to defend the honor of the imperial house, but for rulers such as herself and K'rar, honor involved the cardinality of respect for life, even animal life. For rulers who had even banned killing game for mere sport across the empire, killing a human being for a trivial reason was unacceptable. And this was a cause for worry for her. In other kingdoms such a blot in the honor of the family would be met by murderous force and concluded as fast as possible. But for her, there was need to go for a nap and weigh so many different options that did not involve killing. For almost eight years now, the empire had run smoothly and without so many significant challenges. Today, the empire had just thrown on her table one of its biggest hurdles right after relieving one with the news of the Behemoth Gully. The Gully, one of twenty-one ships sent out in four directions to explore the world, was the only lead ship—the exploratory vessels each set sail with two Stinger escorts—that had not reported back home.
And so K'rar was 24 years old when he firmly established himself, and he came to be known as K'rar the Great and as K'rar von Caspar II, although K'rar von Caspar I was also him before the rebellion of General Garrera. He ruled Korazin and the Great Korazite Empire for nine years. And all the days of K'rar amounted to 33 years, and then he died. As for the rest of the history of K'rar von Caspar the Great and all the great things that he did, is it not written in the book of the kings of Korazin? There was never a king in Korazin, in Moab, nor indeed on the face of the earth like K'rar von Caspar II. There was a stiff political upheaval as the Empress had imagined thanks to the bastard son, but she had to worry about that, as well as the animalistic tribes of the far west in yet another new land that Admiral Rubin reported.
Then K'rar was laid to rest among the Nephilim in the Debasian Mountain rather than with his forefathers at Aldley, by his own death wish (due to yet another prophecy concerning him and what the Nephilim called "the final part of the days"), and his wife became ruler in his place.
The End