“No way.” Tempest said. “Who would make you the Emperor?” she asked disbelievingly.

“You'd be surprised.” Emperor Îrilôs, formerly a mere duke, replied. He was enjoying this, there was no doubt. “There was quite a bit of drama over who would succeed my late uncle, Katastanîôs, who succumbed to his illnesses some few weeks ago. We were still in Vatherîon when it happened. But, my agents did exactly as I asked of them in this scenario, and managed to cause enough trouble for Aharôs and I to arrive without issue and make true my claim to the throne. He and Sidâl were most helpful.”

“I can't believe it.” said Tempest, shaking her head.

“You should.” Streaming Breeze told her. All three pegasi were squeezed in on the other bench of the cabin; Streaming on the right, Snowy on the left, and Tempest stuck in the middle. With them lined up next to each other, it was apparent just how unhealthy Tempest looked compared to the other two. She and Snowy's little misadventure had taken a harder toll on her than she realized, it seemed. The voyage to Ar-Athazîon had only added to her troubles, while relieving her friend's. Turaz wasn't sure why this struck him more readily than the fact he was sharing a bench in a carriage with the Emperor himself. Perhaps he was just used to Îrilôs's presence by now? From envoy to Emperor... One big leap for a man, that's for sure.

“So, what took you so long?” Îrilôs asked them. “I feared you had gone native, Queen Tempest, and decided to stay in the backwater like any good Vûrdashai would.” Turaz ignored the jab at his people's inward-looking nature; it was in good humor, anyway.

“We ran into some... problems.” Tempest said, looking at Turaz. He nodded. “Problems of the storybook kind.”

“Really?” Îrilôs put a hand on his chin. “Tell me more.”

“Ever heard of wraiths?” she asked.

“Yes... The Kaiathîsa features them heavily. Did you meet one?”

“Meet one? It attacked us! If it wasn't for Snowy, we'd both be dead.” exclaimed Tempest, waving a hoof, which due to her forgetting her tight confines, bounced off Snowy's head. “I should mention that it, and some accomplice, I believe, killed the entire Kakâdras garrison. And then re-animated their bodies, or something... I don't know what it was we saw, but it wasn't natural.”

“Oh my.” the Emperor said. “Necromancy? I do not like the sound of that.”

“It gets worse.” Tempest continued. “We were trapped in the Far North when we fled the wraith at Kakâdras. And we found a shadow spirit out there. That almost got us too, if it wasn't for the sun rising and burning it away from us.” Îrilôs did not reply immediately, he had a dark and thoughtful look on his face. It was the most serious Turaz had ever seen him.

“Two weeks ago, Tempest Blackwind, I would not have believed a word you said, though I would pretend to for politeness' sake.” spoke Îrilôs quietly, looking her in the eyes. “But recent information has been revealed to me, and... Well, we will speak more of it in days to come, but for now, tell no one but Aharôs and Sidâl of this. We can trust them. But not Eberis, not Brenan, not any other of your friends from Nikadîon who are also here.” ordered the Emperor. “The same goes for your sergeant, Sir Turaz.” He nodded silently. What information could have been revealed to him? wondered the knight, though it wasn’t his place to know.

“Very well.” agreed Tempest.

“I would not be telling any of you this at all, had some of you not already been privy to this, and had some of you not actually experienced what you did.” Îrilôs looked at all of them, before smiling. “So please, keep quiet. As far as anyone is concerned, you were delayed due to illness and injury. I am to understand Lady Snowy has a wing injury, yes?”

“I do.” nodded Snowy.

“And you did not react well to sea travel?” he turned to Tempest.

“Not really...”

“Well, you already look half-dead and half-starved, so we'll just say you got sick from something in the Far North.” Îrilôs clasped his hands together again. “Agreed?”

“Agreed.” said Tempest, before she looked to Snowy. “Do I really look that bad?”

“Yeah, you do...” admitted Snowy, after a moment of hesitation. Turaz certainly thought so. Weeks of poor nourishment and constant travel had left both of them thinner, but Tempest never had anything to spare, unlike her friend; she was in danger of rivaling Aharôs for gauntness. Her little foray with days of seasickness had left her even worse off for wear. She was in less of a fighting condition than even Snowy, at the moment. It was a testament to her willpower that she hadn't complained once. Or maybe to Aharôs's life lessons about shutting up and dealing with what life throws at you... Though that may have been willpower all the same.

The rest of the carriage journey was spent with Îrilôs pointing out various locations of note through the windows. It took some time for them to return to the Imperial residence, nearly an hour. Morning traffic had turned into afternoon traffic on the streets, and the day was very hot; progress was much slower going back up hill than it had been coming down.

But finally, they arrived in the Upper District, where the so-called paper nobility of Ar-Athazîon lived; minor lords and lordlings who attained their posts by appointment, rather than earning it on the battlefield or being born into it. They were often at odds with the so-called sword nobility, men like Aharôs, or Turaz himself. The Upper District was a pleasant place, narrow paved streets lined with grass and trees, which separated them from the buildings. The houses, and most of them were houses, or wealthy inns, were packed in so tight they formed long walls of structures, which the carriage weaved and turned through like a giant labyrinth. A very nice, shady labyrinth, at least. It was much cooler up here than it was down in the rest of the city.

The carriage rolled up to a heavy gatehouse, which opened in good order for them. They had arrived at the Imperial residence, the last place Turaz had ever expected to find himself. And here he was, entering it for the second time today. From porter to palace... he thought. What his brothers would say if they could see him now! A shame they didn't live to see this day, but the Lord of Heaven's ways and wills were beyond the understanding of mortals like he.

“Here we are.” said Îrilôs, opening the door on his side of the carriage, and climbing out. He looked very regal in the Imperial garb, that was for sure. “Welcome to my home, Queen Tempest. Please, enjoy your time here.”

“I'll be sure to.” Tempest replied, following Streaming out and back onto the ground. The Imperial residence was a chaotic mess of buildings and annexes, constantly being torn-down and rebuilt. None of it but the throne room was considered original, and even the throne room was supposedly unrecognizable since an upgrade five hundred years ago. The citadel, towering above them on its stout rocky spire, was older than everything surrounding it. They said it was one of the first purely human structures built within these walls. Then again, that could have been just legend, like many other things about Ar-Athazîon.

The retainers of the Taizâres family were everywhere as well; men in elegant armor painted a cool, dark green, with a slight tinge of blue in it too. Red and gold leaf-work adorned it heavily, and they all had white plumes in their helmets and red tassels on their halberds and swords. Turaz had found their painted armor odd, but this was apparently a well-loved and time-honored fashion in this part of the world. His bare metal had gotten him strange looks, until he had finally took it off and left it here earlier.

“Now,” said Îrilôs, “I'm sure you'll want to be seeing King Aharôs?”

“Very much so.” agreed Tempest. “Turaz told me he was alive and well, but...”

“I understand.” the Emperor spoke. He waved one of the attending servants over, and told him to take the pegasus to Aharôs, wherever he was. Snowy made to follow, but Îrilôs put a hand on her shoulder. “Not so fast, Lady Snowy. Intuition tells me that your friend would appreciate talking to the King one on one. We'll allow her that, today.”

“Oh, alright.” Snowy didn't look very happy about that, but she stayed put.

“Come with us, I desire to speak with you about something.” Îrilôs waved for Snowy to follow him; Stream and Turaz followed along for lack of any other instruction. They were led through the entrance courtyard, down a long and richly decorated hall, and out into one of the many gardens this place had. The Imperial retainers followed at a distance. The Emperor bade them to sit down at a pre-set table underneath an elm tree, overlooking a miniature lake. In the distance, Turaz could see the colonnaded, covered paths that linked the various buildings through the gardens. At the table, there was a variety of food; a spiced beef stew for the humans, and one with vegetables and redwheat for the two Equestrians. Îrilôs had planned this hours ago, it seemed.

“This is quite a marvelous home you have, your highness.” said Streaming Breeze, not knowing that you only spoke to the Emperor when spoken to.

“I am inclined to agree. I grew up here,though, so I am used to it.” replied Îrilôs. He didn't seem to mind this breach of protocol; after all, he knew her beforehand. Kind of. Did he ever interact with any of the Blackwind pegasi, aside from Tempest and Snowy? Well, it wasn't an important question.

After spending a few moments looking from the Emperor, to her stew, and back again, Snowy spoke up. “We are grateful for the meal, sire, but what is it you wished to speak of?”

“You seem to have found your courage, Lady Snowy. You are not the same as you were last we met.” said Îrilôs.

“Well...” Snowy looked away. “I don't know about that.”

“In Vatherîon, you could hardly talk to anyone besides Queen Tempest. Yet, here you are, holding conversation with me just fine.” Îrilôs tapped his hand on the table. “Something happened to you out there.”

“I don't think it was anything concerning me.” said Snowy humbly. “The wraith had Tempest by the throat, it had some kind of dagger and it was about to kill her. I...” she stopped, frowning. “I got really angry, for a moment. So I flew into it, and knocked Tempest free. As soon as I realized what I had done, I was scared as ever again.”

“Divine inspiration, perhaps?” suggested Îrilôs.

“Yeah.” Snowy noded.

“It seems not to have fully worn off, if you ask me.” the Emperor smiled slyly. “Which is why I feel confident in proposing something to you.”

“What would that be?” Snowy asked cautiously, between sips of her stew.

“I have met many individuals of many races, in my short twenty-five in the world. I've met dragons, griffons, Equestrians, and more. So you can know I am not lying when I say that you, Snowy, have potential.” stated Îrilôs. Turaz thought he seemed too young for what he was doing.

“Potential?” repeated Snowy. “But... Sir Turaz and the others always were telling me how useless I was. Not that they ever cared about finding a way to make me useful.” Snowy gave Turaz a very unfriendly look. That was something she'd never been so forward about, before her little adventure with Tempest. The knight and Equestrian had a cool relationship, at best, but it seemed Snowy no longer outright feared him. He was alright with that, actually; it was good that she was starting to stand up for herself. I still stand by with everything I've said, though.

“I am not the others. I said it on our march through Verâd, did I not? You have potential. Not as a warrior or even general, I also am neither of those myself. Rather...” Îrilôs looked thoughtful. “You are a thinker, Lady Snowy, we both are. I have put my mind to use here; the right words with the right people, the right decisions at the right time... You can do anything. Ten years ago, I was a nameless nephew of Katastanîôs. Ten weeks ago, I was his most likely heir. And now, I am the King of Man, as Aikâlon, Bâlôs, and Athazôs were before me.”

“What are you saying?” asked the beige pegasus in an unsure voice.

“Politics, my dear Lady Snowy. And not the boring negotiations and meetings that King Aharôs would call politics. I'm talking... hmm, intrigue might be a better word.” stated the Emperor. “Everything that happens behind the scenes of the play, if you will. I don't even mean assassinations and blackmail, that's peasant business. It is much more rewarding to use subtler kinds of power to persuade those who would be your enemies to be your friends. Quick thinking, soft speaking, open hands and an agreeable attitude.” Snowy looked at the underside of a hoof, though she very well knew what open hands meant as a figure of speech. “And when that fails, well, it pays to know the methods of blackmail and coercion too.” Îrilôs sighed. “You would not like that, but you are cut out for it as well.”

“But...” Snowy began to protest. “Why? I'm not brave, I'm not strong, I'm not fast-”

“The stuff of soldiers. I am none of those things, myself, and look where I am now!” Îrilôs cut her off.

“I don't want power, though!” said Snowy, looking unhappy.

“No, that is true. And neither does Queen Tempest, for that matter... But I happen to know that Aharôs is deadly serious on restoring Tempest to her throne in Highcrest. And I am going to help him, using this war between Celestia and I as an excuse. Tempest will be in power eventually, even though she is far from queenly material. And that's why I want your help, Lady Snowy. You're smart, you're adaptive, and you've proven your loyalty time and again. I want you to help me to help our mutual friend, Tempest Blackwind.” Îrilôs opened his hands, and gave her a questioning look. “Will you accept my offer?” Snowy frowned, and looked at her meal. It was almost like she expected it to give her advice. Îrilôs, ever the opportunist, took the moment to add more. “It is obvious you two are very close; Tempest trusts you more than anyone else alive, I believe. You are in the perfect position to make her life much easier in the future. And I can help you do that.”

“Alright.” Snowy said, looking up again. “I'll do it. Though I'm not sure what it is you want me to do, exactly.”

“I will explain it as time goes on.” the Emperor said, producing a set of keys from his robes. “But it comes with access to the entire Imperial library here.” He slid the ring across the table. Snowy brightened up immediately, ears pointing straight up, and a slight smile coming over her.

“Really?” she asked. “This isn't a trick, right?”

“What could I possible gain from such a petty act?” questioned Îrilôs in turn. Snowy again glanced at Turaz, eyes narrowed. “I'll have one of my servants show you to your quarters. Streaming Breeze, you will be shown to your quarters as well. In the meantime, enjoy your stay here.”

“Thank you, your highness.” With that, Snowy and Streaming were dismissed, the former looking very cheery for once. Turaz raised an eyebrow, and turned to the Emperor.

“What is it?” asked Îrilôs, finally giving leave for him to talk.

“I can't say I'm confident in this little plan of yours, sire.” the knight said. “Call me a skeptic, but Lady Snowy has the heart of a mouse. She'll probably get too scared to do anything useful for the Queen.”

“I doubt that, Sir Turaz. I doubt that very much.” Îrilôs folded his arms, and leaned back in his chair. “If she challenged a Hell-wraith, an infernal spirit in the service of the Great Enemy, which had already slaughtered the entire garrison of one of my fortresses, for the sake of her friend... I believe, with that kind of courage, Snowy has a part to play yet in this grand scheme.”

“And what scheme would that be?” Turaz asked.

“Something far bigger than you, my good knight.” Îrilôs waved a finger at him. “Mankind is only a matter of steps from achieving dominion over all life on this Earth. It will not be within our lifetimes, nor our children's. But our actions today will cast a long shadow on tomorrow.”

“Dominion?” Turaz didn't like the sound of that. He wasn't a peace-monger, nor a craven, but he was a man of some faith, and subjugating entire races was not on the road to Heaven, as far as he understood. Inter-human conflicts were purely human, they were bound to happen amongst an imperfect people, but to wage war for to bring low fellow creatures of mind and soul for the purpose of mere subjugation did not seem right. “How exactly do you plan to do that?” asked Turaz.

“I don't. It won't be me who sees us reach that day. All I can do is aim us in the right direction. The only true threats to Sarathûl now are dragons, and perhaps this shadow spirit up north. But I will leave that to Sidâl to ponder… the Equestrians will not be a problem for long.” The Emperor changed the subject. “On a related note: I meet with our two guests from Korthûnîen's Halls in a few day's time. I believe I have kept them waiting long enough. Would it be wise to bring Tempest Blackwind along, just for the experience?”

“I would ask King Aharôs about that.” Until Tempest was sixteen, Aharôs was still her legal guardian, and thus under his protection. “But I must say, your highness, that I have never seen a dragon before.” Turaz admitted. They were real, everyone knew dragons were real, but very few people ever did see one. Turaz was among that vast crowd.

“Keep your eyes open, knight, you may be witness to one yet!” The Emperor rolled his fingers on the table again, looking into the sky. “I wish I was a dragon, sometimes. A nigh-indestructible flying engine of fire... Marvelous, don't you think?”

“Sire, if I might be so bold as to say, but one of your ancestors had an unhealthy obsession with spiders. I implore you, on behalf of your people's and your family's dignity, do not go down that same path.” Emperor Fâôs the Spider-sick, who had reigned from 1397 to 1415, if Turaz recalled rightly. Emperor Îrilôs the Dragon-sick, who reigned from 1504 to... whenever. That would certainly be an interesting title, at least. Better than Katastanîôs the Old, as the city had begun to call their late liege.

“No, I think I shan't.” Îrilôs shook his head. “You make a good anchor, Sir Turaz. Don't let us princes get our heads too far above the clouds.”

“I've only been doing it for a decade and a half, your highness.” Turaz paused, before asking a question of his own, one from what felt like long ago. “Sire, you wouldn't happen to know where I can get a glass eye, do you?”

Author's Notes:

What exactly is Îrilôs talking to Snowy about? Well, I'd consider it a more personalized form of soft power. How is that applied, exactly? We'll be finding out. Why does he think Snowy can help him help Tempest? Because you don't get to become King of Man without learning to go with your gut. There's an entire story to our new Emprah we haven't heard, and we'll be taking a brief look at it soon enough.