♕The Epilogue♕

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"Many years ago, we ended our war with the Djareny" Prime Minister Remy began, placing her hands on the podium in front of her. "But, as all of you who live along the border and have experienced their violent raids firsthand know, we did not create peace." This was perhaps the largest press conference the Hominan palace had ever seen since the death of its last Emperor- the doors of the receiving room could barely close behind the sea of reporters who had all gathered to hear the Prime Minister's report of what had happened on Khaas one week before. 

"Yet, now, I believe we have taken a step in the right direction. Please allow me to introduce His Royal Majesty, Emperor Arafien Tyllanie of Homina and my half-sister, General Nexetra Serpis of Djara." She paused for momentous applause as Nexetra stepped out onto the stage, decked out magnificently in a black and green gown with gold foil threaded around her horns. Trailing closely behind her was Arafien, who now wore his long red coat not with the excitement of a child trying on his parents' clothes but with genuine pride.

"Now," Saara continued, her voice growing more solemn. "The rumors are true. I used my position to orchestrate a lie that lasted for nearly a decade. Yes, for nine years, Homina has not had a ruler. I misled you into believing that Emperor Zionus lived in order to keep Djareny and human opportunists alike away from the throne. I am perfectly aware of the consequences of my actions, and now that Emperor Arafien has been safely installed on the throne, I am ready to face them."

At this, the crowd of reporters gathered beneath the stage began to grow restless. Guilt pooled in a few of their eyes as they began to process just how much their Prime Minister had sacrificed for them. 

"Madam Prime Minister, when you devised this plan, did you realize that you would likely spend the rest of your life in prison? What persuaded you to do it anyway?" a wide-eyed journalist in a white dress asked, in awe. 

"Hm," Remy smiled knowingly. "Do we truly live in a safe world when my sweet Eric, the son of two Ministers, can be kidnapped by a simple cargo pilot and never found again? No, we may have built our society up to the skies, but we built it on quicksand. The slightest disturbance, and we all fall in. The untimely death of my dearest friend and colleague Emperor Zionus was such a disturbance- if I did not step in and do something, Homina could've fallen apart. My grief is nothing when compared to the sorrows of the thousands of mothers who could've lost their sons to greed, civil war, and strife. Is it not the essence of my job to do what is best for the people I serve? I believe that is what I did, but like I said, it comes with a price. Since the law requires that I step down as punishment for my actions, I would like to take this opportunity to formally recommend Minister Speiss for the position of Prime Minister." 

"No!" Arafien announced indignantly, storming his way up to Remy's side as an image of Speiss's smug, snobby face and his plastic wife filled his mind. For the likes of them to succeed Saara and Jay Remy was almost unthinkable. 

"What you did for me... for all of us... wasn't a crime. You deserve to be celebrated, not punished. There has to be some way I can stop this- I'm the Emperor!" 

Tuofah, who stood off to the side of the stage, smiled softly. This might have been the first time she had ever seen Hugo- no, Arafien- do something truly genuine. Then, as if that shock wasn't enough, she watched Nexetra make her way to the other side of Saara's podium, clearing her throat before she began to speak in a powerful voice that was obviously accustomed to yelling over the chaos of a Djareny legion. 

"My sister," Nexetra began. "The boy is right. He is the Emperor. Surely he can overturn a law that you broke for the noblest of purposes? I looked forward to rebuilding what we have destroyed with you by my side... will that remain but a childhood dream?"  

"My time here is over," Saara sighed. "I have served as Prime Minister of Homina for twenty years, and I am not getting any younger. I believe now is the most appropriate moment for me to pass on the torch. Nexetra, Arafien, the task set before you is monumental. You may be committed to ending the rift between our peoples once and for all, but divisions that have festered for nearly a century will not dissipate overnight. You will fight rebellion, people who claim you are traitors for working together, but you must persevere. You must not let hatred win." 

After a long pause, Arafien uttered the first response to this proposition. "But... what will you do, Prime Minister Remy?" 

"Oh," Saara chuckled. "I will finally do something my husband has been telling me to do for years. I will rest."

.................

What did you guys think of Imperial Orders and the ending? I'm very proud of myself for finishing the first draft- it took me exactly a year, which is my shortest time for finishing a book yet! Maybe Games of Chance will beat that? We'll just have to see...

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