The Soldier and His King | 2gether AU

02 - A Brief History of Aria

The Kingdom of Aria was an empire of four clans united under one Emperor from the Guntithanon bloodline. The clans renewed their Blood Pact with every Emperor who ascended to the throne.

The Blood Pact could not be broken in the Emperor's lifetime. Doing so was punishable by death for the transgresser, and heavy penalties would be imposed on the entire clan.

Each clan had its own borders, was headed by a Chief, and an Ambassador to the capital to represent their interests at the Royal Court.

The rugged mountains to the North were home to the Vipers, skilled hunters and proud warriors. They were fair-skinned, tall and lean. Centuries of surviving in the harsh terrain made them hardy and weatherproof.

The grasslands to the East were occupied by the Rams, farmers who grew and supplied a vast majority of the empire's meat and grains. They were short and swarthy of complexion, strong as oxen. They were not shy of manual labour and could improvise tools out of anything.

The sea lay to the West, the islands and coastline zealously guarded by the Rays. They were merchants who travelled across the world and sailed across the seas. They established flourishing trade routes throughout the empire and beyond with neighbouring kingdoms. To protect their turf, they trained their own army who also served as mercenaries for hire. Scrappy hustlers with a zest for life, the Rays were known to be tough negotiators.

The desert spread everywhere else, from just beyond the rocky valleys in the north and the scrub bushes at the edge of the grasslands, to the sandy beaches and inland endlessly.

In the South, amidst the sandy desert, lived the Scorpion clan. Tall, dark and bloodthirsty, this clan was feared as much as it was respected for producing some of the best fighters in the empire. The Scorpions were loyal to their clan first and to the emperor second. They were nomads who chose to settle among the dunes when their numbers dwindled from hunger and thirst.

At the very centre of the empire, on an oasis in the middle of the desert, stood the capital city, Margossa, the seat of the Emperor and his Court. The Guntithanon bloodline had been the founding family of the Aria empire five hundred years ago, uniting the warring clans under a single banner for the common good.

They were fearless fighters, generous in the distribution of their own wealth and gains among the clans and fair in their governance of the land. They were also blessed with extraordinary strength, naturally long lives and an uncommon immunity to diseases.

Over fifty years ago, King Vachirawit became the thirteenth Emperor of Aria at the age of twenty two. His ascension brought an era of prosperity to the kingdom. He was progressive and pragmatic, settling long-standing disputes between the clans and establishing mutually beneficial treaties with neighbouring kingdoms.

His reign saw a rapid progress in technology and trade, which made Aria one of the richest kingdoms.

Jealous neighbours tried to sow seeds of dissent among the clans, but the clans stood by their fealty to King Vachirawit. Assassination attempts were made and thwarted with alarming regularity.

The Kingdom of Helsa to the northeast grew particularly hostile, their inept king threatened by King Vachirawit's growing popularity among his own people, the Helsans, and his sound governance held up as an example.

King Vachirawit was a warrior. He challenged the Helsa kingdom to a war, and won comprehensively. Instead of taking over their lands or demanding levies to be paid to Aria, he asked only for an abiding peace treaty to be signed by their king.

This further sealed the respect and love that King Vachirawit commanded from not only his own people, but the people of Helsa as well. Their king, on the other hand, grew increasingly desperate.

Unlike his father, Crown Prince Benjamin Guntithanon was a scholar. The libraries were his battlefield, a wide array of knowledge his weapon and translating ancient scrolls and reams of literature his victories.

As per tradition, the King of Aria would take one or more Queens from among the clans. It was as much a political alliance as it was a personal one.

The Crown Prince was slated to marry the First Daughter of the Scorpion clan, but he fell in love with a visiting scholar from the far away lands of Persil. He was a simple man with no ambitions of becoming the Emperor.

And so it happened that in his twenty-fifth year of reign, King Vachirawit was presented with a dilemma. It was a sad and shocking day for him when his only son asked for his father's permission to give up his claim to the throne of Aria, in exchange for marrying the Persilan scholar, Mel.

King Vachirawit was unhappy and a little ashamed but practical enough to recognize the lack of ambition and will in his son that was needed to steer the empire.

He allowed Benjamin to abdicate the throne with the promise that his first-born would be raised by King Vachirawit himself, as the heir to the throne.

In all this, however, the alliance between the Royal Family and the Scorpions was broken. The Scorpions took it as an affront to their clan. The Blood Oath was the only thread that held them to the empire and to the King. But a gaping rift and simmering hostility set in between the Scorpion clan and the Royal Family of the Guntithanon bloodline.

King Vachirawit recognized the gravity of the situation. He sent Prince Benjamin and his wife to Persil, away from the way of harm.

*

Two years later, a healthy, active, chubby baby boy was brought to Margossa by a gypsy caravan of travelling performers.

Under the cloak of darkness and complete secrecy, the gypsy chief handed the baby, swaddled in rags, to a tall, hooded figure.

"His name is Sarawat. He was born under the War Planet, Mars. His mother died giving birth to him, and his father withdrew from the world upon her death. Before he gave up the worldly life and joined a monastery, he handed the child to me, with instructions to bring him to you. Here is the child's deed of birth from the Chief Record Keeper of Persil. This is the only copy that exists", said the gypsy chief, reaching into her ample bosom to withdraw a scroll.

"He is an extraordinary child. I have never seen a quieter baby. I don't think I have heard him cry yet. We passed some rough lands on our way here, and he weathered the journey remarkably well. He didn't get sick once, even when a pox spread through our caravan and all other children took ill. He is strong like the Sarawat mountains in Persil. That is where his name comes from. He is destined for great things, your highness" she said, her eyes brimming with tears as she handed over the squirming bundle to King Vachirawit.

He unrolled the scroll to read the words grimly. Benjamin Guntithanon and Melanie Guntithanon were listed as the parents of Sarawat Guntithanon, notarized by the seal of the Chief Record Keeper of Persil.

The King mourned the loss his son had suffered at such a young age.

His grandson looked at him with round, sparkling eyes, his pink lips forming a coo, his chubby arms reaching out to pull his beard. The moonlight softly caressed the baby's features, making him glow warmly.

The King's eyes, cold as chips of ice, softened at the sight. Sarawat would be a worthy heir.

"You will be well rewarded for your service and loyalty, Chief Pim. You've been a good friend to Aria and to me. You've not just brought me my grandson, you've brought the future of the empire with you. I will remain indebted to you" said the King, his emotions threatening to reveal themselves in a slight tremor in his voice.

Chief Pim shook her head, "The honour is mine, your highness. I hope I live to see the day that the little Prince becomes the Emperor" she said, with folded hands and sent a prayer to the dieties.

King Vachirawit held his grandson up to the starry sky.

Sarawat Guntithanon, the heir to the empire, was home.