Emperor - Short Story

I felt the sun on my face. Still under the impression of the dream that I dreamed the previous night, I opened my eyes. All this confusion that was going on in the dream gave me a strong impression, I had the feeling that it really happened. My father is dead, and now I am a Emperor. The proclamation of me, the new ruler and the ceremony of crowning was speeded out only a few days after my father's death. All this under the pretense that it is important for us, we must have the ruler as soon as possible because the people will rebel because there are so many various factions of enslaved peoples within the Empire. What a crazy dream. Why did this even come to my mind?

The dreamy eyes first covered the scene of my sword standing in the back of my bed. My sword, what's he gonna do here? He was always standing in the wardrobe near my room. I looked out at the window and saw the crown, the crown, and a magnificent green color cloak, my father's cloak, beside her. What? Wait, what?

The perception struck me like lightning. None of this was a dream, everything happened the night before. The father was dead, killed in the ambush while he was visiting the garrisons stationed in the northern cities. I'm Emperor now, but I was not ready yet. I did not even want to be, I'm not even sure if I ever wanted to. But the duty was mine. I did not have brothers or sisters. Only me, even my mother died three years ago in that strange epidemic of the disease that took more than a third of the population. Oh, I was not really alone, there were too many people, but in fact I did not have anyone close to me. The only person who really knows me is my old tutor. That old wizard-killer was the only person with whom I could speak openly. He has always been a true subject to my father, maybe I can expect the same for me.

Many factions existed in the Governor's Council, which consisted of thirty people from all parts of the empire or at least their official representatives. They were all evil, and of course they wanted benefits only for themselves and no one else. Even the needs of their peoples or tribes were not their priority. And all those advisers left by my father in heritage, they may be worse than those Governors. Snake, all of them. They wanted only power, and they were barely able to wait for me to be a Emperor, in order to achieve their hidden desires. They considered me less valuable and incompetent for the duty now on my shoulders. They wanted to use me. The point was that I was not even sure that I was ready for an infinite task and that legacy that was left to me.

There are many problems, of course. Because it is impossible to manage such a large territory from one center of power. Rebellions, border battles, a certain nobleman who wants more power than he can hold to, and so on, in the indefinite, problems.

Okay, it's all true and now there is not going back. I have to serve an important goal. All my wanderings in the late night hours, the trips that took me several months in which I was not present at the court, all of this ends for me now. Every move will be carefully monitored and they will all be waiting for the slightest mistake they can use for their own needs. My father always said that we must trust ourselves only. At the same time, I must allow them to have a part of the power, because it will prevent them from acting openly against me. I have to keep it like a sand in my hand, if you tighten too much fist all the sand will leak, also if the hand is too loose. I need to find a balance, because it is impossible to keep a territory that can not be overcome even within a month of ride with a horse from the border to the border, to keep it in power.

I was only seventeen and none of me expected anything. But I had the education I needed to rule, I just had no experience. I did not even manage to Manage the Province, because this task was in the training plan I was going through. Too bad, but I'll fight. What I thought was in favor of me was that I liked to learn and often after regular lessons, I stayed up late to learn stuck in the library. I was impressed by history, all of these wars and tactics of the great conquering geniuses. And other people's culture, custom and way of life. There were many, only on our continent there were more than ten nations.

The trouble was that my father was one of the greatest military leaders in history and a real military genius. None of me expected even similar ability, but only because none of them knew me. Surprised, how they will be surprised. Regardless of all this, he was a great conqueror and many territories were conquered and attached to our Empire in the early days of his reign. I did not have the ambition to further expand our borders, I think that I will even have big problems just to maintain those existing ones.

I got up out of bed, dressed and put on a cloak. Then again I felt the full weight of my future life. This day will be longer than any before him in my life.

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