《The Forgotten Emperor》


 Chapter One: Reborn

    Hidden by the darkness of night, in a castle room on the highest tower, a man stumbles to the ground, blood dripping onto the marble floor from the gaping wound in his chest. A bejeweled dagger impaled into his chest, a 12-year-old girl stands over the dying man. The girl had a panicked look on her face, as she looked up from her bloody hands down to the man she had once considered something of a father figure. His crystal blue eyes met her''s and she felt a cold chill run down the back of her spine. The former Emperor coughed up blood and stared sadly at his beloved niece. Ana, he could see the changes taking place within her. He knew this was going to happen, that telling her the truth would break her.


    The young girl ¡¯s green eyes that once were filled with life, turned cold and distant. Slowly she walked forward and kicked his bleeding body.


    " Stand up." She said. When he didn''t her face contorted into anger.


    " I said STAND UP!!" She yelled, grabbing a piece of fallen glass and throwing it at him. The broken shard cut his cheek, and like a tear, a trail of blood traced down his face, falling into the pool of blood forming under him. Ana knelt next to him, grabbing his collar and shaking him.


    "WHY?! Why did you kill them!? How could you do this to me!?!" she yelled at him. She was crying now, screaming and begging the only family she had ever known for answers.


    The pain was clouding the Emperor''s mind and he could no longer speak. Slowly he raised his hand and wiped the tears away from her pale cheek. He tried to communicate with his eyes, his regret, his sorrow, his love, and despair. Loud footsteps could be heard from behind the oak door.


    The man''s body went limp and Ana thew herself over him, sobbing as she clutched his shirt. Guards entered the room and rushed to help the princess and Emperor. But by the time they got there, it was too late. His heart had stopped. The Empire would have their first Emprises, and all throughout the land people would mourn the loss of their great ruler.


    A Ruler that conquered kingdoms and built an empire. A man second to none in battle. Respected and feared throughout the land, an Emperor that could rival a god in power.......was dead. The reign of Empires Ana had been born. She would be a strong and fair ruler but not ignorant or naive. For she had been betrayed and hurt, and her heartbreak would never truly leave her and she would lead this Empire into another era.


    And all had gone according to his plan.


    ~ In the darkness~Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    There is no light, the gates of heaven do not open as was promised. Instead, there is only darkness. Warm, comforting darkness that wraps around me, like a blanket. Its apostrophe was oddly peaceful and I find myself drifting through the void, without a care in the world. Until I''m ripped from the darkness and into the light. I cry out as new smells and sounds assault my senses. Apart from the blinding white, I can see blood around me and figures moving. I try and discern my surroundings, calming myself and letting my eyes adjust to the light. I see a woman, with dark black hair, and grey eyes, she smiles at me and it''s like the world has been lighting up all over again.


    " Maria, would you fetch Thorizane, tell him to bring Alaster and meet the new addition to our family."


    The woman says. I could understand the words she spoke, but the language was entirely unfamiliar. I remembered faintly of sitting in a wooden shed, lying down on a hard cot, as an old woman stood over me. Her eyes glowing gold as she chanted a spell, figures etching themselves in the air in front of her outstretched arms. It had been one of the many runes I had engraved on my body and soul. This one had been a language rune. I guess since I had my memory ? then my soul must have just been transferred to a different body. A very tiny one at that.


    But, wait! What did she say!!! NO! NO! NO! I was supposed to die, whatever happened to let the dead rest in peace. Who''s the sick god that decided to reincarnate me? All the lies, preparation, all the pain....had it all been for nothing?!?!


    A cool hand cradle''s my cheek and I realize I had been screaming. Newborn or not, this was not how a king was supposed to act, composing myself I stopped my cries and looked once more at the world around me.


    Suddenly, the door to the room burst open and a large man ran in.


    OH GOD, HE''S SCARY!


    The monster towered over us. He was tall with a muscular build and scruffy blond hair. His deep purple eyes stared down at me, sparkling with pride. My mother lifts me toward the great beast of a man and his large arms practically engulf my small body. My father waggles his figure in front of my eyes and for some reason; it seems to be the most fascinating thing and I reach out my chubby little baby hands and cling onto the finger. Movement catches my eye as a small boy moves forward behind the imposing figure of my father.


    He looks around 8 years old. He has his father''s blond hair and his mothers grey eyes. His small body was toned, from training and exercise. I wonder if I was born into a military family, overall I''d be happy if my new family took a basic interested in fighting and self-defense.


    " Alaster, meet your new baby brother" My father calls out. As the boy approached me.


    With a joyous laugh, my father leans down eye level with my brother and showed my tiny form to the cautious boy. Alastor looked at me. I certainly didn''t want some sort of sibling rivalry. First impressions were important, so I put on my most innocent smile and giggled reaching out toward the boy. A small smile appeared on my older brothers face and he takes me from my father''s arms cradling me as he walks toward my bedridden mother.


    " What''s his name?" Alaster asked. Good question, it better be a nice name. I will not be reborn as a David or Harry or God forbid a Lenard. His mother pondered for a moment and then peered down at her newborn child. Her eyes lit up and she spoke, softly his new name.


    " Ruwan. The Shining one. "

 Chapter 2: The Old and the New.

    For the 11 months, my mother bathed, clothed and fed me. My father bounced me on his lap as he told me stories of his time as an adventurer. My brother would often visit me and play with me. And it was the most foreign thing I ever experience.


    For one to truly understand why this is, you would have to understand the kind of family I had in my previous life. There were twelve of us in a total of six boys and six girls. Unlike most kingdoms, the crown did not fall to the firstborn. Instead, the throne went to the one proved to be the most worthy. Or as many of my siblings interrupted it, to the one still living.


    Survival of the fittest and all that.


    It was not uncommon, for one royal to plan an assassination on another. One time, when I was seven my sister took me outside the palace. We passed a clear stream down the path. She convinced me to go down to the stream and check the water for any fish. But when I bent down over the water, she had pushed my head into the water and attempted to drown me. Luckily one of my personal guards had followed us and managed to save me. That guard had mysteriously vanished a day later. I wish I could say that was the last time that one of my brothers or sisters tried to kill me. But alas I''ve never been a very good liar.


    My Mother and Father avoided there children like the plague, leave them to be raised by the servants and soldiers. There wasn''t much love in our household. When I was sixteen I escaped to the military. I started out as a soldier, then worked my way up to the commander and at one point I was even given the title General.


    I wasn''t the only one to try to find a way to escape the power grab. The twins, Risia and Reemus became assassins. They severed all attachments they had with the royal family and disappeared into the Syreena Desert. My second brother also escaped through the army, but on an assignment, he met a commoner woman and fell in love. When Ava was born he renounced his title and relinquished all power he might have posed as a prince. But their efforts hadn''t really mattered in the end. Out of the twelve children I had been the last one left. Until I had died, that is.


    Now, one might be able to see how such love from my new family might be a little strange. Not to say I didn''t enjoy it.


    I found my new body quite uncooperative. I was incapable of many basic movements and I wasn''t able to keep many complicated thoughts in my head at once without getting distr- OH what''s that shiny thing in the door!?!


    I forced my tiny body to crawl toward the thing and slip through the crack in the door. I really wanted to know what the shiny thing was.


    It was, in fact, a large floor length mirror. I was caught off guard by what I saw in the reflection. In the mirror, I saw a small from with pale skin and a small sweet face with soft features. Bright violet eyes peered into the mirror. Dark wisps of black hair sprouted from atop the baby''s head. This baby was me.


    I''M FREAKING ADORABLE!!!!


    In the reflection was the cutest darn baby I have ever seen. I laughed in excitement, but it came out a small giggle. The innocent sound made me laugh even harder. My mother must have heard me because she then entered the room and smiled and she scooped me up into her arms. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Looking over the numerous amount of books, she plucked one from the shelf. It was a small children''s book. I listened carefully as she read from the book.


    When I was 16, a wise but paranoid old man. When he¡¯d dragged me to an old acquaintance of his, I had firmly believed the guy had finally cracked. Inscribing runes on one''s flesh was already a risky and almost illegal business. Inscribing them on a soul was¡­..indescribably dangerous. But I¡¯d done it and had gained many abilities from it, which had given me a powerful edge on my siblings.


    I¡¯d gained the ability to learn a language so quick it was almost instantaneous. But I¡¯d had to learn to read and write the language like any other person, though my learning was speeding up. My healing was also faster than a normal human. There were a couple others, but I couldn¡¯t exactly remember what the old guy had said. I didn¡¯t want to kill my siblings. I didn¡¯t want the throne...I just wanted to live. But I had never been given that freedom.¡¯


    My mother''s warm arms hold me as she reads about a princess that befriended a dragon. But wasn¡¯t I given that chance now?


    A laugh bubbled happily from my small mouth and I clapped my hands. My mother looked down at me, her eyes shining.


    ¡°Oh, my sweet baby boy. Do you want to see a dragon?¡±


    I nod my head.


    ¡° A dragon?¡± My dad pokes his head through the door and walks into the room. Terror fills me as he picks my small body up into the air twirls me around. I get that this is supposed to be super cute and all, but I feel like I¡¯m gonna throw up. Somehow sensing my stress my mother comes to my rescue. Snatching me from my beastly father''s arms she gives him a peck on the cheek. My brother comes into the room. Honestly! How do they find each other so quickly? It¡¯s not like our house is small!!!


    My mother gives me off to Alaster. It¡¯s like a game of hot potato, only hot BABY!


    ¡° Why don¡¯t you read a bit to Ruwan, and while you wait for your tutor?¡± Mother said. Alaster smiles down at me. Mother and Father leave the room, staring into each other''s eyes like newlyweds. My brother looks down at me unsure of what to do. I wiggle around and he sets me on the ground gently I evidently start crawling. Toward the book, my mother had abandoned. I flip through the pages studying the characters.


    ¡° You sure like reading don''t you?¡± Alaster says watching me. I laugh in response. He comes closer to me and stares as I trace the figures with my hands. After a while, a knock sounds on the door and a woman enters. She has graying brown hair tied up in a tight bun and narrow hawk-like features. Her small eyes zero in on us and Alaster jumps to his feet. He makes a formal bow and says.


    ¡° Greetings, Mistress Hart.¡± The woman gives a curt nod in response but her eyes stay on me.


    ¡° I see we are entertaining a guest this lesson.¡± Noticing the direction of her gaze Alaster quickly scoops me back up and says.


    ¡° This is my little brother Ruwan.¡± The woman waves her hand at one of the chairs dismissively.


    ¡° My lessons are no place for a baby, take him to his room.¡± As Alaster begins to move toward the door I begin to panic. I knew Alaster was getting tutored in swordsmanship, economics, mathematics and battle strategies along with other subjects. I knew that my family held some form of importance and wealth to be able to afford such education and I also knew that they would not consider giving me such lessons until I was older. But I was impatient to know more about this world. I needed to stay with Alaster.


    I flailed my arms and cried. My brother looked down at me concerned. This was the first time hed seen me throw such a fit. Unsure of what to do he set me back down next to my book. I immediately stopped crying. Alaster looked back at his tutor, questioningly. The woman glared at me for a moment and then sat down on one of the armchairs. Motioning for Alaster to sit across from him. Alaster did as told and for the next 2 hours, I listened as Mistress Hart tutored him.