… Most consider the end of the Great Zarian War, signified by the Sacking of Lialcil, to be the turning point of this time. I would respectfully disagree and instead point to the wedding of Princess Inaris and Princess Tenira. At that time, the war was already effectively over, as evinced by Their Highnesses’ return to the Empire proper from the southern warfront. The wedding itself thus not only heralded and signified the Empire’s victory and ascension, it also constituted an important social event, which offered many prominent people the chance to converse for perhaps the first time, and even caused quite a few cultural misunderstandings and friction.

For an outsider, it might perhaps be hard to understand how such a short war, which scarcely lasted a few years, could be so drastic and meaningful for the Empire of the Sky that its end resulted in significant commotion and friction in its society. Yet this war fell into a time of turbulent, fast, and far-reaching changes in the Empire’s technological and social infrastructure. The Great Zarian War not only pushed new technology forward at a breakneck speed, it also catapulted the establishment of factories and mass production to wide-spread importance. The end of the war hardly caused these to disappear, but the demand for produced goods shifted quickly. Coupled with the unrest of the Strife of Ten Lords and Two Kings, it is a wonder that the disruption was not worse.

It is important to understand this in order to comprehend how the Imperial Princess acted and was regarded in the old Empire. Inaris the Great, who was then commonly called Inaris the Conqueror or the New Phoenix, was in one way or another responsible for most if not all of these circumstances. Although it is easy to see the connection between the war, the Empire’s conquests, and the profound changes of this time, few if any Imperials were displeased with it.

The Zarian had been a looming threat to the Empire’s south for a long time. Although I would contend that few people wanted to seriously acknowledge it, the effects of rising tensions and the threat of war could be felt in the years before their eventual attack. The Empire had enjoyed a long time of peace and had perhaps grown complacent, but distrust and dislike of their southern neighbors were deeply entrenched. One need only look at many literature and theater pieces of the time to see this. Often linked to the Zarieni raiders that occasionally plagued the south, the Zarian and their Dominion were enemies mothers might use to scare their children into behaving. They had been such for many generations.

And now this ancestral enemy was vanquished. This by itself would have caused a stir in Imperial culture. Princess Inaris, who was given most of the credit in the eyes of the common people, saw her already great popularity rise to even greater heights. While the war was technically fought under Regent Kiyanu’s auspices, he never did receive very much credit for it, despite his work to enable and support the Imperial war machine.

In many ways, the years after the war were a period of calming down and solidifying the accomplishments that had been reached. The greatest changes were, of course, experienced by the southern territories, which now had to be integrated into the Empire. This long and fraught process and its occasional headaches are covered sufficiently elsewhere. Several of my colleagues contend that the success of this effort is a more impressive accomplishment than a victory in war could ever be. I shall let the discerning reader draw their own conclusions, though I personally am not inclined to argue this point.

On the international stage, the Empire of the Sky had reached uncontested preeminence. Never before since the start of the Age of Colonization had a nation gained this much power compared to its neighbors. The Empire was now the largest country on Aran in terms of population, territory, and economical might, and while its military superiority might not have been accepted as easily by other nations, few of them wanted to test it. As the reader will well know, by the time other nations banded together for that purpose, they were too late.

After the wedding, the Imperial Princess herself rarely appeared in public. Indications are that she withdrew to focus on her private life and family to a greater extent, as well as working on her technical projects. With the singular exception of her wedding to Princess Yarani, which was of course also a grand public event, she avoided public spectacle.

Still, many of the inventions appearing in the years after the Great Zarian War bear her personal signature. There can be little doubt that the introduction of the camera, or the rapid progress in information technology, are due to her. Simultaneously, many new universities were founded and research into the sciences and the natural world achieved one noteworthy accomplishment after another, expanding the knowledge available to the people of the Empire greatly. These are well-known to be the Princess’ personal project, as well, and her obvious favor spurred many of the new Institutes.

Despite the new communications technologies, the Imperial family continued to value their privacy highly. They attempted to keep out of the public eye, and even the birth of her first child still —

“What are you reading?”

Startled, I closed the book and looked up. When I met Tenira’s gaze, I smiled. I was sitting on one of the upper terraces of the palace, enjoying a nice summer day. Apparently, I’d been too absorbed in my reading to notice her approach.

“’The Rise of Inaris the Great: Being an account and commentary of her early years’, by Aiki Lis, University of Riacis Press, 29 C.E.,” I recited in a dry tone.

Tenira chuckled. “Oh, really? That might seem a little pretentious, reading a treatise about your own accomplishments. Don’t you get enough adoration in your daily life?”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m just curious. Don’t tell me you don’t want to know how people think of you. Besides, I find it pretty amusing.”

She smiled and came closer. “So, is it any good?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it is a little pretentious. The way she talks about it, you’d think this all happened centuries ago,” I complained. “And by cultivator standards, even my early years have barely begun.”

Tenira shook her head, still smiling, but she didn’t say anything.

Just then, the sound of laughter drifted on the wind towards us, and I glanced at the lower courtyard. The younger kids were playing there, and I’d happened to choose a spot where I could see them clearly.

“I get the feeling our little boy is still trying too hard to prove himself,” Tenira commented quietly.

I watched for a moment as Rikilo tackled his older sister Acalis, who was barely moved by it. “He’ll manage,” I said confidently. “And soon.” I turned to Tenira and smiled. “Our son is too much like you to let anything hold him back for long.”

She shook her head, but smiled slightly. “I’m still a little in awe that I have a child sometimes, when I think about it,” she said. “I never would have thought so when I was younger.”

I laughed. “Well, I never thought I would have five children,” I replied. “Sometimes life just goes and does its own thing. At least they all grow up with loving parents.”

“And so many of them,” Tenira said, chuckling a little. She gave me a warm smile.

Even after all the years we’d been together, the love shining out of her eyes still made my heart skip a beat and my throat tighten. I carelessly put the book on a side table and turned to take her hand in mine.

“At least Tarilo is happy to have a little brother,” Tenira said. “And it’s not like we can get Iniris out of the lab with anything less than him or her littlest sister.”

I grinned. My oldest - whose name I’d let Yarani choose, unfortunately - was a lot like me. She was just able to spend more time in the lab and pursue her passion for science than I’d been able to, and there was no one to demand that she had to be crown princess and pressure her with it.

“I wonder what bloodline abilities they’ll show?” I mused. “Besides shapeshifting, obviously.”

“No way to know, and you’re right not to pressure them about it.”

I hummed in agreement, then stood up and put my arm around her waist. We fell silent and continued watching the kids. There was no more laughter, but they all appeared to have fun.

I had a small smile on my face, but didn’t bother to suppress it. It was a good day. With my family, most of them were.

Tejoka

And so it ends. It's a really weird feeling to have written the last words of this tale. Although I do, as I mentioned, intend to write a sequel eventually. These characters aren't finished with me yet.

Thank you for reading! And an especially big thanks to everyone who dropped a follow or favorite and especially to everyone who commented or wrote a review, and of course my supporters on Patreon. I don't think I would have managed to finish the story without my readers.

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If you liked my style, check out my new story, which I've just launched: Path of the Hive Queen. Also keep an eye out for my next story, which will hopefully start soon.

I hope you enjoyed the story. Stay safe and healthy, and happy new year! May it go better than the last two.