Dear readers, tonight with us is Emperor Tiriyanin from the Gragiyan Empire, the ruler of an ancient land where humans live among gods, elves and other mythical beings. He’s here to tell us about his duties and the new woman in his life, his new mistress Ducissa Skaraila.
I’ve heard that Your Highness was born after the war with the northern kingdom of Misoa? Tell us a little was it like growing up at the imperial palace at that time?
Yes, I was born in the sixth year of my father’s reign, a year after he and King Arkon of Misoa signed the peace treaty, putting an end to a bloody war. Arkon married my aunt Princess Lorli as part of the peace agreement, and their union meant the start of friendship between our nations. I grew up at the palace in the capital city of Ifirium, in the province of Gragiya, the heartland of our empire. Though our nation was at peace, five years of fighting had wrecked our economy. Several of our major cities had sustained severe damage, some places were reduced to ruins. My father spent the rest of his reign establishing new trade deals with his brother-in-law and planning the reconstruction projects in each province with the High Council, with hopes of restoring our empire to its former glory.
Many of these projects consumed a lot of his time and I didn’t see much of him during the first few years of my life. I spent my early years at the imperial palace in Ifirium, where he entrusted a man named Ferision to be my advisor and mentor. His role was to oversee my education and training while my father focused on his duties. When not busy with my studies, sports and combat training, I would sit by my father’s side at official gatherings, listening to him address his court.
This was his way of preparing me for my role as Ifrey Prisis, a term for prince and heir to the throne in our language. I had a happy childhood with servants tending to my every need, a great mentor, a loving grandmother and parents. As I got older, my father would take me with him on tours across various parts of our continent. In addition to Gragiya, there are three provinces including the military region of Arhia, the mountains of Lavinium, which is only partially inhabited by our people. The tallest peaks near the volcano are home to the wild beasts and two Enai (elven) clans, the mountain and fire Enai, immortal servants of Lord Fiehri, the god of fire and volcanoes and his queen, the earth goddess Lady Lavinia. Beyond it lies the sparsely populated desert of Niralis, the only province I have yet to visit.
These trips made me realize just how vast our world is and the great responsibility that now rests on my shoulders as its leader.
Did Your Highness have any cherished memories as a child?
One of my favorite memories is listening to my father telling stories about his epic battles and adventures during the war with Misoa. I’m particularly fond of the one where he ended up stranded in the desolate desert province of Niralis. That’s where he met his desert rose, my mother Alya, a native Niralisian. Some aspects of Niralisian culture are still part of our daily life such as the tradition of drinking mint tea and eating latti after a meal.
What exactly is latti?
Latti is my favorite dessert, a pastry made of sesame, honey and cinnamon.
That sounds delicious.
Yes it is, though it’s not something you can have in large quantities.
Good to know. Moving on, tell us more about how Your Highness feels about your role as Emperor of the Gragiyan Empire? What’s the best thing about it?
Our fate lies in the hands of the gods. When Lord Makar, the god of death sent his ghastly shadow servants, the Morkrai for my father, I was proclaimed Ifresir (emperor in our tongue) and I swore to continue his legacy. Unlike my father, who spent the first part of his reign fighting a brutal war, thanks to his efforts I inherited the throne at a time of peace. Rebuilding our empire after the war was his life’s work. One of the best things about being Ifresir is that I have the opportunity to fulfill his dream and transform our nation into something magnificent. This is only my first year as Emperor and there’s a lot of work to be done. I have a team of architects ready to make my vision a reality and the High Council supports my ideas for the reforms.
Continue reading “Emperor Tiriyanin (of Tiriyanin’s Riddles, by Izabela Raittila)”
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