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.

What is the worst thing about ruling the Gragiyan Empire?

Well, understanding the needs of my people can be a challenge sometimes. For example, the military region of Arhia is a formally independent province with its own laws, unique traditions and customs. Traveling there and dealing with the Arhian members of my court and their senators on the High Council, has made me aware of just how different they are compared to the people from the heartland other provinces. Military service is obligatory for all the men in that region. And although several of their noble families are members of my court, only the head of their army, the Lord General holds the top ranking position on my High Council. It’s a patriarchal society where the women are treated as second rate citizens and they are extremely weary of foreigners.

What did Your Highness first think when you met Ducissa Skaraila?

The first time I met Skaraila, or Darhija, my orchid as I prefer to call her, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She’s beautiful. There has been many women in my life but I’ve never met anyone like her. It’s a shame that I didn’t get to meet her earlier. She has been a Ducissa for years, yet for some reason she never attended any of the gatherings at my court. Perhaps it’s because her late husband, Dux Kazi was an old man when he married her and his declining health meant that he stopped attending the parties at my palace. Skaraila refused to go without him. It was only after his death that she finally accepted my invitation.

And was Skaraila aware of Your Highness’ reputation when you met her? I’m referring the fact that you have multiple lovers in the past? How many has there been and what makes her so special?

Of course she knew. There’s so much gossip going on at my court and throughout Ifirium I would be surprised if she didn’t know. How many I have slept with? (he chuckles). A lot of people have asked me that. I’m not going give you a number but it’s definitely not as many as people say. There definitely hasn’t been hundreds. Anyway, most of them were the same, they fell into the category of what I would call “not much upstairs but what a staircase!” (he laughs again). You know the type; pretty and great in bed but ultimately rather dull company. Nothing like my dear Darhija. She’s unlike any woman I’ve met before. Not only is she beautiful but also extremely intelligent. She’s well versed in politics and keen to learn more about my reforms and architectural projects.

She sounds wonderful.

Indeed she is.

Could Your Highness tell us about your friends?

In addition to my advisor Ferision, my closest friend is my cousin Prince Hakoon, one of the younger brothers of King Erkyl of Misoa. He’s a few years younger than me and unlike Erkyl, who only sails out of Misoa on special occasions, Hakoon visits me often.

What’s Your Highness’ and favorite drink, color, and relaxing pastime?

My favorite drink is honey wine, my favorite colors are red and purple. When not busy with my duties, I like swimming, riding horses, spending time with Skaraila and entertaining my friends with riddles.

Riddles… Can you give us a riddle in that case?

I have no legs yet I can move faster than any living being. All travel through me yet I remain still. What am I?

Time.

Yes, and this has been lovely but now I’m afraid it’s time for me to leave.

Ok, one final question, can Your Highness share a secret with me, which you’ve never told anyone else?

My name is derived from the term ‘tiri’, meaning “path” in an ancient, now extinct Niralisian dialect. My father didn’t want to name me Vecatian III after himself. He told my mother wanted me to find my own path as Emperor instead of trying to be like him. This inspired her to name to me Tiriyanin.

Izabela “Iza” Raittila has been fan of fantasy, mythology and folklore ever since she was a child. She read J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Silmarillion’ during the coronavirus pandemic, which inspired her to write her debut book, the short stories anthology ‘The Stories They Told Their Children’. This and most of her stories including her newest work, the fantasy romance novella ‘Tiriyanin’s Riddles’ are set in a fictional continent known as the Gragiyan Empire, a mystical land similar to ancient Rome, where humans live among gods, elves and other mythical creatures. In addition to fantasy, she also enjoys reading Viking era historical fiction and Gothic horror. Her other hobbies include cycling, listening heavy metal music. She lives in Finland with her husband and two children.

You can find Tiriyanin on the pages of Tiriyanin’s Riddles.

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