The Empire's Demise

G~ 12:27 PM 0

There once was an empire, resplendent yet rotten to the core. It was hardly an empire at all, but more of a loose confederation of states each wielding a various degrees of power and all vying for control and influence.

The empire was held together by the sheer force of will on an indomitable emperor. He was cold and cruel, given to arbitrary decisions and even wild dreams. His rule was absolute and the states chaffed under his restrictions.

This reign was not to last forever, the states constantly wore on his health and in time his strength began to fail him. The states realizing his weakness pushed the limits of their power even more. They longed to be free of the imperial yoke.

The day came when the emperor called all the states to him in his last moments. He spoke words of kindness that they had never heard before. The words were unexpected and strangely not well received as the states did not believe in his sincerity. Worse, still the emperor named his empress to rule after his following.

The empress was a shadow of a woman that was rumored to be mad. She was avoided and remained a distant part of the court, marginalized and ignored. Even the emperor paid her little attention and forced into the background.

It was a shame really as the empress had come from an illustrious background. She had been beautiful in her youth and remarkable in her knowledge, grace and elegance. It had been the perfect match and the wedding of the century. The two seemed destined for each other, but all that seemed perfect was not.

In the end, the empress was very much so diminished in her own mind as well as in the eyes of the states. However, given the opportunity she took up the mantle that the emperor had left behind. She strove desperately to hang on to the power which she had long desperately craved.

Her undoing though came in the form of an unlikely friend. This friend was charming and mysterious. She lured the empress's ear with words of comfort and support during their time of need. The empress already dealing with great unpopularity from the states' perception, introduced another wildly unpopular figure.

Her new friend, become adviser, was hated and reviled in most circles. The states learning of this quickly threw even greater opposition to the empress. Instead of having her replaced, the states all sought greater autonomy. The end goal was full independence from the empire.

The empress fought back against the states in their treacherous desire. However, as she fought her foundation was continually undermined by her new adviser. She started to rely heavily on her, and soon completely tuned out the states that were her supporters or at the very least not her enemies. They gradually faded away and joined the faction for independence.

Everything soon came to a head, with the empress on one side and the states on the other. The empress looked around and realized that she was all alone. She had given almost everything to her new adviser, but in the end she had been abandoned. Alone, and dispirited the empress refused to give any quarter. The states all left her, so in the end she sat alone on a throne of stone with no subjects.

The empress sat alone with no subjects, and the states soon started to fight among themselves. They all soon fell into ruin as outside forces snapped up their lands one by one. They had failed to realize that together they were strong and divided they were weak.

The empress sat alone on a throne of stone with no subjects, lamenting the demise of the once mighty empire.