And onto the part... this part is best read while listening to the Imperial March from Star Wars Episode V. If you can, read it while listening to it. If you can't, shame on you for not having the soundtrack for the Imperial March. And if you want to hear more about the main villain of the series, I plan on writing a good bit about him in Book II: The Northlands. (See here, I just came up with the name for Book I a couple posts ago, and I already know the name for Book II...)
Part XXIX: Emperor Jaigran
Date: Amanela 12th, 114 A.U.
“All Hail Emperor Jaigran, Duke of the Upper Skies, Lord of the Lower Earth, First of the Supreme Elves, Highest of the Flyers, General of the Imperial Army, Emperor of Arquenia!” the herald called out, and all those present in the throne room fell to their knees to bow down to Emperor Jaigran of the elves, all except the two erect rebel elves, who only stood the taller. Before them, Emperor Jaigran sat upon his throne, two pure white wings bursting out behind him.
Flyte genes ran throughout the elven race, and one to two out of every thousand elves was gifted with wings, which began to grow when they were three, and came to fruition when an elf came of age at ten. They then stayed with the elf the whole life before withering, decaying, and falling off around the age of forty five, which was shortly before when an elf generally died of old age. Emperor Jaigran was an exception to this rule, having already lived nearly one hundred and fifty years and still showing no signs of old age. Many rumors abounded to why he had not yet died, but it was clear that he wasn’t planning on dying anytime soon.
Emperor Jaigran rose from his white ivory throne and slowly strode forward. He was small for an elf, being only four feet high and thus a dwarf to the usual-seven foot elves. However, his size did nothing to lessen his intimidating presence. As he walked down the aisle toward the two chained rebels, elves and orcs moved to the side, not wishing to be anywhere close to him. They had all heard stories of his rage.
“So,” Emperor Jaigran said as he strode forward. “You would not bow down to your Lord and Emperor?”
“I would never bow to one as murderous as you until I lost complete sense of my body,” the male elf spat, although Emperor Jaigran noticed a twinge in his eyes. Emperor Jaigran noticed many things.
“Have not my men worked on you throughout the night?” Emperor Jaigran asked, seeing the bags under their eyes. “Tell me, do you really want to endure that again?” Both elves subconsciously winced, and fear was evident upon their faces.
“We got much information from these two rebels,” Unyihi Garum said in a gravelly voice. “By the time we were done with them, information was spewing out of their mouths to keep their wretched skin untouched by our methods.”
Emperor Jaigran noted the shame on their faces and laughed. “Come now,” he said. “There is no point in denying the fact that you fell to it. What shame is there in telling the truth when all your companions have been destroyed? Your cause is hopeless and your lives are in the palm of my hand.”
“You can break our bodies, but you can’t break our spirits,” the female elf said softly.
“Can I not?” Emperor Jaigran asked. “If you spoke the truth, then why did you give in to our torture? Your words may speak one thing, but your actions speak another.” He laughed and put his hand on the female elf’s chin, despite her struggling. “What is your name?”
When she refused to speak, Unyihi Garum answered. “Her name is Cortna, zar,” he said.
“Cortna,” Emperor Jaigran said, a touch of honey flowing from his soft-speaking lips. His voice was soft, even though the words he spake were not. “I could break you, do you know that?” Cortna averted her gaze. “Ah yes,” he continued firmly. “I could break your body and spirit so that you were in total subjection to me. You could not resist it. I could make you so that you no longer knew what reality was. Do you think you could resist it? Of all the people I have tried it on, only one woman resisted it, a past companion by the name of Astrid, and she was unusual.”
Emperor Jaigran watched her eyes. “Do you wonder that I admit my one defeat?” he asked. “It would appear that you think me as a lying scoundrel. But that is untrue. Truth is the one thing that keeps the world alive. Truth reigns supreme under my domain, and while I speak with you, I will not lie, and neither will you, unless you want your skin flayed and bloodied. Tell me, Cortna, do you want to be broken?”
A slow tear trickled out of Cortna’s closed eyes, and she did not answer.
“Swear allegiance to me,” Emperor Jaigran said. “Or I will first slowly deal with your friend here, and then I will deal with you. I will break your spirit if you do not relent.”
A sob burst out from Cortna’s throat and then she began to weep. She made as if to collapse, but the guards on either side of her held her up.
“Already you have lost your resolute spirit,” Emperor Jaigran softly murmured. “What is the point of this prolonging agony? Swear allegiance to my name!” He turned to her companion. “And what of you? Will you follow the same fate as her?”
The elf kept a stoic face. “You claim to want truth above all else,” he said firmly. “And yet you threaten to make it so that we know no truth by threatening to cause us to no longer know what is reality. But you underestimate us, elf. We are the same kind as you, and we are the same with our brethren down on the earth, and even with these orcs, who you secretly treat as underlings. We are not the Master Race, and you are the lowest creature ever to be born, and to the dust will you die with a wretched death.”
Emperor Jaigran smiled. “Really,” he said. “Your confidence betrays you. If you have not already in the night’s ordeal, you will be recanting your words quicker than your mouth can move.” He turned to Cortna. “Well?” he asked. “Swear allegiance, or think about the methods that you experienced last night. And play them in your mind again, but seven times worse, and done to your companion before your eyes. What will it be?”
Cortna sobbed and slowly looked up, tears falling down her face and trickling down. Another sob escaped her mouth and she spoke. “I…” she said, and then she began to further sob as Emperor Jaigran and all of his men watched. Behind Jaigran, some elves laughed mockingly.
“I swear allegiance,” Cortna softly whispered.
“Louder,” Emperor Jaigran commanded. “And fully.”
“I swear allegiance to Emperor Jaigran,” Cortna said louder, as tears trickled down her face. “Duke of the Upper Skies, Lord of the Lower Earth, First of the Supreme Elves, Highest of the Flyers, General of the Imperial Army, Emperor of Arquenia; I swear allegiance and bend my mind, my spirit, and my full being to his one and supreme will, this I swear.”
There was silence before Emperor Jaigran spoke. “Well done,” he softly said. “But not good enough. Ah yes, I can see your face, and I can see through your eyes, those twin gateways to the mind. There is yet resistance in you, is there not?” He paused. “Guards!” he yelled. “Take the two of them back into the doctoring cells. I care not for the life of the male elf. Use him to break her completely and totally to my will. And when she is broken, bring her back to me. Thus saith the Emperor.”
Question of the Week:Which literary character does Emperor Jaigran most remind you of?
Part XXIX: Emperor Jaigran
Date: Amanela 12th, 114 A.U.
“All Hail Emperor Jaigran, Duke of the Upper Skies, Lord of the Lower Earth, First of the Supreme Elves, Highest of the Flyers, General of the Imperial Army, Emperor of Arquenia!” the herald called out, and all those present in the throne room fell to their knees to bow down to Emperor Jaigran of the elves, all except the two erect rebel elves, who only stood the taller. Before them, Emperor Jaigran sat upon his throne, two pure white wings bursting out behind him.
Flyte genes ran throughout the elven race, and one to two out of every thousand elves was gifted with wings, which began to grow when they were three, and came to fruition when an elf came of age at ten. They then stayed with the elf the whole life before withering, decaying, and falling off around the age of forty five, which was shortly before when an elf generally died of old age. Emperor Jaigran was an exception to this rule, having already lived nearly one hundred and fifty years and still showing no signs of old age. Many rumors abounded to why he had not yet died, but it was clear that he wasn’t planning on dying anytime soon.
Emperor Jaigran rose from his white ivory throne and slowly strode forward. He was small for an elf, being only four feet high and thus a dwarf to the usual-seven foot elves. However, his size did nothing to lessen his intimidating presence. As he walked down the aisle toward the two chained rebels, elves and orcs moved to the side, not wishing to be anywhere close to him. They had all heard stories of his rage.
“So,” Emperor Jaigran said as he strode forward. “You would not bow down to your Lord and Emperor?”
“I would never bow to one as murderous as you until I lost complete sense of my body,” the male elf spat, although Emperor Jaigran noticed a twinge in his eyes. Emperor Jaigran noticed many things.
“Have not my men worked on you throughout the night?” Emperor Jaigran asked, seeing the bags under their eyes. “Tell me, do you really want to endure that again?” Both elves subconsciously winced, and fear was evident upon their faces.
“We got much information from these two rebels,” Unyihi Garum said in a gravelly voice. “By the time we were done with them, information was spewing out of their mouths to keep their wretched skin untouched by our methods.”
Emperor Jaigran noted the shame on their faces and laughed. “Come now,” he said. “There is no point in denying the fact that you fell to it. What shame is there in telling the truth when all your companions have been destroyed? Your cause is hopeless and your lives are in the palm of my hand.”
“You can break our bodies, but you can’t break our spirits,” the female elf said softly.
“Can I not?” Emperor Jaigran asked. “If you spoke the truth, then why did you give in to our torture? Your words may speak one thing, but your actions speak another.” He laughed and put his hand on the female elf’s chin, despite her struggling. “What is your name?”
When she refused to speak, Unyihi Garum answered. “Her name is Cortna, zar,” he said.
“Cortna,” Emperor Jaigran said, a touch of honey flowing from his soft-speaking lips. His voice was soft, even though the words he spake were not. “I could break you, do you know that?” Cortna averted her gaze. “Ah yes,” he continued firmly. “I could break your body and spirit so that you were in total subjection to me. You could not resist it. I could make you so that you no longer knew what reality was. Do you think you could resist it? Of all the people I have tried it on, only one woman resisted it, a past companion by the name of Astrid, and she was unusual.”
Emperor Jaigran watched her eyes. “Do you wonder that I admit my one defeat?” he asked. “It would appear that you think me as a lying scoundrel. But that is untrue. Truth is the one thing that keeps the world alive. Truth reigns supreme under my domain, and while I speak with you, I will not lie, and neither will you, unless you want your skin flayed and bloodied. Tell me, Cortna, do you want to be broken?”
A slow tear trickled out of Cortna’s closed eyes, and she did not answer.
“Swear allegiance to me,” Emperor Jaigran said. “Or I will first slowly deal with your friend here, and then I will deal with you. I will break your spirit if you do not relent.”
A sob burst out from Cortna’s throat and then she began to weep. She made as if to collapse, but the guards on either side of her held her up.
“Already you have lost your resolute spirit,” Emperor Jaigran softly murmured. “What is the point of this prolonging agony? Swear allegiance to my name!” He turned to her companion. “And what of you? Will you follow the same fate as her?”
The elf kept a stoic face. “You claim to want truth above all else,” he said firmly. “And yet you threaten to make it so that we know no truth by threatening to cause us to no longer know what is reality. But you underestimate us, elf. We are the same kind as you, and we are the same with our brethren down on the earth, and even with these orcs, who you secretly treat as underlings. We are not the Master Race, and you are the lowest creature ever to be born, and to the dust will you die with a wretched death.”
Emperor Jaigran smiled. “Really,” he said. “Your confidence betrays you. If you have not already in the night’s ordeal, you will be recanting your words quicker than your mouth can move.” He turned to Cortna. “Well?” he asked. “Swear allegiance, or think about the methods that you experienced last night. And play them in your mind again, but seven times worse, and done to your companion before your eyes. What will it be?”
Cortna sobbed and slowly looked up, tears falling down her face and trickling down. Another sob escaped her mouth and she spoke. “I…” she said, and then she began to further sob as Emperor Jaigran and all of his men watched. Behind Jaigran, some elves laughed mockingly.
“I swear allegiance,” Cortna softly whispered.
“Louder,” Emperor Jaigran commanded. “And fully.”
“I swear allegiance to Emperor Jaigran,” Cortna said louder, as tears trickled down her face. “Duke of the Upper Skies, Lord of the Lower Earth, First of the Supreme Elves, Highest of the Flyers, General of the Imperial Army, Emperor of Arquenia; I swear allegiance and bend my mind, my spirit, and my full being to his one and supreme will, this I swear.”
There was silence before Emperor Jaigran spoke. “Well done,” he softly said. “But not good enough. Ah yes, I can see your face, and I can see through your eyes, those twin gateways to the mind. There is yet resistance in you, is there not?” He paused. “Guards!” he yelled. “Take the two of them back into the doctoring cells. I care not for the life of the male elf. Use him to break her completely and totally to my will. And when she is broken, bring her back to me. Thus saith the Emperor.”
Question of the Week:Which literary character does Emperor Jaigran most remind you of?
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