Arrival

[Mor'os]

"I guess I do. Very affectionate. I did not have anysing you could call a pet. Well, maybe ze car'p in ze garden pon'd's. I would feed zose." A newly discovered concern struck Osmar as he he discussed the carp and pet the tiger. "Zey won't eat all ze fish will zey? I am fon'd of zem, not to note zat zey can be cos't'ly too."

[The Empire]

"Oh, well, they do eat fish, but they usually don't hunt so I think your carps are reasonably safe. If it turns out they aren't, I suppose we could find somwhere else for Sasha and Nikolai to live where there are no carps?"

[Mor'os]

Osmar nodded. "Probably. When it is done, this com'p'lex will be quite large. A small city of sor't's, all housing ze organ's of ze new gover'n'men't." Osmar's face suddenly lit up with a spark of realization. Distracted earlier by Hanna's tears, arranging a meal, changing into a better set of clothing and quietly moving Parzan out of the way (he had no interest in him despite good humor to the contrary) and now by the calm which sucked him into a relaxed lethargy, he'd forgotten that point which he had only briefly raised earlier. Still, there was something to be said about this more relaxed atmosphere; it had done away with one other barrier, self imposed modesty for the sake of being polite and not spending the entire time rambling about himself. But Hanna did not seem the sort who took insult over such trivial matters as some in the palace did in his youth.

"I said earlier zat Parzan an'd ze ozer nob'les would soon be gone. It would be rude of me not to tell you why zis is so. You have come wis g'reat timing, for tomorrow will I hope chan'ge zis coun't'ry forever."

[The Empire]

"Yes, you mentioned something like that earlier, please, tell me what you mean." Whatever it was that had caused the changes that was surrounding her, she wanted to know, she was good at hiding it, but inside, she felt giddy as a school-girl.

[Mor'os]

"Well, I am not fully aware of how much you know of our history. You may already know zat zough my ancestor Andel unified the coun't'ry after many years of war, it has been ze nob'les who ran sings." His tone darkened slightly as he went into his description of the Ar. "Zey are a vile lot. Zey sink only of zemsel'ves, s'cheming an'd pulling s't'ring's. Because of zem an'd zeir g'reed Mor'os is s'tagnan't for so long, because of zem many good peop'le suffered.

"I," he continued with a hint of pride replacing his dark tone "Would not have it, so I began to take back con't'rol, b'ring ze coun't'ry forwar'd. But zey would not have zis, an'd t'ried for my life. So low are zey zat it was my own g'ran'd'fazer who led ze attem'p't." He paused here, considering the unpleasant point before continuing. "But zey were defeated, all are now dead."

"As you can see ze movemen't forwar'd continues unstopped now, but zat is not ze en'd of sings. Tomorrow I make a set of dec'rees which will comp'lete ze transition. C'lass will be abolished, as will ser'f'dom. Ze peop'le's voice will be hear'd, no longer s'tif'led by corruption. I believe it is called 'democracy'. Now peop'le will have official's right here in zis city at all times to petition for zem, razer zan hoping it makes it across lan'd an'd s'rough corruption."

[The Empire]

"That's a very gracious decision emperor, I had not heard any of your history before as Parzan wasn't quite as interested in trying to talk to me as to what benefits he could gain through me. Though your words tell me he rightly won't get any such pleasure. Although there were no nobles in my parents's empire, there was an elected council of advisors. But some of them were corrupted and lusted for more than they could ever need so they struck an alliance with a still unknown foreign power, that foreign power enlisted the corrupt leader of a second who sent an assassing after me, I was 16 then. Fortunately, the assassin's bullet only grazed me and two ordinary citizens managed to subdue him until the royal guards got there, unfortunately, one of the citizens were hurt badly in the initial struggle and died on his way to a hospital. That led to my parents founding the Imperial Security Agency. The I.S.A. interrogated the captured assassin and even though he himself knew very little, suspicions were fast directed towards the advisors due to the law of succession saying that if the Empire is left without heirs once the heads of state can't rule anymore, the advisors were to elect the next Emperor or Emperess. The I.S.A. covertly interned the lot of them and as the I.S.A. was forced in exile in the collapse, the advisors were excecuted for high treason along with the assassin who was executed for espionage. The resistance movement who murdered my parents and started the collapse most likely were tipped off by uncaptured conspirators unaware of the advisors's internment."

[Mor'os]

"Hm," said Osmar, now stroking his goatee in thought, and nodding a bit. "It would seem zat we come f'rom similar backroun'd's, too similiar perhap's. What you have des'c'ribed, it all jus't soun'd's...." he gave what might be described as an ironic and perhaps frustrated laugh. "It is jus't what has been ze s'tate of sing's for all time zat I an'd ozer's can remember here. Zey were not elected, but our Minister's certainly were corrup't an'd s'cheming. When zey were supposed to be caring for ze lan'd an'd it's peop'le, zey only worked for zeir own gain an'd squandered ze Imperial t'reasury on lavish parties. I am afraid," he coughed with embarrasment "zat I was compelled to atten'd many of zem. Ze wor's't were ze P'rime Minister, my G'randfazer, an'd the Imperial Censor's an'd In's'pector." Another laugh of irony and frustration. "Zough now, if zis sor't of behavior is so common everywhere, can I really hope to change anysing for long? Andel's effor't's collapsed wis his deas, an'd I worry it will be ze case for me as well."

[The Empire]

"I think you can, amongst the people, you will always be remembered as a hero and they will probably love you more than they fear or respect you now."

[Mor'os]

"Ah, sank you..." said Osmar, slightly caught off guard by what he considered to be such a direct and stunning compliment. "I am g'lad to see one I have barely known has fais in me an'd what I hope for. Zough Andel is s'till remembered as a hero, god in fac't, an'd it didn't do much good for him an'd his d'ream's. But...ah, zere we are!"

The thing which had earned this sudden exclamation from the young emperor was the arrival of the food which had hither to existed only in potentia. Two servants, as dull and nondescript as the others who had preceded them, shuffled up (a manner of locomotion  which seemed inherent for them), a tray held by each of them. Wordless they kneeled down and set the trays down on the table and then rose up, bowed, and disappeared back into the maze of halls and rooms from which they had emerged. Whether Hanna or Osmar would every see them again was a matter of speculation.

But the important thing of course was the food itself, at least as far as hunger cared, not those who delivered it, and it was plentiful. Among some of the food items that Hanna had observed earlier during her time with Parzan were new items. "Ze chef's, zey have been c'reative wis new ideas f'rom ze outside wor'l'd. Even our food is  t'rying to catch up."

[The Empire]

"Interesting, so what are theese dishes? and how do one eat properly with theese sticks? I never got time to learn while being Parzan's guest."

[Mor'os]

"Oh, you don't know how to use zem?" Osmar seemed genuinely puzzled; this probably could be accounted for by the fact that he had grown up in a world where everyone was a master of the chopstick in some form or other by the age of 6. But then again, he reminded himself, she didn't know how to properly wear mar'ash either.

"It is sim'p'le. See, you jus't put zem between your finger's like zis..." he said as he demonstrated with his own pair. "An'd zen..." in one swift motion he grasped a morsel of food from his plate between the pincer grip of the two chopsticks. He frowned when he noted that quite a bit of puzzlement still seemed to remain in Hanna's face. "Um, should I demons't'rate again?"

[The Empire]

"Yes please" hanna replied while struggling to get the sticks to stay in the same grip long enough to grab something, this time around however, she got gradually closer to success.

[Mor'os]

This, keeping with the adage of practice making perfect, continued for some time. Hanna would attempt and fail, Osmar would redemonstrate the proper method. With each attempt, Hanna would improve gradually. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of painful attempts to control the chopsticks Hanna at last managed to grasp something from the plate, only to have it slip out after several seconds.

"Oh, well zat was c'lose," said Osmar, the second thoughts in the back of his head wondering if they would ever get to eating before the food went cold and was eaten up by the birds. "I am afraid zat if you are to s'tay here you may have to get used to it. I sin'k you can, you have done well so far."

[The Empire]

"I think so too emperor, It is a bit easier when you get control of the technique." His eyes are kind'a cute when he looks at me like that, I wonder what he's thinking

[Mor'os]

"Good. It would be a shame for someone who has come s'rough as much as you have to die of s'tarvation because you could not pick up your food," he said with a chuckle. "An'd p'lease, you do not have to call me "emperor". You are above zat. Feel f'ree to address me sim'p'ly as Osmar if you wish. In fac't, I would prefer it. Ceremony can be so s'tifling sometimes.

"Now," he said as he pointed at the food before with his own chopsticks, "p'lease eat. I would sugges't ze nood'les maybe. Zey are usually easier to pick up, an'd of cour'se do tas'te good as well."