masters. And they bear no responsibility for their decisions.”
Vandey nodded. “I agree, most people do not wish to be leaders. They just want to live, raise their children, and enjoy the simple pleasures without which even an emperor is miserable. That’s what they work for. They give their leaders a portion of their harvest because that’s what it takes to be left alone. That’s the basic law underlying any kingdom or empire.”
“Of course. The humble farmer, salt of the earth, foundation of the empire.” Uni laughed.
“Do you find that funny?”
“You’ve just proven me right. If a poor man is prepared to give the nail of one finger to a rich man just because he’s rich, then he must be prepared to give him the whole hand. That’s another basic law, and it’s derived from the one you just stated.”
“People – unlike all the other animals – were given intelligence so that they could make their lives happy and fulfilling. That intelligence eventually leads you to realize that the cathedral of happiness can only be built if we work together to create a world where everyone is happy.” Uni snorted. “Pure fantasy. It sounds good, but it won’t work. History proves it.”
“History proves that the Heavenly Empire was established as a kingdom of justice and given the task of banishing hunger, greed and violence from people’s lives forever!”
“I knew you were a romantic, Vandey, but I didn’t know it had gone that far…”
“And I knew that our learned men had been brainwashed, but I didn’t know it was that bad. I am aware that all of the books that tell the truth about our history have been removed from circulation over the past three hundred years, but you, Uni, worked at the archive. You had the opportunity to read it all.”
“I did read it all. I just have my own point of view on what I read.”
“How can you have a point of view on the truth? The truth simply exists. You can’t dispute it.” Vandey turned to his friend. His gray eyes were full of light. “The Sun grants its heavenly light to all – the water, the earth, the forests and plants, the serpents, birds, and wild animals. Most importantly, the Sun shines its rays on man, so that he can live according to its will. Man or woman, adult or child, with skin of all colors, the rich man with thousands of ferns of land or the pauper: all greet the dawn with joy and praise the lord that gave them life and displays such generosity to each of them. And just as we all live under one Sun as its worshipful children, may we all live in our united kingdom with food and peace for all. Just as the Heavenly Deity withholds its generosity from no one, giving to each according to his need, so I, your new emperor, will take tender care of each of my new subjects. Instead of war and hunger, the Herandian Empire will bring you peace and happiness. From now on, there will be no rich or poor, but plenty for all in our great land. I will answer for this to the Sun, who is the father and forebear of all living things.”
Uni smiled. “Bravo. I could have guessed that your conspiratorial brotherhood would adopt the Solar Manifesto as its battle cry. Now, I hate to disappoint you, but it was proven two hundred years ago that the manifesto was a fake. Norius never issued a manifesto. Someone came up with that fairy-tale legend after Norius was already dead and gone.”
“You say it’s a fairy-tale? How do you think Herandia managed to unify all the peoples so quickly? Many of them surrendered without a fight and were pardoned. Their fields and other assets were left untouched, and the peasants contributed their hard work as the foundation for the Empire’s golden age.”
“I’m not so sure about that. If you read the history, it’s clear that they respected our power and felt helpless against us.”
“But surely you know that Herandia was not considered the most powerful of the twelve kingdoms. Vuravia had more resources, Ulin had a more advanced culture, Seregad was stronger. What did the Herandians have?” Vandey warmed to his theme. “What we had weighed less than a swan’s feather, but it changed the course of history in our favor. Do you see where I’m going, Uni? It was an idea – the same idea that you call a fairy-tale. It may have sounded like a fairy-tale, but it was up to humans to make it a reality. One thousand years of unending war. Destruction and starvation. Untold wealth in the hands of a small circle of powerful people who were terrified of losing it all. People were tired of it. They wanted just two things: peace, and a society where they wouldn’t have to fight for their bread every day. Uni, the Heavenly Empire is not a country, or an army, or government ministers with beautiful chanceries. It’s an idea about how we can live in harmony with each other according to the laws of the Heavenly Deity, in a kingdom of peace, justice and brotherly love!”
“I don’t see why you’re upset. Aren’t we already living according to the ancient commandments? Hasn’t the Empire maintained peace for four hundred years? Of course, there have been wars with outsiders, attacks by barbarians and uprisings in some of the provinces, but surely you wouldn’t compare any of that to the chaos that existed before the Empire?”
“Peace? If by peace you mean that our lands are not being taken away from us by an invader. But who owns the land? Free peasants are the Empire’s poorest and most defenseless subjects. The Heavenly Throne sucks them dry with its taxes, so they mortgage their land to richer men. They may not be slaves, but they live worse than slaves. Slaves are fed by their masters, but the peasant knows that his crops are mortgaged for years in advance. Of course he’s free: free to die of hunger! In the end, he sells himself to avoid that very freedom. He can’t be called a slave because our laws prohibit it, so he’s called a ‘voluntary worker’ who does his work ‘for the good of society.’ Except that the only ones who benefit are society’s richest members. Just now, I watched you put a piece of paper-thin meat on your tongue and let it melt in your mouth. I suppose you didn’t consider how many children died of starvation while we enjoyed our meal. You’ve driven people to slavery, in form if not in name, and that makes your power a thousand times worse. Our rulers are low, rotten, and deserving of their own obliteration!”
Uni shook his head. “Calm down. I don’t see why you’re so upset.”
“I will not calm down. I have to tell you these things while I still have a chance. You call your power ‘Heavenly grace,’ but it has nothing at all in common with the commandments of Norius the Founder. You say the Manifesto was a fake? I say you’re lying! It’s no accident that there aren’t any copies of it left, even in the imperial archive. They wanted to destroy the original, but they haven’t been able to find it. There are rumors that it’s held in a private collection. My friends and I will find it, and then the people will follow us. Peace? No, we don’t need a peace like this. We would rather have war, cruel and relentless, that will sweep away the parasites that have grown up around the throne! We will restore the Heavenly Empire the way Norius wanted it to be, the way our ancestors dreamed it would be!”
“Dag, my friend, I don’t want to hurt your feelings,” Uni said. He suddenly realized that he was not reacting to his friend’s words the way he ought to.
The fresh air on the balcony refreshed him, and the vast expanse of greenery seemed to call him to the shores of some unknown country. Only now did Uni begin to feel the difference between the narrow world he had always inhabited and the fantastic opportunities that had suddenly landed in his lap.
He turned back to his friend. “Don’t be offended, Dag. You see, it’s only my body that is here in Herandia. My heart is already there, over the seas. Just imagine that you’ve spent years studying what seems like nonsense – at least that’s what everyone would have me believe – when suddenly the laughter stops and you fly from the archive basement like a bird, rising to the Sun! I’m going to see with
