439 A Dying Empire

In the heart of a distant city lie the last vestiges of a dying Empire. This world, although similar to the one that Berengar originated from, had many differences, and the more the transmigrator King explored, the more he would come to realize this. 

In northwestern India lie a once mighty Empire, one that did not exist in Berengar's past life. In this world's history, during the 13th century, the various Princely Kingdoms of Northwestern India banded together to fight off the growing threat of Islam.

Because of the success of the Crusades, and with the return of Anatolia and the Levant to the hands of the Byzantine Empire, Islam had never achieved the heights of power that it had in Berengar's past life. When combined with the fact that the Indian Princes rallied together into a single cohesive Empire, Islam had never taken hold over the Indian subcontinent. 

While this had resulted in the establishment of a mighty Empire, time was the death of all things, and after centuries of warfare with their various neighbors, the Anangpur Empire had declined to a state of near irreparable damage. 

Sitting upon the throne of this once mighty Empire was a boy-Emperor by the name of Dharya Tomara. This boy was no older than ten, and yet because of the recent passing of his father, he was now the de facto ruler of the Anangpur Empire. Or at least on paper, in reality, his uncle who seized the position of regent after the late Emperor's death was the true power behind the throne. 

Dharya had an idle expression on his face as he tapped his finger repeatedly on his golden armrest. In some distant corner of the room was his uncle, and one of his general's who, as per usual, were bickering about stately affairs. Normally, he would not be interested in such things, but the following phrase from his most prestigious general caught his attention. 

"We are selling a vast quantity of saltpeter to the western Kingdoms, and in doing so, making a huge profit. However, have you ever thought why there is an increase in the demand for such a substance? Our merchants have brought back a new weapon, which was scavenged from the fields of battle in North Africa. Rumor has said that this weapon served the Byzantine soldiers against the Mamluk Sultanate. 

However, the Byzantine Empire did not manufacture this mighty weapon, rather they say that a much smaller kingdom to the far west, known as Austria, designed and constructed it. Supposedly, that is where a large quantity of our Saltpeter trade has ended up over the past five years."

The Emperor's uncle sneered in disdain as he saw the old rusted arkebuse. He was a relatively handsome and regal young man, many years younger than his elder brother. In his mind, this device was nothing special. After all, firearms had already existed in India for some time. However, much like in Europe and the Far East, such weapons were primitive and far from impressive. 

To him, though, this specific firearm may look alien. It was just another hand cannon and could not possibly change the fate of their crumbling Empire. Just as he was about to curse out the General for his perceived foolishness, Dharya called out from his seat. 

"Bring this device to me. I want to see it with my own eyes."

The General smirked at the Regent as he heard this before wrapping it back up in the silk cloth he had brought into the palace with. Though Dharya's uncle was far from pleased with this result, ultimately he had to show some face to his nephew, and thus he followed the general over to the boy emperor, who waited with an eager expression on his face.  The General immediately kneeled before his emperor. After doing so, he unwrapped the firearm and displayed it to his sovereign. 

"your majesty, the Byzantines refer to this weapon as an arkebuse. It is a special firearm that is quicker to reload than our current ones, and they say that it can pierce through the heavy plate armor that the European Knights wear! Such a weapon would be worthy of investment. Either by purchasing them from the west, or by reverse engineering them so that we can build them on our own! It is my belief that if we were to employ such weapons en masse, we could easily defeat the enemies that surround us!"

Whether Dharya was wise beyond his years, or simply bought into the hype like a spoiled child, that was unknown. However, at this moment, the boy emperor of Anangpur made a crucial decision, one that might save his Empire from certain destruction. 

"You say that a Kingdom called Austria manufactured this weapon?"

The General immediately nodded his head in silence with a smile on his lips. Having received his response, the boy emperor did not hesitate to make an imperial proclamation.

"Good! I want our best researchers to work on reverse engineering this weapon. In the meantime, I would very much like to open trade directly to this Kingdom in the west. I would like to see just how impressive they really are to create a new and powerful device such as this! If that is all general, then you are dismissed."

The Emperor's uncle immediately snarled in displeasure as he heard his nephew overrule his decision. He technically had the power to do so, but the boy rarely acted against him. Still, he gave him some face. As for Dharya, he noticed his uncle's discontent and quickly commented on it with a broad and innocent smile. 

"What is wrong, uncle? Is this not a worthy investment? If this weapon is really as powerful as the general claims it is, then surely it would be worth supplying our troops with!"

His uncle put on a warm facade as he stroked his nephew's jet black hair.

"If it lives up to its reputation, then sure, it would be worth the investment. However, I fear as if we are putting too much money and faith in a device that has yet to prove its worth. However, you are the Emperor, so we will all obey your whims."

The boy smiled at his uncle, but deep in his chocolate eyes was a hint of disdain. Rather than continue to entertain his uncle, the boy stepped off his throne and stretched his limbs. When his uncle saw this, he questioned his actions.

"Where are you going?"

In response to his uncle's questioning, the boy emperor simply yawned before replying.

"I am tired. I think I am going to go take a nap, take care of things in my absence..."

His uncle immediately nodded his head with a gentle smile as he responded to his statement.

"Of course, my boy, you can trust me to run your Empire."

However, Dharya cared no longer and immediately skipped off towards his quarters. When he was no longer visible, a spiteful frown appeared across his uncle's face before he commented to himself. 

"Who do you think you are to command me? You little brat!"

As for the boy emperor, he had run off towards his bedroom, however when he arrived at the door, he did not stop, instead he continued down the hallway until he found a large wooden door that was bolted shut from the outside. After a taking a deep breath, Dharya calmed his heart before knocking on the door thrice in unique fashion. 

After knocking on the door, the boy emperor opened it. In doing so, he revealed a young girl who was barely nine years old; she was dressed in rather unkempt attire, as if the servants had not washed her clothes in some time. Despite the disheveled appearance, the girl had doll-like features, and many would one day consider her as a great beauty in her own right.

This little girl was the younger sister of Dharya. Unfortunately for her, the moment her uncle had assumed power, he locked her away in this room, never to see the light of day. His reason for doing so was because of a prophecy from an obscure oracle who claimed the daughter of his elder brother would be responsible for his untimely demise. 

Still, Dharya would often visit his sister in secret, despite his uncle's abuse and neglect of the poor girl. When Dharya saw the girl, a bitter smile appeared on his face before he hugged her in the doorway. 

"How have you been, Priya? Is uncle treating you well?"

The girl looked at her brother with her emerald eyes, and in them he saw a state of fear and panic. When this happened, he bit his lip to curb his desire to curse at his uncle for his cruelty. Ultimately, the young girl forced a smile as she nodded her head.

"I am fine, uncle treats me well enough..."

Though Dharya knew she was lying, he would not call her out on it. After all, she wanted nothing more than for him not to worry about her condition, and he wanted nothing more than for her to be happy. Thus, the two siblings lied to each other about their own happiness for the sake of enduring their lot in life.

The boy emperor remembered what he and his general had discussed, and he quickly led his sister into her room and shut the door behind him. He whispered in a voice so low that the girl could practically hear him. 

"My General has brought something interesting to my attention. With it, I might finally release myself from uncle's tyranny. Just you wait Priya. I promise to free you from your cruel imprisonment after I have dethroned our uncle!"

Tears swelled in the girl's eyes as she heard her brother's kindness. She quickly latched ahold of him and nuzzled her head into his shelter, making sure that his tunic muffled her sobs. 

"I know you will! I will be patient!"

Dharya petted the girl's jet black hair for a few moments in silence. After doing so, he released her and left one last word of encouragement before departing. 

"Stay strong, my dear sister. I promise you I will end your torment soon enough!" 

The girl nodded her head and ceased her crying. There was a look of determination in her emerald eyes as Dharya departed from the room. After doing so, he begrudgingly latched the bolt, locking the young princess away in the dark with only a candle to keep her room illuminated.