MidasMan

  This all feels like some sort of sick joke.

  In my first life, I was born into a stable middle css family. Nothing truly remarkable or noteworthy about me. No real struggle or hardship to speak of. Completely normal upbringing. I went to school, got good grades, achieved a position as head of HR at my pce of employment. If it wasn't for that disgruntled former employee, I dare say I’d be even higher up the corporate dder!

  Then in my second life, I was thrown to the bottom rungs of society by the damned Being X. Parentless. Penniless. Living off the charity and good will given to an orphanage. I had no immediate prospects for advancement. Destined to a life of squalor and subpar living. Until it was found that I could be a mage. That sent me on my path to carve out a comfortable pce for myself in the military establishment. A nice desk job is what I aimed for; a rear line position at worst.

  Thanks to that damned Being X’s involvement, I was bounced from frontline to frontline as the War spiraled out of control until I was ignobly killed, again. This time in a hospital bed!

  From time to time I wondered if Being X had me reborn as an orphan on purpose or if I just happen to be an orphan due to the circumstances of my ‘birth’. I flipped flopped between the two points in my spare time at the beginning. Being raised in humble beginnings sounds like the sort of thing a religious nut would think inspires charity and compassion ter in life. Knowing the suffering and the poor and all that.

  Of course it was equally likely he just threw me at the first woman who ‘prayed’ for a child and the chips fall where they fell for more mundane reasons.

  Now?

  Now I know he put me there on purpose!

  If my first life was in the middle css, and my st one in the poorest rungs of society, this one-

  “Princess, it’s time to wake up.”

  -is an overcorrection.

  Where I had once been Tanya von Degurechaff, Silver Wing and leader of the Samanders, now I was Tanya Agustus, youngest daughter of Emperor Molt Sol Agustus of the Saderan Empire.

  At first, given the aesthetics and apparel, I thought I had been sent back even further in time; perhaps as far back as the Roman era! But no, this was not Rome; in spite of all the evidence to the contrary. This was Saderan the nannies told me when they ‘corrected’ me years ago.

  Of course none of these things meant anything to me at first. For all I knew, the “Empire” could have spanned the length and width of a single city with a small cluster of territories off in the distance; as was the fate of the Roman Empire of my world.

  But when I examined a map for the first time, I realized that the Empire spanned an area the size of the old Mongolian Empire! From that map I noticed another thing, this was not my world.

  Even the world of my st life was just an alteration of my first one. The continents were the same. Languages the same. Even continents retained their names; just different nations.

  This world, Falmart according to the maps the Emperor showed me, was utterly alien., As were the non-human races, collectively referred to as demi-humans, who inhabited it alongside humans. They sound like they had been taken right out of some old role pying game; elves, birdmen, dragons, wolf-people, bunny warriors. It was almost hard to take seriously.

  As if to solidify this fantasy world, there was also magic and a number of “gods” who oversaw the world.

  Heh. More likely a collection of Being X’s all squabbling with one another.

  My eyes opened. I sat up in my oversized bed, squinting a bit as she opened the curtains allowing sunlight to flood into my spacious room. My eyes adjusted quickly to the light and I saw a mature woman sanding before my bedside.

  The maid bowed to me. “Your highness, forgive the intrusion. But you requested to be awakened a quarter past dawn.”

  I rubbed the dirt out of my eyes, waving her off. “I remember, thank you Lysitha.”

  “Of course your Highness. I shall have a fresh set of clothes id out for you and have the girls freshen up the room. Breakfast is being served in the royal dining room; his Majesty is also present at the moment.”

  Again I nodded, waving her off.

  I slid out from under the sheets, my feet on the cool floor, and made my way to the door; cd in only my sleeping clothes.

  As I walked out, I was dimly aware of other people wandering about my room; opening draws and cabinets, ying out fresh clothes, changing flowers from vases, putting fresh wood in the firepce, refilling a pitcher of water on my nightstand.

  As opposed to the other woman, these girls were no human but demi-humans. There was no shared race amongst them; one had cat ears and tail, another wolf ears but no tail, a third had patches of scaly skin along her arms like a chameleon, and so on. One thing they did share was their area. They were all far younger that the first woman. Their outfits were risque for a servant; a simple white dress that was a tad too short and a size too small for their bodies. The most notable feature I saw on them was the gold colrs that hung tightly around their necks.

  Sves.

  I held in a scowl at the sight of sves; both those in my room and those who passed me in the hallways. At my sight, they bowed, prostrated themselves, anything to dispy a sign of utter and complete subservience. Whether it was for my sake or the pair of praetorians who shadowed my every step beyond my bedroom was irrelevant to me.

  I will never get used to the concept of svery.

  It is an inefficient use of human resources. People who in an alternate life would be productive members of society being paid for their bor, then using their earnings to pay taxes and purchase goods in the common market, are now forever relegated to menial bor. As are their children and their children’s children.

  Sure, in a bor intensive agrarian society, as the Empire is, svery can maintain productive activity; hard to compete with bor that was free after all. But it stifled competition, and by extension innovation. A free market encourages innovation by forcing competition and rewarding more efficient use of limited supplies. What’s the incentive for the wealthy ndowners to invest in creating a better plow so you can have your limited supply of paid borers work more fields if you can just purchase a dozen more sves?

  But that was only the beginning of my distaste for the practice.

  Worse than the potential economic losses from using svery, there was the very real national security risk a massive sve popution represented. Simply put, they are a knife constantly held in the nation’s back. It handicaps a nation’s capability to fully mobilize for war or marshal its full strength properly. After all, while men are sent out to fight the enemy, a sizable position needs to be kept on the homefront to prevent an uprising. Should they win the war, they bring sves home, only exacerbating the problem of a spiteful indentured popution; only now you may have military veterans from the defeated amongst their numbers.

  And should the war turn against the state? The enemy invades its very borders. How many revolts would be incited at the mere mention of an approaching army? Even if the invading force had no intention of freeing a single person, the sves would revolt simply to be free.

  I simply could not understand why any state would allow the establishment of a popution within its borders with nothing to lose, yet everything to gain, by revolting against the state? They have no avenue for social advancement, no legal protections, no real life expectancy to speak of in their current station by following the rule of w; but everything to gain by putting everything to the torch. What else can you expect from any rational person?

  Depending on the scale of such a revolt, and its distance from centers of power, such an uprising could even organize itself. Weather the military or security apparatus of the state could put it down is up in the air.

  In the Empire, the military seems well drilled and equipped for their current state of development. I doubt they would have trouble putting down an isoted revolt by sves or force borers who have no training; even if they were outnumbered. But even in defeat, the revolt can spitefully destroy economic assets like crops and livestock. Not even considering how any remnants of the revolt can easily turn to banditry, further exacerbating the situation in the long run.

  That more or less summed up svery; short term gains from forced bor at the cost of long term stagnation and curtailed economic potential.

  Moments after finishing my all too frequent mental musings over this system, I arrived in the dining room.

  As with most rooms in the pace, it was disgustingly opulent. Pilrs of jade lined the walls. Great crystal chandeliers hung above the long dining table. Servants, both free and ensved, stood along the periphery of the table; waiting for instructions. Additionally, several praetorians stood around the room, constantly eyeing every person within.

  At the end of the long table, sitting before a gilded set of utensils and ink strewn papers, sat the Emperor; my father.

  Looking up from his work, the man smiled at me. “Good morning Tanya,” he welcomed me. He shifted several papers id out before him as he ate. None of my other siblings usually ate breakfast with us. They had their own schedules they followed and ate at different times.

  “Good morning father,” I replied, taking my seat at the table; a pte and silverware were quickly pced before me.

  When I was young, maybe two years old, I referred to the Emperor as ‘your majesty’ and ‘sir’. I learned quickly that the Emperor enjoyed it when I referred to him in such familial terms; even in the presence of other people.

  From all the books and information I had accumuted on feudal society in my prior lives, both fictional and historical, it appeared as if children were expected to refer to their parental figures, their lord’s, in a detached and respectful way. Always thinking of the good of the family before the self.

  Additionally, I remember that power pys within ‘families’ back in this era were far from uncommon. Sibling versus sibling. Fighting against the parents for inheritance. A slight here leading to a ‘hunting accident’ in the near future. In short, cutthroat dynastic politics. I had three brothers and one sister; all of whom are older than me. My saving grace, if I could call it that, was not just my position as the youngest child of five, but also my gender. Saderan was a patriarchal society; girls were not seen as a ‘threat’ in the political sense.

  Until I could gain some sliver of influence that was solely my own, and not an extension of my family or my father, I had to py it safe.

  So that was the role I pyed.

  I always showed deference to the Emperor. Portraying myself as caring about the ‘image’ and ‘prestige’ of our bloodline. I just had to think back to how those CEO children should have acted. I also showed affection to my siblings. Listening to them. Complementing them. Encouraging them. Brown nosing in by another name, but it may just keep any dynastic spat from being directed at me.

  Of course, I wasn't the only one who knew this. The servants of the pace for as long as I can remembered engaged in simir behavior. Hoping to gain the favor of a royal to improve their own station and standing. Now I can only speak for myself right now, and that evidence may be cking due to my aforementioned age and gender, but I have seen some attempts by courtiers to ftter their way into my good graces.

  Even during my private education, which began over a year ago, I choose to dispy ‘average’ intelligence to my instructors; not prodigal just average. Mostly correct questions followed by a few ‘mistakes’ on my part.

  For my ‘brilliance’ they showered me with compliments, like I was ‘truly his daughter’ or other such praises. I don’t know if they actually meant any of it. The math they showed me was very simple. Perhaps they merely wished to encourage my education by showing me how praiseworthy a good mind was?

  I bet a more muted, if accurate, note of my education is handed to the Emperor. A more mundane report of how his child is average and my education is proceeding normally. Most assuredly welcome news for any parent who wants to be sure their children are not idiots, but nothing to celebrate over.

  Regardless, I was careful to always take care for how I dispyed myself. One false move, one mistake could ruin any favor I had curried with him; even at this young age.

  “Are you ready for today?” He looked up from his papers and gave me a fatherly smile.

  “Yes, I am,” I replied. Today was the first day of my magical instruction.

  When I learned this world had magic, I tried everything to manifest it. From what my tutors told me, it was a mixture of a strong will, vast knowledge, and luck, to be able to cast magic. So I tried. And tried. Eventually I did cast a spell of sorts, but not it the way I had hoped. I was cold one night, and accidentally ‘willed’ a chair in my room to catch fire to warm me up.

  Instead of being punished for setting a fire, the Emperor asked if I wished to learn more about magic.

  I accepted, of course. So a message was sent to Rondel, the magic center of the Empire, and a magical instructor was dispatched to evaluate my skills.

  Honestly, this seems like some ironic joke.

  I had always championed against nepotism of any kind. After all, how could an organization, or society, function to the best of its abilities if power was given for personal or familial connections rather than genuine capability? The answer was it could not. I did not approve of such actions in my first life. I saw far too many scandals caused by the children of CEO’s and other executives mucking about with their parents money and position only to make a fool of themselves. And again in my second life, in Russy, I saw individuals in positions of power for no other reason than toeing the party line as the Red army fumbled and failed in nearly every engagement.

  Yet here I was. Indulging in those very same luxurious accommodations and connections I railed against in previous lives.

  It didn't make me wrong about nepotism; just made me a hypocrite.

  We ate breakfast while exchanging small talk. How are my studies going? Am I having any problems? Do I need anything?

  “Are you excited,” he eventually inquired; finishing his dish.

  “Yes,” I answered. I decided to throw a bit of mock concern for his prestige in for good measure, “I only hope I don’t disappoint you. Or embarrass you.”

  “Tanya” he admonished me. He got up and walked over to my side of the table, “If you do this, it should be because you want to learn, not because you think I want you to. Our family has never have had a mage grace its ranks; and the world shall not end if this generation is the same. Do you want to learn?”

  Oh no, maybe I went a little too hard on the sappiness. “I do! I also want to make our family proud. I want to be the best mage the Empire has ever seen.”

  The Emperor ughed a bit, “quite the ambition you have there Tanya.” He ruffled my hair, I had to keep my hand from spping his hand away. “I have no doubt you will exceed your peers in every way.”

  Ah parental false hope. How I missed you from my st life. That warm fuzzy feeling when a parent tells their child that they can do ‘anything’ if they put their mind to it. Their lying of course. But it does encourage a child to push towards something rather than just zing around; so I do understand the sentiment.

  Regardless, this time I was very interested to see where my instruction would take me.

  ----

  ----

  On my way to my magical tutor, after having changed into a fresh set of clothes ‘fit’ for someone from my station, crossing the vast outdoor grounds of the pace to reach the outer wing of the pace. The pace was not a single building but a collection of buildings connected by a crisscrossing walkway of stone paths and gardens. The grounds themselves stretched on in every direction. Guards, patrons, dignitaries, and nobles of all sorts congested in the walkways between buildings.

  On the path, passing untold numbers of dignitaries, I was surprised by an unusual sight.

  Marching around the pace gardens were a collection of young girls. Unlike most young girls I've had the pleasure of meeting, these girls did not wear dresses or skirts. They wore small chest ptes atop a colorful array of shirts and shorts. They walked in a single file line, following an all to familiar burgundy haired girl, under the watchful eyes of an older man.

  These children had drawn quite the crowd, guards, clerks, and servants alike gawked at them.

  When the lead girl noticed me, I suppressed a groan as she broke formation with a flurry of apologies to her compatriots and rushed over to me.

  “Tanya!” The redhead called out as she brought me into a tight hug; uncaring or more likely unaware of the discomfort her chest piece caused me.

  “Pina...,” was all I could get out as my sister tightened her hold. Say what you will, she had a tight grip for an eleven year old.

  After a few seconds, she noticed what she was doing and released me. Her hand still rested on my shoulders.

  “Sorry,” she awkwardly ughed at her own prior actions.

  I leaned over to look behind her to the troop of girls she left behind. “What are you doing?”

  Pina smiled, ” we're training.”

  “Training,” I parotid.

  “Yep,” she nodded. “Training to be knights!”

  I looked at the girls, then back to Pina. For as long as I knew her, Pina had never hid her desire to become a knight; even when she was my ‘age’. Fighting for valor and honor. Sying monsters. Saving the downtrodden and weary. It only got worse a year ago after she saw that py about the female knight. Since then, she managed to wrangle a number of her female retainers into indulging in her fantasies. They did these things periodically, walking around, marching, the py fighting.

  She knew nothing of what a real battle was. There is no ‘honor’ in battle; only victory or defeat. And I found it ironic for a girl that has never once spoken up about the injustice of svery to talk about ‘saving’ the downtrodden. Seemingly oblivious to the moral wrongs right in front of her.

  Her training to be a knight was nothing more than a childish game for children with an overactive imagination.

  Despite my opinion on the matter, Pina was a child. Give it a few years, and this phase will probably work itself out. Like most childish dreams.

  “But don’t you do that already?” I questioned her, subtly trying to wriggle out of her grasp.

  She smiled brighter. “But this time is different! The Rose Order of Knights finally has an instructor.” With a fir for the overdramatic, Pina gestured to the older man behind the trope of girls. “That is Grey Co Aldo, the Order’s new Master-of-Arms! Under his watchful eyes and training, we’re going to be a real order of knights.”

  As Pina went on about her ‘Order’, my mind wandered.

  While my knowledge of medieval society might not be as encompassing as that of the modern era, I don’t believe girls were even allowed to become knights. While under normal circumstances, as in she were a boy, then maybe. But in this clearly patriarchal society, even as fantastical as it was, there is no possible way I can see an order of female warriors being used in front line combat. Ignoring the physical differences between a woman and man, they would be in greater danger than a man should they ever be captured.

  Societies like these are not gentle with prisoners; and I know it would be even less so for female prisoners. Even if she were a noble, and her fellow ‘knights’ of simir high birth, I doubt there would be any gentleness given to them by the average brigand.

  Pina eventually broke my thoughts as she csped her hands to mine, “-and so I wanted to ask you sister; do you want to be my squire after I’m knighted?”

  “Eh,” was all I could muster.

  “I already promised Hamilton she was going to be my page,” she continued. “But after I knight you, there are a bunch of things you could be. Maybe not Master-of-Arms, but you could be the Order’s Quartermaster. You’re already so good with numbers!”

  “Pina-”

  “No matter what you’d choose you’d still have to prove yourself. Just because you're my sister doesn't mean I’d knight you before I know you’re ready. Being a knight is a big responsibility.”

  “Pina I-”

  “If you proved yourself, I’d even make you my second in command. It’d be something out of a story-”

  “Sister!” No matter how many years it's been, the word is still strange on my tongue. For both my prior lives I had no siblings. Sure, in my st one the sisters of the orphanage tried to instill a sense of family among the children, but that is something different.

  This was a genuine family. I now had three brothers and Pina as my sole sister. At least, that I know of. The emperor had numerous concubines and could have had any number of children from them; hell Pina was the daughter of one such dy.

  The only ‘true’ blood sibling I had was my eldest brother Zorzal, who has always been over protective of me since ‘our’ mother died birthing me. While he doesn't seem to be one of the brightest minds, he at least didn't follow that cliché of bming me for his mother’s death. So at least he’s competent enough to not give into emotions that much.

  'Though I can deal with him being a little less overbearing with his constant praises of my intelligence and ‘cuteness’ as he is so driven to call it.'

  I returned my attention to Pina, pushing aside thoughts of overly clingy brother for another time.

  “I don’t want to be a knight.”

  That broke her stride. Her shoulders slumped a little. That energetic energy from before gone.

  “Oh…” was all she replied with. While there were no tears, I had definitely taken the wind out of her sails.

  I sighed, knowing I should probably say something uplifting to avoid any ‘discomfort’ between us.

  “Sister,” I repeated. “I know you are going to be a great knight one day.” Debatable. “But that’s not what I want to be.”

  Pina was quiet for a moment, thinking my words over. Then a smile. “I’m sorry I- If I came across-” she fumbled over her words. “I’m sorry if it felt like I was trying to pressure you. I’ve just been so excited that I found someone who actually thinks I- we can be knights.”

  “I know,” what else was I to say?

  “I guess I just thought…. Well, what do you want to be?” She changed her mind mid sentence about what she wanted to say.

  “I don’t know,” I shook my head. And that was the truth. I had no idea what I was going to do with myself.

  “Don’t worry,” Pina consoled me. “You’ll figure it out eventually! You're the smartest person I know. I bet-”

  “Forgive me princess,” the man Pina had decred her ‘knights’ master-of-arms called out. “But you may speak with her highness after you complete your exercises for the day.”

  Pina turned to the man, “Yes Sir Grey!” She waved back to me as she ran back to the other girls. “Sorry Tanya! I have to go! I’ll tell you all about it ter.”

  I returned her wave. ‘I don’t even know what ‘it’ was’ I thought as the line of girls, with my ‘sister’ back at the help, resumed their march.

  The ‘knights’ left, and I resumed my walk to the outer wing.

  I hadn't been exaggerating or lying to Pina when I told her I didn't know what I was going to do with myself.

  My previous lives had been spent trying to achieve a comfortable position in society. Raising up the corporate dder in the first one, and craving out a pce for myself in the military for my second. But now? Now, by sheer virtue of my birth, I had achieved that lofty goal the moment I was born.

  It honestly leaves me at a loss for what I was going to do.

  Naturally, I knew Being X will inevitably muck things up for me. His whole ‘time of great change’ monologue still rang in my head. Given that this is a fantasy Roman Empire, ‘change’ could mean any number of things. Foreign invaders. Pgue. Climate change. Rebellion. Nomadic migrations. Freak natural disasters. All of the above even.

  Until I had a gauge of what this world actually was, beyond the obvious propaganda that I will no doubt be taught soo enough, I would hold off on committing to any one path.

  Best to maintain flexibility in the face of uncertainty.

  MidasMan

  SpaceBattles

  Fanfiction.net

  [colpse]As for this story? Good news is that I have at least two months worth of weekly updates ready to go!

  So I hope you buckled in for the adventure of a lifetime!

  See you all next year!