“Karis Valspur, what are you doing?” Kaelea Valspur demanded as her son climbed even higher in the tree. “Come down right now. You can’t escape the inevitable by climbing the tree.”

“I don’t want to leave the courtesan wing.” Karis glared down at his mother. “Why can’t I stay here with you?”

“Karis, I’ve explained this to you many times over the past few years. No male aged twelve and older can remain in the courtesan wing if he’s not a eunuch.” Kaelea put her hands on her hips. “You are the crown prince so you can’t become a eunuch. Your father’s coming to take you any minute now and he’s going to be angry if he has to send his guards up the tree after you.”

Karis climbed down reluctantly. Kaelea hugged him. “I don’t want to leave you, Mother.” He buried his face in her shoulder.

“I know you don’t, but we don’t have a choice in this.” Kaelea kissed the top of his head.

“Kaelea, he is here.” Lord Valter, the aging eunuch in charge of the courtesan wing, came out into the garden. “He is already agitated. You should not keep him waiting.”

“Yes Lord Valter.” Kaelea tugged Karis’ shirt straight and led him inside.

Emperor Vespasian Thelador looked every bit the regal monarch that he was as he stood there, arms crossed, eyes narrowed, waiting for his favorite courtesan to enter with her son. “Is this him?”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Kaelea drew her veil hastily over her face as the Imperial guards entered the wing. “This is your son Karis.”

“He is too scrawny to be my son.” Vespasian glared at Kaelea. “Are you sure he is not sickly?”

“No, he’s quite healthy.” Kaelea looked at her son. “He’s only twelve, Your Imperial Majesty. He hasn’t reached his full growth yet. I’m sure he’ll fill out in a few years with some physical training.”

“Is he intelligent?” Vespasian scowled as he looked at Karis.

“I’ve done my best to encourage his natural curiosity, and he’s read quite a bit.” Kaelea shrugged. “It’s hard to gauge intelligence when I’m not allowed to enlist a scholar to teach him.”

“I did not think a stranger in the wing was appropriate, Your Imperial Majesty.” Valter spread his hands as he explained his reasoning.

“You should have allowed a stranger in.” Vespasian’s scowl deepened. “I now probably have an ignoramus for a son. I will have to do a lot to get him ready to be an Imperial prince. He is probably worthless, but I will have to work with what I have and hope for the best.” He looked at the guards. “Take him to his new chambers and make sure he does not leave them. I will send his tutor to him first thing tomorrow morning.”

Kaelea reached out to embrace Karis, but Vespasian knocked her back. “Can I not bid my son farewell?”

“He is not your son anymore. He is mine, and I will not allow any emotional farewells towards him. He has been too badly coddled by you as it is, Kaelea. I will probably have to beat the softness out of him.” He turned and looked at his son with a disgusted look on his face.

“Karis isn’t soft, Your Imperial Majesty,” Kaelea protested. “He’s just been treated with love and compassion.”

“He will get none of that from me. An emperor cannot afford love or compassion if he hopes to rule a galaxy. Get moving, boy.” Karis hesitated. Vespasian lashed out and landed a sharp blow to his son’s face. It staggered Karis. “I said get moving. You have already caused enough delays today. Do not make me later than I already am for my council meeting.”

“Go, Karis.” Kaelea’s eyes were full of tears. “Remember always that I love you.”

Karis followed the Imperial guards out of the courtesan wing for the last time. He felt burning resentment towards his father. He hadn’t been able to say farewell to his mother. He’d been struck and the emperor hadn’t even used his name but called him ‘boy’ as if he were worth nothing to him. Judging from the way the emperor had spoken, he saw Karis as nothing more than an inconvenience, one that was preventing him from getting to his council meeting on time.

Karis sniffed and wiped his eyes on the back of his hand. “I wouldn’t let the emperor see you cry, Your Imperial Highness.” One of the guards escorting him spoke, not unkindly but warningly. “He’ll beat you into the ground for showing a sign of weakness.”

“Does my father have no compassion for others?” Karis demanded.

“No, Your Imperial Highness. He doesn’t.” This came from the other guard.

Karis felt a cold weight form in the pit of his stomach. He could tell already this was not going to be pleasant. He was used to the kindness of the courtesans in the wing. It sounded as if he was going to be treated very differently under his father’s hand. He rubbed his face where it still stung from Vespasian’s blow.

He made his way to his new chambers and walked inside. They were comfortable enough, if very impersonal. The floor was covered in a soft, dark gold plush, and the walls were paneled in wood that was only a few shades lighter. A few holo stills of various scenes from distant planets decorated the room.

Karis made his way into the bedroom. The plush here was slightly darker than the sitting room, though the walls were the same pale wood. The bed was bigger than the one he’d had in the courtesan wing, and he had two large closets. He wandered into the bathroom and saw that it was double the size of the ones in the courtesan wing but was the same setup, right down to the same selections on the shower panel.

Karis returned to the bedroom and opened the first closet. He saw outfits of similar quality and style to what he was used to wearing in the wing. There were a few different colors, but that was to be expected. As the only ones who’d seen him were the courtesans, Valter had only ever given him a few outfits at a time. He opened the second closet and just stared. He’d been given a few formal outfits to wear to high feasts for the past four years, but these were even more elaborate than what Valter had made for him.

Karis closed the closet doors. He bathed and put on one of his new casual outfits. He went back out into the sitting room and saw a pad sitting on the sideboard. He picked it up and sat down on the couch. He pulled up a report on some of the latest technological advances and began reading.

A few hours later, servants came in with his meal. They placed it on the little table in the room and left. He was hungry so he went to the table and looked at what they’d brought him. It was similar enough to what he ate in the wing that he found no difficulty in eating what he’d been sent. A short while later, the servants returned to clear up the plates. They didn’t look at him, nor did they ask him if he wanted anything else. They simply collected the dirty dishes and whisked them away out of the room.

Karis returned to reading until a servant came in to help him get ready for bed. Karis set aside the pad and let the servant help him change into a sleep suit, even though he was perfectly capable of dressing and undressing himself. He tried speaking to the servant, but the man said nothing in response. Karis sighed and went to bed, deeply missing his mother and the other courtesans.

His servant woke him an hour past dawn. Karis didn’t want to get up, but the servant wouldn’t let him stay in bed. Karis grumbled but got up and went into the bathroom. After he’d taken care of his business and had a long, hot shower, he felt a little better. He came out to find the servant waiting for him with one of his outfits.

“I’d rather wear the grey one today,” Karis said. The servant didn’t speak, just shook the outfit and gave Karis a bland look. “I’m sure my father isn’t dictating what color I wear. I want to wear the gray one.”

The servant stared at him for a moment before reluctantly putting the green outfit he’d picked out back in the closet and pulling out the grey outfit. He helped Karis dress and then left him on his own. A few minutes later, the same servants from the night before brought him his breakfast. He ate and they returned to collect the dishes.

Karis resumed reading technological journals until the door chimed. Karis opened it and an Imperial scholar entered the room. “Prince Karis?” he asked as he blinked nearsightedly at the young man in front of him.

“That’s me.” Karis wondered why the man wasn’t wearing corrective lenses or hadn’t had his vision surgically corrected if he had trouble with his eyes.

“Ah good.” The man pulled out a pad and consulted it. “I’m to teach you how to read and write, and then we’ll go from there.”

Karis scowled at the man. “I know how to read and write. And do simple and complex mathematics.”

The man blinked again. “You do? The emperor was quite under the impression that you were completely uneducated.”

“My mother knew I’d need some education, even if I never had the benefit of an Imperial scholar. She taught me to read and write, and one of the other eunuchs taught me what he knew about mathematics. I was just reading a technological journal and yes, I did understand most of what was published in it.” Karis seethed that his father thought he was that much of an idiot.

“What journal, if I may ask?” the scholar asked.

“Gallatia Technologies,” Karis said.

“Oh, my, that is one of the more advanced technology journals.” The scholar consulted his pad again. “Perhaps we should begin with an assessment of what you do know, and we can pattern your lessons based on that.”

“All right.” Karis sat down and the assessment commenced. The scholar asked him a series of increasingly complex questions, testing his knowledge of philosophy, technology, science, mathematics, literature, and history.

“You are woefully behind in science, your knowledge of philosophy and literature are on par for what I’d expect of a boy of twelve, your knowledge of technology is incredibly advanced, your knowledge of mathematics is substantial, and your knowledge of history is above average for a boy of your age.” The Imperial scholar made some notes on his pad. “And you say you didn’t have a tutor?”

“Just my mother and one of the eunuchs.” Karis shrugged. “My mother encouraged me to read widely, and I spent a lot of my free time reading.”

“Well, we shall have to do an intense study of science to bring you up to standard.” The man made another note on his pad. “We can progress normally with the rest of your classes. For technology, I’ll encourage you to continue reading the technology journals and stay abreast of what’s going on in the laboratories and engineering centers, and we’ll go over that information weekly.”

“I can do that.” Karis glanced around the room. “Reading appears to be the one past time I’m allowed.”

“As your father becomes more aware of your scholastic advancements, he’ll find new things for you to do.” The scholar looked around the room, also taking in the lack of anything else to entertain the young prince. “You will need physical education as well as the mental. He was adamant about that.”

“I’ve always been active, so it’s nice to know I’ll still be encouraged to be active in some way.” Karis wondered what kind of physical education his father expected him to do.

“You may not appreciate what your father has in mind for you. He intends for you to build muscle, and that requires a great deal of work. I imagine there will be some weightlifting, some fighting practice, and some other physical conditioning.” The scholar was watching him closely.

“Fighting practice? I didn’t think Imperial princes learned to fight.” Karis’ eyes were wide, and he pursed his lips. He’d never considered fighting prowess being something he’d need in his life.

“Your father is a skilled fighter, and he intends for you to be able to defend yourself on the off chance your guards are incapacitated, and help is not immediately available,” the scholar explained.

“Wonderful.” Karis slumped in his seat. “More people hitting me.”

“It may not be as bad as that.” The scholar smiled sympathetically. “However, I don’t know for certain what you will need as I am just here to tutor you in the academic subjects. On that note, let us begin with science.”

“Yes sir.” Karis sighed. He really didn’t find much interest in science, but if he needed to learn it to be a better Imperial prince and please his father, then he would.

The scholar stayed with him until lunch. Karis ate the light meal he’d been brought and waited for what would happen next. He was left to his own devices for the rest of the day. Karis spent the time reading and doing the work the scholar had left him. Perhaps his father hadn’t found anyone to teach him physical education yet.

The next morning, he ate his breakfast. His scholar teacher arrived, and he spent a very pleasant morning in scholastic pursuits. “Your physical trainer should see you this afternoon, Your Imperial Highness,” the scholar teacher told him as he left for the day. “It took His Imperial Majesty an extra day to find one he approved of.”

That afternoon, he was taken out to a practice yard. A hard looking woman was waiting for him. She smiled at him, a friendly enough gesture. “All right, Your Imperial Highness. I’m Guard Trainer Narin Wil. We’re going to keep it simple today. I’m going to ask you to run around the training field five times, full speed. I don’t want to see you slow down.”

“Yes Trainer Wil.” Karis started out at top speed. His legs and lungs protested but he kept up the speed she requested.

“You did better than I expected.” She smiled approvingly. “Now, we’ll have you do some stretches to limber you up and ease some of the tension in those muscles. Your father doesn’t think much of these stretches, but the Imperial guards I train use them regularly to keep themselves in fighting trim, so they are useful.”

“Yes Trainer Wil.” Karis already liked her. Narin demonstrated some stretches, and Karis tried to follow her example. She corrected him with some hard taps if he got it wrong, and soon he was performing the stretches to her satisfaction.

“A poorly performed stretch can injure you just as fast as overworking your muscles can,” Narin told him. “That is why I insist on as close to perfect form for these as possible.”

“Yes Trainer Wil.” Karis continued twisting his body into odd shapes.

“You’re very flexible, which is a good thing.” Narin sounded as if she approved of this fact. “It means you’re going to have an easier time with fighting practice when we start that. The emperor wants you to start that as soon as possible. Getting a look at you, I agree. I did want to wait until you were a bit more physically apt before I handed you a vibroblade, but you’re going to need it sooner rather than later.”

“A vibroblade?” Karis was startled at that.

“Yes. Easiest weapon in the world to conceal, and the one you’ll need to start carrying with you once we start training.” Narin looked grim when he glanced up at her. “Don’t worry. I’ll show you ways to hide it and how to use it properly. It could save your life. Carrying a vibroblade has already saved your father’s life a few times. You can never be too careful.”

“My father carries a vibroblade?” Karis hadn’t known that.

“He has two, one on the back of his belt and one strapped to his wrist.” Narin gave him a hard tap, and he adjusted his position. “He’s been attacked, and his guard neutralized, four times in his reign as emperor and he’s had to use those blades to protect himself until help came. If he hadn’t, he’d be dead, and the empire would have fallen into disarray.”

“If my father has had to use them, then I guess I’d better learn to use them as well.” Karis felt some of the tension in his muscles and tried to compensate for it as he did the stretches. “I’m more vulnerable than he is, and someone could decide to mess with the line of succession by killing me.”

“Very good, Your Imperial Highness.” Narin tapped him again and he shifted. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to be the one to tell you the harsh realities of court. The truth of the matter is not everyone is pleased with you being named heir and there are some who would stop at nothing to remove you. The sooner you can defend yourself the better.”

“Well said, Narin.” Vespasian’s cold voice came from the entrance to the training yard. “I assume there is a reason he is stretching and not practicing something more useful?”

“Stretches are useful, Your Imperial Majesty.” Narin turned to face the emperor, allowing Karis to rest for a moment. “They warm up the body and get it ready for more arduous physical activity.”

“I do not want him to think he can be lazy, Narin.” Vespasian scowled at his son.

“Stretches aren’t lazy, Your Imperial Majesty.” Narin was calm and unflappable. “And as your Imperial guards can tell you, I’m the last person in the universe to let anyone get by being lazy.”

“No coddling either, Narin. He got too much of that in the courtesan wing.” Vespasian turned his scowl onto Narin.

“I don’t coddle my trainees either, Your Imperial Majesty.” Narin seemed to be unfazed by the emperor’s severe expression. “I tailor my training to their physical abilities and ramp it up in increments to force them beyond those limits. Your son is still a child. He has a child’s limitations. As we progress, I’ll push him beyond those.”

“See that you do. I want to see real, visible progress in as short a time as possible.” Vespasian’s gaze turned back to Karis and his expression turned from a scowl to one of disgust.

“You’ll get progress, Your Imperial Majesty. It might seem slow at times, but you’ll get real, measurable progress from me.” Narin’s voice took on a warning note that even Karis caught.

“I have too much to train him in for this to take a long time, Narin.” It was obvious Vespasian hadn’t caught the warning implicit in her tone.

“It will take as long as it takes, Your Imperial Majesty. We don’t want to injure the boy past all ability to function. I will push him, but I won’t injure him just to make large leaps of progress.” There was more severity in her voice now as she confronted the emperor.

“Do you think I want my son injured, Narin?” Vespasian asked, a hint of a growl in his voice.

“From the way you’re talking, Your Imperial Majesty, yes, I do. You want a great deal of progress in a short amount of time. The only way to do that is to risk debilitating injury. Let me work at my pace and I’ll turn out a fine young warrior for you.” Her tone was firm and cool, and it was obvious to Karis she was making certain she knew the emperor knew she wasn’t happy with his attitude.

“Very well, Narin. I hope he is worth the time you are spending on him.” Vespasian cast a doubtful look on Karis.

“I have a good eye for potential, Your Imperial Majesty.” Her tone changed to one of reassurance now. “Your son has a great deal of it. He just needs someone to push that potential in the right direction.”

Vespasian grunted and left the practice area. “Asshole,” Karis muttered under his breath.

Narin slammed her fist into the side of Karis’ head. He sprawled on the ground. “The one thing I will not tolerate, Your Imperial Highness, is disrespect towards His Imperial Majesty. That man is under immense pressure and deserves a great deal of respect for all the work he does to keep the empire functioning.”

“He could stand to be a little nicer to people, especially his own family.” Karis glowered up at her.

“Nice? Nice gets you walked all over, Your Imperial Highness. Cold and commanding gets you respect. His Imperial Majesty has respect from those who serve him. He doesn’t have time to be nice to people if he wants to maintain order.” She hauled Karis to his feet. “Now, since you seem to have the energy to run your mouth, let’s go over and lift some weights. I have two six-kilogram weights. I want you to lift them for a set of fifteen, rest for a count of sixty, and lift them for a count of fifteen again. Then we’ll see what we’re going to do next.” “Yes, Trainer Wil.” Karis began to lift weights.

A/N: And here is chapter 2 on YouTube. Please remember if you have any questions, post them here or over on YouTube and after the 10th video posts, I’ll do a Q&A video to answer them all. NO SPOILERS! 😉 But I promise to do my best to answer anything about the world, the politics, the characters in general, or my writing style/process if you want to know.