520 - The One-Boy Horde

The Scandalous One

By Minis Aan

Eight hundred and nineteen years ago, the Empire was rocked by scandal caused by Ninth Amitzas Aan.  Rather than choose a nice Aitza from amongst the Fortunate Fifty for his official wife, he chose one of his Mahid concubines, 8^th Tesha Mahid.

The scandal was so intense that 9^th Amitzas was called out to Ordeal.  What was even more scandalous was the fact that Tesha entered the Temple and shaded him, by standing over him, then kneeling.  The dekinae removed her at that point, and the mob was apparently moved by his determined intent to marry her and her resolute attempt to shield him.  His Ordeal was ended and they were married.

Her reign name became Tesha Iliria Antikana Aan, and all mention of her origins while not actively erased, were allowed to fade in the popular memory.  She bore eight children, Tenth Amitzas, his brothers Joras, Sinimas, Fidelis, Karunan (the first time the name was included in the Imperial line) and three girls, Fidelia, Inensa, and Kyriala.

It was her grandchild 12^th Kurkas, who apparently had all record of his grandmother’s Mahid origins almost completely written out of the history, and had the accounts of his grandfather’s Ordeal shifted to having it be about a contested rise in a certain hated linen tax.

**

I hadn’t been writing much for Intharas as I had promised and as an apology, I sent along a dinner invitation for him, for sometime in the next eight-day, at his convenience. I had been focusing most of writing time finishing my thesis for Ailadas.

**

Kyriala sent along a note to say that she and her family would be pleased to come to dinner.  I really hoped we could get at least some time to talk to each other, even if surrounded by the one-boy horde of her brother.  Not that I should talk. 

Ili had just decided to climb up the façade of the Marble Palace to draw an ink moustache, beard and darkened the mane on Serunerias’s Lion of Muunas over the Heir’s Balcony.  I just had to get Kaita some help because she just could NOT keep up with Ili.  Or persuaded her to wear some of Riala’s shocking women’s clothing so her legs would be free to climb after him if she needed to.

I actually thought the dark mane looked good.  A little like Chevenga.  But the staff had him up there now on a safely belted cleaning swing with a brush and the marble cleaning compound.  He’d gone from chagrined to waving at the crowd gathered to watch him.  Of course he kept dumping his bucket of water if people yelled loud enough for him to do so.  A sausage vendor and a flavoured-ice seller had set up to take advantage of the situation.