CH10 Preview, Part I

Heya!! Hope your week is going well 💖

I don't technically have any posts planned for this week aside from the 2nd character snippet, and next week we'll be in-between the monthly schedule, so I thought I'd post some previews throughout the week as I'm working on the chapter!! I haven't written a proper progress report in a while since there is very little news I can share yet; I'm still continuing to chip away at the chapter, but a lot of the scenes are so fun that I don't want to spoil it yet haha.

I can give away these little snippets though, so for today, here's a sneak peek at the sort of tutoring lessons the Crown is receiving!

“That peris, and Surian tribes, not be treated as a single entity.” Master Youtab emphasizes her point with an example: “What do you know of the other provinces, Your Imperial Majesty?” 

“Rojan used to be the Monarchy of Ardia,” you begin to count off, “which in turn was founded through the unification of various tribes of Sur in that region. The tribes of Sur also settled Zerat and parts of Avdin and Penawar, and still live there as separate communities, though they are officially subjects of the Empire. Şevan was once Hathura, and was born from an entirely different society, first a vassal state and then a province.” 

Youtab nods approvingly. “That is a good summary of various groups in the region. Now, what can you tell me about the peris?”

“The peris in Rojan live in Anshan, also known as Kartan’s Forest.” It seems simple enough to recite. “They are very closed off towards human societies in general, partly due to their self-sufficient nature; they don't need to rely on trade to get by, and prefer to be observers rather than engage with human groups.”

“Do all of the peris in Rojan live in Anshan?” 

You halt, uncertain. It is what you assumed until now, but your tutor's question makes you hesitate. “I’m… not sure. Most of them, I suppose.” 

“What about peris in other provinces?”

Nothing comes to mind.

“How about the tribes of Sur?” Master Youtab asks instead when you stay quiet. “You listed their historical involvement in Arsur, but what do you know of them as they live in the present?”

You remain silent, your mind blank. You realize you know nothing—it is a very sudden, somewhat uncomfortable, and rather humbling sensation.

“This is not to embarrass you, Your Imperial Majesty.” Master Youtab is kind in her reassurance. “Most Arsurians, and in fact, even most academics would know little more than you do. But that is precisely my point: peri history is almost unknown to us. We don’t know when they settled here, what their communities are like, and have little view of the peris in other parts of the land. We know more about Surian tribes, but only by a little, and only due to historical alliances.”

It isn’t something you ever considered before. Such politics were far beyond your scope as a runaway, seeing how little time and opportunity you had to learn of such things beyond what you picked up from conversations happening at teahouses or bathhouses. 

But it’s rather strange, now you think of it. How could you know so little of people who are essentially your neighbors?

That's it for the preview! Stay tuned for Thursday and Saturday, I'll be posting more previews then ✨