1. Birds of prey do not sing

I'm sitting on my throne, admiring from the terrace of my palace my shrine that's growing, when the haphazard sounds of a running man break the silence.

"Seitei Souther!"

My lieutenant still is short of breath and, even at the respectful distance that he keeps from my holy person, I can smell the stench.

Of sweat. Of dirt. Of fear.

Fear?!

What can one of my men fear, if not my wrath?

"Seitei Souther, I'm coming from the village of Blue Water...it's been terrible, the platoon that had to conquer it has been defeated!"

"What? Defeated by a couple of bumpkins, Souther's army? My army?"

The idiot is so scared that he doesn't realize he should be afraid of me.

"Everyone is dead, everyone is dead...only me...their chief, a real devil...spared only me, told me to come back here, said I was message..."

Only at this stage I notice his hands are covered with blood-soaked bandages.

"What's happened to your hands?"

And now he quits saying constructed sentences for good, and falls to the floor, almost unconscious.

From another of my men, who kneels down to examine him, I find out in a mixture of amazement, rage and admiration that they amputated all his fingers.

...

He's the first, but not the last.

I send to that damned village larger and larger platoons, and the few soldiers who come back are always missing something. Some an eye, some their fingers; one must have annoyed them indeed, because they returned him with no nuts. Well, they've been kind: first, they tied his scrotum with a twine, so he wouldn't bleed to death.

I would be furious with these bumpkins who dare rebelling to me, if I weren't fascinated too. And a little envious as well. Some of their sadistic punishments hadn't come even to my mind.

I leave my horse not far from the walls of Souther's city, in a meadow. At least, he will pass the time eating.

"Behave, I recommend you. Stay here till I come back."

Syrio nods, as he understood. Of course he understands, and he'll obey. He's a good horse. I put a hand in my pocket, and pull out a carrot. I break it in two and offer it to my steed. While he gently eats from my hand, careful not to hurt me with his teeth, I turn to look at the city, dominated by the enormous, still under construction pyramid.

It's been two months, by now, that our village is suffering continuous attacks. Personally, I confess, I would only like to be left alone.

We built walls, we gathered weapons, we trained to fight, but we hoped that all of this would never reveal necessary. At the first attack, I confess, rage got the upper hand over me: after having exterminated the soldiers (trapped under the walls, at the bottom, because the proper village is on the top of a hill, and forced to enter few at a time through the breach they had managed to open, butchering them was not hard), I saved one.

I wanted to spare him so he'd send a message to his emperor, but the bastard dared calling me a whore and said he would cut off my head.

I'm curious to know how he'll manage to, with no fingers.

I confess I acquired a taste for it, with the troops that came later; our defence techniques work, but I had to get a little satisfaction with those bullies. I have a quick temper, it's true, and the times we live in for sure didn't sweeten me. Furthermore, I hoped the terror could compensate for our scarcity of means.

I wasn't mistaken.

Soldiers keep coming, but many of them are so scared, as soon as they see us in action, that they scoot. This way, it's easier for us to defeat the ones who stay, who don't have the power of large numbers any more.

Virtuous circle.

But we can't go on like this forever. If Souther lost his temper and decided to confront us personally, I don't know if we'd be able to face him.

We are an army, not holy warriors.

I have to take a decision, but before that I need to see with my own eyes how dangerous he actually is. Our big enemy, the Holy Emperor. Souther.

I left this morning, at dawn. Elliott absolutely wanted to come with me, but I told him not to. He's my deputy, and a better warrior than me as well. I told him that, in case I don't come back, he must take the command. I gave him directions for the first needs, and then I greeted him. I shook his hand. He hugged me, instead.

"Be careful. For a woman alone, those animals are even more dangerous. If they kidnapped you..."

"You know I can look after myself quite well." I smile. "And in any case, it's just a recognition. This time, I'll keep a low profile. And in any case, if anything happened to me, don't do something mad to come and save me. As when we fight, village is our priority. Not individuals."

"I don't know if I could leave you there, Azusa."

Dear Elliott. The woman he loves is married to his best friend. Regarding me, I don't even remember the last time I've fallen in love. We keep company to each other...but from another point of view, the feeling that binds us together is stronger than love.

"At the moment your chief is still me, and I order you to look after the village. Take care."

I hugged him too, fleetingly, then I got on Syrio and left.

...

I'm in the city, confused among people. The soldiers spread terror, and play the bullies. I'd like to cut some of them into pieces so much...but today, I must stay in the shadows. Today.

Finally, the Emperor comes. Sat on a throne mounted on a motor vehicle, he sports a cruel smile, and cold and very clear eyes.

I confess I'm taken aback; I expected someone less young, less elegant, less...

With a shout that wakes me up from my reverie, a man moves away from the crowd, brandishing a knife. He's fast; before the soldiers can do anything, he's already leaped on the vehicle that carries the throne.

He's fast, indeed, but not as much as the Holy Emperor, who disappears from sight to reappear behind the poor rebel and chop off his head with an edgeways hit of his hand. Then, Souther bursts into an evil laughter.

He moves faster than the eye, and his lethal hits are executed with grace and elegance. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. The technique, I mean. The technique.

...

I retrace on my steps, absorbed in my thoughts. What I found out today is worrying me.

The Emperor is cruel, dangerous, ruthless.

And so handsome.