In the dead of night, towards the end of the cold season, a ship was preparing to leave the port of Astrania and head east- to Heartland. A tall and imposing figure walked the deck of the ship, inspecting every last detail. Every person stopped what they were doing and bowed low as he approached, except for the one who stood by his side.

"Everything is perfect, Heartland. I knew I could count on you."

"Thank you, my Lord." A smooth, oily voice replied. "It ought to be after all the time it has taken to prepare."

"Yes." Emperor Domitian nodded his approval. "And you are fully prepared for your mission?"

Lord Heartland, a weasel of a man with spectacles and sickly shade of green in his hair, smiled back at him. "Absolutely. Do not fear, my Lord. Heartland will fall before you more easily than the United Lands did."

"Indeed." Domitian's lips twisted into a smirk as he remembered the look of shock and betrayal on his rival Ralphenom's face, just before he ran him through. The fool had actually thought they were friends. It would be even easier to slaughter the barbaric Heartland rulers. "I wish luck to you, Heartland, and eagerly await your return. As you know, I am leaving for Sparta in the morning."

Lord Heartland nodded. "Yes, I am aware of it. But, is not tomorrow young Prince Vector's birthday?"

Domitian scowled at the mention of his son. He could not have been more disgusted or disappointed with his heir. "Yes. His mother will undoubtedly try to get me to see him before I go- he's been sick in bed for the past few suns." He let out a huff of annoyance. Princes, especially those who would someday rule the greatest empire on earth, were not supposed to get sick. "But I am Emperor and she is only a woman. She has no authority over me."

The fact that Empress Vivian had been chosen over him to be a member of the Imperial Council was one of the many reasons Domitian had hated Ralphenom, the Council's, and therefore Baria's, leader. But he had taken his revenge, Domitian smirked to himself. Ralphenom was dead, and his brat- the one who would have taken over his throne- was now Domitian's slave. And Domitian could do whatever he liked with him.

Cheered by this thought, Domitian left the ship wand watched as it sailed, excitement bubbling up inside him. His conquests were unstoppable. All would fall before him.

On board ship, Lord Heartland was thinking along the same lines. He would soon be second-in-command to the most powerful man in the world. Nothing could stop him now!

There was just one thing the villains had overlooked. Ralphenom's son may have been their slave, but his daughters were not.

Next time on A Tale of Two Slaves: The aftermath of the attack on Sparta.