Summary
This is just a little added detail, a few things that either didn't make it into the story, or little glimpses of things some people might have missed, plus a little more historical input on each chapter. I Highly recommend visiting the Wiki Pages for all the events I mention to learn much more.
Chapter 1, His Dark Prince
While the Kingdoms of Ur and Uruk were actual places, Umir is fictional. I made it up, but it is based on the real life kingdom of Sumer, or Sumeria, depending on which translation you go by. Sumeria was a pre-Mesopotamian civilization that has been traced back to at least 4025 years before Christ existed (BC or BCE).
The remains of these civilizations currently lay beneath the sands of Iraq, Iran, Syria, and several other Middle Eastern nations. Tragically, terrorists have worked to try and wipe the last remaining traces of them off the face of the Earth.
In the story, Kur is swept away by a flash flood. These were common occurrences along the rivers of the time, and still occasionally happen.
Did you all spot Rachel in Umir? Here's a little hint, she's still a spoiled little princess.
I referred to a Kitchen servant named Mercy in this chapter as well. I hadn't intended for her to be a past incarnation of Mercedes, but anything is possible, right?
Chapter 2, The Scribe
Scribes in ancient Egypt served many functions; They wrote letters for those who couldn't write for themselves, or read letters for those who couldn't read. They also sometimes served as a go between between the commoners and the gods, writing down prayers and messages for the dead to be placed in the various temples and burial sites. They were also occasionally employed as tutors for the children of the wealthy.
In 1334 BC, the Pharaoh, King Akhenaten, was disliked by many of his people due to the fact that he banned the worship of certain gods, and had moved the capitol away from Karnak. A year later, after his death, his son, nine year old Tutankhaten ascended to the throne. More commonly known as Tutankhamen, or simply King Tut, he followed the advice of his cabinet, and moved the capitol back to Karnak, and reinstated the worship of the banned deities.
King Tut reigned for ten years, before his death at the age of 19, most likely caused by an infection from a broken bone.
The sandstone caverns in which Bienra is buried in a landslide are often called wadi. Landslides are common during the rainy season, but can happen at any time of the year.
Puck, Santana, Brittany, and Warbler David all made appearances in this chapter. Did you spot them?
Mr. Schue was supposed to appear in this chapter. Khert's former tutor was supposed to be named Shu, which was actually a common name in the Egyptian language at that time.
Chapter 3, Freeborn
On or about August 24th, 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted with a hundred thousand times the thermal energy of the nuclear bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima. The exact number of deaths from the eruptions is unknown, but to date, 1044 intact bodies have been excavated. There are pictures of a couple who died while sharing an intimate moment, which inspired my story.
Most of the victims died quickly, from searing heat that flashed through the area. The rest either died of asphyxiation or drowned trying to swim to safety.
I won't go over the rather convoluted ideas the Roman's had about sex again. You can read the author's notes at the bottom of chapter three for the pertinent information, or you can google it if you want to learn more.
Did you find Finn, Burt, Carole, Nick and Jeff in this chapter?
Chapter 4, Spoils of War
Again on or about August 24th, 410 AD, The Visigoths sacked the city of Rome, which at this point of time was no longer the capitol of the Roman Empire. During the siege, Galla Placidia, sister of Roman Emperor Honorius, was taken captive. She would later marry the man who held her captive, though he did not live long after the marriage.
Alaric I, king of the Visigoths (Or simply Goths) had several grievances with Honorius prior to the attack on the city. You can learn more about the events that lead up to the siege, which lasted for three days, by googling it or visiting the Wiki page.
I had intended for Warbler Trent to appear in this chapter, but ended up cutting the scene short. He would have been one of Placidia's guards.
Chapter 5, Magic and Mayhem
In October of 782 AD, Charlemagne, AKA Charles I, orchestrated the mass execution of over four thousand Saxons who refused to be baptized into Christianity. The Massacre occurred in the town of Verden, in the lower region of Germany, near where the river Aller joins the Weser.
Some of those who opposed the forced conversions rebelled, but ultimately fell to the Frankish army. The massacre was Charlemagne's retaliation for the rebellion.
At the point in time, Saxon religion was nature centered, almost shamanistic, and they strongly believed in magic and Fae creatures such as Nymphs, fairies, and whisps.
While Cuthwin and his family did not believe in gods or magic, many superstitious people would have considered them witches or druids, because they understood and respected the balance of nature.
I'm sure you all recognized Sebastian Smythe in this chapter. And Emma Pillsbury made a cameo, sort of...
Our boys ALMOST met!
Chapter 6, His Parfit Gentil Knight
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon, AKA The Knights Templar, was established in the year 1119, and was active from 1129-1312. During this time they established the modern banking system, secured routes to The Holy Land, Secured the city of Jerusalem, and lead many crusades.
In 1177, at the Battle of Montgisard, the Knights were vastly out numbered by Muslim forces, yet still managed the victory. The number of casualties on either side isn't clear, though a conservative estimate of 1,100 was given.
To become a Knight, one must have been of noble birth, or shown great bravery and allegiance to one's lord. There were three stages to becoming a Knight.
The first stage was to be a page. Pages began their training at the age of seven. Training included serving a lord or high ranking knight in his lord's service. This entailed polishing armor, cleaning weapons, delivering messages, and assisting the huntsmen and falconers. They also trained in the bailey (usually an outdoor weapons rink where pages, squires and Knights all sparred.) The pages were only allowed to use wooden swords and blunted weapons.
Once the boy reached the age of fifteen, he could undergo a religious ceremony where he took a vow on a consecrated sword to serve God, his king, and his lord. The Squire was now allowed to wear light armor and use heavier training swords and weapons. They still acted as servants to higher ranking knights, but with more focus on combat training.
Usually once the squire turned 21, they were conferred the title of Knight, but could obtain the title before then if they showed an excess of bravery.
Mr. Schue makes an appearance in this chapter as Sir Wilhelm.
Chapter 7, Play the Pipes For Me
On September 11th, 1297, The English Calvary crossed the River Forth at Stirling Bridge. The bridge was narrow, and only two riders could cross abreast. Wallace and Moray observed from higher ground, and when they thought enough of the enemy had crossed that they could manage while still dealing a major blow to the English, the highlanders attacked. They cut off any chance of reinforcement from the other side of the river, and when the English infantry tried to storm the bridge to aid their fellow countrymen, the bridge collapsed under the weight, sending dozens more soldiers to their watery deaths.
While English casualties were estimated to be over five thousand dead, Scottish casualties weren't recorded, although Moray was gravely wounded and died later that year.
Chapter 8, The Wanderer
I don't have much more to add to this chapter, other than to point out that the song Ireland is one of my favorite Garth Brooks songs, and I would love to hear Chris Colfer sing it sometime. The poem The Wanderer was written by me, and I hope it wasn't too badly written.
Chapter 9, Star Crossed
William Shakespeare wrote the play Romeo and Juliet sometime between 1591 and 1595. It was based on a novel by Arthur Brooke written in 1562 titled The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet.
Observant readers may have spotted Sue Sylvester in this chapter.
They ALMOST met again!
Chapter 10, Revolution
The French revolution lasted from 1889 to 1899, and at it's height, known as the reign of terror, as many as 29 people were executed a day. While poor economy, weak crops, and a general partisan between the classes were the main factors, an over all lack of faith in the ruling class was the primary complaint.
The gruesome use of the Guillotine became a spectator sport of sorts, drawing huge mobs who were often unruly. Nearly as many people were beaten to death by fanatical crowds as were beheaded by La Madame Guillotine.
In an ironic twist of fate, Maximilien Robespierre, who ordered many of the executions, was himself executed by Guillotine.
Chapter 11, The Conductor
There is so much I could say about the history surrounding this chapter. I highly recommend reading the biography of Harriet Tubman, as well as The Underground Railroad: Authentic Narratives and First-Hand Accounts (1872), by William Still.
While technically there were no set codes used by the Underground Railroad, there were many terms used by it's operatives;
People who helped slaves find the railroad were "agents" (or "shepherds")
Guides were known as "conductors"
Escaped slaves were referred to as "passengers" or "cargo"
I recommend researching the correlation between music and the Underground Railroad.
Sam, Quinn and Mercedes had cameos in this chapter.
Chapter 12, Destiny
At 5:12am, on April 18th, 1906, an Earthquake estimated to be between magnitude 7.7 and 8.3 struck the San Francisco Bay area. The exact magnitude is unknown, as the modern Richter scale would not exist for another three decades.
More than three thousand people were reported killed, most of those having died in the widespread fires that followed. The exact number of the deceased may actually have been much higher, as many casualties in Chinatown went unreported for one reason or another. To this date, this still remains one of the largest death tolls from a natural disaster in US History.
Mike Chang, Tina, and Wes all had cameos in this chapter.
I hope you all not only enjoyed this story, but also learned some history from it.
Now I have a question. Would you all be interested in finding out more of the other Glee members past life? I need to work on my other writings this summer, try to get something marketable finished, try to get my two completed scripts submitted and hopefully find someone willing to produce them who will allow me to direct them. I'm also working on a novella I want to get published, which will be my main project before I go back to work in August. I do have some ideas for a few one shots that I will try and work on this summer too, if you all would be interested in reading them.
In the meantime, I am working to finish the other Klaine story I have been working on. If you haven't checked it out, look for In Dreams He Came.
Hope to hear from you all soon!
CY