Empire of India: Rise of the Ruthless Prince

The day was bright and a carriage was trudging through the lone empty road. It had a few guards; in the carriage was Sachin, the noble that opposed the judicial reform and centralization of the power. He was headed to a secret location to meet the remnants of the Jadhavs and Nairs.

He entered the forest and trekked a bit to reach a small enclosure in the lush forest. It was quite small and the blending with the greenery.

There were guards near the entrance. His guards were obviously not allowed in that point due to security reasons.

"Name?" The guards asked with an unfriendly tone.

"It's Sachin. I came as Acuthan Nair said."

"I see... Get in," the guard spat.

Acuthan Nair was the son of the former matriarch of the Nairs of Kozhikode. His mother was executed by the emperor for her role in the civil war. He escaped the purge somehow and was living in hiding along with the Elders of Jadhavs that also managed to escape.

Sachin entered the room, a wooden table and a lot of chairs around it. Acuthan sat in the host's chair and the others were occupied by the Elders of the Jadhav Family.

"You are Sachin." Acuthan asked, raising his brow. He had disheveled hair and a different demeanor.

"Yes…."

"Take a seat, Sachin." Said one of the elders of Jadhavs.

After the civil war, in a scramble to survive. The remnants of the Jadhavs and Nairs allied despite being in different factions to get away from the eyes of the Emperor.

Despite their alliance, their assets and influence were taken down systematically by the Emperor's faction. They still had some influence but not enough to start a rebellion.

"So what good news do you bring us?" Acuthan asked.

The man wanted revenge for his mother's death. He wished for the emperor's death or at least some way to kill Harsha.

"Have you heard about the new reform that the Emperor is planning?" Sachin asked the others at the table.

"The judicial reform?" Asked one of the elders of the Jadhavs.

"I have heard of it," chimed the other one. "It's a huge reform aiming at centralization of the justice system."

"Oh…."

"Many are afraid that they would lose power to this reform and become nobles just in name." Sachin said. "There are a significant number of nobles that oppose this reform."

"And?" Acuthan said. "Have you accomplished something of note?"

"There are nobles that are afraid to come out to support us." Sachin assured. "We need a catalyst and we can oppose this reform."

"Oh... I see..." The Elder said.

"And for the good news." Sachin smiled with a sinister look.

"We got Asokan Nair, a council member on our side."

The room suddenly went silent at the declaration. Sachin looked around, his expression a bit wary and anxious.

The air was electric. Continue reading at empire

He gulped, waiting for an answer from them.

"Asokan…You say?" Acuthan asked. "Him of all people?"

"Are you sure it's Asokan?" asked one of the Jadhav Elders

"Yes, I have his letter with his seal." Sachin assured.

"Show it." Acuthan ordered.

Sachin shivered and rummaged in his coat for the letter and handed it to Acuthan like a scared goat.

Acuthan inspected the letter with a serious look on his face and sighed. "It's indeed real." He assured the other elders.

"But Asokan of all people."

"I am quite surprised as well," another Elder chimed in.

Everyone present except Sachin knew of Asokan's personality very well. He was a loyal man who never did betrayal. According to the letter, he was forced to accept the role under the Emperor with a deal of sparing Prince Bhairava's life.

Asokan was loyal enough to give his life to Bhairava so he accepted the deal without any hesitation to save the prince's life.

He gained influence as part of the royal council and waited for an opportunity to take over the Empire and present it back to Prince Bhairava—the rightful heir to the throne.

"Is this the only contact he has done?"

"Yes, Lord Acuthan." Sachin replied. "He is also unhappy with the reform and state of affairs in the noble world."

"It seems so."

"What do we do now? We have a big noble support thought." An elder asked.

"Yes, we need a plan before proceeding further." Another said.

"Elders, I have a lot of local nobles that support my cause," Sachin explained. "If you can use your influence to call in some of your loyalists. I think we can have a great force. "

Acuthan and the Elder considered it.

They still had a lot of influence to order around some local nobles and they also had loyalists that were waiting for their move to support their cause. Not all nobles were executed since it was hard to determine the faction of the local nobility.

"Hmm... We can consider that plan."

"Lord Acuthan, if we can push this reform back. It would usher a way for us to become a powerful faction in the Empire." Sachin said. "It will give us more power for the future."

Acuthan smiled as the gears turned in his mind. As the influence of the faction grew. He could slowly head towards his goal of taking Harsha's head.

"I and the Jadhavs will discuss this and ensure full support of our loyalists." Acuthan declared with a smile.

The Elders of the Jadhavs also nodded in agreement.

"We need to make a meeting location for us and Asokan to discuss further details."

"Yes, we need to meet Asokan first."

Sachin smiled knowing this would happen and he had a plan.

There was a festival in his region and he wanted to invite them as the guests to discuss this matter. It was a region where Sachin's power and influence were huge. There was no chance of outside entry and since there was an issue in the royal palace, he had plenty of reason not to invite them.

"Why don't we all meet and discuss it at the festival at my place?" Sachin asked.

"When is it?" Acuthan asked.

"A month from now, Lord Acuthan." He smiled. "I shall contact Lord Asokan and invite him personally."

He scanned the room for a favorable response.

Acuthan looked satisfied and smiled back.

"We have a deal, Lord Sachin. Let's meet at your place."

The plan was finally underway.