Chapter Forty Six

"My apologies," said Visaelya, "It's High Andunayan. The translation into our common tongue would roughly be 'Downfall'. As you might expect, it refers to the demise of the old kingdom, although the Central Forty-Six would of course prefer that no one uses the High Andunayan term for it nowadays."

"I see," said Jiraiya, "and how did this downfall come about? From what you've been describing, it sounds like this old kingdom was not only powerful but popular with the people. It must've been faced with a truly devastating crisis for it to have collapsed."

Visaelya nodded. "It was, but… it was a crisis of its own making."

Itachi leaned forward. "What do you mean?"

"For most of the thousands of years that it held sway, the old kingdom helped ensure peace and justice throughout the Soul Society," Visaelya replied, "However, as the power and prestige of the Andunayans continued to grow, it began to manifest itself in increasingly open displays of arrogance over the passing millennia. These were small at first; the creation of new festivals and holidays, fresh honors and ranks bestowed upon those whom already held great power, that sort of thing. Initially these were believed to be relatively harmless gestures, little more than the boasting of a kingdom that had achieved unprecedented degrees of strength and unity over the Soul Society. However, these displays gradually grew to be more and more ostentatious, particularly among members of the royal family as they competed with each other. Soon it wasn't just festivals and grand titles but extravagant monuments and grandiose military expeditions, all borne at great expense. The pride of the High Kings swelled with each subsequent generation, until at last one known to history as Arn-Melgothron, He Who Arises In Might, committed the ultimate sacrilege; he declared himself to be sovereign over all of creation, an explicit challenge to the Royal Realm and the Soul King."

Jiraiya shook his head. "That couldn't have ended well."

"Indeed," said Visaelya grimly, "It stirred tremendous outrage throughout the Soul Society. The growing arrogance and greed of the High Kings and their closest supporters had been borne by the people of the Soul Society with a correspondingly increasing amount of distrust and resentment, and this wound up being the straw that broke the camel's back. The majority of the aristocracy, including the heads of all five Great Noble Houses, demanded that Arn-Melgothron abdicate the throne and go into exile as penance while allowing the current Prince Chancellor to claim the kingship. Unfortunately, not only did the High King refuse to do so, he was backed by the Marshal General, his second eldest son. The rulers of the Soul Society soon became split into two rival factions; those loyal to the High King, known as the Sovereigntists, and those loyal to the Prince Chancellor, who became labeled as the Succesionists. While the might of the kingdom's military was on the side of the Sovereigntists, the Succesionists held the support of not only the bulk of the noble families but also the common people. More importantly, though, was the fact that the Royal Realm was on their side. With tensions rapidly reaching a boiling point, it was only a matter of time before the standoff erupted into civil war."

Itachi's eyes narrowed. "So what spark lit the powder keg?"

Visaelya closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them they held a dark look. "While the High King and the Prince Chancellor belonged to opposing factions, ultimately they were still father and firstborn son. When the High King invited the Prince Chancellor to private talks over tea, the son accepted. The records indicate that the Prince Chancellor at the time was diplomatic, humble, and wise; he must've believed that he should take all possible avenues to resolve the crisis short of violence. His commitment to peace and stability was commendable. Unfortunately, his father did not share those virtues. He was also treacherous; as soon as the Prince Chancellor entered the room, he found himself trapped in a binding spell cast by his own father. That was when the Marshal General revealed himself from behind a false wall panel… and stabbed his elder brother through the heart."

Jiraiya sighed mournfully. "Fratricide… and for what? Power? It's just so petty."

"You're hardly alone in believing that," said Visaelya, "From where the High King and the Marshal General were sitting, I imagine that the calculus made sense. They likely saw it as eliminating the leader of their opposition, and probably hoped that without the head the body would die. However, that wound up being a grievous miscalculation. The Prince Chancellor was beloved by both the aristocracy and the common folk, and despite the statements from the High King proclaiming his eldest son a traitor to the realm they were enraged at his death. Arn-Melgothron's lust for dominance turned the Prince Chancellor into a martyr and galvanized the opposition. More critically, though, it created a schism with the ranks of the thirteen armies."

Itachi nodded. "Makes sense. After all, if the High King was willing to murder his eldest son in the name of power, he likely would've thought much less of the lives of the kingdom's soldiers. They saw what he was capable of doing to members of his own family… it must've given them pause."

Visaelya nodded. "More than that; it shattered the unity of the thirteen armies. Factions within each division began declaring for the Succesionists. Arn-Melgothron's power had been based almost entirely on the loyalty of the Marshal General and the kingdom's military beneath him. With that power base now divided, the High King's position became much more vulnerable."

Yoruichi smirked. "There's a delicious irony to it all, really. The High King and the Marshal General had intended to cripple the opposition, but by killing the Prince Chancellor they instead inflicted a mortal wound upon their own cause."

"Quite so," said Visaelya, "The Prince Chancellor's murder became the catalyst for the bloodletting that followed. Units of the thirteen armies that had declared for the opposition attempted to arrest the High King and the Marshal General. However, Sovereigntist soldiers were able to secure the two men and spirit them away before the opposition could take them into custody. Infighting swiftly broke out in the barracks, and eventually troops loyal to the Succesionists consolidated around the Seireitei estates of the Five Great Noble Houses. The High King and the Marshal General gathered their forces at the heart of the Seireitei, while the opposition sent frantic messages to both the commoners of the Rukon District and the denizens of the Royal Realm pleading for reinforcements. Their calls were answered, and not a moment too soon; the High King and the Marshal General launched an all-out assault on the opposition at dawn the following day. The entire Seireitei became consumed by the raging fires of a full-blown civil war."

Itachi winced; as experienced as he was, even he couldn't begin to imagine the extent of the carnage. "Who won the opening engagement?"

"It was hard-fought and costly, but eventually the Succesionists carried the day," Visaelya replied, "An ambush from warriors of the Shihōin Clan actually succeeded in assassinating the Marshal General, and while the High King narrowly escaped death himself on that occasion, the encounter severely rattled him. With the loss of their chief military commander, the Sovereigntists were eventually forced to withdraw from the Seireitei."

Yoruichi grinned. "They've written some pretty impressive songs over the years about how my ancestors scared the shit out of the High King that day. It's one of our more memorable contributions to the history of the Soul Society."

Visaelya smiled as well, and Itachi could detect the pride swelling up within her. "While I shall be the first to acknowledge the invaluable role that your family played in that engagement, I would be remiss if I did not mention how the Drakken Clan's elite dragon riders drove Sovereigntist divisions from the battle in terror. The threat of death by fire from a swarm of giant winged reptiles will have that effect on even the bravest of foot soldiers, especially when they're being cooked alive in their own armor."

Kirio giggled. "Ah, another example of the classic dick-waving contests between Clans Shihōin and Drakken… as if the Seireitei doesn't have enough of that going on already."

Yoruichi laughed. "Yeah, I guess we do tend to get a little heated about those from time to time!"

Visaelya nodded, looking slightly embarrassed. "Yes… I suppose Great Noble Houses like ours can be a little… excessive when it comes to flaunting our accomplishments."

Yoruichi gave her an encouraging smile. "Trust me, Visaelya, you're fine. It's more the men in your family that tend to go overboard with that sort of thing… especially your uncle."

"No need to remind me, Lady Yoruichi," Soi-Fon quipped dryly, "It took him forever to shut up the last time his family's history was brought up in conversation with him. That meeting we were all at took far longer than it had to because of it."

Visaelya cleared her through. "Great feats from our respective families aside, there was little call for celebration after the Sovereigntists had been driven from the Seireitei. The Succesionists had suffered considerable losses amongst their ranks as well, and while the High King and his followers were in retreat they still had plenty of fighting strength remaining. The opposition needed time to secure the Seireitei completely and give its forces a chance to regroup, which provided the Sovereigntists with an opportunity to strategically reposition themselves for the next phase of the conflict. They wound up fortifying a significant portion of the western Rukon District. With secure housing for their troops and easy access to supplies, it was believed that they could hold out there indefinitely while preparing a counteroffensive to retake the Seireitei. The records indicate that the High King thought as much, but as it turned out, the people of the Rukon District had other ideas."

Jiraiya grinned. "Let me guess; a people's revolt?"

"Yes," Visaelya replied, "The Prince Chancellor may have primarily been charged with administration over the Seireitei when he was alive, but even in that capacity his thoughts had never been far from the needs of the Rukon District. During his period of governance, he directed much-needed resources there from the Seireitei, bolstering patrols and heavily investing in public works designed to improve sanitation, healthcare, and other essential services. He even made several trips himself to the Rukon District to oversee such projects, making him one of the few royals that was actually accessible to the common people. The citizens of the Rukon District never forgot this… and they certainly weren't about to forgive the High King for murdering him."

"So, how did they strike against the Sovereigntists?" asked Itachi.

Visaelya smiled. "They may have been commoners, but they weren't stupid; they knew that a frontal assault against the High King's loyalist forces would be suicide. Instead, their first strike came through sabotage, and arson was a particularly favored tactic. Food stores, homes that had been seized by officers, and much more beside were set alight in the middle of the night. Weapons and armor were stolen in the chaos, and soldiers were lured into back alleys to be cut down. When the Sovereigntists attempted to crack down, the subsequent executions and punitive expeditions only served to further harden the commoners against the High King's followers. They sent messengers with valuable information regarding the Sovereigntists defenses to the Succesionists, and despite the fact that they were still licking their wounds from taking the Seireitei they recognized that they had to strike now while an active insurgency was on their side."

Itachi nodded. "They would've had to move quickly; civilians with stolen weapons and no combat training would've been hard-pressed to stand against an organized and professional fighting force."

"Quite so," said Visaelya, "The Royal Guard and the elite warriors of the Five Great Noble Houses formed the vanguard and struck before the Sovereigntists could put down the uprising for good. Other Succesionist forces took longer to arrive, but eventually they were able to inflict such severe losses on the Sovereigntists that they had no choice but to retreat. They pulled out of the Rukon District completely and headed west. At that point, the High King's plan became simply to flee the continental Soul Society with his Queen and surviving forces and hole up in the home island of Nur-Andunaya. His hope was that the vast distance between the island and the mainland, combined with the Andunayans' dominance over the sea, would discourage pursuit. However, he'd made a fatal mistake; he underestimated the depths of his crimes and just how far the opposition would go to bring him to justice."