Controlling From the Shadows

The announcement was made throughout the kingdom, making known the new relationship between the King and the foreign emperor as Daimon was called. The edict was clear and unambiguous; King Talmaril and Emperor Daimon were to establish friendly relationship on behalf of Thulsar, promising prosperity and advancement.

When the announcement reached the Noble families of kingdom, they started to call the king mad and began to protest this announcement claiming that this foreign emperor could be a spy sent to disrupt the kingdom.

In a normal setting, blatantly calling the king mad was not something a noble would do, but considering the king's waning power within the kingdom, there was nothing the Royal family could do. The nobles had control over majority of the military and the small industrial power that the kingdom had.

Daimon wanted to rectify this situation by making the royal family stronger. On the second day, Daimon met the daughter of the King, Princess Elara.

"Emperor Daimon, meet my daughter and the future Queen, Princess Elara." King Talmaril introduced his daughter who bowed her head slightly greeting the emperor.

Daimon approached her, his massive physique towering over her body. "I knew it" he whispered to himself. She was a Force sensitive, yet she appeared to have never even practiced using the Force.

Looking up at Daimon, she was shocked to say the least as if she recognized Daimon from one of her dreams. During this dream she was about to be attacked by some unknown figure and then he appeared and saved her life. She didn't know what this meant nor why she had the dream, but as he stood in front of her, she felt immense warmth for some reason.

"It's an honor to meet you, Princess Elara," Daimon stated.

"The honor is mine, your highness," she replied with a blush on her face.

Daimon turned to look at the King as he had an important question to ask him, "Do you know what the Force is, King Talmaril?"

The King shook his head, "I don't know what 'the Force' is, I'm sorry Emperor Daimon. Is it something important perhaps," he asked.

"It is extremely important," he replied. "The Force is something that is in every single being in this universe and it is what connects us all together. Some, like your daughter here, are more attuned to it than others. They have the ability to manipulate it and use it to their advantage. These beings are usually referred to as Force-sensitives."

Hearing this explanation, the King's eyebrows shot up. "The Mystic Arts," he voiced in a shocking tone. "Are you saying that my daughter can becoming a Mystic?" he asked.

From his shock and the way, he made the connection, he assumed the Mystic Arts must be what the Aruzans called the Force. "Yes, even though she is 20 years old. She can still be trained in how to use the Force, with the right teacher. Lucky for you, there is someone who can train her and help her develop her abilities greatly."

The King made the connection and knew who Daimon was talking about, "Are you talking about yourself?" he asked. Daimon nodded his head at the King's question.

"But she was tested at birth, and it was said that she would never be able to wield the Mystic Arts." All over the world, powerful people were tested at birth to determine whether they had the potential to be eligible to learn the Mystic Arts. Those who were eligible were venerated throughout the world as there were not many in the world who could use the Mystic Arts.

If one was of common birth and not part of a noble family, that person would have their status elevated by being betrothed from birth to a noble family, granted protection by the royal family, or being put into position of power. Naturally if one was of noble birth, they would be raised to an even higher status, their power and influence greatly amplified.

"Princess Elara was tested?" Daimon asked.

"Yes, she was, and it was declared that she had no alignment with the Mystic Arts," King Talmaril replied solemnly.

Daimon shook his head as he had an idea of what happened. "No, King Talmaril. She is indeed a Force sensitive. The reason you were probably told a lie, is possibly to undermine your rule because she is your first born."

King Talmaril was bewildered, so was Princess Elara who looked at Daimon in an astonished gaze. A question appeared in her father's eyes, but he held back, unable to voice it out.

"If it is agreeable to you and Princess Elara," Daimon continued, "I am willing to guide her into discovering her potential in the Force. This will not only elevate her status but also increase the strength of your kingdom."

Talmaril considered this prospect. His daughter was to be the future Queen of the Kingdom, yet she could not use the Mystic Arts, while his second born, her brother, could. This had for a long time caused great conflict between him and the nobles who wanted his second born to inherit instead of his daughter.

But if she could learn to use the Mystic Arts or the Force as Daimon called it, then there would be nothing to threaten her rule and support for her ascension could be guaranteed.

"Would you like to be trained in the Force, Elara?" he asked, turning to his daughter.

Princess Elara was still processing all that she had heard. She had always been told that the Mystic Arts were unreachable for her and accepted it with a heavy heart. Now, suddenly, this foreign Emperor stood before her, assuring her that she was indeed capable of wielding it. After a moment of silence, she met Daimon's eyes and said, "Yes, I would like to be trained."

Daimon nodded approvingly. "Good. But understand this, Princess Elara," he began in a serious tone, "This path will not be an easy one. Mastering the Force requires great discipline and determination. And once you embark on this journey, there is no turning back. Are you prepared to make such a commitment?"

"I am," she replied confidently. There was a certain spark in her eyes that argued against all odds as she was determined and willing to take on any challenge.

"Very well," Daimon said with a hint of satisfaction in his voice. "We shall begin your training immediately."

In the days that followed, Princess Elara devoted herself to her new education under the tutelage of Daimon. Because of her age, the training had to be adjusted in a way that she could become an adequate force user in a decade. Daimon enhanced her abilities during their training, allowing her to retain and understand what exactly he was teaching her.

Of course, he wasn't investing this much time and power in her for no reason. There was a reason, and she would be pivotal for that reason in the far future.

As the weeks passed by, the surrounding Kingdoms had heard about this foreign emperor from their spies in the Kingdom and had become curious about who this person was. At the same time, Daimon had started to improve the technology and infrastructure of the city, keeping in mind the resources that the Kingdom had.

The Kingdom of Thulsar had only one city surrounded by a dozen small villages. The population of the Kingdom was close to 300k, making it a relatively small Kingdom, however not the smallest Kingdom. Surrounding the Kingdom were 5 other nations which consisted of three kingdoms, a republic, and a tribal confederation. Each of these had its own unique culture, resources and power structure, and their relationships with each other were often complex and fraught with internal struggles.

The one thing all of the 5 nations had in common was their dislike of the Kingdom of Thulsar which involved some ancient history. Hundreds of years ago, one of the past Kings of the Kingdom of Thulsar started a large campaign to unite the surrounding lands.

This campaign, however, was dismantled once the 5 surrounding nations, formed an alliance and pushed the Kingdom of Thulsar back. The end result was of the war forced the Kingdom to cede land and pay back a debt to each of the nations to cover their loss.

The debt was well crafted to destroy the economy of the Kingdom, making it unable to grow in strength again. Even now the Kingdom was filled with a weak economy, corrupt nobles, and a population which didn't believe in the royal family after generations of suffering.

But with the technology that Daimo was introducing, more merchants had started to travel to the Kingdom, seeking out these technologies. Daimon used the King to quickly promote these technologies, enacting edicts which enforced his will upon the kingdom in order to improve it.

This was also used to stir the nobles up and force them to do something.

But for 10 long years, they did nothing as Daimon continued pulling the strings behind the scenes. The people had actually come to support the relationship that the King created with this foreign emperor, calling it, "A gift from the gods, a union forged by the light of the stars" as their lives steadily improved.

Princess Elara had grown into a young woman and was becoming a formidable Force user under Daimon's guidance. She had also grown attached to Daimon during the 10 years spent together. Their relationship was advancing just as Daimon intended and all according to his plan.

For the final phase of his plan, he had the King propose a betrothal between the royal family and one of the Noble houses of the Kingdom who was also a Mystic Arts user.

This announcement frustrated the princess, who much preferred Daimon over the noble whom she was going to marry. The King didn't much care and told her that it was for her future as she was already 30 and didn't have her own heir yet. He was also at the age of 70 and didn't have long before he either died or retired from being King and handed it over to her.

Her three brothers were all away, serving in different roles throughout the kingdom. Prince Terenor commanded the kingdom's army, a position that he relished for its power, and he was very popular among the nobles. The second brother, Prince Elric, was a visionary and an inventor, primarily concerned with helping Daimon revolutionize Thulsar's technological capabilities. The youngest, Prince Lior, was serving as an ambassador to the neighboring nations, a position that he had been carefully groomed for since his early teens.

Prince Terenor and Prince Lior hated Daimon. They saw him as some foreign trash despite what he brought to their kingdom. They also accused him of trying to court their sister. Their accusations, however, were not met with much reaction from the King as he dismissed these claims.

This started a drift between the two Prince's and the King, drawing in more noble support for the two Prince's. Now that their sister was about to get married, the two Prince's conspired with the Nobles to seize power from the king and place Prince Terenor on the Throne.

Daimon was aware of this plot as he was secretly pulling the strings behind most of the things that were happening. And so, when the day of the Wedding arrived, he prepared.

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Princess Elara's (Image Here)