The History of the World V . . . .

[deity]

Elizabeth was well pleased with the latest report from Manning. Mannings dealings with Mendoza is another story but Mannings results and tabulated report shows the ascendancy of the English.

Although currently poor in culture, her military might and economy are first class.

Her current targets were population growth and an improvement in the health and well being of her subjects.

[The Capo]

El Cid, El Campeador, y El Rey... (Part III)

Things had not been going well for the royal family of Spain; the marriage of Carlos Dodabella to Evita of Castille did not have the effect Bainor expected, for one the house of Aragon was angered at the divorce forced upon them, and as a means to prevent a civil war Bainor installed Yolanda Diaz of Aragon as the queen until her son (by Dodabella) Sancho had come of age. The princess Elena of Aragon was still young, and Aragon was in the market for a husband, unfortunantly for them Bainor had made great strides at ensuring no Spanish nobility would take her hand in order to keep Aragon marginalized. For his part Dodabella's plan on taking the throne was gaining mixed results.

Meanwhile El Cid's Andalusian army finally had reached their goal and had set up a camp to the east of Madrid. From here El Cid would travel to Aragon in an attempt to gain the support of Yolanda...

Madrid...

Prince Dodabella entered the King's chambers very early in the morning, they were still awaiting news from Generals Mendoza and Cadrez on the situation in Mongolia, while attempting to maintain an army to defend Madrid against the inevitable attack on the part of the Andalusian rebels.

Bainor had been deteriorating mentally over the past few months, and everybody was fully aware what this could mean for them; the King was already a violent and passionate person, who didn't think twice about calling for a man's death for hardly a reason. Now his dementia was coming into full force and Dodabella needed to find out the extent of this ailment.

"My liege!" Dodabella said as he bowed to his King, he couldn't wait until Bainor was dead and he can restore peace to the Kingdoms of Spain. "I have come to discuss the situation in England."

"England?" the King asked "What situation in England?"

Dodabella couldn't believe it had become this bad, the entire royal court was too afraid to do anything about the King's situation, but if they left it unchecked Dodabella knew it would spell disaster for Spain, especially considering that half their army was an entire continent away from them. "With Mongolia sire, any word from General Cadrez?"

"Oh yes, General Cadrez, how is he?" the King asked pacing around nervously, he looked terrible.

"I don't know sire, he is headed to England, he was supposed to send word when he arrived, the courier should have been here by now." Dodabella said as he approached the King.

"Maybe you should ask Minister Olivares, he seems to know a lot about these things." the King said.

"Is he coming?" Dodabella asked.

"He is here!" the King laughed.

Dodabella was getting worried, he knew Bainor was developing mental problems, but this was getting out of hand "Sire, with all due respect we are the only ones here right now."

"Nonsense!" Bainor laughed, he began patting his hand on the top of a stone box "He angered me, so I put him in this box for a while, he's been there for quite some time now, I think I'll let him out."

"Sire, that box is far too small for him, are you feeling ill?" asked Dodabella.

"Don't be ridiculous Fiador!" the King replied as he opened the box.

"Sire, Fiador is dead, I am Carlos Dodabella, of Seville, I am married to your daughter Evita, remember?"



"Of course Fiador, how can I be so forgetful!" the King pulled a human skull from the box and glared into its eye-sockets "Juan, I've decided to let you out, Fiador here has something to ask you. Go ahead Fiador, ask away." he held the skull up to Dodabella's face, he cringed.

"Sire, please. This is insane." Dodabella said backing up "That's a skull, what happened to Olivares?"

"I told you Fiador, he's right here." the king said holding up the skull again to his face, he began laughing hysterically....


Aragon...

Queen Yolanda Diaz of Aragon stared blankly out of her window, she was growing older and thought to herself about her life. How she had been used by Dodabella, how she was now divorced and ashamed, and how her family was slowly dying away. Her brother Fiador, who she loved and admired, was dead now despite his allegience to King Bainor. Her son Sancho was far too young to rule, and her daughter was blacklisted by Castille from finding a new husband. She had stooped to dealing with the Andalusians, and she was going to see the legendary "Campeador," El Cid. This was her last chance at restoring Aragon to its former glory.

"Queen" her servant said, breaking her thoughts "El Campeador is here! He's quite a strapping man!" the servant said with a smile, "I'm beginning to think Elena may take a liking to him, she likes the rough types."

"Please, I will not have my only daughter married to a common rebel! I am only meeting with him because he asked me to, I can't afford to allow Aragon's future to be the same as this dying band of brigands. Now send him in." she said to the servent, who nodded and motioned for the guards to open the doors.


El Cid entered the room, he was still dressed for battle, but was very clean as he had taken up the Andalusian custom of daily, ritualistic, bathing. He approached the queen and kneeled at her feet "Queen Yolanda Diaz of Aragon, I am Rodrigo Diaz of Vivar, and I must request your assistance in the saving the Kingdoms of Spain from the tyrant Bainor."



"Rodrigo Diaz?" the Queen asked "You must be mistaken, there is no way YOU are of the house of Diaz." she said surprised, "Please arise warrior."

"It is no mistake my lady, I was adopted by Fiador Diaz of Aragon, your brother." El Cid replied.

"I know who my brother is!" the queen responded bitterly "I don't appreciate your lies sir!" the guards readied their weapons, as did El Cid.

"Please Queen Diaz, I wouldn't want to kill your guards in your presence, you must believe me. I was his adopted son, I was accompanying him to Leon when he was killed, I have taken up his name." El Cid replied.

"Very well Campeador, I shall entertain this ridiculous story for now, what are your plans?" she asked.

"Simple, our army can not overcome Madrid alone, we need Aragon to help, for your support we could have your family installed, your young son Sancho could become the King of Spain, and peace would prevail." El Cid explained, the queen seemed to consider the offer.

"You do understand if we fail we will all be killed." the queen replied "And not only me, but my family as well, Bainor has already seen to it that my daughter goes un-married, and I can only assure you that he intends on Sancho never seeing any power. You will certainly die if he ever finds you."

"Which makes this more necessary, Bainor can not be allowed to maintain power, he has committed our army to a situation thousands of miles away in England, he has nearly destroyed Andalusia, and has propped up puppet leaders in Leon to assure his dominance, if we allow him to continue we are only ensuring the continued oppression of the Spanish people." he approached the queen, again kneeling at her feet "Please great queen, save your people!"

Meanwhile, outside...

"Did you see him Elena" the servant said as she combed the princess' hair. "He is a strong man, very handsome, not like these nobles you see around here. I heared he's killed over a thousand men single handedly!"

"Mother would never entertain it, I coulnd't even look at him without getting into trouble." Elena said with a sigh, she knew she was destined to an arranged marriage with a man she hardly knew, the worst part about it is that the marriage would be set up by Bainor, not even her own mother would have a say in it. "Besides, El Cid is a monster, he eats children!"

"Please, spare me princess!" the servant said laughing "You know quite well that Bainor spreads such propoganda to get all of Spain to loathe him, but he is a great warrior, and you know men like that make amazing lovers."

Elena smiled "Well, what do you expect me to do?"

"Go in there, get a look at him and tell me what you think, Bainor will never let you be married Elena, he doesn't want your kingdom to grow in power, he is afraid of losing his control of Spain." the servant explained.

"How do you know all of this?" Elena asked her as the servant finished combing her hair.

The servent turned her around to face her "Well, when we have guests here sometimes Queen Yolanda makes me do things for them, especially the men."

"I didn't want to know about that!" Elena said...

Back in the Queen's chambers...

"It wouldn't require many men, twenty thousand maybe." El Cid explained to the queen, he had now pulled out a map showing the route he wanted the Aragonese to take, his plan was simple; pinch Madrid in and attack before the troops sent to England can respond.

"That seems like a lot of men, Aragon's army isn't that strong since the wars against Castille, even after that Bainor made sure our army was no bigger than fifty thousand, if we lost this attack on Madrid we'd hardly have proper defenses against the inevitable Castillian response." the Queen explained, just then the door opened and princess Elena entered.

"Oh, I am sorry mother, I didn't realize you had company." the Princess said, El Cid turned around and couldn't believe his eyes. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life, for a few moments he lost his train of thought.


"Elena please, this is an important discussion, don't interrupt us." the queen said as she hurried to her daughter's side, she grabbed Elena's arm and whispered "I know what your'e doing, this man is beneath you, he'll be dead soon anyway, he's an animal you know!"

"Mother, stop it!" Elena said, pulling her arm away "I was leaving anyway, it isn't important. Hello by the way." she said as she smiled at El Cid.

"Hello, I am Rodrigo." El Cid said, he felt like an idiot, but he couldn't help it, her beauty caught his throat and nothing else came out.

"Pleasure to meet you Rodrigo" Elena said, smiling, her mother motioned for her to leave.

"Elena must go Rodrigo, we can continue this discussion tonight over dinner, for now my servants will take you to your quarters, there is no reason for you to leave until nightfall, in case anyone is watching the palace." the queen said, as she pushed Elena out of the room.

"Your daughter, the uh, the princess, she is quite breathtaking, you must be on your toes with her!" Rodrigo said, "I mean, you know, there must be many suitors for her hand."

"There are none, Bainor forbids it for now, he says we must wait until the right time." the queen explained.

"Since when does Bainor have say over your daughter's affairs?" Rodrigo asked.

"Since when were we talking about my daughter? come now, those clothes aren't proper for tonight's feast, let's find you some proper attire..."

[deity]

"I know the Spanish didn't help but the Russians did"

Manning was uneasy about this but was forced to publish the new English map...

[The Capo]

Royal Army of the united Kingdoms of Spain.
Gen. Eduardo Contreras de Cadrez

To: His Majesty Bainor of Castille, Prefect of Madrid, King of Spain.
From: General Eduardo Contreras de Cadrez

MEMO: Failure to reach General Mendoza.

I regret to inform His Majesty that due to problems with the soldiery our trek to England was a failed success. The route provided by our cartographers was ill-fated as the Russians and English seemed to give us a cold shoulder to rest our minds - or simply stated they screwed us over.

We tried on multiple occasions to contact numerous members of the nobility to provide us with armies, but all attempts at contacting you or your house failed. Even General Mendoza seems to have been on a long period of leave, with nobody, not even a soldier, seeing him in the past few YEARS!

Hopefully things at home are well, as I am sure you are quite splendid and ambitiously awaiting the war season again, give my regards to Elena of Aragon, she's quite a prize peice, and say hello to little Evita, I am bringing gifts from England to everyone.

And of course, when Mendoza returns home to Spain he will be interrogated and flogged, that little Aragonese bastard will have his comeuppance.

Hail Bainor, viva Espana.

-E.C. Cadrez

R.A.S. - Royal Army of Spain

[KunojiLym]

Memoirs of a Tsar

Epilogue

---

Truely, it has been a long and eventful life for me. Having had the position of Tsar thrust upon me so quickly, firming up support for my rule, my impeteous decision to personally participate in India's contest... not that I regret the decision, for it has given me my dearest Sita. Our ties with India, and now China, are firmer than ever before. I confess to feeling a little flattered whenever I look out of my balcony and see our Archers parade in pride of glory. Sometimes I wonder to myself, is this really happening? For much of the present seems too rosily good to be true. But then I look at my wife, and I thank the gods that I am alive.

I am worried, however, about stirrings within the court as of late. Even after so long, I have been unable to convince the court to adopt the Hindu faith. My father-in-law is preparing to send a special envoy to help convince them; I can only pray for his success. I am also aware, that there are fanatical elements, no doubt legacies of Victor and Rudolf, who resent the position I hold in the faith, and see me as a man approaching blasphemy. For now, my reputation and my popularity keeps these elements at bay, as does the continual official recognition of 'The One True God'. But I can only wonder... what happens, when I pass away? I really do not wish to see a repeat of the terrible events that placed me in power. My people deserve better than that... so much better.

To be honest, I have never seen myself as much of a hero, much less a demigod, or an avatar of Vishnu. I am just a man, ableit a man to whom Fortune has dealt an auspicious hand, and who is somewhat more adept than others in matters of the mind. What I am, though, is the ruler of my people. I have tried to lead them, guide them, as best as I can. As for the future, I hope that I am able to sufficiently prepare Leon for the awesome responsibilities that lie ahead of him. Other than that... I can but trust to the wills of the gods.

And now I lay down my quill. Sita is calling for me. Thank you, you who have read this, for staying with me all this while. And farewell.

Nicholas I
Tsar of Mother Russia

[The Capo]

El Cid, El Campeador, y El Rey (Finale)

Madrid...

King Bainor struggled to breathe as he clutched his chest, his mind wandered at such a pace he lost his balance and fell to the floor knocking himself unconscious... he died minutes later...

The battle of Madrid. 1419 b.c.

After gaining support from Queen Yolanda of Aragon El Cid was fully prepared to engage the enemy at Madrid, Khalid had cautioned him not to attack so quickly, at least not before holding audience with the commander of the army.

El Cid was surprised to see Carlos Dodabella perched upon the King's war throne as he approached, by himself, on his white steed.

"Ah the legendary El Cid," Dodabella said mockingly "You have come to take Bainor's crown I see, you and that pathetic trollop Yolanda, has she come with you?"

"Where is Bainor?" El Cid said, his patience had already been worn quite thin by the arrogant Dodabella.

"Bainor has moved on, into the cycle of life so to speak, your grievances with the Kingdom will be considered, there is no need for war here, take this rabble back to Andalusia where they belong, take them from Spain you Aragonese prole!" Dodabella said, sinking more comfortably into his throne; he was getting quite used to it.

"Who is King now?" El Cid asked, he already knew the answer, but he also knew Dodabella was no Bainor, he may have been cursed with ridiculous arrogance, but he was no tryrant, perhaps Spanish policy could be more fair.

"I am of course, as I am married to his daughter. Now, we demand you withrdraw your forces, or they will be crushed."

"That is impossible, I need a guarantee that the aristocracy return to normalcy and Aragon is reinstated to its former share of power, I want peace with Andalusia and a unification that all of the Kingdoms can agree to, one that isn't only under Castillian terms."

Dodabella cracked a smile "You don't understand El Cid, that is impossible. Your pathetic Kingdom is nothing more than a vassal to Castille."

"I am not from Aragon, I am a Castillian myself, my father was fighting in Castille's army against the people of Vivar, and I hated the King for it, he sent my father to die because of his lust for power and that much authority can only tempt men to do evil! You, you are a Celt! How could you allow this to happen?" El Cid replied.

"Its simple, my people have been destroyed. There is no chance for us anymore, the Celtiberians are a dying breed. The only thing left for us is assimiliation. Now I have the power, I make the rules, and this is not going to happen. Turn around and return to that army of second-rate, half Indian, scum you follow around. You will not get in the way of my destiny, you will not get in the way of Spain!" Dodabella barked, El Cid quickly turned and rode away, the battle was set into motion...

Witnesses to the battle report the furious commander El Cid and his soldiers making short work of Madrid's defenses, the bulk of the army was either exploring the Wildwaldt jungles to the south or returning from England with General Mendoza, who had no clue that Madrid would be under attack despite every indication that the Andalusians were approaching. General Cadrez never reached Mendoza before turning back with a map of the world to present to King Bainor, unfortunately his was already dead.


The battle itself went horribly for Dodabella, who killed himself right before El Cid's forces could reach him. The men scaled the walls of Madrid with hardly any resistance as many of the soldiers took to the citadel in the center of the city to protect their King. The united force of Aragonese, Andalusians, and some Castillians destroyed the army with ease. The ferocity of El Cid, who charged the Citadel himself, created fear and confusion among the enemy and instilled the rebel forces with confidence and pride.

Khalid al-Aziz died in the fighting, he recieved a traditional Andalusian burial normally reserved for royalty. Dodabella and Bainor recieved the same respect from El Cid as well, who would be engaged to Princess Elena of Aragon shortly thereafter. An assembly of nobles was called together in Barcelona, the capital of Aragon to discuss what would be done next; the issue remained that forces loyal to Bainor (who still had no idea about the King's demise) were on well on their way back to Madrid, and there was no telling what this army would do when they discovered what had happened...

Barcelona, Aragon; days later...

El Cid raised his weapon and glanced menacingly at his opponent, "You will die now young Prince, your heroics will now become mere memories!"

"Not if I can help it brigand!" the prince yelled as he brought his weapon down upon El Cid, it was blocked and the two locked eyes, then they smiled.

El Cid had spent the day with his fiancee Elena's brother Sancho. He was, after all, going to be King one day especially after the victory of the Aragonese. The Andalusians had realized that the Kingdoms of Spain would never allow them the Kingdom, only through a compromise with Castille and a reorganized nobility in Leon could peace prevail. El Cid had to attend the meeting very soon, and rumor had it that Leon would become his kingdom.

"You're a great warrior Sancho" El Cid said, patting the small boy on the back "You will do your Kingdom proud one day."

"Rodrigo," the boy asked "Was my father evil?"

Rodrigo paused and thought about the question, what could he possibly say of Dodabella, he hardly knew the guy and the one time he met him he was arrogant and dismissive "He was a great man, you should always be proud of him."

Elena approached "Sancho, time for dinner, let's see how fast you can make it back to the palace!" she said as her brother ran towards the house of Aragon. She watched him, and turned to Rodrigo "Why do you tell him such things, he'll grow up thinking you a liar, and he adores you so much."

"I can't bring myself to say bad things to a child, especially about their father." El Cid said, staring at the ground, Elena forgot that he lost his own father in a battle while, like Dodabella, he was fighting for Castille.

Elena placed her hand on his cheek "I'm sorry Rodrigo, I wasn't thinking, look at me, you have changed my life so much and have saved my mother. I mean first her brother, then her father, then the divorce, and the battle, and everything, it was far too much for her to bear for so many years, its just good to see her happy and Spain finally at peace and united."

El Cid smiled "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life, you would make a splendid Queen for Spain."

Elena blushed, "Rodrigo, please, let us forget all of this political squabbling, don't go to that meeting. I'm worried something bad is going to happen." she rubbed his cheek and stared into his eyes, she hoped he would give in.

"Elena, please, I can't. I have to do the right thing, justify Khalid's sacrafice, he was a great man and if Andalusia is marginalized I could never forgive myself. Besides, if I am absent, and there is any truth to these Leon rumors I have to be there to reject it, I can't be a King, it isn't my place in life to rule people." he explained.

"My love, if Cadrez and Mendoza return they could find themselves in a position to take control of the Kingdom, the army that won in Madrid is disunited, there is no King, Madrid is in disarray, and they were sent on a terribly planned mission and I am sure the men are restless." she said, "I couldn't stand to lose you!" a tear fell from her eye.

"Elena, you won't lose me, let's go, it is growing cold and you must eat, you haven't eaten a bit since I left for Madrid and I know it." El Cid said, as he helped Elena up.

"Just... Rodrigo, don't let anything happen to you." she said.

"I won't, I promise..."

NEXT: Los Cuatro Reinos.

EDIT: I realize he has three differing types of facial hair throughout this installment, but please bear with it.

[OzzyKP]

After a long, prosperous, and indeed legendary reign, the famous King Janaka has taken ill. His oldest son, Bimbisara is called to his side to hear his last words. Bimbisara is many years younger than his older sister, Sita and many other sisters. Indeed Sita by now to be his mother. After many years and many daughters, Janaka took in a second wife late into his reign in order to find a male heir. Bimbisara is now of age, but never had a close relationship with the King due to his advanced age.

He now enters timidly the bed chamber of his dying father.

"Sire? You called?"

"Yes son, come here. Come closer, my voice is weak."

"Yes father, how are you feeling?"

"My time for this world is short and I have no time for small talk. Soon I will die and this great kingdom will be yours. My ministers have done a good job of preparing you for the duties that soon will fall to you, but I must talk to you one last time."

"I am listening."

"Good. Since the great war with Ravana, our people have known a time of prosperity and peace. Delhi is a beacon of glory the world over. Our rich and proud culture is the envy of all. Other religions like the monotheist Jews may have spread farther than the faith and traditions of our people, but Hiduism is culturally richer and more sophisticated than all others. Thus you see that royal houses are more likely to accept our ways. Beijing, Cuzco, and soon Moscow embrace our ways. It is a matter of time before the rest of their countries follow the path of their capitols. *cough*

King Janaka takes a sip of water and gathers his breath before starting again. "This is essential son. The continuous spread of our culture and faith not only brings in tithes and increased contact between believing communities abroad, but it wins for us powerful allies. *cough* Look... look at Russia and China. Since the involvement of Nicholas and Sun Wukong in the battle against Ravana, many Chinese and Russians gained new respect for India and our traditions, and Hinduism has spread through their lands. Because of that they are our closest allies."

"What of America, sire? I thought they were our lasting friends."

"Yes son, we have enjoyed a long and prosperous peace with America, and they are one of our main trading partners, but I've sensed a different attitude towards us since they adopted that foul Judaism. Our official contacts have grown fewer and farther between. I no longer sense the warmth we once had. We shall honor our agreements with them, and wish them no ill, but son, our future lies with Russia and China. Your sister sits as Queen of Russia, and Indian blood will run through their royal house for generations to come. Our relationship with Russia has never been stronger."

"Agreed father."

"We couldn't ask for a better friend. Our cultural, religious, and scientific exchanges have led to great propserity for both our peoples. They have helped us standardize our ancient sanskrit alphabet, and we have helped them refine their code of laws, in addition to many other beneficial exchanges. Our alliance couldn't be stronger."

"And what of China?"

"Yes, so impressed were they with the bravery of Sun Wukong, and the reception we gave them here in Delhi, they have grown much closer to us over the last few years. We haven't yet begun to work with them in near as close a way as Russia, but I see our patnership continuing to grow with them in the years ahead under your reign."

"Understood."

"With the great projects of Stonehenge and the Oracle completed, I focused our attention to rebuilding our military and expansion into the available lands to the northwest. Indeed we were fortunate to build the Oracle, as our closer connection to the gods provided us fair warning to the uprisings of barbaric people in the northwest. We had enough time to mobilize an army to face them. Aided in no small part by the brave warriors from Russia we defeated them. Bombay was nearly destroyed, but the kingdom was saved."

"Yes sire, I fought at the Battle of Bombay."

"Ah yes, of course, I forget many things, I apologize. Anyways, as I was saying, I believe we have reached our maximum extent. Russians hem us in to the north and west, Americans to our east and south. We have done well thusfar, and currently lead one of the largest nations known to us. Once the great jungle is cleared, perhaps we will have room for additional settlements. For now though it is time for our cities to grow, our people to multiply, and our riches to increase. It is this duty I leave to you son. Build upon the legacy you have been given, and continue to lead India to glory."

[deity]

Manning in trouble!

She was furious - the latest map of surrounding cultures showed just how weak the English were. "This must be kept quiet!"

"Send in Manning! now!!"

[deity]

"I fear I will not travel outside of London herself..."

[deity]

"Manning, I have a problem. Two problems in fact!
If you don't sort this out I'll put my two problems together and you'll be crab meat!!"

"Your majesty, the secret plan is beginning to work. Please have faith in me for I'll ensure the expansion of the English Empire."

[The Capo]

Los Cuatro Reinos.

The assembly was much more heavily attended than El Cid imagined, everyone was there including Queen Yolanda of Aragon. There was a feeling of anxiety in the air, the Guru Santo (head of the Buddhist church) was present as well to oversee the coronation of the King of Spain. Representatives from the four Spanish kingdoms, including Andalusia, were present and accounted for. The future of Spain hung in the balance more than anyone could have known.

"Please, we must have silence!" the Guru Santo said to the assembly, he was a respected man, and quickly the audience went into silence, "We are here to preserve peace, we are here to find a middle-ground, a middle-path to the conflict that has created such pain and suffering in these lands. We must be like the Ebro river itself; calm, strong, and nurturing. We must be respectful to eachother's cultures, customs, appearances and even religions. A man of greed, and avarice, and violence has been felled by a union of our various races and cultures; a message should be heeded by this, a message of unity, this message should teach us that all of this world's people ultimately will find success in cooperation, and not disunity. With the demise of this tyrant, Bainor, we must find a new path towards a better future, so please, while I understand I am no more than a man, I ask all of you, great Kings and Queens to please send a message of unity and peace that the entire world from China to England, from Mongolia to Germany, to the far reaches of the great beyond can see and revere for years to come. With that said I ask that Queen Yolanda of Aragon please address this assembly, for it was Aragon that provided the majority of the resistance to Bainor."

The Assembly clapped out of respect, whether or not they wished to give full credit to Yolanda was one issue, but the Guru Santo's speech created a much calmer atmosphere than was present beforehand. Queen Yolanda approached the podium, and gazed over the crowd, she was nervous; half of these people openly oppose her claim to the Aragonese throne let alone the throne of Spain. She knew she was the top candidate, but she also knew if she were to take control ancient rivalries would alone flare up again, and within a couple of years they would be back making the exact same decision. Besides, she knew herself well, and she knew that she wasn't cut out to rule all of Spain.

"Great men and women of Spain, I wish we never had to experience what occured in Madrid. It was a terrible thing, a man I had once loved, a man who once broke my heart, but alas a respected man was killed by his own people, his fellow Spaniards. A great, but contraversial King, died as well, the past few years have been hard on Spain. I don't wish this upon my people again, and I know nobody else here does. But we all love this country, and I am sure we are all willing to fight and die to do what we think is best for her. I know I would. So I understand if Aragon comes to rule Spain there would be conflict, as there would be conflict if Spain came under Castillian, or Andalusian rule. Our ancient grudge may be on hold, but it is far from being settled." Yolanda looked over the crowd, which was now humming with discussion, how would the royal assembly react to such a statement. She practically said it would be wrong if any of the nobility were to acquire the throne.

"Now please, my countrymen, don't confuse my words. I am not advocating the continued disunity of Spain. That would be foolhardy; our neighbors the Chinese have created a strong friendship with the powerful Russo-Indian alliance, and some of our army still returns to Spain with no knowlege of what has transpired here, with no understanding of what to do now. If we don't decide on an agreement everyone can accept we stand to face a military coup, I don't think I surprise anyone by saying General Cadrez is an ambitious man and a Bainor loyalist. So we must show him we are strong, and united, and prepared to stand up for Spanish unity." Yolanda was growing nervous, her plan was about to unfold and it could potentially destroy everything "So, as Queen of Aragon, and successor to the throne I would like to point out that there is another male Diaz who is really next in line."

El Cid was nervous, he knew what was coming and watched the crowd. Nobody thought to look at him but one man; the Guru Santo. El Cid raised his eyebrows at him, and he simply smiled back.

"Rodrigo Diaz de Aragon!" Yolanda said to the crowd's surprise "He is the heir of Fiador Diaz de Aragon, and should be next in line for the throne of Leon, he is next in line for the throne of Spain, and he is beloved by all of Spain's four kingdoms; Aragon, Leon, Castille, and yes even Andalusia. He is a wonderful man, and is in line to marry my daughter Princess Elena Diaz de Aragon. Through this line a strong and benevolent Spain can emerge and be a strong force in the world. This is the only way we can achieve peace." The assembly was silent, Yolanda waited for someone to challenge her plan, but there was nobody...

Hours Later...

El Cid slowly approached the Guru Santo, who was dressed in a simple white and purple robe, and holding the royal crown of the kingdoms of Spain.

"Please Rodrigo, kneel." the Guru Santo said. El Cid obliged him "I, the Guru Santo, do hereby recognize Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar as a man of peace, and a man of moderation. He will encounter suffering, and pain, and hate, but I sense in him the will and ability to overcome these obstacles in this life on Terra. He has shown an acumen nearly worthy of the Buddha himself. Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar" he said as he placed the crown on El Cid's head "Arise Rey Rodrigo Diaz de Castilla, Aragon, Andalucia, Leon y el Reina Espana!" With that the Guru Santo placed the crown upon El Cid's head. Spain was now united and at peace.

El Cid arose and placed his hand on the Guru Santo's shoulder, he smiled and whispered "thank you."

"No" the Guru replied "Thank you for your sacrafice, I can sense you have gone through much pain in your life, now you must rule with an understanding for the pain of others." he smiled "Now go, they want to hear from you."

El Cid turned to face the assembled nobles, soldiers, and peasants, he couldn't believe he had come this far, and frankly didn't know that he wanted this "I don't know what to say, I don't feel like I am a King." El Cid began "I remember the day I lost my father, and realized how trivial some things were. I thought war, and death, how trivial they were. How it didn't matter if you lived or died, or who you were, so it became easy to fight for me. I didn't really care whether or not I lived, and it wasn't until I met the Andalusians that I realized not everything revolves around you, and it made me realize why my father was a warrior. It wasn't because he liked it, it was because of me. I understand that now, when I fought alongside Khalid al-Aziz, he taught me what it meant to sacrafice yourself for other people. I soon realized that maybe my life wasn't worthless, and that there were people everywhere who were too weak to fend for themselves, people like me when I was a child. That is what we have to do now, being a leader isn't just a way to make sure you eat well each night, or make sure you can buy anything, or anyone you want, its a way to improve the lives of thousands of people who can't do it on their own. That is my oath, you are the nobility of Spain, the vanguards of Spain. You have given this small, scared, little boy the go ahead to make this country a great place to live, without fear of death and corruption, and I will not fail you." El Cid looked over the crowd "Viva España!"

NEXT: La unión de Rodrigo y Elena.

[OzzyKP]

The light of the world, Delhi in all her glory:

[OzzyKP]

ॐ

"Sire, interesting news from abroad."

"Come in." Bimbisara, still wasn't used to being called 'sire', his father's passing was mere months ago, yet he has been doing his best as King of India.

"Just a quick note sir, it seems for all their vaulted faith in "one true god", the subjects in America's capitol herself have embraced the teachings of one of India's scholars, Confucious."

"Quite interesting indeed. I admit I know little about Confucious or his ideas. But it seems the people of Madras have embraced him."

"Yes, my liege. While secular in nature, many are embracing his wisdom as one of the world's great religions. The Inca have adopted it as their national doctrine."

"Religion, eh? Is this something we should be concerned about? Do the people of Madras reject our traditional Hinduism?"

"Yes and no. Confucious' teachings all seem to have been spawned from our own Vedic tradition. He seems to have condensed all the moral teaching and ideas for how one should govern their lives from the Vedas, and added some of his own ideas. It is like a secular Hinduism. Not a threat outright, at least not yet, but the people of Madras don't indeed follow many of our sacred customs and prayers."

"Hmmm, I see it is not a threat, but we should keep an eye on it. Hopefully it will create inroads in America and Inca for our native Hinduism, and not lead too many Indians away from our faith. It is encouraging though that even many of America's leaders and residents in their capitol city reject their erroneous state religion. Maybe there is hope for driving it back afterall. Any other news?"

"Ah yes, it seems the English still live in huts sir."

"Huts?"

"Thatch roofs and straw walls. Primative really. Like what our ancestors lived in."

"Thank gods we are more civilized here. We have come a long way. Maybe some day the English and the rest of the world will catch up."

"I wouldn't count on it sir."

"Hahaha"

[OzzyKP]

The known world:

[OzzyKP]

A new popular children's story circulating in India:


The Three Little Pigs

Once upon a time there were three little pigs and the time came for them to leave home and seek their fortunes.

The first little pig was from England and built his house out of straw because it was the easiest thing to do.

The second little pig was from America and built his house out of sticks. This was a little bit stronger than a straw house.

The third little pig was from India and built his house out of bricks.

One night the big bad wolf, who dearly loved to eat fat little piggies, came along and saw the little English pig in his house of straw. He said "Let me in, Let me in, little pig or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!"

"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin", said the little English pig.

But of course the wolf did blow the house in and ate the little English pig.

The wolf then came to the house of sticks.

"Let me in ,Let me in little pig or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in" "Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin", said the little American pig. But the wolf blew that house in too, and ate the little American pig.

The wolf then came to the house of bricks.

" Let me in , let me in" cried the wolf

"Or I'll huff and I'll puff till I blow your house in"

"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin" said the Indian pig.

Well, the wolf huffed and puffed but he could not blow down that brick house.

But the wolf was a sly old wolf and he climbed up on the roof to look for a way into the brick house.

The little Indian pig saw the wolf climb up on the roof and lit a roaring fire in the fireplace and placed on it a large kettle of water.

When the wolf finally found the hole in the chimney he crawled down and KERSPLASH right into that kettle of water and that was the end of his troubles with the big bad wolf.

The next day the little Indian pig invited his mother over . She said "You see it is just as I told you. The way to get along in the world is to do things as well as you can." Fortunately for that little Indian pig, he learned that lesson. And he just lived happily ever after!