“Hail the Emperor!!!!”
“Have they found the boy, general?”
“Not in this village, Sire. We believe the rebels have taken him to the mountain strongholds.”
“I assume that you have sent troops to that area as well?”
“Yes, Sire. Twenty veteran legions and some of the best trackers we have. We will find the boy.”
“Excellent, general.”
“What of the villagers, Sire?
“They were there when the boy dared to mock me?”
“No, your Highness, only the headman.”
“Nevertheless, burn the village.”
“Yes, Sire.”
“And General?”
“Yes, my, Emperor?”
“Why do you avert your eyes when you address me?”
“Uhhh…”
“What, General?”
“Um, I said that the clothes you are wearing are too beautiful for this old soldier’s eyes, Sire.”
“Yes, I know what you mean. These clothes are amazing!”
“Ummm….”
“It’s so light and cool. It feels like I’m not wearing anything!”
“Uhhh…”
“Too bad, that the tailors are dead, executed for overcharging me and giving me that unfinished outfit that caused that boy to mock me during the parade…”
(shudder) “Yes, my Emperor….”
“Hehehehe….Laugh at the God-Emperor, will they? Do they not realize that only the truly worthy can see what I wear?"
"How many did we execute that day, General?”
“Twenty-seven thousand citizens, Sire. Virtually everyone who was at the parade.”
“Hmmm… Execute a few thousand more until we find the boy.”
“Yes, Sire.”
The Emperor then rose from his seat in his majestic, new clothes that no one could see and walked back to his camp. Behind him, the village began to burn.
