Tyranny of Steel

Dharya Tomara sat in the capital of his newfound Empire. For the first time in its history, the Indian subcontinent had been united under one banner. And though the man had proclaimed himself to be the emperor of all of India. The other monarchs who had gone into hiding after having their lands invaded by the now extinct Bengal Empire had yet to recognize his claims. That is, until today. 

In an image that would make the headlines of the German Media, the petty Kings of India knelt before Dharya, and presented their gilded crowns to the man. Having realized the threat that the Japanese posed to their continued existence, these men were more than happy to rally behind Dharya and his German allies, even if it meant submitting to a higher power. One by one, these men professed Dharya to be the one true emperor of India.

"Dharya Tomara, I hereby swear fealty to you, and your dynasty from this day, until the end of days. Please accept my crown as proof of my submission!"

The former ruler of the Yadava Dynasty was not the only one to express such a gesture. All the other petty Kings had spoken the same words, and presented their crowns to a man who was roughly half their age. An act which Dharya accepted as he pooled their crowns together on a large pillow. Before placing the most dazzling upon his head. 

At the end of the ceremony, these crowns would be melted down and reforged into a single symbol of the Indian Emperor's overwhelming authority. However, for now he needed one of such device to place upon his head for the sake of his coronation. 

Dharya's alliance with the Reich had made him a figure who all the Indian kings and princes could rally to. Any attempt at resistance had died when these men witnessed the might of a Panzer Division roll through their territory. 

While they knew this was not the power that Dharya directly wielded, he could still call upon his allies for aid, in the event that anyone was foolish enough to rebel against his reign. Ultimately, at the end of the day, violence was the supreme authority from which all other authority was derived. With the Germans at his back, Dharya had the ability to take and hold what he wanted. This could no longer be denied. 

Despite knowing in advance that these other monarchs would be travelling to the city of Anangpur to submit to him, Dharya still found it to be a stunning sight. However, he could not remain petrified for long, and thus he immediately took control of his emotions, and wore a stoic facade, as if to imitate the man who had taught him how to rule. 

"I accept your fealty. From this day forward, you will have a place in my new empire. Though to what extent will be determined based upon your own abilities? Now rise my subjects..."

The various monarchs were pleased to see that they would not be tossed aside like common refuse. In fact, now a fire had been lit in their hearts, compelling them to work hard for a better place than their peers in this new empire. 

With this ceremony out of the way, Dharya soon found himself collapsing in the back of the room. A servant came forward and brought him a bottle of purified water, which had been distilled in the heart of the German Empire. Without hesitation, the man opened up the lid, and gulped down the contents. 

The bottle was made from bio-degradable hemp plastic, which was the most common form of plastic manufactured in the reich for use in a variety of fields. Berengar had taken great lengths to limit the effects that his industrialization had on the environment, something that Itami had been far less concerned about. 

After gulping down the entirety of the water bottle, Dharya handed it off to the servant, who would toss the plastic container into a recycling bin, which would be taken back to the Reich for the material to be repurposed into something else.

Naturally, Dharya was not aware of this, or the great lengths that the Reich went to in order to prevent pollution, littering, and any other forms of environmental hazards. Nor would he actually care, as he could not understand the significance of such a thing. 

He was just happy to have a ready supply of purified water for days like this, where he was filled with stress. Now that Dharya had accepted the fealty of India's petty kings, he was forced to deal with a grand ceremony. Thus, he could no longer sit idly by in the back of the room, avoiding his responsibilities. 

After finding his resolve, he got up from his seat and walked back into the dining hall, where his hundreds of guests mingled with one another while eating appetizers. Dharya sat down at his seat, where one of the other monarchs was quick to greet him.

"Our esteemed emperor returns! We were just discussing the notable absence of your sister. Tell me, where is Priya? I have heard of the horrors she was forced to endure in her childhood, and would very much like to meet a woman of such tenacity."

Upon being reminded of his sister, Dharya frowned. The last time he had seen her was shortly after the Vienna Accords. The girl had informed him of her pregnancy, which caused the man to fly off the handle in a fit of rage. Not only did he sour relations with the Kaiser that night, but he had laid into his sister, verbally speaking, and strained their sibling relationship. 

Though Priya had attempted on many occasions to contact him via the radio, Dharya had ignored all her calls. Obviously, he could not admit to this fact, and thus could only sigh and shake his head as he made up an excuse off the top of his head. 

"My sister is my ambassador to the German Empire. She spends most of her time in their capital city. As important as this event is for our people, I'm afraid she couldn't make it."

The moment Dharya had said these words, he heard a familiar voice that should not exist in this room call out to him. 

"Oh, is that so? Here I thought that perhaps my invitation was lost in the mail, but it turns out my dear brother was simply thinking of my well being. Well, I assure you, big brother, I would not miss this ceremony for anything in the world. Even the Kaiser couldn't keep me away!"

When Dharya heard these words, his gaze shifted over to two distinct figures, neither of which he wanted to see at this time. Standing side by side with wide smiles on their faces, Berengar and Priya had entered the dining hall in extravagant fashion. 

Seeing that his sister had entered his home without notice, all while being held in the arms of the man who had taken her purity, Dharya clenched his teeth in an act of fury, but did not give voice to it. Berengar wore a confident smirk on his face as he strode forward into the room as if he owned the place. He was quick to greet those who held power in India, as if he was their master.

"It is a pleasure to become acquainted with you all on this fine evening. As you know, I have an alliance with Emperor Dharya Tomara, and as a result, I have taken time out of my busy schedule to witness his coronation. I look forward to working with all of you in the future."

Though he did not show it, Berengar was quite bitter over the fact that he had arrived late for this ceremony. He himself wanted to place the crown on Dharya's head as if he were the kingmaker. Unfortunately, because he had learned about this event on such short notice while he was spending a week in Milan getting to know Bruno and his family, he had missed this opportunity. 

As for the former Indian Monarchs, word had long reached the ears of these petty kings about the overwhelming number of accomplishments that this one golden-haired man had achieved over the past few years. The fact that he had bothered to show up for such a minor event showed them all just how much he valued his alliance with Dharya. 

Of course, they had no way of knowing what Berengar's true intent was for showing up at this coronation ceremony. However, not one of them intervened as Berengar pulled out a couple of chairs for himself and his concubine before shamelessly sitting down at the head of the table next to Dharya.  There was a calm smile on the man's face, yet a fierce glint in his eyes as he spoke to the Indian Emperor, as if they were the closest of friends.

"This is quite the event you have thrown. After we are done dining on your people's delicacies, I believe you and I need to talk about a few matters..."

All the rage that Dharya had felt moments ago immediately imploded into a black hole in his heart. What remained was a life sucking dread, one which compelled him to bow his head like an obedient dog, and respond to his master's wishes. 

"I understand..."

With this, Berengar and Priya enjoyed a night filled with festivities, waiting out the clock until they were all alone with Dharya. 

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