I accepted his invitation and returned to Denmark." I could move safely within the spheres of the heathens and learn their ways directly. He seemed quite pleased by the prospect of showing his scholars the limitations of their knowledge. He asked - and did not demand - that I return to his homeland with him so that I could tell his men of learning of the land across the Atlantic. He had marched with his father's army before their defeat at the hands of the Emperor. "My captor introduced himself as Gotfred Torbenson, a man of Denmark which I mentioned earlier. And out of some strange kind of mercy, I was spared." I found myself at swordpoint, babbling my surrender in what little I understood of the heathen tongues of Europe. "However, while those travelling with the army were safe, a humble scribe following in the wake and picking over the rubble was not as lucky. The Emperor had brought a hundred thousand soldiers with him and resistance was pitiful. These connections meant that the Queen of Aragon was able to call in allies from lands as distant as Denmark to help her against the Emperor's conquering armies." Europe was held together by a chain of alliances and political marriages, vast and inbred families of royalty. "From the captives, I learned a curious fact. The Emperor cared little for our work, but it was our duty to catalogue the victories and our vanquished foes that the glory of our triumphs would never be forgotten." I and my fellow scribes picked our ways across the fields of the slain after the battle, seeking survivors who could teach us the language and ways of these strange savages.
"In three blows, his Imperial Majesty shattered the Queen of Spain. This was a land without organisation and industry, and I felt comforted that the prophets who had spoken of doom in these strange lands had been mistaken." After the victory I walked for many days across the countryside, marvelling at the great lumpen towers of stone and the disorganised, patchwork fields and hills. He had feared he might arrive to fight mere renegades and scattered nation states, but instead he had to strike at the organised might of Spain. "The Spanish resistance was well organised, much to Emperor Xipil's delight. With your consent, honoured masters, I shall tell you my tale." It has been my duty to catalogue the strange experiences of our people during the great voyage to the East. "I am Huwi Caxec, honoured scribe of the Pillar of the Sun.
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