The general grunted and replied, “That is because the line of kings does not carry a family name. Each king rules only by his given name, and his descendants bear no family name as well. They are simply distinguished by their titles of king, queen, prince or princess. Nieces, nephews, cousins and such all take on the family name of their other parent who married into the royal family.”

“Why would they do that?” asked Tam.

“It was King Coroleus, over a thousand years ago, who started the tradition. He said the royal family belonged to all of Ashai so he would hold no family above his kingdom. That is why was simply known as King Coroleus of Ashai,” answered the general.

As a guest, Rezkin knew he was expected to add to the conversation, so he expounded on the general’s statement. “King Coroleus was the first king to unite the lands of Ashai in defense against their common enemy that was, at that time, known as the Jahartan Empire. Before Coroleus, all of the lands were governed by independent lords who cared little for any people besides their own. It was purely by his strength of character, powerful bearing, and brilliant mind that he was able to unite the lands and drive off the enemy who would otherwise have decimated the lands. The lords, recognizing their strength in unity, crowned Coroleus as their king.”

“That is correct and well spoken, I might add,” replied the general. “But, how do you know it was the Jahartan Empire that was attacking at that time. None of the official records survived the First Rebellion, and none of the other known records of the events at the time actually name the aggressor.”

Rezkin nodded and replied, “That is so, but Persilius’s Treatise on the Succession of Domains, written during the last year of Coroleus’s reign, describes the attacking Empire soldiers as wearing conical helms and riding great horses out of the desert. One ancient poem, written around eleven hundred years ago by a Penoian scholar refers to the carasuan ej venuta coa Jaharta, which roughly translates to the cone-heads of Jaharta. The Jahartan military helms were conical in shape.

“The Colectuai Shu Dueja, which was a text on common merchant practices from the same time period, notes that the large sleek horses we have today could only be found in Jaharta and Galathia at the time. Galathia was a kingdom and has never been referred to in any of the texts as an empire. It was described as having forested hills and grasses surrounded by mountains to the north and east.

“Jaharta, however, was named an empire—one that attempted to expand its borders numerous times throughout its history. It was also described as being a vast, barren desert. Therefore, it stands to reason that the great empire, against which Coroleus and the allied lands fought, was the Jahartan Empire.”