Chapter 5: THE KINGDOM OF ATKINS

<p><br/>THE KINGDOM OF ATKINS <br/><br/> I tucked around my bed as I tried to gather all my strength to launch out of my bed. It has been a month since I recovered but I still couldn't remember a thing of my past. It was as if my head was completely wiped out. To make matters I would be termed insane if I told anyone about this. Of course, it sounded insane even in my ears. How I could suddenly lose 18 years of memories? All I could do was to keep trying to recollect. I headed out of my room to meet Ayan. He was the only one I had told about this. It was the only way I knew about this place a bit more. My family, the dynasties and all. <br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>We were not just one of the oldest but also one of the largest extended families in the kingdom of Atkins. The patron was the head. He was his great-grandfather. He had given birth to seven children, five males, and two females. The females who had gotten married and had lived their separate lives. Grandfather Rima was his second son. He got married to late grandmother Becha who birthed five children. Father was his third son while Ayan's father was the fourth. Ayan's mother had died after his birth and his father had solely brought him up. This made them grow like brothers since they were their parents' only children. <br/><br/>In his family, farming was their occupation. Each family had something they were peculiar within the kingdom. For example, some families were known to be good hunters, some were known to be textile designers, some were known for animal rearing, and some were known for their extreme swordsmanship which was the type recruited in the military. Those families must have had a long history of military warriors and knights which made it easy for them to get in. <br/><br/> The military was considered the most powerful occupation. They were the second most well-paid after the traders, this made it extremely difficult for just anyone to get in. They were two branches of the military. The first was the GUARDS and the second was the SOLDIERS. Each had different ranks and positions. The lowest rank in being a guard was to be a DISTRICT GUARD while the highest was being a GENERAL OF ROYAL GUARD. The lowest rank in being a soldier was to be AN AVERAGE SOLDIER while the highest was to be the CHIEF GENERAL. <br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>Another thing he now knew was the means of exchange. Three currencies were being used, GOLD, SILVER, and COPPER. A Gold equaled a hundred silver coins and a silver was equal to a hundred coppers. <br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>He had also learned about the various kingdoms and their territory. A kingdom was just like a subject state, it had to be under a particular dynasty. A DYNASTY is an empire that consists of several kingdoms. An EMPIRE is a kingdom that must have gained the autonomous power to survive on its own and be free from external influence. As for Edmund, he was a citizen of the kingdom of Atkins. Atkins was one of the kingdoms under the great GIZA dynasty. Unlike other kingdoms under this dynasty, Atkins was a minor kingdom, they were conquered not by warfare but by threat of a bloody war which was obvious they wouldn't survive. It would have been worse than what they face now. They would have been annihilated. Who would dare go against the great GIZA DYNATSY? They were just a surviving EMPIRE when the dynasty had shown interest in their huge Gold mine. Atkins had a lot of gold and GIZA was aware of this. Even with that much wealth, they couldn't buy mercenaries to defend themselves as no one could dare stand against the great GIZA. They had a low population, so their soldiers wouldn't have been enough to fight such a war. Some months after surrendering, their king was appointed as a minister in the capital city and was replaced by a governor chosen by the dynasty.  This was done possibly to prevent revolt. Their chief general refused to surrender and rode to take on the dynasty. Since that day, he was not heard of.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>GIZA was one of the few dynasties located in the southern part of EUROPE. The other three were ATHEL, ZIRI, and FEDOMIA. It was the second most powerful of the four. The first being ZIRI and the least being FEDOMIA. There were also some great Empires and an example of that was the SAHEL. They could easily defeat Fedomia in an all-out battle but didn't unify kingdoms and maintained a friendly relationship with all the dynasties. Though some nations didn't love to be under dynasties, other nations saw it as a means of protection and had personally agreed to it under great dynasties. <br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>The most relevant thing he had learned in the past month was that females became women at the age of 18 and were allowed SUITORS upon attaining such age. Every year the maidens in the kingdom were to come out to exhibit themselves. Men would come to the festival on that day and choose the one they considered for a wife. They would then go on to discuss with the lady's family and if they agree with one another, a family meeting would be held followed up by their marriage. It had been an old tradition that had been established in Atkins centuries ago and had lived on. As ridiculous as it sounded, a lot of females loved this tradition, it normally brought affluent suitors to them. And it benefited them as they considered the maiden's consent before accepting any proposal.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>  * * * *<br/><br/><br/><br/></p>