It stood, a great land
Apart from all else
Her walls protected her
From invasion
From rebellion
Her people were fierce
Resistant and defensive
Unafraid of the lands nearby
None dare attack
With the tallest walls
The highest of towers
The most firm gates
The empire possessed enormous power
And the ancient family ruled
Without interruption
The empire's walls were impenetrable
Her slaves worked without end
While armies of her warriors marched
To conquer, to challenge, to keep the empire
Highest atop the hill
For treasure, for gold and furs
For the emperor's pleasure
To keep the neighboring people in terror
The riches of empire must grow
Kept deep in the empire's vault
But treasures are more than metals
Farmers brought to market crops
And her soldiers
Once lost, never return
But the empire is whole
Powerful, a legend to the people
While the rest of the world
Suffered in a desert
Fertile in fear
Rich with sand
Only the gods in high Valhalla
The Aesir could hope for more
The lands divided
One fertile, powerful, haughty
High above the plains
Green with fecund growth
And upon the horizon
Her neighbors, small, disorganized
Distracted by hunger
And wars of desperation
Not now, but soon
They'd stop fighting each other
Over scraps
And aim towards the empire
And bring its doom
