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Via Romana – the reign of Queen Aulis
As soon as Aulis became Queen at the age of 20 she set about turning her dream into a reality. She began an immigration/ emigration policy allowing Romans to arrive and Aquarians to leave by the time magic used to transport and with her new Roman citizens’ experience (as well as her own Aquarian people) and immediately created a senate of 19 members. The people were very wary having just become accustomed to a peaceful lifestyle and much of the population denounced the changes as ‘Aulis Obsession’. The fringe areas saw the usual rioting, in Pollux and Zephyrus. There was also some opposition in Europa and Aurora in the early years of the change. These feeling of the time was recorded by the artists of the era who opposed the change, one of whom, a poet Cordiyas wrote an ironic poem in the two ‘alien languages’ of Aquarius, Latin and Lunarian entitled ‘Non omnia possumus omnes’ – ‘We cannot all do everything’. Aulis tried to be prudent, she knew she would face opposition and tried to make the transition as acceptable as possible. She reformed the laws to create a clear set with the old anomalies, a very popular move. Her currency reforms were less well received but the people were thankful that she didn’t try to force a new language upon her people. Instead she merely included it as an option in the curriculum. Unsurprisingly many young and forward-thinking Aquarians embraced the new intellectual challenge and a new generation of young artists tried to emulate the Roman style contradicting an equally productive sub-culture. As for religion, Aulis did not change it. She herself converted to a belief in the Greek Olympians and created one small chapel in a new Palace in central Mara, a vast stone building which resembled the Palace of Rome. Building was the greatest upheaval but strangely after initial opposition, in the later years of the reign, the people supported the complete rebuilding of the main cities. The major landmarks were preserved in Museums but the sites where they stood were replaced by new and impressive Roman architecture including the Temple of Aer built over Amejisu I's ‘Mestia ny Dylenied Aquaria’ temple. The building plans were also popular as they brought order and sanitation. New roads, new city structure, drainage and tapped water via aqueducts raised the living standards of the people immeasurably and despite annoyances at loss of tradition they did become accustomed to and couldn’t help but admire the classical styles. Aulis’ careful planning to maintain peace while achieving her dream brought her great popularity. Her reign was celebrated for being evolutionary and revolutionary. The Aquarian Society rapidly became a curious mix of Ancient Rome and Ancient Aquarian and was a project to which Aulis devoted her every energies to for the entirety of her reign. Afterwards statues and tributes were raised in her memory. The successor of Aulis was her daughter Ocellina, the first Latin named Queen. She tried to continue her mother’s work but ascended at an old age of 64 and died after a very short reign of 5 years. Her daughter, Mariniara (aged 39) was too afraid of ruling and handed power instead to her own more assertive daughter of 18. The successor Lania continued the work of Aulis and decided to make Latin a compulsory language. Lania was also the first Queen to have Latin as her first language and it became an Official Language under her reign replacing Lunarian as the Political Language for Internal Affairs. |