The full second season had not 20 but 13 songs. "Die Luft war raus" as we say in Germany. I added one collab and three Christmas Song I did in the style of TGC.

The Great Conqueror - Season 2

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The Great Conqueror - Rock Flexible
SEASON 2 - Part One - A King's Parade
The king calls for the yearly event, friends and brothers arrive for some days in the castle . See them coming over the bridge ...
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Recording in the Candy Land Studio - Berlin, Germany
(c) Rock Flexible

REMIXED and REMASTERED

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The King's Parade (By Jaime J. Ross)

The day has finally arrived...the day the King is set to welcome his brothers and sisters back into the kingdom after many months. He has not seen them since the last time he had to call for them under very harsh circumstances...the murder of their brother, Victor...his death has been especially hard to deal with as his body has never been found...

The King is one of five children. There are three boys and 2 girls...the King, Victor (deceased), Robert, Julietta, and Hermine. There are also five Kingdoms...each of the King's siblings live in one of the neighboring kingdoms. They do not rule there...but, they keep the King informed of what goes on inside of those kingdoms and they maintain a healthy relationship between the King and their reigning monarch. 

So far, all seems to go well. There is only one kingdom, now, that does not include a member of the King's family...the kingdom that Victor used to call home...one day, the King will send one of his younger sons to live there. 

As the townspeople continue to prepare to welcome the King's brothers and sisters...they can't help but be excited for all that will happen in the next days. This will be a great celebration...a huge party is planned..there is also a rumor that the King has called for Lord d'Up Stabb to entertain at the party...they can't wait to see if he will truly be here!! For now, they all line the streets waiting for Robert, Julietta and Hermine to emerge from the other side of the bridge.

The King and Queen and all of their children stand out in front...listening for the sound of the hoof prints...

Soon they hear the sound of their horses as well as some beautiful flute melodies that Julietta has been known to play. Then they see them...coming across the bridge...at last, they are here!! 

The King welcomes them first...so very happy so see them after their long journey. His sisters look as beautiful as ever, so very elegant...his brother, looks, perhaps, a bit bigger/ stronger than he remembers...he also seems to be walking differently. Not exactly limping but not exactly walking perfectly. Perhaps he has had to do some fighting since the last time they have spoken. Of course, there is plenty of time to ask those questions later. For now, they will make their way to the castle and prepare for the upcoming celebrations.

The King has no way of knowing that at this very minute, Robert is only a shadow of himself. He is now deep inside the Forest of the Unknown and is trying desperately to lead the Tribe of the shadow people back to their kingdoms ...

The Great Conqueror - Part 21 - A King's Parade - Rock Flexible

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The Great Conqueror - Rock Flexible
SEASON 2 - Part Two - Torn
Meanwhile the king's daughter has some serious trouble in the tower of the castle ... what is probably happening ... ?

Based on a piano ballade by Jaime J. Ross
Recording in the Candy Land Studio - Berlin, Germany
Piano played by Jaime J. Ross
(c) Rock Flexible

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Artwork by Asmussen Art, http://www.reneasmussen.dk

Jaime is also playing this piece on YouTube: http://youtu.be/9SyZRrXSPGo :o)

"Meanwhile the king's daughter has some serious trouble in the tower of the castle...what is probably happening"

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Torn (Jaime J. Ross)

As everyone in the Kingdom prepares for the celebration that is about to take place...Katharina finds herself in a very difficult situation. She is well past the age of sixteen and her father has yet to choose a husband for her. She knows exactly why this is...

The King has always wished for her to marry the son of the Northern King. He has finally been able to arrange for the two to meet. His sister, Hermine, has been living in the north for many years. She is well respected and trusted among their people. Jonathan, the Northern King, knows of the King's wishes and has sent his son, Jeronimo, with Hermine. Tonight at the party Jeronimo shall be properly introduced to Katharina and the courting shall begin.

Katharina stares at her reflection in the mirror. Looking into her own eyes...she sees the sadness that lives there. Katharina is already in love...she has been for a while...even if the man that she loves is totally unaware.

It happened quite by accident. She never expected to develop feelings for this man. He has been a part of her life for as long as she can remember. He has always protected her and watched over her...kept her from harm.

Sometimes she notices him looking at her in a "different way"...he seems so very intense...of course she can't read his mind, but she likes to think that he feels the same way about her...she has no way of knowing...he keeps his thoughts and feelings locked deep inside his heart.

She finishes brushing her long brown hair and ties it with a ribbon that she knows is "his" favorite color. She is running out of time to get his attention...

She blows out her candle and heads down to the party. She can already hear the piano music coming from the grand ballroom...such a melancholic melody interwoven by such a hopeful guitar...yes, there is still hope!

She descends the great stairway to join the others. The King takes her hand and tells her that it's time to meet the man who shall one day become her husband. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. When she opens them, Jeronimo is standing right before her...he takes her hand and places a kiss there.

With tears in her eye she looks beyond him. She sees the swordsmen standing guard at the doorway. She immediately makes eye contact with the man that she loves. He is watching her...his expression unreadable.

Elias...

The Great Conqueror - Part 22 - Torn - Rock Flexible

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The Great Conqueror - Rock Flexible
SEASON 2 - Part Three - Lord d'Up Stabb
One of the king's best friends is coming in for the party too ... what a ostentatious arrival, what a proud and happy king!
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Recording in the Candy Land Studio - Berlin, Germany
Many thanks to Native Instruments for the excellent tools!
(c) Rock Flexible

Lord d'Up Stabb (By Jaime J. Ross)

As the King watches his daughter walk arm in arm with her new suitor, he can't help but be overcome with pride. He's very happy to finally see them together. Of course he realizes that Katharina does not love Jeronimo yet...but, he has every hope that they will fall in love. He's already picturing the grandchildren that these two beautiful young people will give to him.

He's caught in a bit of a daydream when he hears a young boy scream, "He's here!! He's here!! Lord d'Up Stabb is REALLY here!!"...the King smiles even more when he knows that his friend is almost to the party. What a great night this shall be!

When the King was just a young boy, he met this "soon to be Lord" in the courtyard. At the time, he had no idea who or what this boy was all about...he just knew him as the young man who kept to himself inside the courtyards of the Kingdom...all the while creating the oddest music...cool music...but definitely different.

It was quite remarkable, really, what music this young boy was able to create from just his voice and his surroundings. He had the lowest bass voice that the King had ever heard... even at this young age, the Lord's vocal tone was lower then most grown men. And it wasn't a "normal" voice...it sounded a bit "mechanical" and almost like an instrument...completely unexpected and unique to him!

He would create unusual and experimental drum beats with his feet upon the stone floor of the courtyard. Cool, syncopated rhythms that were known to "stop" when you least expected it. He called that the "drop"...

He never used his voice for "vocals"...he used it as his "bass" and fine tuned it to flow along with the jagged edges of the rhythms he created. He even learned how to modulate his voice a bit and could make it "wobble"...such music has never before been heard in the Kingdom. He was a trendsetter!

The adults in the Kingdom did not understand this musical mayhem...they didn't appreciate the uniqueness of the style or the fact that this young man had created something "new and fresh"...but, the King realized that this was something special and different. He encouraged him to keep experimenting and said that if he could reach enough people...that one day this whole style of music may bare his name.

Well, the young boy was so encouraged by these words that he kept practicing...creating and performing this new style of music wherever he would go. The adults never did catch on to it...but he soon had massive followers of young people. He was invited to many parties and never failed to impress with his wobbly bass line and funky rhythms.

The King remembered all of these things as he prepared to welcome Lord d'Up Stabb into the castle...let the party begin...

The Great Conqueror - Part 23 - Lord D'Up Stabb - Rock Flexible

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The Great Conqueror - Rock Flexible
SEASON 2 - Part Four - Shadows in the Night
In his dreams, caused by the past, the king is bounced between Light and Darkness ...
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Recording in the Candy Land Studio - Berlin, Germany
Many thanks to Native Instruments for the excellent tools!
(c) Rock Flexible

Shadows in the Night (By Jaime J. Ross)

The King was just beginning to wind down after a full day's worth of activities. He welcomed his brother and sisters with a parade through the streets of the Kingdom. He introduced his oldest daughter to the man that, he hopes, will soon be her husband...and he got to enjoy the awesome music performed by his friend Lord d'Up Stabb.

He finished off the evening in the sitting room catching up with Robert, Julietta, and Hermine (his brother and sisters). His brother seemed awfully quiet, but the King didn't find that too hard to believe...after all, he has had a long day.

As the King laid his head upon his pillow, he couldn't help but think that something else was "off" with his brother. Just as he begins to drift off to sleep...it hits him...his limping. Back when they were boys, the King and his brother had been playing with a sword that they should never had touched...a "curse" had been placed on the King that whenever his brother would feel "pain" then he would feel it as well...it was obvious that his brother had been injured...yet the King had felt nothing...this was his last thought as he drifted off to sleep...he hears his brother's voice...is he dreaming? Is he awake? He doesn't know...but he follows the voice...knowing it will lead him to his brother...

The voice leads him deep into the Forest of the Unknown...he continues walking...

He comes to a place where he hears chanting...and he braces himself to see what kind of people live this far out...and why his brother is with them. As the chanting gets louder and louder, he realizes he is almost there...

Standing before him...he sees them. All of them. The "people" whose chanting has led him here. His brother included. But, it's not his "whole" brother...it's just his shadow. They are all just shadows. Where are their bodies? Well, the King KNOWS where his brother's body is...it's sleeping in one of his beds in the castle...he just doesn't understand how this can be?

The King sits down and listens as Robert tells him all about the Undesirable Spirit and how he has stolen their bodies. How they all wish to make their way back to their kingdoms...but they have no idea where their bodies are being kept...or how to get them back...

All of a sudden, Steward appears. Robert has summoned him into this dream as well...Steward knows EXACTLY where their bodies are located. He hands Robert the map that he still carries in his pocket. He tells him to take the map...follow it to the jagged red "X"...find the jester...and enter into the Dark Lord's kingdom...

Robert assembles the shadow people and tells them of this new development. They realize that the Dark Lord will not take kindly to them stealing their bodies back...but, they also realize that it will be hard to "detect" shadows...they will sneak in as shadows and retrieve the bodies that are rightfully theirs. They are ready for a battle...if it comes to that...they are ready to fight!

The shadow people set out with the map. Robert sets out in a different direction...he is heading towards the castle. It's time to wake up "his" body...the Undesirable Spirit has no idea what is coming...

The King lifts his head from his pillow...he sees the Queen sleeping beside him...his limping dog still in the bed with them...and he thinks about the dream he just had...it seemed so very real!

He finds that he cannot get back to sleep...he listens and waits...wondering if, in the morning, his brother will still walk with a limp...

The Great Conqueror - Part 24 - Shadows In The Night - Rock Flexible

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The Great Conqueror - Rock Flexible
SEASON 2 - Part Five - The Ugly One

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Recording in the Candy Land Studio - Berlin, Germany
Vocal Samples and all field recordings by Jaime J. Ross, Ohio, USA (c) Rock Flexible

Artwork by Jean Pierre Yves Petit aka Yvon.

The Ugly One (By Jaime J. Ross)

As kind and "just" as the King is...his father was not. The previous King ruled with an iron fist and a cold heart. His wife had given him five children...beautiful children...healthy children. His mistress gave him one son...his face horribly disfigured...some say that the King himself placed a curse upon his own son to look this way. The "punishment" he felt "fair" for this child he never wished to create...

He never acknowledged this son...he banished him and his mother to a tower at the edge of the Kingdom. They still lived close enough that he could keep an eye on them...but far enough "out of sight" as to not call attention to themselves. 

Lucy, the boy's mother, never even gave him a name...she was totally numb...she had lost the ability to love...she couldn't love herself...she couldn't love her son...she was just a shell...beaten down by a world that used her for what they needed and then cast her aside...

They called him "The Ugly One". That was his "name"...yet he had such a beautiful soul. He had more reasons than anyone to be hateful, vindictive, angry...but, he was not. He chose to think that he was specially chosen for "something"...he just didn't know what yet...for now, he spent his time standing high atop the tower looking down upon the people that have always looked down upon him.

As a young boy, he managed to sneak out of the tower from time to time. He had a mask that he would wear so that people would not make fun of him. He never tried to join in as the other kids played...he knew better...he just enjoyed watching them...imagining, in his mind, a world where he could be included and accepted...

One day as he was sitting on a rock in the courtyard watching two boys throw a ball back and forth, he saw the most beautiful girl he had ever seen! Blonde hair that seemed to be spun of gold and the clearest blue eyes. He was so captivated by her, that he didn't realize that one of the boys had thrown the ball directly at him. It hit him right in the face...knocking off his mask.

The mask crashed to the ground and broke into pieces...as the children laughed and pointed at him...he broke into pieces as well. He put his head down and tried his best not to cry. It was in that moment that he heard her voice...the beautiful blonde girl with the magic eyes...telling the others to leave him alone...grabbing ahold of his hand and tipping up his chin so she could look him in the eye. She sweetly said, "My name is Christine...please allow me to help you fix your mask."

From that day forward, he has watched Christine as she has grown from a beautiful young girl to a striking woman. His heart has belonged to her since that day in the courtyard...even if she is not aware.

The saddest day in his life was the day that he watched as Christine married his brother...the future King. 

He stares at the castle now...all these years he has thought of her...longed to touch her...just one night...that's all he wants...he thinks of the Undesirable Spirit...of the wishes he can grant. He thinks that if he can just "become" the King for one night...

His mind quickly goes back to the night years ago when his mother died...he was there...trying hard to comfort the woman that had never comforted him. In her last moments she said..."you will not live forever...love her...before you are total gone"...he can still hear the words "total gone" echoing inside his head...
In that moment he knows what he will do...

The Great Conqueror - Part 25 - The Ugly One - Rock Flexible

"The Great Conqueror" is the epic side project of Rock_Flexible (https://soundcloud.com/rock-flexible) and Jaime J. Ross (https://soundcloud.com/jaime0223). While Rock is the mastermind behind the medieval sounds and Guitars, Jaime adds soulful piano parts and recorded most of the used samples with her Tascam field recorder ... many very interesting sounds so found a new life in this organic electronic/acoustic - pieces ...
Thank you very much to all listeners for your kind support!
Artwork: Amazone from Ronny Welscher 
TGC.(2015)