The air inside the underground cell was stagnant. The cold dampness clung to the skin of the person inside the cell. Where the light from the few torches and candlesticks did not shine, there was an eerie darkness, and the moans of those who had died in these cells seemed to echo off the moldy, wet ground.
As of the end of February, it had now been four months since the 18th king of Pars, Andragoras III, had been imprisoned here.
The “interrogations” were frequent. Not to question him, but simply to beat him and slander his dignity as a king. They hit him with whips, scalded him with red-hot iron skewers, poured salt water on his wounds, and pricked him with needles.
Andragoras’s appearance had become like that of a monster. His beard and hair grew unchecked, not to mention the lack of a bath, of course.
An unexpected visitor had now come to see the king. The man who entered quietly from the darkness bowed his head respectfully to the prisoner.
“It’s been a long time, Your Majesty.”
The voice was low and painful. Andragoras opened his eyes. Despite the long days of imprisonment and torture, his gaze was still strong.
“Sam?”
“Yes, it is Sam. His Majesty himself had awarded me the status of Marzban.”
“Sam. What are you doing here?
Andragoras was not foolish enough to assume that this man was here to save him. Sam was not a timid person, nor a coward, but he felt a strange sense of oppression from Andragoras.
He really had not come to rescue Andragoras. He did not even take out his weapon. In fact, he had bribed the guard in exchange for a very short meeting time. With Sam’s martial valor, it was not an impossible task for him to cut down the guard and escape from the underground cell. However, it would be very difficult for him to leave the capital with the king, who was seriously injured.
Plus, Sam knew that the guard was already aiming his bow and arrow at his back.
“I have come to ask Your Majesty something.”
“What do you want to ask?”
“Does Your Majesty not already know what I want to ask?”
“What exactly do you want to ask?”
Andragroas repeated, feigning ignorance.
“It is about the incident seventeen years ago.”
In May of the year 304, the seventeenth king, Osroes, died suddenly for unknown reasons. After his younger brother Andragoras took the throne, Osroes’s son Hilmes was thought to have burned to death in a mysterious fire. Hilmes, now grown up, had appeared before Sam, claiming that Andragoras III had murdered his brother, King Osroes, so that he could become king himself. He also asserted that the fire that burned half of his face had not been accidental, but was intentionally set by Andragoras.
“Your Majesty, please forgive me for my audacity, but I must ask. Is it true that seventeen years ago, Your Majesty killed King Osroes?”
“Did you kill your brother to usurp the throne? And did you also try to burn Prince Hilmes to death?”
“Why do you ask that?”
There was not the slightest wavering in Andragoras’s voice, and there was even somewhat of a sneer to it.
“I am a warrior at heart. The king’s family has given me the grace to gain the reputation and status of a Marzban, the king’s family has been kind to me. And I will say it loudly that I deeply love the country of Pars. I only hope that Your Majesty will clear up some of the confusion in my mind. That is the purpose of my visit today.”
Sam paused several times in his explanation, and the sneer disappeared from Andragoras’s eyes.
“Oh Sam! Our father, the Great King Gotarzes, was a man worthy of being called wise. However, he had one shortcoming that displeased the courtiers. You are probably aware of it, yes?”
“Well ……”
Sam understood it well. The great king of Gotarzes was a man of justice and courage, fair to the nobles and merciful to the slaves. However, he had the disadvantage of being too superstitious. In his later years, this situation had gotten a lot worse. Osroes V, who later succeeded the throne, was not as serious as his father, but he also believed in prophecies and astrology.
“The Great King Gotarzes had received a prophecy when he was young.”
“…… And that was?”
“The prophecy was that the royal bloodline of Pars would be cut off by the son of Gotarzes II.”
Sam held his breath for a moment as Andragoras gazed at him with a look that bordered on pity, and continued in a low voice.
“The royal bloodline of Pars would be cut off by the son of Gotarzes II ……”
Gotarzes, who was convinced of this terrible prophecy, was extremely frightened and confused. He had to think of a countermeasure. He thought desperately with an already irrational mind.
Thus, the first thing he did was to name the two sons he had with the queen as Osroes V and Andragoras III. Before that, the king named Andragoras II had reigned after the king named Osroes IV. So, even if Osroes died early, his younger brother Andragoras could take over the throne. This was his plan. As a result, things were just as he had predicted.
Andragoras did not have a younger brother. So, was the throne of Pars going to be cut off by Andragoras? Gotarzes still did not give up. Just at this time, another prophecy was brought to him. If the wife of his eldest son, Osroes, gave birth to a son, he could succeed Andragoras as the king of Pars. But it would have to be the son of Gotarzes ……
“Then, then, His Highness Hilmes is ……”
Sam couldn’t speak. Could it be that Hilmes was not the son of Osroes V, but his younger brother? And his real father was Gotarzes II? Could it be that in order to increase the number of his sons who could inherit the throne, King Gotarzes really had a son with his daughter-in-law?
Due to his excessive shock and disgust, Sam did not notice for a while that cold sweat was dripping from his nose.
“It’s nothing to be shocked about. There is no pure royal family left in the world. All royal bloodlines are nothing more than a filthy puddle of blood and dirt like ours.”
There seemed to be a sense of resignation in Andragoras’s voice, as if he was talking about something that did not concern him. Sam wiped the cold sweat with the back of his hand and tried to gain control of his breathing. He no longer wished to hear any more, but he still wanted to know one more thing.
“So, what about His Highness Arslan?”
“Arslan? ……”
Andragoras’ expression changed slightly amidst a bearded face full of scars. He remained silent, and Sam continued.
“His Highness Arslan is the prince born to His Majesty and Queen Tahamine. What fate does he carry in this prophecy?”
Andragoras remained silent. Sam was also silent, and he himself felt tired of asking questions. Reluctantly, Andragoras opened his mouth.
“It is true that Tahamine and I had a child, but ……”
“But?”
Sam asked this right as someone knocked hurriedly on the wall, signaling that the warden was returning. Andragoras remained silent once again. Sam stood up, seeing that nothing more could be asked. He saluted the king.
“Your Majesty, I will certainly get you out of here. But, for now, I beg your pardon.”
Andragoras said to Sam as he left, in a bitter voice like cold chilling the bones,
“Sam! You’d better not believe what I just said. Perhaps I am lying to you. Or maybe I was trying to tell the truth, but I myself was also deceived. The history of the royal family of Pars has always been tainted with blood and false promises.”
Sam was tempted to cover his ears as he made his way up the steps of the underground cell. After turning several corners, passing through a doorway, and climbing up to the ground level with great difficulty, Sam felt the late winter sunlight was blinding. At the same time, he also realized that the path he should take seemed to be shrouded by an even deeper layer of fog.
The air inside the underground cell was stagnant. The cold dampness clung to the skin of the person inside the cell. Where the light from the few torches and candlesticks did not shine, there was an eerie darkness, and the moans of those who had died in these cells seemed to echo off the moldy, wet ground.
As of the end of February, it had now been four months since the 18th king of Pars, Andragoras III, had been imprisoned here.
The “interrogations” were frequent. Not to question him, but simply to beat him and slander his dignity as a king. They hit him with whips, scalded him with red-hot iron skewers, poured salt water on his wounds, and pricked him with needles.
Andragoras’s appearance had become like that of a monster. His beard and hair grew unchecked, not to mention the lack of a bath, of course.
An unexpected visitor had now come to see the king. The man who entered quietly from the darkness bowed his head respectfully to the prisoner.
“It’s been a long time, Your Majesty.”
The voice was low and painful. Andragoras opened his eyes. Despite the long days of imprisonment and torture, his gaze was still strong.
“Sam?”
“Yes, it is Sam. His Majesty himself had awarded me the status of Marzban.”
“Sam. What are you doing here?
Andragoras was not foolish enough to assume that this man was here to save him. Sam was not a timid person, nor a coward, but he felt a strange sense of oppression from Andragoras.
He really had not come to rescue Andragoras. He did not even take out his weapon. In fact, he had bribed the guard in exchange for a very short meeting time. With Sam’s martial valor, it was not an impossible task for him to cut down the guard and escape from the underground cell. However, it would be very difficult for him to leave the capital with the king, who was seriously injured.
Plus, Sam knew that the guard was already aiming his bow and arrow at his back.
“I have come to ask Your Majesty something.”
“What do you want to ask?”
“Does Your Majesty not already know what I want to ask?”
“What exactly do you want to ask?”
Andragroas repeated, feigning ignorance.
“It is about the incident seventeen years ago.”
In May of the year 304, the seventeenth king, Osroes, died suddenly for unknown reasons. After his younger brother Andragoras took the throne, Osroes’s son Hilmes was thought to have burned to death in a mysterious fire. Hilmes, now grown up, had appeared before Sam, claiming that Andragoras III had murdered his brother, King Osroes, so that he could become king himself. He also asserted that the fire that burned half of his face had not been accidental, but was intentionally set by Andragoras.
“Your Majesty, please forgive me for my audacity, but I must ask. Is it true that seventeen years ago, Your Majesty killed King Osroes?”
“Did you kill your brother to usurp the throne? And did you also try to burn Prince Hilmes to death?”
“Why do you ask that?”
There was not the slightest wavering in Andragoras’s voice, and there was even somewhat of a sneer to it.
“I am a warrior at heart. The king’s family has given me the grace to gain the reputation and status of a Marzban, the king’s family has been kind to me. And I will say it loudly that I deeply love the country of Pars. I only hope that Your Majesty will clear up some of the confusion in my mind. That is the purpose of my visit today.”
Sam paused several times in his explanation, and the sneer disappeared from Andragoras’s eyes.
“Oh Sam! Our father, the Great King Gotarzes, was a man worthy of being called wise. However, he had one shortcoming that displeased the courtiers. You are probably aware of it, yes?”
“Well ……”
Sam understood it well. The great king of Gotarzes was a man of justice and courage, fair to the nobles and merciful to the slaves. However, he had the disadvantage of being too superstitious. In his later years, this situation had gotten a lot worse. Osroes V, who later succeeded the throne, was not as serious as his father, but he also believed in prophecies and astrology.
“The Great King Gotarzes had received a prophecy when he was young.”
“…… And that was?”
“The prophecy was that the royal bloodline of Pars would be cut off by the son of Gotarzes II.”
Sam held his breath for a moment as Andragoras gazed at him with a look that bordered on pity, and continued in a low voice.
“The royal bloodline of Pars would be cut off by the son of Gotarzes II ……”
Gotarzes, who was convinced of this terrible prophecy, was extremely frightened and confused. He had to think of a countermeasure. He thought desperately with an already irrational mind.
Thus, the first thing he did was to name the two sons he had with the queen as Osroes V and Andragoras III. Before that, the king named Andragoras II had reigned after the king named Osroes IV. So, even if Osroes died early, his younger brother Andragoras could take over the throne. This was his plan. As a result, things were just as he had predicted.
Andragoras did not have a younger brother. So, was the throne of Pars going to be cut off by Andragoras? Gotarzes still did not give up. Just at this time, another prophecy was brought to him. If the wife of his eldest son, Osroes, gave birth to a son, he could succeed Andragoras as the king of Pars. But it would have to be the son of Gotarzes ……
“Then, then, His Highness Hilmes is ……”
Sam couldn’t speak. Could it be that Hilmes was not the son of Osroes V, but his younger brother? And his real father was Gotarzes II? Could it be that in order to increase the number of his sons who could inherit the throne, King Gotarzes really had a son with his daughter-in-law?
Due to his excessive shock and disgust, Sam did not notice for a while that cold sweat was dripping from his nose.
“It’s nothing to be shocked about. There is no pure royal family left in the world. All royal bloodlines are nothing more than a filthy puddle of blood and dirt like ours.”
There seemed to be a sense of resignation in Andragoras’s voice, as if he was talking about something that did not concern him. Sam wiped the cold sweat with the back of his hand and tried to gain control of his breathing. He no longer wished to hear any more, but he still wanted to know one more thing.
“So, what about His Highness Arslan?”
“Arslan? ……”
Andragoras’ expression changed slightly amidst a bearded face full of scars. He remained silent, and Sam continued.
“His Highness Arslan is the prince born to His Majesty and Queen Tahamine. What fate does he carry in this prophecy?”
Andragoras remained silent. Sam was also silent, and he himself felt tired of asking questions. Reluctantly, Andragoras opened his mouth.
“It is true that Tahamine and I had a child, but ……”
“But?”
Sam asked this right as someone knocked hurriedly on the wall, signaling that the warden was returning. Andragoras remained silent once again. Sam stood up, seeing that nothing more could be asked. He saluted the king.
“Your Majesty, I will certainly get you out of here. But, for now, I beg your pardon.”
Andragoras said to Sam as he left, in a bitter voice like cold chilling the bones,
“Sam! You’d better not believe what I just said. Perhaps I am lying to you. Or maybe I was trying to tell the truth, but I myself was also deceived. The history of the royal family of Pars has always been tainted with blood and false promises.”
Sam was tempted to cover his ears as he made his way up the steps of the underground cell. After turning several corners, passing through a doorway, and climbing up to the ground level with great difficulty, Sam felt the late winter sunlight was blinding. At the same time, he also realized that the path he should take seemed to be shrouded by an even deeper layer of fog.
