“When we saw our enemy approaching, we understood their plans and realized how treacherous they truly were. They secretly planned to assault Mulghazanzar after believing the King was dead. While those evil men were surprised to see our warships on the sea, they did not slow. For none of them knew Phridon yet lived. However, we did know.

The wind was behind us, and lent aid to our sails as the drums beat faster and our ships reached ramming speed. A fierce cry went up from our men as Phridon crashed into the first ship of our enemy, spectacularly sinking it with a single hit. I counted perhaps eight more of their boats remaining, but in the heat of battle, I cannot swear if there were more or less.”

“It did not matter how many they had though, for we came prepared. The fools who challenged us would soon meet watery graves. I shouted encouragement as my crew hit the side of an enemy vessel. Desperate to wet my blade with the blood of our enemies, I leaped from my place, landing on the deck of our foe. I struck like a whirlwind of steel. My strikes leaving men headless or clutching at the last of their life as it bled from the wounds I gifted them with.”

“Then we flew from one ship to the next, our wrath more certain than the doom I had once visited on Ramaz and his armies. One after another, their soldiers fell to our onslaught until those remaining took small boats and rowed for shore as if Poseidon himself pursued them.”

“Unwilling to let them all escape, I forced my heel on one of the boats they fled in, spilling the men into the water where the weight of their armor pulled them into the grasp of the deep. All about us, those who wished to harm us wailed like children, weeping, and crying at the folly of their actions. Yet we would not be stopped.”

“We slaughtered every man we encountered. Those few who survived the force of our initial assault escaped to the harbor, but their respite was short lived. Before long, we landed our own ships. Our men disembarked as one. Some few were struck by arrows, but others made their way into the bushes and cut down the archers attacking us.”

“Where before men had fought against me and the sea for their lives, now Phridon and I battered them between us like ships caught between waves and rocks. We stood beside one another, lions guarding the temple of honor. Our faces shone down on our enemies, burning them like twin suns. Soon we came upon his treacherous cousins.”

“They sought to overcome him with numbers, but he beat them to the ground with the ferocity of his attacks. Once they fell, he did not kill them. Instead, he cut their sword hands off and left them wailing in misery as their blood darkened the sand. Those who witnessed the fate of their Lords broke ranks and ran, fleeing towards the far side of the island.”

“Our Knights let out a cheer, and we pursued the cowards as they fled, picking off traitors as we went. A handful met us in valorous combat, but most we butchered like the filth they were. Those who reached to the safety of their city enjoyed little time for celebration.”

“Our engineers cracked open their fortifications like an oyster, and we tore down their gates and battlements in our wrath. We broke the legs of those who stood against us with stones from the walls and flayed the skin from others. When we finished, not a man from our enemy remained uninjured.”

“With victory in our hands, Phridon rallied his men. They searched for survivors, leaving no one alive who fought us. The betrayers who submitted were humiliated and marched to the center of town. Meanwhile, he and I entered the castle to seize the treasury. When we opened the vaults, I could not believe the riches they held.”

“Clearly, his uncle had been pillaging passing ships, perhaps sharing information on merchant vessels, and then attacking the pirates who raided them. It seemed betrayal was all they knew, for no other means would have allowed them to acquire such wealth. Once we secured the treasuries, we returned to the square.”

“Turning to the people, Phridon informed them of his Lordship. Those who wished to leave were given gold in exchange for their holds and escorted to the next Kingdom. Whoever chose to remain swore their allegiance to him. Then, in front of those who stayed, he took his two traitorous cousins into the fields and spilled what remained of their blood into the dirt, returning them to the earth whose kinship they had betrayed.”

“He left their bodies in the field for the crows to feast on and a garrison of a hundred good men to defend the city. The rest of our soldiers loaded the bulk of the treasures onto the ships, and we made ready for our return. Then, he sent messengers back to Mulghazanzar requesting artisans and supplies. They would rebuild the town and improve the lives of those living there. When I asked why he did this, he shared the wisdom of his father with me.”

“Phridon told me it takes no more than three generations for intelligence to slip into ignorance. Yet, a man can grow his people into something better in one generation, teaching them to work for the common good. Citizens, he said, are like the crops they tend. When properly cared for, their wisdom ripens as they age. No different than grapes from a vine, it is the hand of the vintner which determines the quality of wine produced.”

“As he spoke, I learned his grandfather had applied the same philosophies to the people of Mulghazanzar, which was why the Knight viewed it as his duty to improve this city. He would teach the people what they were capable of, rather than focusing on their past failures. The idea was novel to me, and a form of governing unlike any I knew of.”

“Of course, Phridon was not like anyone I met before then or since. I witnessed this anew when we returned to his city. All throughout the streets, his people celebrated. Sellers gave their wares freely. Jugglers and performers danced and threw fire in the air, while poets recited newly composed tales praising their King. Unlike other rulers, he did not need to call for celebrations. The people recognized and valued him for who he was, and not what he ordered from them.”

“Soldiers paraded us around on their shoulders as if we were sergeants instead of Lords. They proclaimed his Lordship and further sang me into their songs as a King from afar. Then, as his men gave their allegiance to him forever, he swore his own oath to me as a brother and an equal.”

“A contagious joy surrounded me, but my smile did not reach its fullest. My heart was a graveyard of the hopes and dreams Nestan and I once shared. Inside, I was filled with gloom, but none among the guests or our new friends were aware of my story. It was not a thing lightly spoken of.”

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