20 Oath 19
'Ahuramazda is a great god. He made Darius king and gave to King Darius the kingship of this wide earth with many lands in it - ' Xerxes
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Blood and guts littered the floor of the once clean and pristine imperial audience hall. What had been a projection of the empire's strength and wealth, now served as a symbol of all the blood and bones that were mortared into the Apadanas terrace foundations.
Artaxerxes stood among all this, blood caking his arms after the grueling battle. After the initial clash, many of the noblemen and women fled the Apadana, while a few stayed behind to fight alongside the Achaemenids.
Now, all that remained were an injured few gasping their breaths after surviving such an ordeal.
'Where is everyone? My mother, my sisters..., my brother...'
Grimacing, Artaxerxes stared at his calloused, blood-stained hands. Gripping them fiercely, he could only lament at the powerlessness he had felt in protecting those he loved. With a fierce gaze, Artaxerxes made a vow,
'To never be powerless again'
----
Looking around, Artaxerxes couldn't spot any of his family members, he could only pray that they had safely escaped the bloodbath with the others who fled.
"Brother..."
Hearing a weak voice nearby, Artaxerxes hurriedly scoured through the river of corpses that surrounded him. Until he found where the voice originated. It was his elder brother, Dariaios. Dariaios had a gaping hole in his stomach, something that was fatal, regardless of the medicine of the era.
Hurrying to him, Artaxerxes got down on his knees, gripping his brother's remaining hand, the other was gone."Brother! Stay with me!" Artaxerxes shouted in the desolate hall.
Coughing blood, Daríaios opened his eyes, "*Cough*- I don't think I'm going to make it much longer, brother - *Cough*"
Artaxerxes, seeing his brother's slowly dimming eyes, felt a molten magma engulf his heart, "Brother! When I find who's responsible for this, ill crucify them myself!"
Using whatever energy he had left, Dariaios laughed, "Hahaha! You've always been quick to emotion, brother. Remember this, YOU are the heir now, no, the King of Kings. The burden is now yours..." With these words, Dariaios' grip on Artaxerxes hand slackened and he let out his last breath.
Eyes wide, Artaxerxes let his brother's last words sink into his soul, engraving them in his mind in order to never forget them. Still clutching his dead brother's hand, Artaxerxes heard footsteps behind him.
Turning, he saw a bloody Themistocles, wielding a fragmented sword in one hand, and a head in the other.
Tossing the decapitated head on the floor, it rolled towards Artaxerxes. Looking at the head, Artaxerxes immediately recognized it, it was the head of Artabanus. The man that had caused so much grief was dead before him, yet he felt no satisfaction.
Glaring at Themistocles, Artaxerxes stood and spoke, "You had no right to kill him, he was mine to kill." Themistocles said nothing, only stared at the prince.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Themistocles knelt, "My prince- no - my King, I swear by my blade, to serve loyally and faithfully, even if at the cost of my life."
Artaxerxes stared straight into Themistocles' eyes and remembering his mother's lessons on how to judge the truth from one's heart, knew Themistocles spoke true.
Sighing, Artaxerxes reached his bloodied hand out." Get up Themistocles, I accept your oath. Though don't think I've forgotten you robbing my kill." Themistocles, clutching Artaxerxes' outstretched hand, rose to his feet.
"Thank you my King" Themistocles solemnly spoke. Looking around, Artaxerxes beckoned for any of the remaining guards standing to gather. "Men, this day will go down in history as either the end of our empire or the light of the spark that will revitalize our empire once more. In order to guarantee the latter, I must rely on you all yet again, to scour the palace for any remaining dissidents and imprison them. Should they resist, show no mercy" Saying this, Artaxerxes dismissed the few dozen or so loyal men to do their duty and carry out his orders.
"Themistocles, gather your greek mercenaries and lock down Susa, no one is permitted to enter or leave until my say-so." With a nod, Themistocles strode off to complete his task.
Artaxerxes, worried for his mother and sisters' safety, strode off to search, now clad in a courtly robe he had stripped off a dead courtier.
-----
After searching for an hour, Artaxerxes found his Mother along with his sisters in the King's chambers, surrounded by Immortal guards, ready to defend the Achaemenid woman to the last man.
Glancing around the King's chambers, he noticed the bedsheets were still stained red with the king's blood and scattered around were a dozen or so dead guards with the eunuch spiders insignia on their shoulders.
Seeing him, Amytis and Rhodogune dashed forward embracing Artaxerxes in a hug, meanwhile, his mother, with concern laden in her tone, spoke, "Where is Dariaios, is he okay? What happened to Artabanus?"
Artaxerxes, solemn, told the women the fate that had befallen Dariaios. However, he kept his brother's last words to himself.
Breaking down in tears, his sisters were inconsolable, while his mother just had a blank look in her eyes. Deciding to give them some space, Artaxerxes ordered the Immortals to stand guard, and watch over his remaining family. Also, as an afterthought, he ordered a duo of immortals to find and secure his wife.
Walking deeper into the palace halls, Artaxerxes thought, 'First, I must rip out the weeds by the roots, then, I can begin some plans'
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Zariaspa , Bactria - 465 BC
Hystaspes sat in his chambers, staring intently at a page of papyrus he had just received from an attendant. On it read in Aramaic cuneiform script:
'Xerxes, Great King, Dariaios, Great Prince, slain by Artaxerxes, usurper'
It did not say who it was by, but its seal marked its legitimacy. An image of his father, Xerxes, before a date palm tree, arms extended. This was the seal of the royal bodyguard and very few had access to it, meaning that the chances of the inscription being true where extremely high.
'Would Artaxerxes do this?' Hystaspes thought. It had been some years since the brothers had met, and in that time Hystaspes had had some time to think. Much of that thinking involved pondering over his own fate, that of a mere second prince, a spare part, something to be used as a tool. This train of thought had taken him to dangerous places, so he had been quick to nip it at the bud.
However, reading this letter, all the emotions he had kept inside burst out. Slamming his fist on his desk, and scaring the attendant in the room, he spoke, "Call for my advisors and courtiers, tell them to meet with me in the council hall." As the servant was rushing out the door to fulfill his task, Hystaspes called out, "Call for my generals as well..."
Nodding his head and curtsying, the servant sped off. A slight smile replacing his frown, Hystaspes had unknowingly begun to hum a tune.
