Turning Tables and Broken Glass

“Gather round children!” he said, as we all shuffled to sit in front of his fire. The night was dark and the fire was the only thing serving our eyes. We all sat down to hear him talk as we usually do at night; There were nine of us there, all sons and daughters of village chiefs. He was a man of great forethought, a legendary thinker and practitioner. He could know things just by looking at them and there was not a thing he did not know. We all admired him as we listened to his wise tales. “Young children, your lives have just begun. You are emerging out of childhood and blossoming into men,” he coughed then continued, “and women. Your lives will contain many trials and tribulations. As the future leaders of your villages, you will be required to make choices, sometimes quite difficult, to keep the balance that your fathers built. This tale which I will tell you today has not yet happened but it will. Our story starts in a kingdom not too far from here, a kingdom called Ptolemy.” “Ptolemy,” I said out loud as the others stared, “I like that name.” “Yes, yes. Quiet down and listen children,” he said as he looked at me and smiled. “As I was saying, our story starts in the kingdom of Ptolemy. The kingdom is a haven for the arts, a true splendor of wisdom, gifted from the gods. All the world’s art and knowledge was collected in its cities; the libraries were overflowing with books!” exclaimed our teacher holding his torch in his right hand. He went on about how great the cities were but I will not recount it for you for it is not so significant. It was a while before he got back to the story. Next, he told us about the king and his kingdom: how the king rode the whitest horses, wore nothing but the finest silk and shiniest gold, and how he was worshiped like a god by his people, despite being a mortal. Those whose eyes fell on the king were drawn in by his shining radiance, his beautiful attire and his noble stature. He walked around with the confidence of Jupiter and the strength of Mars himself. This king built up a powerful kingdom led by a devastating army. He had thousands of chariots made from the finest silver; the sun itself was reflected upon their march. But this king also had enemies that envied all he had. His main enemy was an empire not too far off in the east called Antakya. It was a large empire led by strong men and a harsh king. The two kings fought each other for land for as long as they could remember, continuing the tradition of their fathers before them. “Now this king of gold, this shining man of fortune, was wise. He divided his army into three parties, each led by one his most trusted generals,” said our teacher. “The first general, Kryzos,” he continued, as he finally sat down with us around the fire, “was a wise and strategic general. He was revered as a cunning master of war. He taught his soldiers the art of war, the strategies best suited for any situation and the skills required to advance on any terrain and to overcome any enemy, using cunning tactics instead of sheer force. Kryzos was a man many feared but all loved. He was a hero of the people, securing them victories and getting them out of troublesome situations. His vice was women, or perhaps he considered it a virtue, for Kryzos prayed to none but one goddess, Venus. Every Friday, when he was not in combat, he would rush to the temple, offering sacrifice and prayer to his beloved Venus. And right after that he would dance his way to the town looking for beautiful women to entice. Being the highest-ranking officer in the king’s army afforded Kryzos many riches and prosperity (which he would spend on women); this he valued above all.” Then we all watched as our teacher rose and threw more wood into the fire; it devoured it like a lion and sprang upwards, a foot or two. “The next general,” began our teacher, “was a man of honour and strength. He was loved by all for his bravery and courage. His breast was like that of a gorilla, his arms like oak trees, his legs belonged to horses and his back was a shield.” He waved his torch as if to s***h with a sword and said “There was no equal in fighting prowess throughout the entire kingdom. His name was Kokkino. Kokkino raised his men to fight, to be strong, valiant defenders of the kingdom; he was quite harsh on them. He was a committed man and one the king trusted with his life. Although, for all his bravery and valour, Kokkino had but one vice, drunkenness. After his training, he was sure to drink himself to sleep. Every Tuesday, if he was not on duty, Kokkino would run to the temple of his god Mars and offer his sacrifice and prayers. He prayed for strength and victory in battle for he admired the strength of Mars, the god of war. Kokkino trained everyday, with the help of his god, to hone his combat skills, pushing himself to higher limits to gain the strength he needed; this he valued above all.” Our teacher got up now and circled the fire. He did not speak for a little while until the fire had died down; we all looked curiously at each other. Finally, he began, “Our last general is a man of discretion, one so closely bound to justice. He dressed in all black and wore two masks to hide his face, one happy and one sad. He was quick, so much so that hares could not flee from him. He could put a blade on the neck of a surrendering enemy before they even drew their sword. Mavros was his name and he served the inner cities of the kingdom with all his strength. By day he would venture throughout the kingdom making sure the peace was kept, occasionally, sitting down with the gamblers to try his luck at dice; it was his favorite vice. His knights were all well-trained and properly mannered. They were in charge of settling disputes among the citizens. By night Mavros led a highly skilled team of assassins, their job, to erase any corruption that fell upon the cities. His cunning and agility allowed him to complete high risk missions in the darkness, so as to not stir up chaos among the people. He served the people greatly and yet the people did not know it. Mavros worshiped Saturn every Saturday. He would remove his masks and go to into the temple to sit down and pray. Mavros honoured Saturn because Saturn was a fierce and deadly god, one that could send out Death at will. Mavros prayed that Saturn would keep the lives of their people and allow them more time; this he valued above all.” “These three sons of noblemen grew up together. They were trained by the most skilled fighters and swordsmen. They were taught by the smartest teachers in the entire kingdom, being learned in all the arts known to man. Their food was richly prepared; their bodies properly trained. When they were young, a bit older than you though, they joined a defense troop stationed outside the eastern wall. One day, when all three were sleeping, their camp was raided by their enemy. Antakian soldiers dressed in dark garb attacked the settlement under the cover of night. The young generals were awoken by the screams of fellow soldiers and the sound of stabbing and clashing. Having no time to put on their armor, they ran and hoped not to be caught. They made it back to the eastern city of Gaz without being noticed. The generals, of that day, disavowed them for running away from the enemy but when the king had heard that their entire troop was ambushed and defeated he insisted that the boys be brought directly before him. In front of an audience of nobles and military elites the king said ‘These boys have done nothing wrong. Pardon their retreat, for they were fortunate, by the goddess’ mercy, enough to escape the cruel fate of dying to Antakians. These three were wise enough to realize they were no match for that ambush and chose to fight another day. You boys will pledge your newfound lives for the kingdom won’t you?’ The boys all shouted ‘Yes Lord!’” Our teacher sat back down and continued his tale. It went something like this.