King Artemen : The The Legends.Chapter One

The Enemy’s Assault on Persepolis

Artemen was gazing around the palace from atop the highest cliff, his penetrating

eyes moving over his realm, from the column capitals dotting the palaces of

Persepolis, to the magnificent gardens and the distant horizon. A pleasant breeze

wafted through his hair. An auspicious night was approaching. A lady from a

faraway land was about to set foot into Persepolis and everyone was busy preparing

a ceremony worthy of the king and his bride. But Artemen, as usual, was standing on

a cliff, gazing at the sunset with an indescribably peaceful expression on his face.

His soldiers were waiting for him farther off at the foot of the cliff, unable to see the

man walking up to their king.

Artemen welcomed him with a smile, not moving an inch. The young man was

dressed in brown leather. He knelt before the king and offered his congratulations.

Artemen asked Kaminkash, for that was his name, to rise and gaze, like him at the

beauty of the Land of Persia.

Kaminkash was a sturdy young man, a descendant of the household of Persian

Legends. His hair was as white as snow and his brilliant gleaming eyes resembled

those of a tiger. He rose steadily and stood by the king, gazing into the horizon as the

wind played with his cape. Artemen breathed heavily and Kaminkash looked at him

for a while with his bright green eyes. He knew too well what the man was thinking.

He could understand the king’s anxiety, as he was about to meet the Lady of the

Desert.

Artemen looked down and the sound of music filled the air. The people were

overcome with joy and laughter, but Kaminkash walked slowly towards the edge of

the cliff. In the distance, a storm was rumbling. Kaminkash’s powerful eyes could

see everything a long way away. He was sure the massive ball of dust had nothing to

do with the bride’s convoy. He touched his belt calmly, pulled out a small lens and

placed it on his left eye. Then, he walked further towards the edge of the cliff and

looked at the storm moving towards Persepolis.

The strange lens turned, making a faint sound and the scene in front of Kaminkash’s

eyes became clearer. Suddenly, his chest began to heave. What he was looking at

was not a storm but a battalion of the Uoos, headed for an attack.

The young king stroked his beard and told Kaminkash he would be a special guest at

the ceremony. Then, he walked away. Kaminkash turned in horror and rushed to the

king’s side. He stood in front of him, the wind blowing through his white hair. He

moved his face closer, took a deep breath and blew forcefully into the king’s face.

Lilac flames flashed out of his mouth and landed gently on Artemen’s face. The

king’s eyelids suddenly became motionless. His body stopped moving and he stared

directly at the sunset. Kaminkash ran hurriedly away and jumped from the edge of

the cliff on to the roof of the highest hall in the palace. He untied his cape and let it

go. The cape moved and turned with the wind before landing on one of the capitals

that stood at the palace entrance.

Kaminkash began running. After a few high leaps, he was close to the front gates of

Persepolis. As he stood atop the highest arched roof, watching people moving,

Kaminkash pulled some shiny powder out of his coat pocket and sprinkled it above

his head with both hands. The wind carried the shiny particles slowly away and

poured them gently over the crowd. Time slowed down and the people fell as soon as

the golden breeze touched them.

King Artemen drew a breath and began to walk heavily, unaware of the storm. The

soldiers marched slowly after him. Kaminkash, meanwhile, leaned his leg upon the

edge of the arched rooftop and opened his right arm wide. His elongated wings

suddenly sprang out of the top of his shoulders and spread across the entire surface

of the first palace like a gigantic crumpled piece of cloth. As the people looked into

the wings, their faces devoid of all emotion, they encountered a starless night.

The shiny particles moved past the head of the columns that stood at the entrance of

the palace; a sharp breeze led them in another direction. All of a sudden, the lion

statues atop the two high columns stirred. One of them pulled Kaminkash’s cape off

its face and growled.

The statues both fixed their bright golden eyes on the storm, roaring fiercely. Their

stone bodies shone in the sunset as they scratched the column top with their claws.

Roaring with rage, they declared war. As Kaminkash’s wings flapped in the wind,

the lions leant back, ready to leap. They landed one after the other, with red glowing

eyes, in front of the palace, eager to defend King Artemen.

The Uoos were close to the city now. The six giant creatures, the age-old enemies of

the Land of Persia, were bent on destroying the king and conquering Persepolis…