Herald of Steel-Chapter 1512: Meeting Ptolomy (Part-2)

Alexander appeared at the lower courtyard of the Grand Temple just as the sun was setting, letting him witness a brand new facade of this magnificent building.

There were hundreds, if not thousands, of torches and huge brass blazers lit up all around the place, making the entire place glow like it was under the limelight.

The white marbled floors and stairs now reflected a flickering orange tint, while high above, the shiny surface of the partially open huge bronze doors shone like the moon from the soft illumination.

On the walls of the Grand Temple were gold embroidered friezes, depicting various figures, the largest of them all being Ramuh, around which were various words written in black granite with golden threads.

But the most amazing of all, the huge, golden dome on top which stood a majestic figure of Ramuh was now wreathed in a radiant fiery glow, as just below his feet the priests had lit a huge brazier, letting the flames and smoke rise up and wrap the golden figure.

And against the backdrop of the black dark sky, this statue now appeared like the beacon, a lighthouse to lead wayward 'sheeps', visible from even the outskirts of the city.

For what the religions preached, this scenery was perhaps the most appropriate metaphor.

And as Alexander gazed upon this, he would have to admit, his own city, Zanzan did still lack a bit of flair and oomph when compared to Adhan.

The capital of this ancient empire had a sort of majesty and cultural weight that was hard to contend with for any city in the whole country.

Perhaps that was why Amenheraft wanted it so bad and why Ptolomy was able to contend for the crown despite being much weaker.

This was a theory further bolstered even one saw how those braziers under Ramuh were being lit.

Because it was nothing as crude as priests climbing up with a ladder through a hidden passageway in the temple and then using a simple torch.

But dressed in their snow white robes, these men of the cloth would line themselves up in perfect military rows and start firing flaming arrows towards the roof, causing the flammable mixture of wood, oil, and other kindling to at last ignite.

That in of itself was indeed a sight to behold.

….

Upon reaching the lower courtyard, Alexander disembarked from his horse unlike his previous time, and with the princesses, Lord Iyazid and a small number of bodyguards in tow, slowly climbed up the enormous set of stairs.

Alexander was not going to say it was a pleasant climb, especially after the long day's march but the usually fragile and pampered twins appeared extremely excited to make the arduous journey, the smiles on them almost spilling out of their large grins.

These girls had spent nearly fifteen of their twenty year old life here, so it would be very apt to say this place was their real home.

Hence each time they saw an ascending or descending priest or priestess, their eyes would glow with recognition, as would the other party's, giving the two princesses a small bow or a large smile.

If Azira and Azura were not in a hurry to keep up with the rest of the entourage, they would have surely stopped to talk and chat.

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In fact, even then the strong headed Azura slowed down her steps to a crawl, and could only be convinced to keep moving by her 'elder' sister.

Alexander finally managed to reach the very top of the stairs after some time, whereupon he immediately saw Ptolomy and the Queen Mother standing before the huge gates, with a small entourage of their own.

"Your Majesty!" Alexander and the others all instantly bowed respectively to the figures, bending their knees, only save for the twins.

As sacred priestesses of the Grand Temple, they had been given this special exemption by their father during his tenure as king, and Ptolomy subsequently had yet to renege that… possibly due to pressure from Pasha Farzah.

Thus instead of bowing, they only gave a courteous nod.

"Pasha Alexander, it is so great to see you. Hahaha… come, come, raise your head! You surely have traveled a long way," It was a very jovial greeting followed by a frank laughter as Alexander raised to see a plump man, dressed in gold and purple, standing next to a heavily pregnant Queen Mother.

The first thing that struck Alexander in this sight was the immense change in Ptolomy- whereas before he was a lean, slightly sickly man with a very thin beard, now he appeared very rotund and chubby, almost like a football, with a thick beard and heavy flaps of fat around his cheeks and neck.

His arms could barely fit his gaudy robes and his belly struggled to keep itself within the worn clothes.

'My god, has he been training to compete in sumo?' Alexander subconsciously rolled his eyes at the sight, struggling to believe just how much the man had let himself go.

On the other side, the Queen Mother next to this round behemoth looked just as beautiful and ravishing as ever, dressed in an elaborate red and gold gown with fantastic jewelry and gorgeous make up that made her look the same as the day Alexander had seen her.

She did not appear to have aged a single day.

Even the huge bulge on her belly added an exotic charm to her, and for a split second Alexander could not help but get flashes of that one time they had spent the afternoon together, his heart hoping to get a glimpse of that scenery once again.

'I wonder who is more beautiful? Lady Parthia or her?' He mused subconsciously, finding it an impossible comparison to make.

"Lord Alexander, it is so great of you to come. 'Our' hearts are extremely glad."

Once Alexander stood up, the Queen Mother lightly stepped forward to also greet him in a regal, somber voice, before shifting her eyes to the twins.

"Azira! Azura! You girls… it's been so long! What are you standing over there for? Come give your big sister a hug?

The mature lady's voice suddenly changed to a light, gleeful tone at the sight, causing her to spread out her arms wide and let out a great big grin.

After their mother's death, the twins were brought up under the Queen Mother's wings and so Seelima almost saw them as her own daughters.

And Azira and Azura were also very close to her, so seeing the open embrace they rushed forward, feeling elated.

Up until now they had been a bit apprehensive that their 'big sister' had written anything about her pregnancy or even the usual happenings. In fact, there had been hardly any contact between the two in the last three to four years. So the twins feared they had been abandoned due to the association of their father.

Now it seemed all their fears were overblown.

The rest of the greeting followed an unusually warm pace, with Alexander congratulating Ptolomy on his child and the continued peaceful rule, while Ptolomy praised Alexander for his various conquests.

"Hahaha, Alexander, you have done for 'us' what all 'our' forefathers' could not… conquering Tibias and bringing it under 'our' control. You have brought great pride to the Royal family. Fret not, we will be sure to reward you!"

These words sounded very genuine, and Ptolomy joyously patted Alexander on the shoulder with a kind grin, yet somehow, Alexander detected something off.

He was not quite sure, because despite the five years and numerous lessons, he was still not adept at understanding all the subtle texts and in and outs of the native language, but somehow the wording seemed off to him.

Especially that 'bringing it under 'our' control' phrase.

This 'our' could have meant a plural such as 'Ptolomy and Alexander ruling it together =' or it could also refer to the Royal 'We'.... i.e.- when a king refers himself in plural form to show he is the collective representative of the people… which would have a far greater set of consequences.

However whichever of it Ptolomy meant, Alexander chose not to nitpick here and both men played the act like nothing happened before.

Ptolomy even asked "How is Nanazin and the girls doing?" in a kind, nonchalant voice, to which Alexander's lips almost twitched, his temper flaring at the cheek of this man.

After learning the kind of things this sadist did to her, Alexander found it impulsively hateful to hear the man utter her name.

But for the sake of civility, he kept a cool face, and simply replied in a very pretended rueful tone,

"Apologizes Your Majesty, but Her Highness has fallen a bit sick after visiting Galiosos. The weather in that island is very rough and unpredictable and there were too many mosquitoes and other bugs. If not for needing her to broker a peace deal, I would have never taken in such a dangerous journey."

"Despite all this, Her Highness Nanzin really wanted to come and personally congratulate the Queen Mother but she really could not even get up from the bed. And seeing her state, the princesses also decided to stay behind to care for her."

"Hahaha… no worries, no worries, I hear you have been able to secure half the island due to her. That is good, that is good. This is the first time Adhania has expanded beyond the Mad Sea (the sea immediately surrounding Adhania).

"She must have not been able to get up after all the fucking you gave!"