Herald of Steel

As the Tibian nobles slowly passed through the streets and disappeared into the distance, the first part of the parade, the educational and propaganda part of it finally came to an end.

Now it was time for the celebrations.

Now it was time to show the heroes who had brought all the things the crowd was shown.

Now it was time for the victors to make their appearance.

And entering the sights of the people, leading the whole procession was none other than the man himself.

And what an entrance it was.

"Is that the lord? Oh, by the gods!"

"How magnificent!"

"Truly once in a lifetime sight."

"Oh! My eyes suddenly feel sated!"

The gathered crowd could not help but let out such impossible gasps at Alexander's sight.

For Alexander had tried as much as possible to make himself appear regal and even divine.

On this current occasion, the man was on a luxurious chariot, driving it himself, being flanked on either side by red and gold armored bodyguards.

The vehicle itself was painted gold and the impossibly expensive purple, along with pure silver metalworking etched into the wooden frame, giving the whole thing an impossibly sophisticated look.

It was drawn by four white as snow horses, who were all powdered to give their already fair skin an even 'purer' look, making the beasts radiate under the golden sun.

Their horseshoes and hooves were all painted gold, as were their bridles, while they were decorated with long, pure gold braidings on their manes like they were gifts of the gods themselves.

Alexander donned a full set of complicated purple and gold armor, again using that color that was more expensive than gold, all in order to emphasize his own specialness.

He had no helmet, letting his handsome, chiseled, slightly tanned face be visible to all, a face that caused the men in the crowd to sigh in awe and the women to blush dreamily.

Even the noble ladies, who had access to a far greater number of handsome men could not help but comment favorably at Alexander's face.

"Oh! That is the current lord of Zanzan? This is the first time I've seen him. He looks so young! And quite fetching."

"Right! It's said he is only twenty two! To think he conquered Tibias at such a young age. Truly impressive."

"Mmmm, this is also my first time seeing the lord. He is difficult to get an audience with."

"Yes. It's because he rarely holds any banquets or parties, preferring to just spend his time at home. What a waste."

"Mmmm. You would think being a simple slave he would love to party and eat and drink to his heart's content. *Sigh*, pity he doesn't even know what he is missing."

"Hmmmm, perhaps that's why he doesn't hold them. Because he doesn't know how to enjoy himself?"

"Well then maybe we should teach the poor lonely boy. Ohh, I would love a night with him. Show him what a true woman feels like."

"I would love it too! I heard from one of the maids that his cock is the size of a horse! She apparently saw it once while pouring his bath water."

"Oh! So Lady Mahve you have ears in the Pasha's own home? That's bold!"

"Heh heh."

It was like this that Alexander's appearance caused a few of the more prurient ladies to divulge many secrets among themselves as they started to fantasize about him, wishing for even just a single opportunity to spread their legs for him.

Which really went to show, if you were successful enough, there was little need to chase after other people.

They came chasing after you.

And it was doubly true for Alexander, who was no breathtakingly handsome prince, there being many noblemen who were much more masculine and dashing than him.

Furthermore, he was not even considered that charming by the women of this time period, since he usually did not bother courting them.

Most of the ladies of this time preferred passionate poems and poetry being recited to them, and receiving flowers and other gifts, to all of which Alexander had zero interest in.

And to make matters worse, he was seen by many blue bloods as a dirty upstart, worse than a peasant who had gotten where he was by luck and a lot of hook and crook.

However, as a counter to all of them, he showed them only one ingredient.

One thing that few in the entire world had- power.

Immense power.

And perhaps it was such blatant displays of it that somewhat unsettled the noblemen there, upon seeing Alexander's get noted among themselves with slight shock and disbelief,

"Why is he wearing so much gold and purple? This is blatantly disrespecting the king!"

"I agree. Surely he cannot be so ill-informed so as to not know what this means! That this color is reserved only for royalty.!"

"Hmmm… Has his recent conquest gotten to his head? I know that the boy has little reverence for His Majesty, but still…. This is too much."

"Younglings are always bold. Does he think just because he defeated a tiny country, His Majesty cannot straighten him out? Foolish!"

"I concur. Even if Lord Alexander sees King Ptolomy as being weak, there was no need to openly point it out. And to do so just to pleasure a crowd of commoners. This is utterly a mistake!"

It was apparent that most of the original Zanzan nobles totally disapproved of Alexander flaunting his power, as they were sure it was sure to reach Ptolomy's ears and enrage the already muddle-headed king.

And perhaps they were right,

Maybe Alexander did let this victory get to him a bit, the exhilarating feeling of his conquest making him jump the gun a bit too soon in showing the people who it was that truly ruled him.

And not any king far, far away.

But whether these noblemen were right and relations with Ptolomy became further strained due to this, or they were simply overthinking everything and none of it was of any consequence still remained to be seen.

For now, though, Alexander had his fill of the spotlight, moving at a crawling speed while waiving and smiling to a bursting crowd whose feverish pitch seemed to reach ever-increasing heights each passing second.

And he was not alone in receiving this adoration.

Because following right behind were his wives on foot, all wearing pure white chiltons with various stylish ornaments and headbands adorning them, making them appear stunning.

Gold and diamond jewelry graced their necks and wrists and with each step they took, the golden anklets with studded diamonds they wore chimed melodiously, glittering and sparkling in the sun.

All four had their hairs done in a braided top knot, which swayed with each step and their most unique adornment was undoubtedly the golden armbands adorned with blue sapphires, which snaked all along their elbow to their shoulder in a mystical waving pattern, making the four appear almost unearthly.

With perhaps this being most true for was Opehenia, whose tall, buxom, hourglass-like figure and immaculate, angelic face made any man who saw her face become slightly dazed, while flames of envy and jealousy ignited in the women.

Many of the present noblemen even cursed bitterly that Alexander did not participate in their customs, for this meant they would forever miss their chance at getting to know the lady better.

While quite a few noble ladies were actually relieved that Alexander did not participate in their customs because they feared Ophenia stealing all the spotlight for herself.

Along with Alexander, the quad quite enjoyed their time under the sun as they slowly made their way through, finding the cheers, adulations, and general vibe of the place breathtaking.

They walked with strong steps, heads held high, their hearts bursting with pride for their husband's achievements.

As well as a touch of their own pride, since they did play a part, however small that maybe, in this.

It was a feeling that was also reinforced, when they picked up lines from a few of the people recognizing them, mostly in the case of Cambyses and Ophenia due to the nature of their work.

Following Alexander and his family, were the various nobles who accompanied him to battle, the likes of Menes, Melodias, etc, as well as the retainers that stayed behind in Zanzan looking after the place, like Uzak, Menicus, all joined by their families.

They too were dressed in their full, colorful regalia, and as they proceeded, many of the younger members danced and sang alongside the cheering crowd

Although if there was one glaring omission here was that their lineup had no women in them.

And this was actually normal for the time being.

Noble women rarely made such public appearances.

And, if they were ever shown, they were only shown to be presented as chaste or a dutiful mother.

So in that way, it was Alexander's showcase of his wives that was the abnormality.

This procession of the nobles had their own cheers and praises, as the crowd pointed to and regaled how they once met one of them and exchanged a few words.

Until they too passed and the last part of the triumph was finally revealed to the crowd.

The victorious army itself.

If you are not reading this at wuxiap.com, then sorry, the content you're reading is STOLEN!

Let us say no to piracy! Don't take part in a crime! Don't patronize thieves!

Please come Here!