Shapur stood out on the balcony, his eyes sweeping over the houses of Ctesiphon grouped together. From atop the hill, the Sun Palace offered a good sight of the capital city stretching far beyond to the point one might think it could touch the horizon, surrounded by its unsurmountable fences, and the large green mountains doubling as their natural guardians.
He took a good look at all of that and closed his eyes as if he wanted to engrave it in his memory. And then, a faint voice came into his mind.
" What do you see, Shapur?" It was a question his father had asked of him on a daily basis as he brought him out to that very balcony.
" Our capital, and the beating heart of our kingdom, Pars." He would answer, and his father would hum in thought. Shapur didn't know what answer he was waiting for, exactly.
" And what makes Pars great, son?" That question would always stump him, and the king would heave a sigh, as though disappointed.
