Chapter 122: The Bracelet of Command and a Father's Blessing
Time: The end of the sixth month of the army's training
Location: The central command tent, Anshan camp
The war council had ended.
The commanders, with resolute faces and eyes shining from the fire of Kourosh's bold plans, had left the tent one by one.
Now, in the heavy silence of the tent, only two people remained.
Cambyses, King of Anshan, sat with all his majesty on the command throne.
His gaze was not on the war maps, but fixed on his ten-and-a-half-year-old son.
Kourosh was calmly arranging the scrolls on the table.
The flickering light of the torches cast his small shadow on the cloth walls of the tent, making it seem gigantic and imposing.
As if the shadow, better than his body, displayed his true essence.
Cambyses let out a sigh that held the weight of a mountain.
He had been a warrior his entire life. He was a stranger to fear and had no tolerance for doubt.
But tonight, a strange and unfamiliar feeling clenched his heart.
He looked at his son and saw two images at once:
A peerless strategist who played with armies with an ancient wisdom.
And a child who had not yet grown hair on his face and carried the burden of a kingdom's destiny on his frail shoulders.
This contrast, this duality, pained his fatherly heart.
He broke the silence. His voice, unlike its usual lion's roar, was calm and raspy.
"Kourosh."
His son stopped his work and looked at him with those piercing, calm eyes.
"Your plan was flawless. Even the oldest and most experienced generals could not have devised such a plan."
"You have placed the minds of a hundred wise men in this small body."
"I am proud of you, more than words can express."
Kourosh bowed his head with humility. "This is only the grace of Ahura Mazda and your trust, Father."
Cambyses rose from his seat and walked towards him.
He stood before him and placed his large, calloused hands on his son's small shoulders.
"But this burden... this burden is heavy, my son."
"I look outside and I see thirty thousand men whose lives depend on your decisions."
"I look at you and I see a child who has not tasted the joy of childish games and instead, carries the weight of a kingdom on his shoulders."
"Is this fair? Do I, as your father, have the right to place such a burden on you?"
In Cambyses's voice, for the first time, there were traces of doubt and self-blame.
He blamed himself for not being able to build a safer world for his child.
Kourosh gently took his father's hands, which were on his shoulders.
"Father, destiny has left me no other path."
"My childhood was spent in that hut of Mithradates and Atossa, amidst the wisdom of the mountains and their love."
"Now is not the time for childhood. Now is the time to build."
He looked into his father's eyes.
"This burden is heavy, yes. But I do not carry it alone."
"Your strength is the arm of this army, and my wisdom is its mind. Together, we will bring this caravan to its destination."
These words, this unwavering confidence, erased the last particles of doubt from Cambyses's heart.
He understood that his son had not only accepted this responsibility, but was born for it.
He was no longer worried; only an immense pride filled his being.
He removed his hand from Kourosh's shoulder.
With a symbolic gesture, he unfastened his own command bracelet, made of black leather and adorned with the image of a golden lion, from his wrist.
"From tonight, this is not just a private conversation. This is an official command," Cambyses said with utmost seriousness.
"I, Cambyses, King of Anshan and Commander-in-Chief of the Persian Army, officially delegate the strategic command of this war to you."
He fastened the bracelet on Kourosh's small but steady arm.
"On the battlefield, the soldiers will see my face. They will hear my cry. They will follow my sword."
"But that face, that cry, and that sword will only be the executor of your will."
"I will be your sword, Kourosh. And you, the mastermind behind the entire operation."
This moment was a deep and symbolic transfer of power.
The king, with his entire being, had trusted his son's vision and placed himself in its service.
This was the greatest blessing a father could give his son.
Kourosh looked at the bracelet on his arm, which seemed a bit large.
Then he raised his head and bowed before his father with deep respect.
"I will not disappoint you, Father. I will not disappoint Pars."
Cambyses smiled and embraced his son.
An embrace that was no longer just out of fatherly love, but out of the respect of a king for his commander.
"I know you will not. Now go and rest. Tomorrow, we have a great day ahead of us."
Kourosh exited the tent and looked up at the starry sky.
The cool night breeze caressed his face.
He looked at the command bracelet on his arm.
Its weight was not just the weight of leather and gold, but the weight of a nation's destiny.
But he no longer felt alone.
With the king's trust and his father's blessing, he was ready to face the storm that was on its way.