Episode Twenty-Six: The Fallen King, His Final Testament
In the Persian Market: The Roar of an Empire
Episode Twenty-Six: The Fallen King, His Final Testament
1. A Cold Wind After Victory
Several days after the desert showdown.
As the Market Army licked its wounds and celebrated having driven Alexander back, a lone rider burst over the horizon—covered in blood and mud.
He wore neither desert garb nor tribal cloth.
It was the tattered formal uniform of the Royal Guard of Persepolis.
“…Princess… Lady Nirfar… where…?”
He fell from his horse, forcing out his last words in Cyrus’s arms.
“At Gaugamela… the army… collapsed… King Reza was… betrayed…”
“My father!? What happened to my father!?”
The blood drained instantly from Nirfar’s face.
2. The Death of King Reza
The messenger left behind only a bloodstained letter and the royal seal.
While they fought in the desert, the torrent of history had torn through the empire’s heart—
Alexander’s overwhelming force, and the rot of internal discord.
King Reza, Persia’s last hope, was slain during his retreat—cut down by his own confidants.
“…It’s a lie. My father was so strong… so kind…”
Nirfar collapsed to her knees, clutching the sand.
The woman who had begun to show the makings of a queen was, in this moment, only a daughter who had lost her father.
3. Cyrus’s Resolve, and the People of the Market
“King Reza’s dead… That means there’s no shield left.”
Azad muttered. The empire’s fall was no longer rumor—it was reality.
Unease spread through the Market ranks.
“If the empire’s finished, Cyrus… shouldn’t we flee east?”
Cyrus looked steadily at Nirfar’s trembling back.
“…We don’t run. They burned our market—now they’d take our home too? I won’t close shop like that.”
He picked up the royal seal and pressed it into her hand.
“Cry later, Your Majesty. What your father left behind isn’t just this bloody letter—it’s the lives of millions. We’ll make you a true queen.”
4. The Road to the Mad Imperial Capital
Danesh spread the map.
“Alexander will march straight for Persepolis to seal his victory. Our only chance is to get there first—and turn the city into a colossal market fortress.”
“…Let us go.”
Nirfar stood. Her tears were gone, replaced by a cold, unfamiliar resolve.
“To the capital. Persepolis will not be Alexander’s glory. It will be the end of his empire.”
5. Departure: The Queen’s Banner
The desert camp transformed into a moving fortress.
Shahab sent scouts into the night; Inaz rushed to pack herbs and spices for the long march.
They had lost Hossein.
They had lost King Reza.
Still, they advanced.
A mad charge through the death throes of a dying empire—
where nameless merchants and a single queen rose in defiance of history itself.
“Alright, you bastards! Destination: Persepolis! We’re going shopping for the greatest comeback in history!!”
