"How can a man die better
Than facing fearful odds
From the ashes of his fathers
The temples of his Gods"
Such was the case with Pharaoh Boy. Except he suffers a fate worse than death.
(The image below shows what typical Sumerian soldiers looked like.)
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Once the Egyptian army reached the border of Canaan, the Neo-Sumerians were waiting for them on the other side. They were led by the newly crowned King Nitasa (Nitasa = Handsome Man), who appeared to be in his teenage years. After a brief stare-down between the opposing forces, the two kings approached each other on the field to discuss terms.
"I must thank you for the crown." Nitasa initiated the conversation. "It was your people who helped my father 'retire'."
"Then I return the thanks, because my father isn't doing much better." Seth replied.
"Yes, I see. They crowned a child king." Nitasa noted disrespectfully. "Well, since you and I have no quarrel with each other, I suggest we negotiate a truce here and now."
"What do you want?" Seth asked, while already knowing the answer.
"My sister, Saga. The one you're keeping." Nitasa explained. "She is of extreme importance to me. All you have to do is hand her over and we can put an end to this senseless war."
"I'm afraid I can't do that." Seth rejected.
"Why not?"
"She feels at home where she is. She is well-treated, my subjects totally adore her, and she gets to spend a lot of time with me. Turns out, she knows how to make excellent fruit salad. Besides, she tells me you're envious because your father fancied her over you."
"My father was weak! I seek to restore our empire to its former glory. A task which he failed at." Hearing this made Seth suspect that Nitasa might have somehow influenced that last attack, resulting in the deaths of both their fathers. But he decided not to bring that up.
"I see we both seek to surpass our fathers." He replied. "And it is for that reason that Saga must remain here. Because our marriage has already been arranged. But there's another way we can end this squabble. Through this royal marriage, we can form an alliance between our nations. And since you will be integrated into my family, you can visit her anytime you want."
"I like the sound of that. Except there's one problem. In order to be married, Saga will need my blessing, which she doesn't have and never will have. So my answer is no. If you wish to prevent further bloodshed, I suggest you hand my sister over at once."
"If I do that, my father's death will have been in vain." Seth stubbornly replied. "I can't let that happen."
"By rejecting my request, you risk war without end." Nitasa warned.
"If my ascension to the throne means war with your people, then so be it." Seth concluded. "Soon there will be a great cry throughout the city of Ur! One that never was or will be heard again!"
"You could've been my brother, Seth." Nitasa sighed in disappointment. "Now you're my enemy." The two boy kings then parted ways. As soon as Nitasa rejoined his forces, he immediately ordered them to charge across the border, while Seth ordered his men to hold position. Unbeknownst to the Sumerians, Seth was luring them into a trap. Nitasa hoped to overwhelm him with his superior numbers, something that Seth had anticipated. As soon as the enemy forces were halfway across the border, archers suddenly appeared on both flanks, and unleashed a rain of arrows upon them. Seth had secretly used the peace talk as a diversion, allowing the archers enough time to surround the enemy undetected. The Sumerian infantry was caught completely by surprise. Even worse for them, Egyptian archers were trained to shoot their arrows so swiftly that, once the third volley is unleashed, the first one had barely even reached its target. Taking advantage of the enemy's disarray, the Egyptian infantry charged forward to take out what remains. Realizing his army was falling apart, Nitasa quickly ordered a retreat. Seth, meanwhile, watched in satisfaction. The enemy force that once outnumbered him three to one had lost almost half its men, and was now pulling back in complete disorder. While the Egyptian army had lost at least a quarter of its infantry, and was advancing with little resistance.
"Push froward!" He ordered. "Take no prisoners!" And so it was done. As his army advanced, none of the Sumerians who were wounded or surrendered were spared. This is how the young pharaoh planned to conquer his enemies; by crushing their spirits.
Following this first victory, the second one came without a fight. Seth poisoned the enemy's water reserve when they made camp near a river, forcing them to move on without proper refreshments. After this, many more wins came just as easily as they slowly swept across the Kedar region. And each time, the enemy camp was ambushed without warning, the counter-offensives were less than successful, and the villages suspected of giving aid to enemy soldiers were looted and burned. Although many of these atrocities were advised by the High Priest, who accompanied him as a ranking officer, Seth felt unstoppable at this point.
Meanwhile, the Royal Guard had just brought Princess Saga back to the palace after tracking her to a watering hole, and were securing her in the royal chambers under triple guard to prevent another escape.
"Let me out of here!" She demanded.
"You will be released as soon as Pharaoh returns from his conquest." Captain Huy replied.
"He won't win." She said worryingly as he was about to leave, catching his attention. "The new king is relentless. He'll no doubt have superior numbers and greater strength in arms."
"You shouldn't worry about that, child." Huy assured her. "I heard that the first battle left the enemy forces greatly diminished, despite outnumbering ours three to one. If there's one thing the young prince aced me in, it's military strategy."
"That's right." Added the Sargent who accompanied him. "The Captain is one of our best. If His Majesty can figure out how to beat him, those Sumerians won't stand a chance." Despite the assurance, Saga still didn't feel at ease.
Back on the front lines, Seth's forces had just captured another village within the enemy borders suspected of harboring wounded soldiers. The villagers were rounded up, and those of fighting age were separated from the rest. The few soldiers that were found were brought before Seth personally.
"Our new king will stop you." One of them spoke in defiance.
"Is that so?" Seth asked in a mocking tone. "How will he stop me if he couldn't even protect this village?" Then he turned to address the villagers. "And how can he protect this village if he cannot even protect himself? Your king has abandoned you! Let us make an example of what shall become of those who stand against the Pharaoh." He then ordered the wounded soldiers merged with those of fighting age, who were subsequently slaughtered by Seth's archers, while the children and elderly were spared. This was meant to be part of a re-education tactic designed to prevent future rebellions.
The scene switches back to the present time.
"So you committed all those war crimes just so you could keep your loved one?" Luna Girl relayed, attempting to process what she had just learned. "That's dark, even for me."
"Sometimes, for the greater good, sacrifices must be made." Pharaoh Boy replied. "That's what my father taught me. Little did I know that I had become a puppet for the High Priest. And with each victory, my soldiers were slowly devolving into marauders, with no discipline or loyalty to their Pharaoh."
"Marauders?" Gekko asked, unfamiliar with that word.
