“Eventually, the child Cyrus was brought to the Royal Court of the Median Emperor Astyages. He was put under the expert tutelage of the same Harpagus, for by this time, Astyages had entirely forgotten the incident. As time passed, Harpagus secretly instilled hatred and rebellion into the young prince’s mind. When he was grown up, Cyrus was sent back to Persia to rule the subordinate throne of Persia under the Medes.
“One day, Cyrus gathered all of his Persian court, as well as the nobles in the kingdom. He gave each an ax and sent them to chop wood all day. He did not allow them to stop for food or water. The next day he invited them for a great hunt. Afterwards they feasted all evening. Cyrus asked them to vote. Which day was more enjoyable? They all chose the hunting and feasting. King Cyrus explained in his charismatic way, that as servants to the Medes, they had no real control over their lives. They were, in fact, slaves. After his fiery speech, he invited the proud lords to join in a rebellion against the powerful Median overlords, headed by his grandfather, Emperor Astyages.
“When Astyages learned of the rebellion, the dream came back to haunt him. He was terrified, so he called his most able army officer, Harpagus, to lead the Median army to quell the rebellion, a thing they should have been able to do easily. Harpagus finally found the means to revenge the gruesome death of his son. Instead of quelling the rebellion, he joined forces with Cyrus, and they returned to the Median capital to overthrow Astyages. The dream that had haunted the Emperor had finally come true. The new combined empire under you, our lord and emperor Cyrus, has grown and prospered since then.”
Monushir bowed slightly and turned again to face Cyrus.
Cyrus glared at him. “Out with it, you bombastic fool! What is the significance of my dream?”
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