This was when the Persian Empire was so big that uncles and princes each got their own countries to play with. The saddest moment, I think, is that when his brothers grabbed the king in his palace, they blinded him first. I imagine one version of the story where the king falls to his knees before his ungrateful guests and looks at his father’s great gold springtime carpet, maybe focuses on a single poppy flower made of rubies stitched around yellow diamonds with one black pearl at the center—and he watches as the boots of traitor soldiers tread it with the blood of his loyal servants. And
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