Prince Heris buried his father with tears in his eyes, as we were told by those who attended and witnessed the burial ceremony. The heart of the prince who had just lost his father was broken, but he had no time to remain in his sorrow for long, as the dogs of the realm began to sharpen their fangs and tear the earth with their claws. The land beneath the throne of King Heris ignited. The cities his father had conquered rebelled against the new king, hoping they might reclaim their independence from Ural's rule, while the warring kingdoms watched Ural, waiting to devour her in her weakness.
King Heris composed himself and summoned his strength, so he rose and took up his sword to preserve his father's kingdom and the unity of the land. He rallied the army his late father had left him and made a call across the land, in which it was said:
> "To the dogs that intend to break the back of our land and tear apart our unity and scatter what was gathered, and waste the blood and souls that were sacrificed to build this unity, I say to you: Listen and understand. Either you obey and see from us goodness and mercy that never ends—for your rights are preserved and your blood is sacred upon our swords—or you disobey our command and receive sword, blood, and fire. I will not leave you a house, nor offspring, nor crops. I shall strike you with an army forged by battles and their scars. Choose whichever of the two paths you wish. I am merciful, but to those who defy me, I am severe."
The king hoped that his call would terrify the rebels and bring them back to obedience, but they heard not and reasoned not, continuing their defiance and war against the throne. So the prince marched towards them with the armies he had gathered. Throughout the march, he prayed against his enemies, as his brother Prince Bureil, known as Eye of the Sun, told us:
> "I marched to them with the army, hoping they would see it and fear it and throw down their weapons and surrender to us. I hate the shedding of blood unless necessity calls for it and the situation demands it. Let us hope for good and expect peace."
The prince fought the rebel cities. He would besiege them and starve their people, hoping they might surrender without battle, or he would fight their garrisons outside the walls, driven by despair to face him, so that no harm would come to the city's civilians, and their blood would not be shed in vain. He laid siege to the city of Norin, not far from the city of Butava, which had submitted to his father before. Then he received a message from its duke, Kryon I, saying:
> "O King, I remember the words of your father and his mercy upon me and my descendants and the people of my city. I thank him for his kindness and mercy. Know that the army of my city is at your hands; take it as a sword to strike your enemies and break their backs. Know that you are my king today and tomorrow, and I remain faithful to you and your father for as long as I live."
It is said that a broad smile appeared on the prince's face at Duke Kryon's loyalty, and he called out:
> "Your mercy, O father, has left me with goodness. Thank you for the mercy you showed the people and for the forgiveness you granted. You have left me with an ally to lean on and seek help from."
Duke Kryon's army arrived the next evening under his personal command. He knelt before King Heris and declared his obedience publicly. He was the best of dukes to the king, as told by those who witnessed.
The king laid siege to Norin for a month, cutting off its water and food until its garrison came out. He crushed them in a brief battle, then entered the city and brought it down.
Then he heard that the cities of Faran, Boken, and Roneel had allied against him to declare independence from Ural and form a kingdom called "Forel." They sent him a message, of which the content that reached us is as follows:
> "O King of Ural, your father shed our blood and annexed our cities by force and coercion. We declare that you have no authority over us and that our swords will meet yours to reclaim our freedom and dignity. We are peoples who do not accept the rule of enemies and villains like your lineage, O House of Heris. Know that you have no place in our lands, no shelter. Know, listen, and understand our command."
When King Heris received the letter and read it, he was enraged. His brows furrowed, his mood soured, and his eyes blazed with a fire that no water could quench. He cried out:
> "My father was right—verily, the worst of creation claim they have rights and voices. They thought me a weak king, so their pride grew and their voices rose, calling for independence and freedom. Tell them I shall send them torment on a steed of fire that tears the sky like the sun at dawn!"
The king called upon his brother, Bureil the Eye of the Sun, and brought him close, saying:
> "I will send you to those people. Strike them with the sword and crush their pride, grind it beneath the hooves of your red horse. I give you the command; do to them as you wish and judge them as you see fit. The authority is yours, and the rule is yours today."
Prince Bureil obeyed his brother and king. He took a third of the army towards the so-called Kingdom of Forel, his eyes seeing only victory and justice. He marched for several days and nights through forests and valleys until he reached it with his troops.
He was met by the vanguard of their army and crushed it in a brief battle. Then he advanced to the first of their cities, Faran, and laid siege to it. He used the catapult to hurl boulders at its walls until no wall was left standing. He entered it, overthrew its ruler, executed the traitors, and spared the weak. He then continued towards Boken and Roneel. The two cities gathered their armies, totaling ten thousand, it is said, and faced him in a plain between two hills. His army numbered fifteen thousand.
He fought them in a fierce battle. He defeated them with a clever plan—pretending to be retreating and drawing them deep into his center. Then he had the wings of his army surround them like a bracelet on a wrist. He besieged them and annihilated them all. A great victory was recorded for Ural and its army. He took control of the three cities and ended the so-called Kingdom of Forel.
He sent a message to his brother, saying:
> "The sword you sent has triumphed over your enemies and marched and swept away the enemy armies. O great king, my victory is your victory, and the victory of Ural until the end of time. May our triumphs endure, and may our name be honored in the books of time."
The king read the message and rejoiced at the news of his brother's victory and words. He called out to the army, saying:
> "Rejoice in the prince's victory and celebrate it, for our triumphs will rise even more, and the banners of Ural shall be lifted, and our names shall be written in the books of history and time."
The king and the prince continued fighting the rebels and the ambitious seekers of independence after the wars of the Kingdom of Forel and the city of Norin, for years. They brought down cities and countless false kings, destroying them entirely, until the day came of an event that history remembered as the Battle of the Valley of the Anemones.
It is said this great battle began when a coalition of several rebels sought to topple the king from the throne or gain independence, like those before them. They gathered a large army of soldiers, rabble, and savages, totaling nearly fifty thousand. The king sent them a message that said:
> "O people, I have heard of your gathering and know what you desire. Know that I shall come to you with an army you cannot face or withstand. Throw down your weapons and swords and return to your cities and villages. I am merciful if you do what I command. But if you disobey, you know well what shall befall you—as befell those before you."
The king hoped for peace, but the rabble cared not for his mercy. They rushed to war and sent a message to King Heris, saying:
> "O so-called king, you demand we surrender and throw down our swords? Do you think you can impose your will upon us? Do you think we will obey and give weight to your words? Sleep, O cursed one, and drown in your dreams. In our hands are our swords, and in our hearts our cause, which we carry against you and your lineage. We shall burn your kingdom's banners, break your cities' walls, enter your throne halls, and stain them with your blood. We shall hang your head upon your throne. This is our word and our united decision. We do not retreat, we do not surrender, we do not submit."
When the message reached the king, he tore it from the reader's hand in fury and said before his court, after calming himself:
> "They rejected my mercy—so let them taste my wrath, wrath without end. I shall come to them with my army, and they shall regret and gnash their teeth in endless remorse. March the soldiers—we shall drink tonight from their skulls and quench our swords with their blood!"
King Heris and his brother Prince Bureil marched at the head of an army of forty thousand of the finest soldiers. They met the rebels at a field known as the Field of Anemones, where flowers bloom in spring—there, where the flowers would drink blood, rivers of red would flow, and limbs would fly.
The armies faced each other. The king stood at the center of his army, Bureil on the right wing, and Duke Kryon on the left. It is said the armies gazed upon one another until the sun reached the zenith. Then the king ordered the attack. The men advanced, and the armies clashed. Swords struck, and sparks flew.
The king fought on his black horse at the heart of the battle like a lion, tearing enemies with claws, crushing skulls with fangs. Five swords were said to have broken in his hands. Prince Bureil stormed the right flank of the rebels and surrounded their center from behind, placing them between hammer and anvil. They were encircled like a hyena in a cage. They fought fiercely with all their strength, but the army of Ural, the army of King Heris, defeated them with determination and power.
The kingdom's army triumphed over the scum of the realm. The soldiers rejoiced in the great victory—but that joy did not last. The king was struck by a sword blow from one of the rabble. King Heris knew his time was near. He called his brother Bureil to him and brought him close.
He said to the prince:
> "O my brother, I have nothing left, and each breath burns my lungs. Listen to me and heed:
I bequeath to you my throne and my kingdom. Lead it as I and our father did. Do not abandon our path. Do not disappoint my hope in you. I see in you a king greater than me, wiser than me, stronger than me. Strengthen the foundation of my kingdom and stabilize its pillars. The rule is yours. The command is yours today."
After these words, the king slowly closed his eyes and surrendered his soul to death, while his brother Bureil held him in his arms, saying:
> "The king who never rested on his throne nor closed his eyes to slumber has died. O king, rest now, and may your eyes find peace. I shall fulfill what you commanded and hope you are pleased."
Prince Bureil carried his dead brother and marched with the army in a grand funeral for King Heris, Prince of Light, warrior of Ural.
> Rest, O king. Let your eyes find peace. Yours is the victory and the memory in history—noble king, wise man, and warrior of unwavering resolve.