The Glory of Ecbatana (エクバターナの栄華 Ekubatāna no Eiga? ) is the 1st chapter of the Arslan Senki Manga by Hiromu Arakawa. It was released in Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine Issue #8, 2014.
Summary[]
Prince Arslan from the Kingdom of Pars finds himself into a predicament when a young prisoner from the nation of Lusitania holds him hostage in an attempt to escape.
Synopsis[]
Arslan training with Vahriz
The tale begins in the midst of battle, being led by King Andragoras III. The Kingdom of Pars is seen going to war against the Nation of Lusitania. Arrows fly, spears are thrown, and the body count increases by the second. We then transition into Pars and view life within the castle walls. Here we see the young prince, Arslan, ard at work and training his swordsmanship under Vahriz, a general and right-hand man to the king. After today's training was completed, Arslan makes his leave from the courtyard and encounters his mother, Tahamine. She coldly brushes Arslan off and leaves, causing Arslan to then question Vahriz what exactly a great king is.
Arslan and Azrael
Continuing on, Arslan sees Azrael, a hawk which belongs to the Marzban Kishward, and calls to him. Soon afterwards, Kishward is shown nearby as well in order to report the outcome of the recent battle. He announces to Arslan and Vahriz that the king has returned from the battle field. We then see the king and the rest of his men marching through the city along with some Lusitanian soldiers that were captured during battle. Citizens then begin to question the ethics of the Lusitanians, saying that they fight for their God and that they kill babies from other religions. Then the focus moves to three young boys, each admiring the different Marzban and Generals. Prince Arslan arrives with Vahriz to greet his father but is brushed off coldly once again. Vahriz then goes with the king to report as to what happened during his absence. The three boys from before then run off to find the prisoners of war which were taken in as slaves earlier. There they find only one prisoner, sitting in a wooden cage, his hands bound by rope. The boys decide that since the soldier is young and is now a slave, they are free to go in and beat him. What they didn't see was that the soldier had a hidden blade within his boot, allowing him to get out from his ropes. Just then, the prince and a servant happen to be walking by. A while later and a slave trader arrives to find the servant has been knocked out and the prince is nowhere to be found.
Arlsan being held captive by a Lusitanian oldier
Soldiers are then ordered to lock the city gate of the castle wall and they all begin to search for the missing prince. Numerous amounts of Pars soldiers chase down the prince and the Lusitanian soldier holding him hostage, the boy misunderstanding the situation and assuming that Arslan belongs to a rich family of some sort. A large chase ensues throughout the city. Meanwhile, another aid comes to Daryun, a Marzban of Pars, to aid in finding the prince. The two stop for just a bit due to running into a giraffe and then have a brief conversation about the current state of their respective homelands. The Lusitanian mentions that the Kingdom of Pars is very well off and Arslan explains that the citizens of Pars are rich and cultured, the number of slaves within the country shows the country's wealth. The Lusitanian then says that within his religion, all men are viewed as equals and that they would never have a slavery system implemented into their society because of it. He then goes on to say that pagans, such as Arslan and the citizens of Pars, should be marked off and killed, which Arslan dismisses as inconsistent logic. Arlsan continues to ask the soldier questions as they continue to run through out the city.
Daryun being alerted of Arslan's absuction
Back in the castle we see Tahemine in her chambers, watching chaos unfold in the city below. King Andragonas enters and offers his wife goods to which she merely glances at until looking back out of the window. The king sighs and leaves her room. Back to Arslan and the prisoner, they are now cornered at the top of the city gate. The soldier, not seeing any other way out and refusing to surrender as Arslan suggests, decided to jump with Arslan off of the wall to the outside. The two fall into the water below, the Lusitanian getting out first and stealing a nearby horse to escape. Daryun, atop the city wall, redies his arrow in order to shoot the Lusitanian but is told not to by Arslan down below. Missing the Lusitanian, Daryun sighs and goes down to check on the prince. Daryun asks Arslan why he told him not to kill the boy, but Arslan can't really explain it so Daryun decides to take the blame for the arrow missing. Afterwards, the three boys from before are brought to Arslan by some soldiers and beg for mercy. Arslan tells the soldiers to just let them go and the three boys vow to join the cavalry when they grow up in order to protect the him. Arslan then wonders if he can question the other captured Lusitanians about their beliefs and such. The Lusitanian is shown riding back to his home land, promising to return and save his captured comrades. Howevery, this can not happen as the other captured Lusitanians are relieved to have been killed for not obeying the slave traders. Daryun, seeing the confusion on Arslan's face over the event, mentions a friend of his that he would like Arlsan to promote. Daryun then tells Arlsan to forget about him since his friend is hard to convince. Arslan then says that it would take decades of time to pass until his father leaves the throne. At the end, there is an indication that in three years time the royal capital of Ecbatana will be enveloped by flames and bloodshed.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
Characters in italic are only seen briefly and have yet to make a proper appearance.
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| Volume 1 | Chapter 1 • Chapter 2 • Chapter 3 • Chapter 4 |
| Volume 2 | Chapter 5 • Chapter 6 • Chapter 7 • Chapter 8 • Chapter 9 • Chapter 10 |
| Volume 3 | Chapter 11 • Chapter 12 • Chapter 13 • Chapter 14 • Chapter 15 • Chapter 16 • Chapter 17 • Chapter 18 • Chapter 19 |
| Volume 4 | Chapter 20 • Chapter 21 • Chapter 22 • Chapter 23 • Chapter 24 • Chapter 25 • Chapter 26 • Chapter 27 |
| Volume 5 | Chapter 28 • Chapter 29• Chapter 30 • Chapter 31 • Chapter 32 • Chapter 33 • Chapter 34 |
| Not Yet Collected | Chapter 35 |