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Sophos, also known by his title of Sounis, is the current ruler of Sounis, husband of Eddis Helen, and former apprentice of the magus. His uncle was the previous Sounis but had no children of his own, therefore making Sophos his heir.

Physical Appearance[]

Sophos is tall and broad-shouldered,[1] around the same size as the magus.[2] His time as a slave left him with a broken nose and a severely scarred lip.[3]

Story[]

Early Life[]

Sophos is the son of a duke, and the nephew of the previous king of Sounis. He has two younger sisters, Ina and Eurydice, whom he is close with. He spent his early years living in a villa with them on the Eutoas River, but he was sent to the city by his father when it was discovered that he could neither fence nor ride.

While in the city, he was taught fencing and riding by Pol, the captain of his father's guard. Sophos was also apprenticed to the magus of Sounis, where he studied alongside Ambiades, another boy several years older than himself. Though Ambiades could sometimes be temperamental, Sophos was genuinely very fond of him.

The Thief[]

Sophos was part of the group that traveled to Attolia to steal Hamiathes's Gift, though he had no direct role in the mission. He became good friends with Gen during their travels. After the group was betrayed by Ambiades, Sophos was captured by the Attolians, along with the magus and Gen. He eventually escaped with them to Eddis. While there, he met the queen of Eddis, whom he was immediately infatuated with.

A Conspiracy of Kings[]

After Sophos's uncle and father became aware of his private communications with the queen of Eddis, Sophos was separated from the magus and sent to live on the island of Letnos with his mother and sisters. After civil war broke out in Sounis, he was attacked by rebels and taken captive. The rebels disguised Sophos as a slave and smuggled him to Hanaktos, where they intended to stage a "rescue" and then install him as a puppet king. Sophos foiled those plans, however, by convincing Hanaktos's daughter Berrone to purchase him from the slave market. He was then sent to work in the fields.

Sophos spent the next several months living as a slave. He adopted the name Zec--the Hurrish word for "rabbit"--and was often called by the nickname Zecush or its translation, Bunny. Although the work was hard, Sophos was unexpectedly content, as he no longer felt burdened by his responsibilities as heir. At night, he had vivid dreams of studying under the goddess Moira in her vast library. While Sophos considered living the rest of his life as a slave, Moira subtly encouraged him to return to his role as heir of Sounis.

When his father unexpectedly appeared at Hanaktos' megaron, Sophos was given his chance to escape. Disguised as a house servant, Sophos managed to warn his father's men that Hanaktos planned to attack them at dinner, and together they managed to fight their way out of the Hanaktos megaron. From there, Sophos reunited with the magus and Sounis's army, where he learned that his uncle had died and he was now king.

Almost immediately, assassins tried to kill Sophos by setting his tent on fire. He escaped on foot with the magus, and they retraced their previous route through Eddis to Attolia. There, Sophos sought aid from his old friend Eugenides, who was now king of Attolia. Eugenides promised aid in exchange for Sophos swearing his loyalty to Attolia.

Throughout the negotations, Sophos was disappointed to find that his Eugenides remained distant, and their interactions were stiff and formal. He was eventually able to renew their friendship by physically shoving Eugenides to the ground, finally breaking the tension between them.

With additional troops from Attolis, Sophos returned to Sounis and was almost immediately recaptured by rebels. After spending some time in Baron Brimedius's home, the Mede ambassador Akretenesh brought him to Elisa, where he was to be confirmed as king. Akretenesh had enough allies among Sounis's baron to force Sophos to accept Baron Comeneus--and by proxy, the Mede Empire--as regent, despite Sophos's strenuous attempts to convince his barons to support him. With few other choices available, Sophos broke the sacred truce at Elisa and shot Baron Hanaktos dead, demanding a second vote. This time, the barons unanimously voted him king without regent.

In the aftermath, Akretensh attempted to have Sophos assassinated by his men, and was non-fatally shot as well. Akretenesh then revealed that he had landed a large Mede army in the port of Tas-Elisa, Sophos decided to make a stand against the Mede force at Oneia, relying on his intuition that Attolis would send additional troops there.

After successfully routing the Mede army and ending the Sounisian civil war, Sophos traveled to Eddis, where he reunited with his mother and sisters. He then continued on to Attolia, where he formally pledged his allegiance to Attolis and became engaged to Eddis.

Trivia[]

  • The name Sophos (Greek: Σοφός) means "wise".
  • The name Zec means "rabbit" in several Slavic languages.

References[]

  1. A Conspiracy of Kings, Chapter Thirteen.
  2. A Conspiracy of Kings, Chapter Ten.
  3. A Conspiracy of Kings, Prologue.
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