IV. 'The son of the Kingdom', Elbracht, grew into a formidable lad, already by his fourteenth year of age, he resembled his father in stroppiness and temper, but it were his looks what gained him fame in court. The outward appearance of Elbracht is best represented in the many obelisk-like statues of him made by artists like Lysippos, yet always glorified, like his name, by a sense of Ennishness*(1) untrue to the boy. It was Elteryan, a gandorian artist and stonemason who best articulated Edoran's true character and likeness in his statues of him, yet in most of his depictions Elbracht was medium to humanized, these works went to be kept in private and were not fit for the public places, forums and palaces of the imperial cities, an enormous affinity also grew between model and artist, whose eventual death caused a great affliction to the portrayed work (Edoran). For those particularities, which many of his successors and friends tried to imitate namely, the pulled back shoulders, in public, the poise of the neck, which was lightly to the left, and the melting glance of his eyes, in private, the artist accurately observed. Paintings and graphic depictions of him do not honour his fair colour and complexion. As they say, his fairness passed into ruddiness on his chest particularly. Moreover, a very pleasant odour exhaled from his skin and there was a fragrance about his mouth and all his flesh, godlike, so that his garments were filled with it, which already years after his passing still remain in his clothes, now treasured and venerated as relics in temples and shrines. He was prone to drink, and choleric in deeds, it was reported by many of his generals and counselors that his irascible madness was a prize for his greatness

Even as a child, his temper brought about many a tragedies at court and would make the hardest jerks to his siblings, causing the partial blindness of one of them. On account of Memlafar, a time is recalled when Elbracht with ten and two years of age pierced the left eye of Carédock with a butterknife as they both imitated the many games of arms at the Royal Circus next to the Principal Palace, the cruel young Elbracht famously said to his brother while he bled “Now you will look much like father.”

One important detail of this occurrence is that Elbracht always tried to impress his father. He tried his best and always failed. His father showed no affection to his heir. Yet he bathed Carédock with the fatherly love he had most longed for. Carédock was also very much like his father in manners and looks, and this enraged Elbracht all the more. Elbracht received a specially severe disciplinary, which only increased his wroth; "the angrier he goes, the stronger he becomes...", recalled his tutors, "...almost as if inside him dwelt either a demon of the Omynous or some other fell power of yore." When teased by a palace guard he was strong enough to almost asphyxiate the man, at the innocent age of 11. Many accounts tell of the resemblance he had with many mythical heroes of the Elder Days, like Helestor of the Nulves, Pacyus the Wolf, the first Susére, and even Aurio I himself, some even claiming, he was truer a son to Doliamus, the Parcas Petras (one of the celestial fathers and a main god of the Sagrary's Pantheon), than to Elreck.

V. On account of his curious nature, he once entertained the envoys from the Sovarós and the King, which came, fortunately, during Elreck's trips to Harpord (one of the two cities in the Realm with access to the southern sea) and associated with them. He won upon them by his friendliness and by asking no childish or trivial questions, but by inquiring about the length of the roads and the character of the journeys into the interior, about the King himself, how he ruled, what kind of warrior he was, and of the prowess and might of the Royal House; all the affection and interest he had won upon them were yet criticized and wrongly regarded by some of the other courtiers while others praised his diplomatic proclivities and talents. The envoys were therefore astonished and considered the so-much-praised abilities of Tomfrey as nothing compared to his grand-son's eager disposition to learn and do great things.

During his adolescence, under the late reign of Elorio III, as Elreck succeeded his father and declared open rebellion against the Realm, he had himself crowned 'conqueror' and 'Haradking'; at events as often as tidings were brought, that Elreck had either taken a famous city or been victorious in some celebrated battle; Elbracht was not very glad to hear them, but would say to his comrades: "Boys, my father will anticipate everything, and for me leave no great achievement to be displayed to the world of Neldor", for since he did not covet pleasure, nor even wealth but excellence and fame, he considered that the more he should receive from his father, the fewer and lower would be the success won by himself.

On one famous occasion, he was caught by the top advisors to his father, saying to his comrades, (cup at hand): "Brothers. my father will have me inherit both Keor and Culgarost and have for me no other title than son of a great one. And yet I would much prefer to be given even less than Keor, but a country small and a handful of men with no wealth, no lands, no name, but struggle and the world for the taking, to wield our will freely, and have our own fame and our own name." all men sitting at that table would later become dear to the heart of Edoran, and those who survived the many turmoils and quarrels, still ahead, would be named afterward Knights of his own Order.

In the work of caring for him, then, many persons were appointed to be his nurturers, tutors and teachers both at home and abroad on his many tours of education, but above them all stood Asadue, whom lady Aveline had freed and given to her son as teacher, as a Hazagodian*(2), his stand at court was much lower to that of a cup-bearer yet Elbracht preferred him over all other tutors of his; he was amazed by the rhetoric and philosophy of Asadue and had grown a fiery disposition to learn evermore about his Hazagodian culture.

Asadue and Elbracht had a very unique relationship; the made-free tutor was given the honour of Elbracht's undying trust. He always amazed the young prince with the old tales of his native city, the legends behind its histories and the myths of his culture. Although frequently frowned upon by the courtiers of the Harad court, Elbracht never hid his admiration for the man, whom he ever again addressed as 'mentor'. It was also from him that Elbracht's life-long ambition and desire to journey to the southern continent came about. In a dear memory of his, often hidden away and kept from the public's sight by both the Sagrary and the institutions of the Realm in the present day, Elbracht learnt from him the sagas of the Haza river, a tale of yore which tells of the mystic 'Kings of the South'.

-"They were closer to gods than to men" said Asadue "in some hazag sub-cultures it is even forbidden to refer to them otherwise, for they dared to tame the dunes, and the holy river Ha which crosses them."

Elbracht ever eager to learn more from him, heeded his every words and sayings,

Amidst desert's expanse, where waves dance,

A tale of kings, their daring advance.

Lords of the dunes, kings of the sand,

They tamed the skies with gritty a hand.

Mighty princes of the southern realm,

Where sands caress and secrets overwhelm.

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They crafted vessels, skyward they'd soar,

A bloodline was born, their legend would roar.

In the Kingdom of South, their rule untamed,

Their bequest, undying, forever proclaimed.

Through ages whispered, their triumphs unfold,

The Kings of the South, their legend behold.

So raise your voice, let their tale be sung,

'The Kings of the South,' their anthem begun.

'In skies they conquered, their spirits ascend,

To glide with the wind, until time's very end.’

Yet, fate's cruel hand cast shadows ahead,

Their realm met doom, once kingdoms widespread.

With steadfast resolve, they faced despair,

Knowing their time was yond repair.

Beneath the sands, their ships found the grave,

Great cities crumbled, a fate unstaved.

Their people scattered, their legacy in strife,

Forgotten names, forlorn by time.

The Kings of the South, their spirit prevails,

In dreams of conquest and celestial sails.

Their crafts now sunken, empires undone,

But legacy's echoes, forever will run.

We honour their memory,

in songs and tales,

Ahdaséyn! Golden South,

Farewell, Ahdaséyn!

-"what became of them?" would ask the young Elbracht, to which Asadue would always reply,

-"Doom befell the Hazad Kings, and a great darkness buried them beneath the sands. Their fates have been lost to the histories, but still their names survive, in the songs and tales of our world"

-"and yet" said the youthful prince "We know naught of this legends, for all I know, Harador is what we call the true 'kingdom of the South', that would make my grand-sire 'the King of the South', like in your legends, is he not?

-Nay, my pupil. Lord Tomfrey, though wise and mighty, no doubt, is not the king of whom I tell, neither are his lands and dominion. The true South lies beneath the shadow of this continent, the Hazad lands, her dunes and river. And her true King lives no more; he is sunken away with his flying fleet, somewhere deep in the dunes forgotten."

News of this lecture did not age well in court, however, for though Elbracht in many ways worshiped the Hazagodian man; Elreck had Asadue replaced after almost five years of teaching his son, for this the son learnt to despise him and became truthfully loyal only to his mother, Aveline, who had originally brought Asadue from her court in Ardor, and seeing some brightness in him, freed him and made him his son's tutor.

In his substitution, Elreck appointed a highly regarded scholar from the Order of Neldor as his son's new head tutor, his name was Lychiades. To have him as his first-born's teacher made many other major houses enormously jealous of the Clasthaur yet Elbracht loathed both Lychiades and his moral philosophy. The many hours meant for his teachings were all exhausted by lengthy debates between them, Elbracht was highly critical of his new mentor's doctrine calling it 'inhuman' and most remote from the understanding of human virtue as well as disloyal to the values of the High Men. Lychiades's evaluation of Elbracht's reasoning was different, he claimed his ‘was alien to the principles of modern society, primitive and even conservative, yet all the too much humanitarian’—which at the time meant, the extolling of human kind above all races).

Said debates were often witnessed by the court and the heated debates were always a challenge to the mind, Lychiades was wise and learnt, yet Elbracht was sharp and brilliant, his arguments were always well structured and difficult to parry, but although tiring, Lychiades almost always managed to rival his pupil. On account of many, at one such famous duel, high profile courtiers and emissaries from other kingdoms of the Realm, gathered in the Erudites Hall at the Palace, even Elreck was there to witness this most fiery debate for both mentor and pupil. The learnt philosopher could not find enough arguments against his opponent's case on the functioning of a free society of men and the importance of choice, having belligerently and repeatedly attack the Order's standing. Lychiades abruptly terminated the deliberating saying to all spectators—to save his reputation—that the young Elbracht had been bewitched by the Hazagodian and was fundamentally confused about truthful morals. As he attempted to leave the hall, many noted, Elreck stood in his way and said to his face:

-"you have no business elsewhere" to which the philosopher answered, "your child, sire, has been corrupted by that dark magician you assigned him as tutor, your son is unteachable...!"

Elreck finally told him, "much renown have your discourses among the literate minds at our court, yet our disappointment also grows into joy, Joy to see that your famous methods were applied against you. For you in your writings convey, that the way to undust truth is through the exchange of ideas, I am sure my boy has learned a thing or two from you, yet I take it, you have learned much yourself from him too", with those words the life-long-built carrier of the now not so wise Lychiades was ruined, ridiculed by a boy of ten and four. Immediately after that, Elreck summoned back to court the Hazagodian philosopher. He would remain by his pupil's side until his death.

VI. In matters of the heart, Elbracht's was a huge palace with cavity and room for all those who came in willingly, which hall and biggest chamber was reserved for his mother; Aveline had nourished, fed and raised him mostly by herself. It is said she taught him things no other tutor could ever have, things of a much more ancient and exotic nature. Any decision Elbracht met, if ever was there room for his mother, she would have a heavy say, and were she was not present, (Tolomechus recalls) he would often seek for guidance in her teachings. On accounts of Helippus, member of the household, comrade in arms and later Knight of the Hammer, Aveline had the strangest practices, alien to most cultures, she was thought to be a witch or be at least kin to the dark arts. The fair wife to Elbracht, would grow to despise her husband as he took young brides to his chambers and fathered countless bastards and fed the same feelings in his son's heart. A full reconciliation between father and son was, thus, because of the above-mentioned never plausible. Yet Elbracht never ceased trying to prove to his sire his worth.

As for his brothers, he always regarded them as his true life companions, for Elbracht—as surely it was for Tulfric too—the four siblings were more than just a fraternity, but also a sort of federacy in arms. They would hunt together, train together, learn together, dine together, and fight together. Carédock’s loss of an eye by his elder brother did not seem to cause much affliction to their relationship; Carédock would later return his brother the favour, by fracturing a bone, during a wrestle. Tulfric and Memlafar were very precious to Elbracht, but it is safe to assume that Carédock was dearest to him from among his kin, for it is hard to say if he would have done the same sacrifices for Memlafar and Tulfric as he later on did for Carédock. The two brothers were often depicted in the same artworks and tapestries of their youth, and both shared the services of the tutor Asadue, but the younger brother would often tire of his lectures and teachings, turning down books and scrolls for sword and shield.

Distant kin meant also a great deal to the Edoran, from his mother’s side, his cousins Martid and Medrios often came over to Ceor during the holidays. Medrios by those times was merely an infant, and rarely left the side of his father lord Permed and his kinswoman the lady Aveline. It came much easier to Martid, his peer in age, to spend the time with the brothers, he was alike Elbracht in the sense that he loved to hang about Carédock, and these two became brethren in arms, since they shared the same fascination for duels and combats and their preference in weapons was the sword and shield. Elbracht did not dislike his cousin Martid, but was not amused to see his favourite brother kept his pace from him to be about Martid. Regarding his kin closer to home, Elbracht and his siblings enjoyed the company of Elbreck, son to lord Helbroch. Lord Helbroch was first cousin to lord Elreck, yet they were at odds with each other since childhood, when duty called it for them to meet in court, they would quarrel and brawl in the castle, while their children played in the courtyard and bailey or venture together into the city.