After the offerings of tributes, Amestris decided it was time to go as Hystaspes was visibly half asleep with his head nodding forward before abruptly snapping up again to keep himself from passing out.
'Damn Hystaspes! Keeping me from watching the festival!' Artaxerxes, however, was the polar opposite, he had only woken up a few moments before the festival itself so he was completely against leaving early.
Helpless, Artaxerxes could only concede and be carried off by a maidservant as his mother held Hystatspes hand to keep him from toppling over. Meanwhile, Dariaios decided to stay behind to watch the festivities.
----
Passing through the Apadanas' northern exit and passing the King's Palace itself, known as Hadish ('seat of power'). After passing the Hadish, the group walked down two grand, well-worked flights of stairs toward the royal harem. The harem was protected by a high wall and sturdy fortifications and was Persepolis's most securely guarded area.
Entering the royal harem palace, Artaxerxes was brought to his room, which was brightly painted and filled with finely carved stone reliefs of armed guards, court dignitaries, foreign ambassadors, a bunch of animals, and loads of magical creatures wrestling for space on the palace walls, but all of them take second place to the various images of the Great King who is carved calmly walking from one room to another, holding a large scepter.
After being set in the crib, the maid walks out, leaving Artaxerxes to his thoughts.
'Its been about 3 weeks now since I reincarnated'
'Or is it transmigration? I don't really know honestly'
Artaxerxes loathed these times when he was left with nothing to do, when he had nothing to do all he had were his thoughts, which tended to be increasingly depressing as time went on.
'What do I want to do with my new lease on life?' A question that had occupied Artaxerxes's thoughts for many moons.
'Sigh, I shouldn't be ungrateful, I have a family and wealth beyond imagine, things could have been way worse'
Deciding to live his new life to the fullest from now on, baby Arta closed his eyes and fell asleep.
------
Waking up the next morning to loud noises and shuffles of maids running in and out of his room, Artaxexes groggily opens his eye, curious about what all the fuss was about.
"Be sure to carefully store those artifacts, should they be damaged on the journey will all face the consequences.." Artaxerxes heard a commanding voice say. Shifting his head to peak through the bars of his crib, he could see various maids grabbing things from his room and back as if their lives depended on it.
All the while, who Artaxexes assumes was a head maid due to her dress, orders them what to take and where to take it. Bewildered, Artaxerxes's thoughts ran wild.
'The heck? Why are they taking my stuff?' Noticing that there seemed to be an air of urgency, Artaxerxes drew to a conclusion.
'I see, not even a month into my reincarnation, and the city is already under siege. I'm sure anytime now, a band of looters and pillagers are going to barge in here and cook me for breakfast.'
Tears at the edge of his eyes, Artaxerxes was about to cry for the first time since his birth, that was until...
"Oh? What's wrong Arta? Miss your big sis?" Hearing this, Artaxerxes turned his head and saw a girl, no older than age 10, skip into his room. She had ink-black hair and obsidian eyes, the trademark features of an Achaemenid. Standing at about 5'3, tall for her age, she was his sister Amytis.
Skipping over to his crib, she was followed by an elderly woman who cautioned, "Careful Amitys, how many times has your mother warned about running through the halls?" This elderly woman was a close family friend of the Achaemenids and was responsible for educating Artaxerxes sisters.
"It's alright Granny Farza, I sensed my brother's tears from down the hall!" Amitys proclaimed as if that was the most logical response in the world. Crouching down she reached into the crib and heaved Artaxerxes out with inexperienced motions.
'Argh! This girl is going to be the death of me' Artaxerxes thought, as he was essentially carried upside down and strangled simultaneously. "Amitys! That is not how you properly carry a child, you want to rest his head on your shoulders and be sure he's the right way up." Granny Farza, not one to let educational opportunities pass, tough Amitys how to properly carry a baby.
"Thanks, Granny Farza!" Amitys said, finally giving Artaxerxes time to breathe. "Look! He's not crying anymore! I guess you really do need your big sis don't you Arta!"
Artaxerxes, who without realizing it had calmed down to the threat of siege thanks to the more eminent threat of his sister. 'Wait, if my sister and Granny Farza are this came and didn't immediately take me to be evacuated... Then that can only mean we're not under siege!'
Artaxerxes let out a sigh of relief and then shot both his chubby fists into the air to celebrate this newfound discovery.
Giggling, Amitys says, "Your weird, little brother, but ten times as cute! Granny Farza, can Arta travel with me during the journey to Ectbatana?"
Having never heard of such a place, Artaxerxes thought, 'Ectbatana?'