HIRUMES / HERMES   Name: Hirumes / / Hermes Occupation: Legitimate King of Pars but serving as Shogun in the Lusitanian army Age: 27 Country of origin: Pars / Hair Color: Ash Blonde Eye Color: Aqua Known relatives: See the Illustrated Royal Pars Family History for details First appearance: Heroic Legend of Arislan / OVA1 Voice actor: (Japanese) Ikeda Shuuichi / (English) Sean Barrett   In the Lusitanian army, Prince Hirumes is only known as the mysterious and elusive Silver Mask, a foreigner who became Grand Shogun. Only Karlan and his son Zande know of his true identity, betraying their country and their King to best serve him. The only other person who would have been able to recognize him is old Bachman, his former teacher, who still lives in Peshwald, the fortress on the eastern border that was young Hirumes's summer residence 16 years ago. But the old man, like all of Pars Kingdom, thinks of him as dead. Hirumes is the adopted son of Osueros, the previous King of Pars, although everyone believe he is his real son, because the King's wife gave birth to him. His actual father is King Godaruzes, Osueros and Andragoras's father. See the Illustrated Pars Royal family history for further details that will not be repeated here. Andragoras attempted on his life after his brother's death, setting fire to the castle in which they were. Hirumes, his mother, and his younger brother barely escaped with their lives, but they died on the road as they fled, leaving him alone at 11 years of age. From this traumatic experience, even to this day, he still kept an irrational and uncontrollable fear of fire. It is believed that Hirumes, wandering about the roads of Pars, half burned from his narrow escape (half of his face was disfigured by a burn), somehow ended up in Maruyamu country, where he was taken care of. He possibly entered the army. There he met the Princess Irina, a beautiful girl with long blonde hair... Who was blind. By this very fact, the fact that she could not see him, he opened himself to her and fell deeply in love, as did she. The only problem was that he felt unworthy of her love, that he felt below her, beautiful as he was disfigured, a princess, while he was stripped of his Crown. So he left Maruyamu, promising himself to return for her as soon as he became worthy of her, and set out for Lusitania, using them to try and regain the Throne of Pars that was rightfully his, and gain the status he needed to marry Irina. Note: What of Tahamine? In the dubbed version of OVA1, Karlan says that Hermes, 'Once he kills Andragoras [will] marry the Queen and be crowned King.' This is never mentionned in the original Japanese version. His plan to claim the Throne will be explained later. In OVA3, we learn that Lusitania has taken over Maruyamu, and that the court has fled to Dairamu region, the birthplace of Narcasse, in the northeast of Pars. If the Court stayed here, Princess Irina set out on the roads of Pars to find Hirumes. Which she did. Ironically, he lied to her about his identity, because he still felt unworthy of her, while she had never seen him that way, and was ready to take him for who he was, without lands or title. This impossibility he sees in his being with Irina as long as he does not have the Throne only serves to compound the hate he feels for Andragoras, the one who killed his mother and brother, and scarred him for life, hate he will, after Andragoras's death, transfer on Arslan, the boy who lived the life that should have been his. It has not yet been said whether or not he knew the true identity of Arslan as a common child, although he does refer to him as a 'common boy' in the dubbed version. His battle for the Throne is not only a battle for love, or revenge, it is also that of legitimacy and rightfullness. Hirumes is the rightful Heir of Pars, and has suffered much because of it, thus he thinks this is enough to make him the legitimate ruler. He is also eaten up with jealousy for Arslan, who by occupying his rightful place, has gotten the loyalty of people, like Narcasse, that he had always admired. What he does not understand is that he earned it. Unparralleled swordsman, he felled Grand Shogun Bafreez in one blow. He was also the one, with his men, to capture King Andragoras at the battle of Atoropatene. With the Lusitanians, and the help of Karlan who knew the secrets of the underground tunnels of Ekubatahna, the Lusitanians took the city and captured Queen Tahamine. For the time being, he decided to leave the Lusitanians to crush Arslan's forces, but is planning, in the near future, to remove his mask, showing his true identity to the world, call the Pars army together, retake the Capital from the Lusitanians, and could then ascend the throne with the title of the King who made Pars free again.