[Wizard] Between the time when
the oceans drank Atlantis...
andthe rise
of the sons of Aryas,
there was an age undreamed of;
and unto this, Conan,
destined to bear the jeweled
crown of Aquilonia...
upon a troubledbrow.
It is I, his chronicler,
who alone can tell thee
of his saga.
Let me tell you of the days
of high adventure.
[Man] Fire and wind come from the sky,
from the gods ofthe sky.
But Crom is your god.
Crom, and he lives
in the Earth.
Once giants lived
in the Earth, Conan.
And in the darkness
of chaos...
they fooled Crom,
and they took from him
the enigma of steel.
Crom was angered,
and the Earth shook.
And fire and wind
struck down these giants,
and they threw their bodies
into the waters.
But in their rage,
the gods forgot the secret of steel
and left it on the battlefield.
And we who found it...
are just men.
Not gods. Not giants.
Just men.
And the secret of steel has
always carried with it a mystery.
You must learn its riddle,
Conan.
You must learn its discipline.
For no one,
no one in this world
can you trust;
not men, not women,
not beasts.
This you can trust.
[Men Shouting]
[ Horses Whinnying ]
Conan!
[Horse Whinnies]
Kill that one first!
[Woman Screaming]
No! No!
[ Screaming ]
Over there!
You! Get him!
[Thud]
[Wizard] The ashes were
trampled into the Earth,
andthe blood became ass now.
Who knows what they came for?
Weapons of steel?
Or murder?
It was never known, for the
leader rode to the south...
while children went north
with the Vanir.
No one would ever know...
that my lord's people
had lived at all.
His was a tale of sorrow.
Sit here.
Sit here!
[People Chattering,
Shouting]
[ Snarling ]
[ Groaning ]
[ Yelling ]
[ Snaps ]
[Wizard]
He did not care anymore:
life and death, the same.
Only that the crowd
would be there...
to greet him with howls
of lust and fury.
He began to realize
his sense of worth.
He mattered.
In time,
his victories could not
easily be counted.
He was taken to the East,
a great prize,
where the warmasters would
teach him the deepest secrets.
[ Grunting ]
Hai!
[ Groans ]
[Wizard] Language and
writing were made available.:
the poetry of Kitai,
the philosophy of Sung.
Andhe also came to know
the pleasures of women...
when he was bred
to the finest stock.
[ Whimpering ]
[ Observers Muttering ]
[Wizard]
But always there remained...
the discipline of steel.
My fear is that my sons
will never understand me.
[ Shouting ]
[ Speaking Native Language ]
We've won again! [ Cheering ]
This is good,
but what is best in life?
The open steppe,
a fleet horse,
falcons at your wrists...
and the wind in your hair.
Wrong!
Conan, what is best
in life?
To crush your enemies,
see them driven before you...
and to hear the lamentation
of their women.
That is good. That is good. [Cheering]
[Thunderclap]
[ Moaning ]
[Chain Rattles]
[ Grunting ]
Go! Go! You're free!
[ThunderRumbling]
Go!
[Wizard]
It has been surmised...
that perhaps my lord
was like a wild animal...
that had been kept too long.
Perhaps.
But whatever, freedom,
so long an unremembered
dream, washis.
[ Snarling, Barking ]
[ Grunting ]
[ Snarling,
Barking Continue ]
[ Growling, Snarling ]
[ Yelling ]
[Dogs Howling]
[Howling Continues]
Crom.
[ Barks ]
[Bird Squawking]
[Bird Screeching]
There's warmth and fire.
Do you not wish to warm
yourself by my fire?
[ Howl ]
They said
you would come.
From the north,
a man of great strength.
A conqueror.
A man who would someday
be king by his own hand.
- One who would crush the snakes ofthe
Earth-- - Snakes? Did you say snakes?
What is it you seek?
A standard.
A symbol,
perhaps on a shield.
Two snakes coming together.
Facing each other.
But they're one.
With... with a sun...
and a moon below.
Blacksun,
blackmoon.
Yes.
There's a price,
barbarian.
[ Moaning ]
Zamora.
The... crossroads...
of the world.
You will...
[ Moaning ]