That was how the Horse Lords came to Alba, and how they came to rule it. That was how Bayrd ar'Talvlyn rose from a mere captain to become lord of his own clan. That was how the Art Magic became a part of life and death, and how the seeds were sown for many things that happened in the years to follow.

The chronicles written later portrayed what happened in a better light. They made no mention of how an entire country was stolen from its rightful owners, or how it was held by the sword and the spear and the iron fist.

Most especially, they said nothing of why a haughty people who disdained the Art Magic began to use it like any other weapon. When those chronicles recorded what they called history, they made no mention of invasion, or of sorcery, or of the Clan Wars that followed.