Image made by me using Canva
"Do you still remember how you became one of us?"
"Aye, I still remember when I first met him." Dahl began
I watched as he slowly picked up the sword. The elderly King carried the heavy blade gingerly, grimacing at the blood and bits of flesh covering it.
He sliced at the air, instantly cleaving it and cleaning the sword, showing its beautiful engraved design.
"Are you sure you want to do this lad?" The king asked the boy who was fuming, dragging his own sword raving mad.
He had cut down 3 of the knights, proving he wasn't just a normal servant boy and that he had to do something so important that he's ready to risk his life to do it.
Upon having an audience with the king, it turned out that he was an orphan who was out for revenge.
"You don't have to do this sir." The hand of the king offered, drawing his own sword to entertain the young orphan.
"He asked for an audience with the king." He replied simply.
The boy charged, running with speed and the agility of the youth.
He rushed in with a strike going straight for the jugular, a fatal strike.
With the screech of metal hitting metal, the king parried, using his muscular strength to send the boy back.
He stumbled, almost dropping the sword, enough time for Father to stab him through the heart, head or any place of his choice really. Yet he didn't.
The king stayed back, watching how the young boy would react to this unprecedented difference in skill.
"I'm sure after killing 3 knights, you would think you can best the elderly king in a duel." The king told the lad after 3 different battles ending the same way.
The king standing and the boy catching his breath, kneeling down.
"You're not yet ready to draw your sword against me boy, go continue your chores and train some more." The king said boredly as he defended and repelled the lad a sixth time.
"Why won't you kill me!!!" The boy screamed, frustration and anger from his utter defeat coming off him.
"I have no right to kill you." The king said simply.
At that answer the boy rushed him, his swings erratic and a bit more dangerous.
The king defended the blows and then deflected the sword.
At the loss of his sword the boy rushed bare handed, desperate and willing to lay down his life if it meant taking his.
The king seeing the look in the boy's face sheath his sword, then mustered his bloodlust ready to draw them again.
Instantly the pressure dropped, the lad stumbled, unsure if he should continue attacking or run.
In a voice that was way more serious and a lot more colder, the king spoke.
"If you really wish to die today lad, cross this line."
The king used his sword tip and drew a line on the sand.
The boy was stagnant but shaking.
"Why won't you attack?? Why ask me if I want to die?? You didn't ask them.if they wanted to die before you waged a war on them."
"I'm sorry lad, but I don't know who you're talking about." The king said
"The soul stone war damnit!" The boy said, taking a step forward but remembering the line and pulling his leg back.
"You waged a war against the people of Crale because of a mineral, did you not? The soul stone wars where your armies slaughtered 3000 people. Did you ask them all if they wanted to live?"
"I never did like the tales that battle." The king said, sitting on the floor with his sword next to him.
"So you're a descendant from there?" He asked the lad, who was sitting in front of the line, exhaustion shown clearly in his young face now the adrenaline of battle was wearing off.
"I'm the Son of Trög." He answered simply.
"I thought all of them perished in the battle, you must be the youngest then." The boy's fists gripped his knees tightly.
"So you hate me lad?" The king asked nonchalantly, taking a sip from the tea his hand had brought.
It was odd to think this was a battle ground where 3 men had died just before.
"Yes I hate you, you're my enemy."
The king laughed at that.
"Don't be stupid boy, you have no enemies, especially not me." He slipped his tea again.
"We just met today, I haven't known you long enough to label you an enemy, hency why I didn't strike back. I can't fight someone I just met, that would be stupid."
"You haven't answered my question. The boy asked the king again, tired of his rambles."
"Did you ask the 3000 men you killed if they wanted to die?"
The king took a sip of his tea.
"In a way I did, and in a way I didn't."
The boy looked confused at this strange answer.
"Before I elaborate, I want to ask you a question."
"Do King's have souls?"
"Yes, all beings have souls." The boy answered quickly.
"Wrong, we king's are the only beings without souls, our soul's are sold once we are in a place of power."
"Do Kings have power?" The king asked the boy again.
"Yes, you're the most powerful being in the land now."
The king laughed at that, he began laughing maniacally to the surprise of everyone there.
"Indeed I am", the king said amidst his laughter.
"I'm the most powerful being in this land.
Anything and everything would bend to my will." He gestured to a tree in the court.
"Watch as I tell this tree to grow fruits before the count of three."
"One..... Two..... Three....."
There was a quiet serene silence over that.
"Did you see the extent of my power?"
The king asked the boy who was put aback by the spectacle.
"I am just a regular man with a crown."
He said, sitting down and breathing heavily.
"The crown is the power, the crown is the will, the crown is the soul." He said, bending his head down.
"It truly is a wicked thing to be King." The king looked at the boy with teary eyes.
"Indeed I did ask the leader of those 3000 men to back down. I didn't want to shed any more blood, I didn't want to dirty my soul more than it was."
The tears welled up in his eyes began to fall, and the hand began sending everyone out.
"You see as people are being sent out, the king is the wearer of the crown so immediately people think they're one, yet it isn't true.
The king doesn't wear the crown, the crown wears you and if it sees you as unfit, you'll be discarded."
"I asked the king of Crale for a more peaceful way to share the Soul stone, but I guess his crown didn't agree.
The crown answered for the king and everything unders it, unfair as it may be."
He looked at the boy who was shaking with emotion.
"I'm not asking for your understanding or for your forgiveness lad. I'm just answering your question of if I asked if they wanted to live. Indeed I did."
The king stood up and dusted his robes.
"Due to you not crossing the lines, I guess you've made your choice too."
"You're free to go, there would be no charges for the death of my men, they should be more ashamed from dying from the sword of a child."
The king walked back to the interior of the palace, collecting a cloth from the hand to clean his eyes and sweat.
"C-c-can I stay here?" The boy asked
"Can I train and serve under you, replace the 3 I killed." He offered, kneeling to the king from that line in the sand.
The king smiled, "Of course you can. Cedric would make all the arrangements." He pointed to.his hand who stared at the boy questioningly.
And that's how I became a part of the King's guard.
13 years later and the king is dead, no wives or sons for he didn't want to put the curse of the crown on the soul of any of his blood.
He died by assassination, and now a young Lord would be king, maybe another soul for the crown to control.
"What would you do now?" Cedric asked me as I put the saddle on my horse.
"I dunno, ride to wherever my horse leads. Maybe I'll visit Crale again, it's been 13 years, I wonder how it may have changed.
"I wish you luck on your travels, lad."
I nodded and started riding, first starting at a trot, coming towards the drawbridge.
I saw the statue of my King, Elholkar Reàl.
Despite hearing the name announced in every meeting, I never got over calling him king.
The statue depicted him, seating down cross legged, taking a sip of tea with his sword on the floor.
When asked why this posture for a statue, he simply answered that it was easier on his back and easier for the stonesmith too.
I remembered the question he asked me that day again
Do King's have souls?
With a smile I answered aloud while passing.
"I don't know about other King's, but you do have one, my King. It's the brightest soul I've ever had the pleasure of seeing."
I rode off at a gallop, not realizing till the tear drops reached my fingertips that I was crying.
