Years went on and the crown hadn’t been found. The two kings
hadn’t spoke in years and the only time they saw each other was on the
battlefield as their men fought and died for the glory of their foolish kings.
Axes
clashed on armor, swords clashed against shields and blood ran like a river
through the open battlefield. Stefan was covered in the finest armor and carried
a sword blessed by priests. He strode onto the battlefield shouting orders to
his men and fighting off enemy soldiers when he could. Stefan’s strategies were
keeping the blue army in the fight but the Red Bear army fought with the force
and savagery of actual bears.
Nathaniel
strode out onto battle with red and black armor, a black cape bellowing behind
him. He drew a battleaxe from his holster on his back and charged into battle.
Blue soldiers bled red blood as Nathaniel tore through their ranks. Despite
their age the old kings fought with the might of men half their age.
In the
horizon was the dragon mouth volcano. The birthplace of the Archmage crown and
its current resting place. After years of searching the volcano and every other
location in the land, a secret cave was found and both kings showed up in force
to explore it.
As the
soldiers from both armies fought on Nathaniel ran for the volcano. Once he had
the crown, the war would be over and he would have won, he would have proved
that he was better than the king of the west. Once he reached the cave
Nathaniel sneered seeing that Stefan was already there. “There is only one was
to end this” Stefan said with his sword drawn. Nathaniel was a little shaken to
see his friend after so many years. He knew they would have to fight but he
wasn’t prepared to see Stefan, battle hardened and serious. “Where is the
foolish grin I used to know?” Nathaniel asked. Stefan flinched “You are the
fool if you think I will back down now. I am so close to proving I am the best
and strongest. Once I have the crown…” Stefan said as his guard wavered.
Nathaniel snapped back to his senses and rushed forward, axe in hand. They both
were weakened by childhood memories, but this was not time for games.
Nathaniel’s
battle-axe clanged against Stefan’s sword and to the surprise of both men,
Stefan repelled Nathaniel’s crushing axe strike. Nathaniel stumbled backward
and tried to regain his balance. Stefan looked with amazement, it was the first
time he had ever blocked an attack from Nathaniel. Without another word Stefan
ran into the cave, he figured luck was on his side but he wasn’t interested in
testing it again.
Nathaniel
chased after his rival and the two ran deeper and deeper into the depths of the
volcano. As the two kings ran through the long tunnel they quickly lost light.
In their haste neither of them brought a torch or light source and they were
now in the dark underground, far from where the sun could reach them.
“Just give
up, this war is destroying us” Nathaniel shouted in a moment of clarity. “You
are asking me to give up, yet you are not willing to do the same” Stefan
shouted back. Light could be seen coming from the mountain’s depths. The kings
ran toward it, now only several feet from each other.
Stefan ran
into a large stone room in the center of the volcano. In the center of the room
was a pillar of lava and in the center of the pillar was the magical crown of
the Archmage. The crown’s magic was keeping the lava from spilling out into the
room and flooding the tunnels. So if someone grabbed the crown, lava would pour
down on them and their only hope would be to use the crown’s magic for
protection.
“Perfect, I
can obtain the crown and burn you alive with lava at the same time” Stefan said
to Nathaniel who was now standing next to him. “This isn’t the way” Nathaniel
said. “I-I need to be better” Stefan said.
“I have
sacrificed too many lives to stop now” Stefan said finally then drew his sword
again. “I must end this” Stefan added then thrust his sword out and stabbed
Nathaniel in the chest. Nathaniel was too close and his large axe was not made
for split second reactions and deflection. Nathaniel didn’t know why he so
foolishly let his guard down. Maybe it was nostalgia blinding him from seeing
how their relationship had changed.
Nathaniel
drew his axe and swung it with the last of his strength. Stefan dodged the
attack and stuck again. Nathaniel dropped to his knees with a look of disbelief
as he bled from his chest. Due to the blood loss and the whole dying thing,
Nathaniel didn’t see Stefan’s face.
Stefan’s
guilt was written across his face. In his mind it had to end in one of them
dying. They had done too much and went too far to just shake hands and share a
laugh. To call a truce now after both of the kingdoms bled for this silly war
would be an insult to those who died. Stefan’s greed no longer guided his
actions, but his guilt did.
With slow
somber movements Stefan walked up to the crown reached out and plucked it out
of the lava. The pillar of fire did not melt the king’s hand and the crown was
not even hot when Stefan placed it on his head. The lava was no longer being
held at bay by the magic of the crown. Stefan watched with unfocused eyes as
molten rock and fire flooded through the tunnels. It consumed the body of his
friend and spilled out onto the battlefield.
With both
kings gone from battle and lava spreading out along the field, the armies of
the Hawk and the armies of the Bear both retreated. The only one remained was
Stefan, protected by the magic of the crown he floated in a sea of lava, his
eyes never shifting from the spot were he killed his own friend.
His sadness
was interrupted by a thought. An intrusive little thought put there by an
outside force. “You have the crown of the Archmage. What is your greatest
desire? You can wield unlimited magical power and become the king of every land
in the world. You can do anything you wish” This thought floated through
Stefan’s head. The crown did not have a voice, but it could make the user aware
of the power it possessed.
Stefan
smiled “Anything I want?” He muttered. The world would be changed how he saw
fit. This was the kind of power most would never know and the smallest number
of people who did use this power would never get a second chance if they lost
it. Stefan knew exactly what he was going to do.
Stefan woke
to pain. a sharp stick was being jabbed into his side. “Wake up, or I shall
taunt you a second time!” Nathaniel jeered. “You are a motherless swamp goat”
Stefan replied only half awake. Then he realized whom he was talking too.
Nathaniel stood by Stefan’s bed staring at him like a creep, holding a
sharpened stick he made himself.
Stefan had
used the power of the crown to undo his mistakes. What Stefan did remember was
the crown shattering as it used all of its magic to fulfill Stefan’s only wish.
Nathaniel and Stefan were young adults again. Nathaniel didn’t remember
anything of the future and Stefan only remembered it as a dream. As the day
went on the memories of the future slipped away. The greed, guilt and years of
jealously melted away and the two friends had their second chance. The two
future kings would relive their lives as if nothing had happened. To make sure
the future didn’t repeat itself the crown instilled one small memory, a
fragment of the sorrow and pain that Stefan felt when Nathaniel died. This tiny
nagging memory would trigger any time Stefan’s rivalry would start to get out
of hand.
The two
kings grew up, they remained friends and at times would be rivals but anytime
they fought they would fight on the same side.
