The Epic Tale of Larry and the Two kings
Once upon a time, in the long ago faraway land of Baron, where the people choose their kings, there were two contenders for the throne. Their names were Tyranni and Arald. Tyranni was a very very well educated man who was constantly lecturing at some seminar or other, though sometimes, especially when he spoke on religious or philosophical topics, his logic seemed a little twisted and strange. Otherwise, he was a generally pleasant person, though he seemed to be lacking in the sense-of-humor department. In contrast, Arald was a religious man who would get into long philosophical discussions with one or two monks in the local abbey. He was a warm, fatherly figure and had a way of speaking which could make even the shyest person into a chatterbox. Although he wasn't the smartest, he was one of the most righteous men in the kingdom. He was an easily likable person, but was he a good leader?
When the debates began, people began to argue a lot. Some thought that Tyranni would be the best on account of his vast knowledge. "He's studied the tactics," they said, "of all the greatest tacticians in the world, he studied under two of the three of the smartest people in the kingdom. Look at Arald, he regularly chats with the commoners. While his good people skills made him easily likable, his lack of education is an obvious fault."
"Tyranni just doesn't seem to be very trustworthy." said the Pro-Arald group "Most of his smiles seem half-forced, and something about him just scares me. Arald seems to be a much happier and wiser king-to-be. He would never lead us down the wrong path.
They argued back and forth, and election day got closer and closer. Eventually, election day arrived. Everybody voted for their favorite person. When they tallied up the votes, they found that the score was 12,829 to 12,826... 27... 28... 29... 29. It was a tie, and every eligible person voted. That is, almost everybody. They found that the old king's councilor Larry was the ONLY person in the kingdom who hadn't voted. Larry was in a deep argument with himself. "A man of knowledge or a man of honor?" he couldn't decide. Larry proclaimed that he would decide in five days' time.
A day passed by – two days – three days – four – Larry still hadn't made his decision. He wasn't quite sure who to choose. He decided to go to the abbey and talk to Father Lawrence, but that only seemed to confuse him more. That night, he still wasn't sure who to choose. Tyranni or Arald? He decided to sleep on it, and hoped that the answer would come to him in his sleep. It didn't come to him in his sleep; instead, he was woken up from his sleep by an oddly familiar voice.
"Larry" said the voice, "Wake up"
Larry woke up to find the face of – The old king staring down at him.
"King Justin!" said Larry "You're alive!" Larry ran to him to hug him, for the old king was a very huggable person, but to his alarm, his arms went strait through his body.
"Yes," said the king "I am a ghost. Actually after I died, this ghost person gave me these stylish cloths and told me that I was to become the ghost of kingdoms future. I also had to cover for the ghosts of kingdoms past and present for a while, since they were on vacation to the Bahamas."
"The... wheres?" Asked Larry.
"The Bahamas, a group of islands in... never mind; anyways, I came to help you with this choice. Over the night, I will show you a series of three trials, two of them are crisis, the other will have a profound impact on the future. I will show you how both Tyranni and Arald would handle such a situation."
Larry suddenly felt a strange sensation running through his body. He suddenly found himself a couple miles east of the Baron castle, though it seemed to be an army camp.
"Three months after the elections, the goblins in the area gathered together on a conquest to conquer Baron. Weak ones, strong ones, thin ones, fat ones; all sorts of goblins. Let's see how Tyranni would handle this situation."
Larry's vision blurred and sharpened (or was it the land around him?), and he suddenly found himself inside the castle, in front of him were Tyranni and someone else, probably an adviser of war. They were engaged in a conversation around a table with a big map on it.
"I don't care what you say, Shaxtal," said Tyranni "I still think that we should attack here." "Goblins strategize differently then humans." said Shaxtal, "I've studied them, I've fought with them. I've studied some of the best goblin strategists, and I've concluded that here, right next to the lake, is the best spot to attack."
"I don't care who you've studied, I've studied under the best human strategists. I say we strike HERE."
"Yes, my lord"
"They attacked at that spot" said the old king "and were ambushed by a large group of goblins. What should have been a quick conflict destroyed a quarter their army. Now let's see what Arald would have done."
Larry's vision blurred, then sharpened and he found himself back in the camp. All the soldiers were gathered around Arald, who was giving a speech. He spoke in a loud, friendly, but kingly tone, "After having conferred with Shaxtal, my war adviser, I have decided to attack near lake Ellad. ..."
And then he gave an incredible, rousing, speech. In fact, it was so rousing that some of the soldiers grabbed their weapons and wanted to charge strait into the goblin camp. Larry himself wanted to help, but his hand went through the sword he was trying to grab.
"Each and every one of those men fought with the strength of ten men, except for Zorobabel and Arphaxad, but thats a different story. The goblins were decimated, while the king's dragoons, redwings, and soldiers took only one injury, and that's just cause he twisted his ankle doing a victory dance. They even beat the previous world record for time taken to defeat a goblin army of about 700,000."
"So it seems that a good leader is never too proud to take advice from others more learned than himself" Said Larry.
"Yes, but time grows short. I must take you into the future to show you the next trial"
Larry felt that strange sensation again, and he found himself in the forest about 50 miles northwest of the castle. There was a child, about two years old, crying under the branches of the biggest oak there.
"It is about six years after the goblin invasion. This child, named Cecil Harvey, is the son of a very prominent man in the village nearby. His mother, Cecilia, died while giving birth to him, Kluya, his father, the most powerful mage in the world, raised him 'till he was about two, when his father was killed by a mob, because he rarely used his magic. His brother Theodore, 12 years old at the time, was under the influence of an evil force which made him angry towards his younger brother, he took him very deep into the forest and left him there. Fortunately, the king was out on a hunting party. Let's see what Tyranni does."
Then suddenly, two horses rode out under the forest, one was King Tyranni, the other one was a servant.
"How I love hunting," Said the King "I wish I could go hunting more often, but, unfortunately, my kingdom needs me. What is that infernal crying, Nimrod."
"It's a child, scarcely more than two years old"
"Take him to the camp's nurse, and make her take care of the child, at least until we get back to Baron. Then, if she wants, she can keep him. Otherwise, tell her to give him to the orphanage."
"Yes M'lord." Said Nimrod, grabbing the child and taking him back to the camp.
"Now, see what happens when Arald finds him." Said the old king.
Larry's vision became focused then unfocused Tyranni had disappeared, and suddenly the voice of King Arald came gently through the woods. "Who's that crying."
Suddenly Arald and a servant rode in on their horses, then his servant exclaimed "It's a child!"
"So it is, Nimrod." said the king, dismounting "There there, child, what's wrong?" He said, taking the child in his arms and embracing him "Nimrod, go back to the camp and tell the cook to make an extra serving of dinner, actually tell him to make two, this child seems like he hasn't eaten in a while. I think I will adopt this child and take him as my own son"
Nimrod left, and Arald sat there consoling the child. Then, when when he was calm enough to tell him that his name is Cecil, he put Cecil on his horse and took him back to camp.
"This event might seem minor," Said the old King "but it is one of the most important things that either king might do in his lifetime. Cecil will grow up, and he will be one of the most sung-of people of all history. Under Arald he will become captain of the redwings" Larry knew that the redwings were the elite of the elite, the crème of the crop. "Under Tyranni he becomes but a common soldier. Either version of Cecil will save the world, but under Tyranni, he will be much less experienced and will get heavily injured, taking months longer to save the world. By that time, Baron is decimated. The whole kingdom of Fabul° burnt to the ground, the cities of Eblan were ruined, and most of the other nations of the world were pretty fallen. Under Arald, damages are small in comparison. Many were killed, but far less than would be under Tyranni. Now onto the final challenge."
Larry felt that strange sensation again and found himself in the corridor just outside the king's room, where there were two guards standing by. But something seemed... wrong. Something in the air just wasn't right.
Then suddenly, a man appeared, wielding a sword behind his back. He was in the shadows where he was just out of view of the guards, then he jumped out into the open, his arm raised, and two large balls of water enveloped the guards. They both resisted for a while, then went limp and fell to the ground.
"There is only one being who can use water magic so silently." said Larry.
"Yes, Cagnazzio," Said the old king, "The elemental arch ally-turned-fiend of water. He was hired by a man named Golbez, who is trying to conquer the world. It has been eighteen years since that day when the baby Cecil was found in the forest. Now watch, and see what happens when Cagnazzio confronts Tyranni."
They followed him into the king's room, where Cagnazzio had silently awoken the king and was holding a knife to his throat and threatening to cut it if he made any noise. "I am Cagnazzio, elemental archfiend of water and servant of Golbez. Golbez needs an army, and you are the only one with a big enough army. He is looking for some... crystals. There are four crystals, scattered throughout the land. They are the only things powerful enough to allow him and his army to go to the larger of the moons."
"Th-th-the moon!" Said Tyranni.
"Yes, the moon. Haven't you read the tales, haven't you heard that the larger moon is capable of sustaining life. Yes, despite its barrenness, we could conquer it. Golbez says that he is willing to give you half of it, but he needs an army. Your army is the only one powerful enough to retrieve the crystals. It might require a lot of bloodshed, but it will be worth it."
"Have you tried other means to get the crystal?"
"Yes, but they are too stubborn to trade and our... other attempts failed."
"What if I say no?
"Then you will die."
Tyranni sat there and pondered the deal for a couple minutes, then said "Okay, you have yourself a deal."
"Needless to say" Said the old king, "Evil is usually very untrusting of its own people. They both managed to almost kill each other to get the other's power. Tyranni soon became a warmonger and slew many, until one of his best commanders, named Cecil rebelled, for he couldn't stand to practically slaughter the king's enemies. Then the king lost control. The people, tired of the seemingly useless fighting, openly rebelled, which caused part of the dragoons, led by a man named Kain, but then a bigger threat came along, which I cannot tell you about."
"Wow." Said Larry.
"Now let's see how Arald handles this situation."
Larry's vision blurred and sharpened again, and Tyranni was replaced with Arald, only he was standing in the middle of the floor.
"I've been expecting you," he said calmly. "I had a feeling that someone would enter my room this night. Sit down, and let's talk."
"I haven't come for tea and conversation, Arald. I am Cagnazzio, elemental archfiend of water. I have come because my master, Golbez, needs your help." he then laid out the same offer as he did before, to which the aged king replied "I will not lay down the lives of so many of my people for a mere power struggle."
"Then you will die" Said Cagnazzio as he drew his sword. The king drew his own sword from the sheath hanging on his nightstand, and then they were locked in mortal combat. The fight was long and epic, though nobody heard the sounds of it, probably due to Cagnazzio's magic. The fight went on, and on, and on, but the king was old and was tiring, he did a mighty thrust, but it was parried by Cagnazzio, who slashed at him, but he sidestepped the blow. It was a duel that would have been sung of by bards for ages, if only there was a bard watching the duel, but the only witness there was Larry. The sound of steel on steel rung loudly through the room. But then, Cagnazzio thrust his sword into King Arald's belly.
"Take me elsewhere," said Larry, turning away. "I cannot watch this."
"I will," Said the old king, and that same strange sensation came over them. Larry suddenly found himself in his own bedchamber.
"Unfortunately," Said the old king, almost to himself "No one knew of his death for months. Cagnazzio ruled in the king's stead to advance Golbez's plan until Cecil slew him."
Larry heard, but was too stunned to say anything. There were tears in his eyes.
"I must go soon, but know one more thing. You must tell no one of what you saw this night until such events happen, if you do, you will forget all of the events you saw this night."
"I won't tell a soul" said Larry, who had regained his composure.
"Goodbye" said the old king
"Goodbye" said Larry, and King Justin disappeared.