A fool, a disappointment, and a failure he was labeled. And none were surprised. Never were there any cries for help, nor were there tears of shame and guilt, but it showed. It showed on his face and on the face of many in the court who had to face the consequences of his actions, for that what he did was nothing but a shameful reminder of the man he has become. He himself was now only a distant memory of the person he was meant to be, supposed to be.
Will, or William the VII, was the once much adored prince, and the son to king Alexander, of the great Prussian empire, an empire so esteemed and feared at the same time by its many subjects, allies and enemies. Words of its greatness reached ears all over the four lands of the world. People travelled for months to be a part of this Prussian empire, to experience the life only a country as great as this one, could give. It was a true medieval portrayal of the mythical land of Eden. Gold, jewels, coins and possessions held equal importance as love, respect and glory to its people and rulers. It was a land where God himself would have stepped upon to live and to celebrate his many gifts to the world. But it was a land where life was celebrated not in peace, but in battles, victories and above all, glory.
No true greatness could come without bearing the costs of waging wars and leading battles to even the people you once loved and cared for, and this empire was no different. Allies turn against you, for success prompts hope, and with hope comes the promise of glory. A glory that few achieve, yet all pursue. This pursuit for glory was what led to the battle of the legendary battle of the Bloodstone Valley. A battle fought between Prussia and their onceloved Georgia. It was an imprudent attempt on the part of the Georgian emperors to wage a war on Prussia, yet the smell of success and hope for glory led them to stab their own ally. It wasn’t a feeble attempt, and it showed. King Alexander was all but defeated at the hands of the traitors, as they were to be labeled. Arin, the king of Georgia and the well-known schemer of great sieges had led another great battle. Arin knew that the vast number of archers and cannons in the Prussian empire held no importance in the shallow valley of Bloodstone, for it was ceiled by the low rocks that would render the archers and cannons useless. They could have been useful only if they could get closer to their enemy without getting attacked. But given the power and skill of swords Georgia had at their disposal, they looked frail. But it was the valiance and intelligence of Will that led them to the win they deserved. It was his counter-plan, his swift execution of it that led Prussia out of one of the worst defeats they would have ever faced.
This great win, twelve years ago, seemed like a distant memory. These twelve years had changed a lot in Will. Many thought that maybe the smell of glory got to him too, for he was never the celebrated warrior and the valiant fighter he once was. And this day could just be the final blow in the already shaken reputation of the fallen prince. He had led three jesters into the king’s court. On his many requests, the king listened and gave them the chance to perform and be a part of the biggest gathering the country ever sees. Things didn’t exactly go as Will planned, for he wanted to get his father’s ears back. It turned out one of the jesters 57 was a man sent from the long known enemy-state of Dorth. He had with him a device, a device so small yet so powerful it blasted through a 100 yards of men, stone and steel. Hundreds in the court died, including the great king Alexander. I was a matter of shame that he had to die not at the hands of a great warrior, not by sword or arrow, but by a cheap trick from the wicked men of Dorth. And the blame was to fall to Will, who couldn’t judge the man for who he wasor could have the enterprise to do a proper check on the man before allowing him such royal access.
The kingdom reeled, but it was William who faced the consequences of his own actions the most. He couldn’t believe what he just did. How rash he had been. And being the one the kingdom would now fall to, he couldn’t have been more anxious. But it moved something in him. He realized he had been missing that motivation, that fire of vengeance and that will to make himself the man he was supposed to be. In his horrendous mistake, he realized he wasn’t looking at the world the right way. It wasn’t the world he was supposed to coast through, for the responsibilities on his shoulders were far too much. He yet couldn’t show the people around him, but he knew that it was this blow that would finally become the savior of him. He just might be able to turn around and rectify all the mistakes he once made. That he just might be able to carry and build upon the glories his forefathers achieved. So there stood a new king, the fallen prince, nigh the throne of the greatest empire the world saw, yet a king the empire looked down upon, a king who would have to prove his worth to the world. But would he? Only time could tell.
Student: Palash Siddamsettiwar