My short story "Soldier, Poet, King"

Once, there were three nations that unfortunately didn't get along as they all held distinct beliefs and perspectives on the world, which generated conflicts between them.

The first and biggest of them all went by the name of Kingdom of Aliech. It was the largest and wealthiest of them all. The second nation was not as large or wealthy as the first, but it was the strongest of all nations. It was called the Kingdom of Civa, and the third kingdom was the smallest of them all, but certainly the one with the most intelligence is the Kingdom of Narva.

With the three founders' guidance, the three kingdoms were once at peace with one another. These founders also happened to be three best friends. Each of them had a distinct personality and feature that distinguished him from the other two.

The most clever of the three was Aliech, who established the Kingdom of Aliech. He was also fair and responsible.

The greatest and most courageous of all, Civa, the creator of the Kingdom of Civa, faced peril without even a hint of fear.

Finally, Narva The most charitable of them all was the founder of the kingdom of Narva. He was in tune with nature and a poet by nature.

The three closest friends vowed under oath to rule the three nations with only fairness and kindness for as long as they lived, never to engage in hostilities with one another, and to coexist in peace and goodwill.

Regrettably, things deteriorated after the deaths of the three of them.

Every area of the three countries began to experience war; nobody was safe. As rulers began to be corrupted. Both leaders did not want to coexist peacefully since their positions of power were tainted. Up until the day that three boys, each of whom hailed from one of the three nations, met in a hidden field in the forest, somewhere in the vast woodlands that lie in the middle of the three nations, The first boy, who was also the country's prince, was from the Kingdom of Aliech. The second was the son of a terrifying general; the second came from the Kingdom of Civa; and the last boy arrived from the Kingdom of Narva, where he was the offspring of an impoverished farmer. Although each of them was distinctive in their own way, they were all somewhat similar to one another.

Thorir Varma was the name of the first boy. He was the smartest of the three; he was peaceful, had keen eyes that studied the area around him, a heart like a ruler, and a sharp mind. He had blue oceanic eyes with sharp features and was tall, white-skinned, and thin. His hair was orangish brown and curly. wearing a big cape and sophisticated, noble, and magnificent clothing.

The second boy, Emilios Zervoglou, was the strongest, loudest, and most fearless of the three, not scared of any risk that stood in his path. He had olive skin, was neither extremely tall nor extremely short, and had long, blackish-brown hair and amber-colored eyes. He carried a little sword on his hip and was dressed simply like a soldier.

Last but not least, the third boy, Dante Cornwallis, was the most sensitive of them all. He wasn't as intelligent as Thorir or as strong as Emilios, but he had the purest of hearts. He enjoyed both writing, reading, and drawing. He owned an owl named Mr. Conrad and loved animals. Dante, a young man of little stature, had freckles all over his face, light green eyes, and blond hair that was curly. Despite the fact that some of the hand-made, cheap clothing he was wearing was even rotten, he was the most modest of them all.

The three lads discussed their day-to-day activities at home with their family and friends. Thorir gave the other two boys everything they needed and taught them how to behave and dress elegantly. Thorir gave Emilios advice on how to conduct himself in front of noblemen and helped Dante learn Latin, a language that is primarily spoken by the wealthy and their compatriots. Thorir also gave Dante access to a wide range of books, including some rare volumes that Dante would never have imagined reading.

While Emilios helped Thorir with the art of mastering a sword to the point that he became such a powerful swordsman, he also helped Thorir with other skills such as martial arts and how to master other weapons like bows,spears, mace, and a great deal more, until Thorir mastered all types of weapons and martial arts widely recognized to them during that time. Even though Dante initially objected to the concept of learning how to operate a weapon, with time and pressure, he eventually gave in and mastered the skill of carrying a sword as well as wielding a knife. Emilios also assisted Dante with overcoming his fears, which included the fear of heights or even the fear of drowning.

Dante, on the other hand, taught them what he learned from books and the skills he developed growing up on a farm. Thorir and Emilios received help from Dante in learning how to survive on their own in the wilderness and which species are edible or not. Also, Dante fascinated Thorir with the world outside his kingdom and taught him about philosophy and the sciences of the world, ranging from biology to astronomy. He assisted Emilios in learning how to farm, care for animals, and manage his anger issues, for which he was well known.

The three of them were astounded at what the other two regions had to offer. All of them imagined what their lives would be like if they each assumed the role of the other for at least one day. As their friendship expanded over time, the three of them decided to manufacture friendship necklaces. Each of the three had a unique shape that, when combined with the other three, formed a wheel that represents each of the three major sources of power.

Those fantasies would come to an end when Thorir one day arrived on the field and informed his closest companions that he would no longer be joining them since, as of that moment, he had succeeded his father as king of Aliech, who had passed away the previous night following a heart attack. After Thorir stopped showing up to the field and was occupied with his life as a ruler, there was just Dante as well as Emilios for quite a time before Emilios too stopped coming to the field. Because he has been engaged in military service as a general, Dante has been left alone until he quit going to the fields, and shortly after that, this same field was abandoned.

With the wisdom he had picked up from his dear friend Dante, whom he hadn't spoken to in a very long time, Thorir dominated his territory. While Dante and his horse Melodic Soul traveled the world, they sang, played music, and told poetry to people from all over the world. Together, Dante, Melodic Soul, and Dante's dependable guitar would light the hearts of people from all over the world. Emilios advanced in rank until he became the strongest and most feared soldier that nations had ever encountered.

However, Thorir foresaw that the two kings from the opposing sides would attack him sooner or later, so he prepared for war at any moment. As predicted, war broke out, and Thorir was prepared for it; he secured his country and built a powerful and intelligent army that would not harm anyone besides those who desired war. Thorir's army held the upper hand until, regrettably, Emilios was forced to intervene on the edict of his monarch, so he started to battle the army of his former closest friend, Thorior. Emilios won every war he fought, but this one was against one of the people he loved the most, so he didn't want to lose nor dominate it.

At last, the two friends meet. The only thing separating them as they finally confront one another is the blood and corpses that covered the battlefield.

"This war is at an end." "If I win, all of this will be over, and finally we can live in peace with one another," said Thorir with a serious tone.

"Sorry, my friend, but I will not let you lay your hands on one of my people." "From where I stand, I say that in order to maintain peace, I have to kill you with my own hands."

"I would like to see you try touching a piece of my hair," replied Thorir while taking a steady position.

"As you would like, dear friend," smiled Emilios as he himself took a steady position.

Hence, the combat started. Both sides gave it their all, but because they were on equal footing, they were unable to outperform one another. Splashes of blood everywhere. They are trying to kill one another with all of their bodies' might, but they are too similar; their strengths are quite similar. The question is not who can murder the other faster, but rather who can live a lot longer.

All of a sudden, a guitar sound emerged from afar. A horse is running, a guitar is playing, and a young man is breathing. Dante, on his Melodic Soul, playing his guitar, awakened something in the two friends.

"Look who showed up," said Emilios with a smile.

"Well, it seems that the trio is back," replied Thor, who himself smiled.

Dante put down his guitar and quickly sprang off the rear of the landing and into the space between them. He stopped the two friends' swords by crisscrossing his hands while clutching knives.

"I leave you for 10 years, and you guys try killing yourself," said Dante, looking up at the sky.

"You forgot what I taught you too, idiots. Well, I am not going to blame you for this."

"Let’s stop this madness and try to start all over again."

Thorir sighed "It is too late, my friend, but this is the end of it."

Dante looked at Thorir in his eyes, tears running down Thorir's eyes.

"I am sorry," said Thorir, weeping.

"Well, what can I say? You guys need to read more philosophy," said Dante.

Suddenly, Thorir and Emilios were sent flying away from each other by Dante's swift kick, which he delivered to them both at once.

"Now listen to me, every one of you two. This war is over. The ones who won are the people of the two nations. I have been to every land in the three nations, and neither of the three sides wanted war." Dante screamed 

"What are you saying? What I do is for the safety of the people," said Emilios.

"Lives are being lost all around you; just look. What distinguishes them from the rest? How do they differ from your people—the soldiers who perished trying to protect your people? You're trying to save your people from whom, your friend? Who's not attempting to harm you or your loved ones? Since we are all only humans, the children of Adam, what do you think is righteous? Both of you have ended up losing. He, the actual winner, is the one who attempts to stop this war first." Dante began to explain.

"You two are the epitome of stupidity—powerful, wealthy, and simply possessing everything you could possibly desire—yet you continue to argue while claiming that you are acting morally and for the sake of others. We lost ourselves in power, and neither of you are the righteous, so how about we put an end to this and go back to the field once more? I stand before you, lords, with my humble farmer soul and implore you to look into your hearts and see what is righteous."

"Well, I am jealous of you, Dante," Emilios muttered as he started to stand, tossing his blade away.

"Well, me too, Dante," Thorir said as he got to his feet and threw his bladder into the trash.

"We are jealous of your kind heart, Dante," the two said simultaneously.

"I, Thorir, ruler of the kingdom of Aliech, will not continue this fight," exclaimed Tharir.

"And I, Emilios, soldier of the Kingdom of Civa, will not continue with this madness myself," said Emilios.

Dante looked at them with tears running down his face. "Now how about we go to the field one more time?" said Dante with a smile on his face.

"Well, the last one is the loser," said Emilios, running to the forest.

"You bet your life I am not going to be the loser," shouted Throir, running after Emilios.

Dante grinned as he turned to face his steed.

"Shall we win this?" Dante wondered as rain began to fall from the heavens, washing away the past and ushering in a new beginning.