Spinning the King around and putting him into a headlock, the leader of the Hardoy tribe said a single note of command, and all of the King's guards were lined up in front of him.
And one by one, down the line, with King Juulian's head still held between his brawny arm, the leader of the Hardoy tribe proceeded to smash in the heads of the King's guard.
A single swing was all it took for this man to bash in the skull of the first guard. A single blow was all it took to snap the neck of the next man. Down the line he went, covering himself and King Juulian, who was face to face with these men before they met a brutal death, with sprays and barrages of blood.
As the leader of the Hardoy tribe hovered over me, I closed my eyes, accepting my fate. But for some reason, one I still ponder over as I write this memoir, he spared me. Only me, as the next two guards beside me, were killed swiftly.
After that, the young king and I were thrown out by the shore of the Hardoy tribe and told to swim away and never come back. We resurfaced on the side of the waterfall, and we saw that our horses were set free. So our only option was to take an excruciatingly long walk back to the kingdom.
Being a warrior, I was okay with it. As I grew old, I took a liking to nature and the simpler things of life, such as a peaceful walk. The King on the other hand, every step he took fueled a rage that he would not let go.
We finally arrived back at the kingdom, and the King walked straight into the palace without speaking a word to anyone. A couple hours later and a messenger was sent for me by King Juulian.
When I arrived, the king was sitting in his gigantic bathtub with a towel over his eyes and forehead.
Without moving an inch he says "Prepare a battalion. I want the head of that leader by the end of the week."
A tingle of fear I had not felt in decades shot up my spine. King Juulian had not been out there once to witness the might of these warriors.
I tried my best to dissuade him from acting so rashly, as I feared that such actions would not work in our favor. But the King's mind was made up.
"Esquimo, I will not repeat myself." was all that he said.
So I did what I was told, relaying the order to the general, whose eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets when he heard who they would be going against. I understood his concern perfectly as I looked him back in the eyes, exchanging my silent apology to him and the men who were about to traverse in his company.
The king was sending them to their death.
At the end of the week, the King, his new guard, and I stood outside of the kingdom awaiting the return of his troops. As we awaited their arrival, I had already accepted the death of thousands of good men.
But then a spark of delight lit my heart as, In the distance, we could see the horses galloping back towards the kingdom.
How naive of me, though, as I soon realized that it was only the horses that were returning. There was but one soldier that rode back to the kingdom on his horse.
The one soldier that had returned had been dead the whole time, with a note stabbed on his back reading, "Keep the throne warm. I'll be there to take it from you soon."
"Furious at another defeat, King Juulian roared in anger as he tore the note into pieces before storming back into the kingdom. He grabbed one of his guards, and demanded he find a spy to keep tabs and update him on the movements of the Hardoy Tribe, as he now understood the situation he put himself in.
As the king brooded and strategized how to make his next move, word spread about the massacre of the battalion, and the people were outraged learning that the King would act so recklessly against such a brutal tribe of warriors. Wives and mothers, fathers and brothers, sons, daughters, elders, and lovers all gathered around the palace to scream their discontent for the King's disregard for his soldiers and his people.
The King never came out, but his bedroom window was wide open, and he heard all the curses and outrage that were meant for him.
I watched the King wipe his eyes and grab his gauntlet and walk out of the room As we walked through the palace, I had concluded that we were just wandering as we had walked past the pool and the indoor garden, even trotting through the kitchen.
We were walking past the palace daycare. And as the nanny was telling the children a story, the King just stopped to listen.
"Gather round children." The nanny asked, assembling all the children to her. "Now, before nap time, what tale would you all like to hear?"
"The one about the gorilla boy!"
"The Apple King!"
"Thousand-year, Snail war!"
"The Melatonin Warriors!"
"Yeah the Melatonin warriors!" the children all agreed in chaotic agreement.
"I knew you all would ask eventually. It has been a week since you last asked." The nanny smiles. "Hmm, which battle should I tell you about today?" the nanny thinks.
"I know! Okay, children, today I will tell you about the day one Melatonin warrior fought the Draffon Family. This battle took place a dozen moons ago. But this battle was one not fought for territory or ego. This one was a battle fought for roses." The nanny says.
"Roses?" one of the children asks.
"Yes, roses. You see, the Draffon Family was a group of bandits that would roam the land. Killing and scavenging local tribes, only wanting death and money. They would hurt anyone there and strip them bare to recover as much valuable material as they could. It was said that after the Draffon Family left a village, not even the wood would have its color anymore.
"Well, unfortunately, they decided to attack the wrong village.
"The young Prince of the Melatonin Tribe, a boy only a couple of years older than all of you, was out shopping for a unique gift for his mother. A beautiful glass rose that this particular village specialized in creating.
"As he was in the store, he heard the screaming and shouting of the villagers as the Draffon Family started their raid. The young prince didn't know exactly what was going on, but he was already at the store, so he decided to intervene after his purchase.
"Well, as he was digging into his pocket to retrieve the money, one of the Draffon members kicked in the store door. With a lust for death in his eye, he raced into the store to cause destruction. He ran right up to the young prince, knife high and aimed at the prince's throat.
"The blade hit its mark, cutting off the Prince's head and sending it flying in the air!" the nanny exaggerates, grasping her throat and screaming, scaring the children.
The nanny laughs at their reaction. "I'm just playing." She continues laughing.
"So what really happened?" a child asks.
"Well the prince knew what was happening and didn't move an inch. When the blade struck, it broke into a hundred pieces. The attacker was so shocked he stepped back, not sure what to do. But recovering from his surprise, he withdrew two more swords and went on a frantic frenzy to slash the prince into pieces.
"When the Draffon member finally stopped, gasping for air, he saw that the young prince was just counting his change to make sure he had the correct amount. Once sure that he did, the young prince looks up at the cashier to find that he had been killed in the attack. And that all the glass roses in the store had been destroyed.
"The young prince, realizing this, looks angry. Then, BOOM! The whole front of the store explodes, and the Draffon member is sent flying straight out of town.
"The other members of the Draffon Family hear the unexpected interruption and stop to see who caused it. The Draffon Family weren't used to people actually fighting back. As strong as they were, they were a gang that preyed on the weak, so they were really just a group of savage bullies, feeding off of their reputation.
"The young prince walks out of the dust of the damage he just caused, loudly demanding to speak to the leader of this tribe.
"A big, burly man the size of a bear comes stomping up to the demanding prince. Looking down at the child as if staring at a dog, the bear man says, 'What do you want, brat?'
"You owe me a rose." the young prince tells the bear man.
The bear man laughs, and all his family around him join in on the laughter. "And if I don't, little boy? What, you gonna beat me up?" he mocks the young prince.
"I don't know who you punks are, attacking a peaceful village and thinking you're all tough. You're disgraceful. No, I don't plan on beating you up. Looking around at the damage and pain you've already caused these people, I think death will be a better solution." The young prince says to the bear man.
The bear man looks down on this kid. The nerve of such a brat makes him laugh even harder, hearing such brave words from a little boy. "You must not have ever heard of the Draffon Family?
"We do as we want. We take what we want, and we kill when we want. No one has ever stopped us or has even had the gall to try. And now a single child, a boy, has threatened to take my life?" The bear man looks down on the young prince again with a murderous look. Then burst into laughter again, not taking the young prince seriously at all.
"In my tribe, a man does not threaten people with death, as such words can cause a multitude of problems. So when we speak of it, we mean it." The young prince says looking straight into the bear mans eyes.
"Then let's see you try, little boy. I'd be happy to give you a spanking to put you back into your place. Or your grave. Let's see what you got, spud." The bear man shows his evil smile.
"Fine by me. But not here. The village has been damaged enough." The prince says.
"Whatever. Come, Family, I want to hear your laughter as I have my fun." the bear man says, walking past the boy. Before he leaves, the bear man roars out loud to the village. "Any who are alive and hiding in their little homes, I suggest that you all run while you have the chance. Because I will be coming back after this." The bear man pronounces as he continues walking.
As the last family member passes him, the young prince starts walking himself. As he exits the town, he says with absolute certainty, "Do not worry. He's not coming back."
"Now, out on an empty grass field, the young prince and the bear man stand face to face. Smiling, the bear man tells the young prince, "I'll let you have the first punch. Go on, boy." the bear man mocks.
The young prince doesn't need more than that, and with a single punch, sends the Bear man flying across the field." the nanny demonstrates, throwing a punch herself.
The bear man finally comes skidding to a halt, breathing very hard. Then, he has to drop to a knee as the pain of the punch settles in. No one in the Draffon Family can believe it! Such strength from a mere child!
The bear man finally stands back to his feet, anger over-flowing him as he is instantly back in the young prince's face. But no more words come from him. He underestimated the young prince, and he won't make the same mistake twice.
Swinging down with a punch strong enough to crack a mountain, the bear man misses as the young prince steps back and continues to dodge the barrage of swings by the bear man.
Once the bear man overextends his reach due to desperation, the young prince kicks him straight into the air. Then, activating the Melatonin Tribes' special ability, he controls gravity and brings the bear man crashing back down into the earth, face first.
The bear man eventually finds the strength to push up on his hands and knees. Rage and embarrassment coursing through his body, he yells for all members of the Draffon Family to kill the young brat.
As they all come rushing into the battle, the young prince stands there, letting his enemies close in on him. Then, he multiplies the gravity and puts the whole family in the dirt.
As they all lay there, smushed by a force they could not even see, the young prince stood there watching them shovel the ground with their faces. He didn't let up until the field became a giant crater in a grassy field.
The young prince returns to the village, dragging along all the weapons he collected from the defeated Draffon Family.
Dropping them off in the center of the town, he yells, "Don't worry, they aren't coming back. Here, they gave me their weapons as an apology."
The young prince doesn't get an immediate reaction, so he assumes they all just decided to escape safely. As he turns to leave the the village, the young prince sees a young girl standing in his way.
The girl says nothing, she only extends her arms, showing a glass rose in her palms. The young prince looks at it for a second, then accepts the gift, saying thank you as he continues walking.
As he leaves the village, more and more people run up to him, giving him glass roses of various colors to show their gratitude.
The young prince who came into the village to buy a single rose ended up leaving with a beautiful garden of roses.