Winter Paradise

    “Where are we going?”  I asked again.  I was hiking with at an extreme altitude with my cousins.  A few weeks ago they had said that they had discovered something really amazing.
    “You’ll see when we get there.”  They answered with knowing smiles on their faces.
    “Stop being a pain!”
    “You’ll just have to wait!”
    I almost decided to stop right there and wait until they told me.  The only problem was that they were capable of leaving me there.  My curiosity spiked, I just walked on, following three backpacks in front of me.  I finally drew on some of my courage to ask one more question.
    “When are we going to eat?”
    My cousins laughed and one of them patted me on the back.  “In about an hour.”
    When we finally stopped, I dropped my backpack on the ground and ran into the woods.  On my way back, I heard them talking.  I gathered that we were going to hike for another day until we got to where we were going.  That dampened my spirits.  I was ready to give up.
    We set up camp for the night.  I was expecting some of the food that my cousins had brought, but I was very surprised when one walked into the camp holding a pair of rabbits already skinned and cleaned.
    “We’re eating that!?”  I said indignantly.
    “If you don’t like it you can go hungry.”  One of my cousins said.
    “Fine.” I muttered.
    After we ate the rabbits—which weren’t as bad as I thought—I went out of the camp and lay down looking at the stars.  I was trying to find some constellations that I knew.  In any case, it was peaceful and I was enjoying it.  While I was lying there, I heard a twig snap behind me and someone trying to breathe silently.
    “Don’t even try it, Matt.”  I called out behind me.
    “Shoot!”  Matt called out from behind me.  “How’d you know I was coming?”
    “You snapped a twig and you breathe like a horse!”  I answered quickly.  “Now I know why you don’t go hunting.  You’d scare every animal within a mile away.”
    After that I went back to my tent and unrolled my sleeping bag.  Next to me, Josh—my oldest cousin—was already snoring.  I rolled my eyes and got comfortable.  Soon I was also asleep.
    The next morning I woke up after dreaming of eating waffles, bacon, eggs, and sausage for breakfast.  I was very disappointed when I learned that we were just eating bread.  I knew I wasn’t going to get anything else until lunch, so I shrugged and just ate what I was given.
    After eating, we packed up our stuff.  Then we went back to walking.  We walked and walked and walked……..and walked.  I was starting to feel frustrated with how little progress I thought we were making.  The only thing that kept me going was my huge curiosity about where we were going.
    When we finally stopped for the night, I was ready to sleep right there.  I stayed up only because I was hungry.  That night we ate some of the provisions that we had brought.  Everyone seemed exhausted.
    We woke up early the next morning and ate breakfast as we walked.  My cousins seemed excited at how close we were.  There was frost on the ground when we woke up.  I guessed that we were going up even farther.  Needless to say, I wasn’t happy about that.
    Before long, I began to see sky through the canopy up ahead.  That didn’t seem right, but I was too tired to think about it.  When we reached the summit, I stopped and stared.  In front of me there was a scene that just left my mouth wide open.
    Just in front of me there was a small slope down to a plain surrounded by mountains.  The plain started as a little stripe of brown dirt, but gave way to a wide open expanse of ice that glittered and shone with the sun.  I couldn’t even see the other end.  It was awesome!
    “Wow!”  I whispered to myself.
    “I told you it was worth it!”  Matt said.
    Finally I walked down the slope, careful not to fall.  When I reached the bottom, I felt really small.  I saw the ice plain going on and on in every direction.  My pack was heavy, but I had forgotten everything but the beauty lying in front of me.
    I saw Josh and Matt running and sliding on the ice.  It looked like fun, but I noticed that they hadn’t checked if the ice was thick or thin.
    “Hey!!”  I called.
    “Don’t worry!” My other cousin, Andrew said.  “The lake is frozen solid.  There’s no reason why they can’t slide around.”
    “Did you say ‘solid’?”  I asked.
    “Yep.”
    “That’s impossible!”
    “No it isn’t.  Here, come with me.  I’ll show you how we know that it’s solid.”
    I followed him onto the ice.  From here I could see that the ice was very smooth.  Far into the lake, there was a hole.  Obviously someone had dug it trying to find water or to fish.  When I looked into it, I couldn’t see the bottom.
    “Now do you get it?” Andrew asked me with a smile.
    “Yes.  No I get it!”  I said staring down the hole.
    I went back to the shore and dropped my pack with the rest.  Then I ran out to where Matt and Josh were running around.  I ran around with them for a while until I got tired.  Then I went back to our packs and helped Andrew set up the rest of the camp.
    “Does this lake have a name?”  I asked.
    “Not that we know of.”  He shrugged.  “We just call it Golden Lake because of the color it gets at sunrise.”
    That night, after eating a warm meal around the campfire, I looked up at the sky and saw that I could see more stars than the last time I looked.  Later I fell asleep thinking that there couldn’t be anything better than this winter paradise.

Flight

    I stood in the middle of an endless field.  Something seemed awkward or different, though I couldn’t place my finger on it.  Then it came to me.  There was no sound in the entire place except my breathing.  There were no animals or wind or anything.  I looked up at the sky, trying to find a bird, and found that it was light purple in color.  I thought I must have fallen into a strange world.
    As I stood there thinking about what had happened, the ground began to shake.  I heard a faint rumbling and rasping of metal against stone all around me.  Little by little things began to appear.  Buildings and towers grew out of the ground.  A tower began to grow right underneath me taking me to the heights.
    I studied these towers a little closer.  They were shaped strangely.  Some even had holes right in their middle.  Others had rings of metal flung out in front of them looking like large bubble blowers.  As more and more of them appeared, it began to look more like a gigantic obstacle course than a city.
    Something inside me told me to jump off the building I was on and fly over to the next building.  Strangely, this sounded perfectly reasonable.  I ran to the edge and threw myself off whooping with delight.  The wind rushed around my body, pushing my hair back and billowing my clothes behind me.  Finally, I stretched out and willed myself towards the next tower.  Amazingly, my body obeyed.  I actually flew towards the nearest tower!!
    I kept flying like this for a long time, willing myself towards different towers until I got used to the movement.  Then I decided to try something.  Would I be able to take off from the ground?  I landed so that I could try it.
    I stood on the field, surrounded by those towers, gathering my strength.  Then  let loose.  I threw myself into the air willing myself to fly higher and higher.  It worked!  I could take off from the ground.
    I continued to fly through the towers for a while just enjoying the feeling of flying.  It is like nothing you can imagine!  The wind is rushing past you and gravity has no hold on you.  You can defy the laws of physics only using your mind!  It is great!  No, it is better than great!  It is spectacular!!
    Suddenly, I began to feel as if I was moving down.  In fact, I was.  I was drifting back to the earth, contrary to what my mind was saying.  I fought it with all my strength, trying to stay up in the air.  I landed hard on my knees.  I got up slowly and began to gather my strength.  I knew I could take off once more.  There was never any doubt in my mind.
    I leapt and willed myself upwards.  I flew up about ten feet then began to fall.  Not just drift back down, but fall quickly.  I looked at the ground and saw that a deep chasm had opened just where I had been.  I was falling right into it.  There was nothing I could do to avoid it.
    Just as I thought I would die, I landed hard on something soft.  I sat up, looked around and found myself in my bed.  It had all been a dream!

The Leap

The water is falling, tumbling over the cliff in front of me.  The white foam disappears for a moment on the graceful curve of the water giving way to gravity.  The sunlight catches the mist from the waterfall turning it into a beautiful rainbow.  The sound of water falling and splashing into the deep pool far below is a loud roar in my ears.
I stand on an outcropping of rock on the edge of the large cliff right in the middle of the river.  How did I get here?  I don’t know.  There is a reason for it, I know, but I can’t seem to figure it out.  I glance over the edge of the cliff to see how far the bottom is.  I can’t see it through the mist and the clouds.  I step back slowly, reeling from the immensity of the fall.
My bare foot slips into the cold water.  I pull it out quickly.  There is something about the water that keeps drawing me.  It wants to swallow me and take me over the dreadful depths of the waterfall.  I must resist it.  I cannot fall victim to its wishes.  I do not want to die.
The water is cool and refreshing.  Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to let my feet dangle in it.  No!  I can’t let it draw me in!  I have to fight this desire!  I will not fall over that cliff!  I’ve been down there before.  All it leads to is pain!  I can’t do that again.
Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t.  I wouldn’t survive a second fall.  The first time, I had let the river sweep me off my feet and carry me down over the falls.  This time, I wouldn’t be so naïve.  I will not go over those falls!
The water keeps drawing me.  It promises peace and joy.  It promises refreshment and encouragement.  How can I deny these things?  I must!  I must!  It never fulfills its promises.  It’s just a trap to lure people to their death over the falls.
Why am I standing on this rock in the middle of the river?  Am I here to make a decision?  Am I supposed to fall?  Or am I supposed to stay?  I cannot decide.  The river is calling, but it is such a long way down.  The rock is safer.  I’ll stay here until I can figure out how to get off it without falling.
The hours pass.  The debates continue unabated.  The sun is beating down on my head making me thirsty.  I want to drink from the river, but I know it will only bring me trouble later on.  Once I drink from the river, I won’t be able to resist its call anymore.  I have to resist.
How can I put up with this?  My thirst grows and the water looks more attractive by the second.  NO!  I can’t do that!  I need to resist.
But, if I don’t drink, I’ll soon die.  I need water to survive, and that’s the point.  Survival.  I need to survive.
There’s got to be another way.   The river can’t be the only source of water.  I need to find a way to get off of the rock and find a different source of water.
I’ve tried that already.  I got off the rock and found a muddy stream leading away from the falls.  I drank deeply.  I couldn’t stop.  No matter how often I wanted to stop, I always drank more.
But that brook was better than this river.  That brook wasn’t threatening to drag me over the cliff.  It wanted to take me away from danger.  That’s the best way to go.
No.  The river is my only hope, and I know it.  Why am I arguing?  I know what I need to do, but I don’t want to do it.
But…
No buts.  It’s time to do what I was supposed to do when I got here.  I know the reason for being here.  I have to follow the river.  This time I have to do it, though.  I need to take the initiative.  The river can’t sweep me off my feet this time.  I need to follow, not be dragged.  It’s time to take the leap.
I walk over to the edge of the rock and look down.  I take a step backwards and gulp.  I can’t do it.  My stomach is tossing and turning.  I can’t do it!
I sit back down on the rock and put my head between my knees.  Why can’t I do what I’m supposed to do?  Why can’t I take the leap and follow the river?
I’m so thirsty now, that I have to drink.  I move down to the edge of the river and scoop some water up in my hands.  I lower my head to my hands haltingly and take a small sip of the clear liquid.
What a drink!  The water is so pure and delicious!  How could I have argued against it before?  Compared to this, the muddy stream is as dry as sand and as disgusting as excrement!  I lean down and gulp great draughts of water into my parched mouth.
I stand up, hands and mouth still dripping, and walk to the edge of the cliff once again.  My stomach is tossing and turning again.  What is it that I feel?  Is it anticipation?  I smile at the thought.  It’s time to take the leap.  I won’t be dragged by the current now.  It’s my decision.
I look down at the unending pillar of water.  My mind tries to tell me not to, but I’ve already decided.  I spread my arms and jump.
I’m following the river!  I let out a great yell of joy as the wind rushes past my body.  This is the way to go.  I don’t know if there’s a bottom to this waterfall, but I don’t care.  There is an exhilaration in falling like this that cannot be beaten by any other sensation.  If there is a bottom, great!  If not, even better!  This is life!

War of the Mind

I stand at the edge of a cliff staring down at the roaring waves below me.  My tall, white castle is right behind me.  The faint crashing of the waves below is almost drowned out by the sounds of a town inside the castle walls.  Horses stomping and neighing, creaking wagons, and ceaseless chatter all reach my ears.  The cool ocean breeze blows through my black hair.
I am Lord Jonathan of Endor.  I am master of the castle behind me and elected official and ruler of the Plain Alliance.  The Plain Alliance is a group of eight nations spread out on a plain that created a political and economic alliance when they were formed.  These eight nations are Endor (of which I am Lord), Imran, Diafor, Lanin, Rodim, Car Fiam, Desar, and Wialor.  Now these nations are prospering.
Three years ago I stood in the same place staring out at the horizon when a horseman came up to me.  At the sound of the pounding hooves, I turned around and lay a hand on my long sword.  It was a courier from Diafor, the westernmost of the nations of the Plain Alliance.  He reined in his horse quickly and jumped off the beast and bowed.
    “Come,” I said seriously, “Tell me who sends you and what is your message?”
    “My Lord Jonathan,” The courier began quickly, “I am sent by Lord Daniel of Diafor.  My message is this: scouting parties from the Introsal Dominions have been spotted on the borders of our nation.  Also, the entire Introsal army is camped in a distant valley.  My Lord Daniel requests that you call a council of the Lords of the Plain Alliance as soon as possible to discuss the possibility of war.”
    I stared at the courier in surprise.  There had never been problems with the Introsal Dominions.  The Plain Alliance was not friends with it, but neither country had been bothered by the other.
    “My Lord?”  The courier said, knocking me out of my surprise.
    “I will do it immediately.  Tell the Lord Daniel to meet here at Endor in seven days.”
    The courier bowed, ran back to his horse, and sped off towards the west.  I walked quickly back towards the castle and sent out six of my couriers with the same message to the other six nations.  I called my most trusted servant and asked him to bring some food to my room.
Ten minutes later, I was sitting on my bed when there was a knock at the door.  “Enter,” I said.  It was my servant with my food.
“Will you be needing anything else, Milord?” He asked politely.
“Not right now, Markus,”  I answered.
He turned to leave.  “Markus,” I called.
“Yes, Milord?”
“There will be a council here in seven days.  Please make sure that everything is prepared.”
“Milord, I will do everything in my power to make sure the servants prepare everything to everyone’s satisfaction.”
“Thank you, Markus.  You may leave now.”
“Good night, Milord.”
“Good night, Markus.”
The days before the council passed quickly.  I worked with some of my most trusted advisors on a possible plan of attack or defense, but we had gotten nowhere by the time the other Lords had arrived.  I had hoped to have a plan prepared to show the other Lords, but I didn’t.
The day of the council I decided to take a morning walk by the cliff again.  I reached the cliff and stared vacantly at the distant horizon.  Suddenly, I began to have an idea.  It didn’t seem like it was my own.  In fact, it seemed like it was a suggestion from someone else.
It seemed to be perfect.  As long as everything went as planned, not a single person would have to lose their life.  I began to chuckle quietly.  Then it increased in volume until it was a full guffaw.
“It’s perfect!” I called to the air.
“What is perfect, Milord?”
I spun around and saw Markus standing behind me.  He had a puzzled look on his face.
“My plan!” I said smiling from ear to ear, “My plan is perfect!”
I ran up and embraced him, then ran back to the castle for the council.  I thought the plan over once more on my way back and saw its flawlessness.  The thought made me run even faster.
I ran into the castle surprising my guards and ran straight into the council hall.  The council hall had a large, polished, wooden table in the middle surrounded by matching chairs.  At the head of the table there was a bigger chair with a taller back and a little higher than the other chairs.  In each of the other chairs there was one of the Lords of the Plain Alliance with their servants and guards behind them.
Every single person present looked up with surprise when I barged through the large wooden doors.  They all rose quickly to acknowledge my Lordship over them.  I walked to my seat, acknowledging each of the Lords.  I sat down in the big chair and motioned for the others to do likewise.
Once all the Lords were seated, I said, “This is a council of war.  Even though we must think of our own protection, I would ask every Lord to send away the servants and guards with you today.”
Immediately everyone tried to argue with me at the same time.  I raised my right hand and called for silence.  “I do this for the benefit of our nations.  We never know where a traitor can be found even in our highest ranks.  If you will not do this, I will have to send you out of this council.”
Some of the Lords noticed the logic in this and told their servants and guards to go out.  Others stared at me angrily for a few seconds before reluctantly sending their servants and guards away.  I could sense that this was not going to be an easy council.  Though I thought my plan was perfect, it would be hard to explain where it came from and how it would work.
Once everyone was gone, the Lord Daniel of Diafor stood and said, “Now that your orders have been carried out, my lord Jonathan, I am sure that the rest of the lords present are as curious as I am about this order.”
“Very well,”  I said after the Lord Daniel sat down.  “Before I begin, I must say that I know that some of you will not like what I am going to say.  I will answer any questions later, but I must ask you to allow me to finish before you ask any.  Are we agreed?”
All the other lords quickly said “yes” in agreement.  Their curiosity was spiked.  I knew that.  It was hard not to see it in their greedy eyes.
“As you know, lords of the Plain Alliance,” I continued, “We are under heavy threat of war on our western borders.  Many scouting parties from the Introsal Dominions have been spotted in Diafor and Lanin.  They come with a greater force than we could muster.  The Introsal Dominions are almost twice the size of the Plain Alliance.   I have learned that the Introsal forces are camped in a valley.
“The only hope we have of defeating the Introsal forces is by trickery.  My plan for the defeat of the Introsal forces is this.  I will need five hundred soldiers on horse in Diafor.  Each of them must have a horn and covered torch.  During the night we will surround the Introsal Forces.  When a signal is shown, each man must uncover his torch and blow his horn.  If this works as I believe it will the Introsal soldiers will believe that they are surrounded by five hundred generals with troops behind them ready to charge down the mountain.  At this, they will either kill each other, or surrender.  In this way, we will not lose a single man, and we will win the war.”
As soon as I had finished and sat down, all the other lords stood up and started yelling their views of the plan.  I let them yell for a minute, then stood and called for silence.  “My lords!  You are bickering like children.  Please compose yourselves and try to resolve these things like the men you are.  I will try to answer your questions, but, please, one at a time!”
The lords questioned me for a very long time.  By the time they seemed satisfied it was mid-afternoon.  I was tired and so were they.  I suggested everyone get something to eat and then the next day we would meet again to discuss the details of the plan.  Everyone quickly accepted and left for the kitchen to get a meal.
I stepped out of the council hall and met Markus.  “Markus,” I called.  “Please make sure the lords receive a good meal.  For my part, bring a small meal to my room when you have finished with them.  I need to rest.”
“As Milord wishes,” Markus answered as he turned towards the kitchen.
I went quickly back to my room and took off my belt and sword.  I then sat on the bed and leaned my head on my hands.  A few minutes later someone knocked on the door.
“Enter,” I said quickly.
Markus walked in and set a small tray with a plate of bread, butter, and cheese and a cup of water on the small table in my room.  “Is Milord well?” he asked when he saw me.
“Yes, Markus.  I’m fine.  It is only that I am tired of the discussions today.  I feel as if the other lords think that I am unfit for the leadership.  They believe that I am too young to be governing this alliance.  I fear that they will try to dissolve the Plain Alliance.”
“If I may say so, Milord, I believe that you are a great leader and can command the respect of anyone Milord desires.  Yes, Milord is young in relation to the other lords, but it is not Milord’s fault for his father’s quick death because of a sickness.  I believe that all the other great lords will come to realize this at some time.”
“Thank you, Markus.  I needed to hear that.  You may go now.”
“Yes, Milord,” Markus said as he turned to leave.
“Oh, and, Markus,” I said as he left the room.  “You are as good a friend a man could ask for.”
Markus’ blue eyes looked at me kindly.  “And Milord is just as good a friend.”
I stared at the door even after Markus left.  The food on the table was all but forgotten.  I was amazed at the security I felt when Markus was around.  He was my chief servant, but he was also older than I was.  I figured I felt comfortable around him since he had been there since before I was born.  Markus was that father figure I had not had since my own father had died nearly four years ago.
I snapped back to reality when I felt my stomach grumble its complaint at being empty for too long.  I walked over to the table and began to eat.  It wasn’t much, but I felt satisfied after eating that meal.  Once I had finished, I changed into a light blue tunic with a white belt and sash.  Then I walked to the library in my castle.  I always tried to read a little every night.  It helped keep my wits sharp and alert.
I sat in the library and read for a long time.  I had been studying the history of the Plain Alliance, but tonight I decided to study a little of the Introsal history, because of the circumstances.  After reading and studying for a few hours, I closed the books and rubbed my eyes.  I yawned and stretched and decided it was time to go to bed.
I left the books sitting on the table and returned to my bedroom.  I undressed and slipped under the blankets lying loosely on the large bed.  As I fell asleep, I could see my plan unfolding perfectly.
The next day, I woke refreshed and ready to talk to the other lords again.  I put on a white tunic with a yellow belt and sash and hung my sword on my belt.  I put my feet into my worn, leather boots and walked over to a mirror and basin.  I washed my face quickly and went to the dining room.
I walked into the room and saw that most of the lords were already seated there waiting for the food.  I sat at the head of the table and ordered the servants to bring out the breakfast food.  I ate lightly because of what was going to happen next.
After breakfast, the lords and I went to the council hall and sat at our respective places.  Once everyone was seated, they all looked at me.
“I know some of you have misgivings about the plan,” I began.  “I know that if it fails, it will mean our destruction, but I believe that we must take this risk to be able to save our families from death.  I learned yesterday that the Introsal soldiers are pressed into service by the king.  They are not volunteer soldiers like our own.  This is something that may work to our favor.  If we can frighten the soldiers enough, they will give up their weapons or lives before trying to defend their country.  They do not love the system that they fight for.  They would almost prefer to destroy their own country over ours.  If we can defeat the system that they hate, we could gain many allies and free innocent people from the clutches of an evil, greedy king.”
The other lords remained silent after I had finished.  Many of them were looking at me with a new respect and awe.  I knew that I had won them over to my side and that they knew that I knew what my plan entailed.
“If anyone has a better idea,” I continued, “I will receive suggestions and will seriously consider them to see if they have any merit.”
I expected to see at least three hands raised or a couple voices call out their new ideas.  The only thing I saw was a table surrounded by nervous lords and the only thing I heard was a nervous cough.  After a couple minutes had gone by and no one had spoken up, I said, “Very well.  Each of you, lords of the Plain Alliance, will supply one hundred soldiers for the assault.  I would ask you to make sure that they are the best that you have.  We will need soldiers that we can trust with the plan.  We will meet at Lord Daniel of Diafor’s castle in a week.”
    When I had finished, all of the lords stood up and left the room.  Most of the lords quickly left for their countries.  These were the ones who lived far away and needed all the time they could.  A few others waited until the next day to leave.
    Once they all left, I began to muster my own troops.  I selected the best captains and generals that were fit to fight and asked them to pick the most reliable of their soldiers.  Within a day, I had the full list of those that were going with me to Diafor.
    Two days after all the lords had left I left my castle with my troops to go to Diafor.  Before we left the castle, I had made sure that each man had a loud horn at his side.  In the cook’s cart, I had ordered some men to place all the torches we would need.
    Since we were all on horseback, we arrived one day early to Diafor.  Lord Daniel had not been expecting us, but he accommodated us quickly.  Within the next two days, all the other lords arrived with their men.
    Two days after we had planned to meet, we decided that it was the night to attack.  There would not be any moon that night.  This would give us an extra cover as we moved into position.  There were more men than we thought we needed at first.  In a quick council with the lords, we decided to place all the men on the hills around the valley instead of just the original thought of five hundred.
    Later that night, my horse was fidgeting beneath me as we stood on a hill surrounding the Introsal camp.  All our men were strategically placed around the valley waiting for my signal.  I still saw many men in the camp moving around.  We had to wait until most of the soldiers were asleep to attack.  We had avoided detection by Introsal scouting parties and were hoping to make a surprise attack.
    Finally I could see very little movement in the camp below.  Fires had been put out and there were very few torches moving around the camp.  The timing was perfect.  I raised my horn to my lips and blew a long clear note.  Immediately, I yanked the cover off the torch I held in my other hand.  I could see similar lights being uncovered all around the valley.  I blew another clear note on the horn and this time every horn of every man in the perimeter sang along with mine.  Then we charged.
    The alarm horns sounded in the camp below, but most of the men were already running like madmen trying to escape the onslaught.  A few were able to escape through the line of our horsemen and disappear into the outside woods.  Some killed themselves and their comrades to avoid getting killed by, what they thought, was a large army.  What most did, however, was throw themselves on the ground pleading for mercy.  Our soldiers had orders not to kill men that surrendered but guard them and not allow them to escape.   
    Followed by the other seven lords, I rode into the middle of the camp and surrounded the largest tent of all.  I rode to the front door of the tent and waited.  In less than a minute, a fat man with a coarse, long, black beard came waddling out of the tent with a surprised look on his face.  He was wearing a heavy gold crown on his head and a white silk nightgown.  As soon as he saw me, he stopped and tried to run back inside.  I jumped off my horse and grabbed him by the nightgown.  I threw him on the ground and drew my sword.
    “King Amori,” I said pointing my sword at his neck.  “You are an evil king that has tried to control countries that are not your own.  You deserve death for enslaving other nations and for trying to invade a country that had not done you any harm.  I will give you a choice.  You can die right here, right now, or you can come as a prisoner to Endor and keep your life.  In any occasion, you must free the nations you have enslaved and renounce the claim of Introsal Emperor.”
    He glared at me for a full minute before answering in a rough voice, “I would rather die than be a prisoner of cowards that attack at night!  Kill me swiftly and take my life like you know you should.”
    “You have made your choice.”  I said to him.  “I shall not kill you.  I will not give you the satisfaction you desire.  Take this knife and do your duty inside your tent.”
    King Amori took the knife, stood up, and walked into his tent glaring at me the entire way.  I then left twenty guards around the tent to make sure he would not try to escape and rode around the camp trying to find the rest of the Introsal troops.  I found a large group standing in the field next to the camp.  They were huddling together watching their guards with scared expressions on their faces.
    “Your king is dead!” I called out to them from where I was.  “He has just killed himself after refusing an offer to surrender and keep his life.  I now set you free and bid you return to your countries and try to rebuild them into good countries that will prosper and be able to govern themselves.”
    Immediately the whole group started murmuring to each other without moving.  Finally, one young man with a scared look on his face walked up to me and said, “My lord, how are we supposed to rebuild our countries?  They have been part of the Introsal Dominions for so long that nobody remembers how they were before that.”
    “What is your name, young man?”  I asked him.
    “Thomas, my lord.”
    “Well, Thomas, you are doing it.  All you need to do to build up a country is find leaders like yourself who are willing to take a risk and try something different.”
    Thomas looked up at me and smiled, then walked away into the camp as the rest of the company followed him.  I watched the whole group pack up their things then walk away towards their countries with their heads held high.  They were free and they were enjoying every second of it.
    That was three years ago.  Now the Introsal Dominions have become the Introsal Alliance.  There is constant trade between the two Alliances.  Thomas, the young man from the war is now the Lord of this Alliance and is leading the people well.  Everyone loves him.
    I stare out at the ocean, hear its roar and I smile.  I know that the world is a better place to live now.  No one has to fear their own neighbor.  Some risks must be taken in order to gain a freedom and peace like no other.  But over every risk we must take, we must trust our leaders and elders to do what is best for the whole.