What Is A Hero?

Second, I am forbidding the institution of slavery. I understand how many of your industries and businesses are dependent upon unpaid servants, but this foul practice must end today! It must end now! To enslave a man, depriving him of his right to govern his own destiny and work for his own accomplishments, is to enslave his soul: it is to say that his happiness, his desires, are but fickle and fleeting things -- not even real emotions -- and that they are to be given no regard. This cruel and barbaric creed must be dropped and it will not be tolerated!

The king went into great depth on the cruelty of slavery and he apologized for the mass slaughtering of the villages north of his palace. His speech must have run on for at least an hour, but unlike many other speeches where a royal official had thanked themself endlessly, this speech vividly grabbed the minds of the attending noblemen. Although many found disagreeable his words, and many more want to kill the king for his actions, everyone was guilty of paying undying attention to this demagogue. During his speech, General Wixtor said to General Vixodar, "I think the king has gone mad," to which General Vixodar responded, "This is true."

Upon finishing his speech, the King Tellarius thanked the audience for their patience and their time. They noblemen departed after much debate and discussion. He then sent orders to the jails to release any prisoners guilty of insulting the royalty and then ordered his troops to emancipate all of the slaves and make clear to the slaveholders that such a practice was no longer tolerable. When the troops had left to fulfill his orders, and the noblemen left to return to their own domains, the king retired to his chambers, feeling that he had done the right thing, feeling that he handled the situation well. He would have lunch in his palace, and then eventually dinner, with his generals. Although they seemed cheerful and becoming on the outside, the king could tell that they were distressed at what he had said.

"Sir, are you sure that freeing slaves is the best thing to do?" asked the General Corlak.

Putting down his wine cup, the king responded, "Yes, I think it is." That was the only exchange of conversation at the dinner table that night. The troops returned to the palace shortly after dinner, giving the report that every slave within the city was now a freeman. The king thanked the soldiers for their honorable service to the nation-state.

When the king had finished with the troops, he left to his chambers. There he looked out into the night sky, examining the stars. He thought about tomorrow and the hardships it would bring. Today, for him, seemed to be a day of ease. The real impact would come when the noblemen repeatedly petitioned and even threatened to revolt. Looking into the night sky on his balcony, fully content with himself, the king looked unendingly, and breathed the night air. He turned around for a bit, but just enough to see his chamber door open.

"Who's there?" the king asked, squinting his eyes to get a better, more clarified look.

A figure emerged in a robe, indistinguishable. He pulled a knife from his belt and charged the king. Steadfast, the king grabbed the wrist of the assassin, and fought with him. As they battled for control of the weapon, the king quickly punched the assassin in the stomach, making him double over. As the assassin fell to the ground, so did his knife. The king quickly armed himself with the knife, and as the assassin charged him, the king jutted the knife into the assailant's neck. The robed figure, fell to the ground, his hood dropping -- it was General Vixodar. Shocked by what he had seen, the king moved back from the dead corpse. Just then, the General Wixtor and the General Corlak entered the room and charged the king, both armed with knives. The king stabbed General Corlak in the side, wounding him, but leaving his knife impalled in his gut. General Corlak fell to the ground, but General Wixtor rammed into the king, pushing him back against the balcony railing. They fought over the knife, but the General Wixtor shuved his knee into the stomach of the king. As the king bent over slightly, General Wixtor slit the king's throat. King Tellarius grabbed the blood-shooting wound as he fell over the balcony from the shot. He fell forty stories and died.

And as the blood stained the marble pavement, as General Wixtor looked to the wounded General Corlak, as the heavens wept, as the garden of humanity wilted, Qortaka spoke with the King. Only a brief exchange of words. "Now, you are a hero," Qortaka said.

The Universe must now wait for the next hero.