Meaning

"That resolve means you wont win this soon to come Crown War then" Ashoka told Joseph.

"Maybe, but as long as someone with good intentions win the throne, I care not".

Something has been on my mind for a while now. "The Term 'War' in Crown War, does it mean a large scale battle between countries? Or just an individual battle? "Rome, India, Austria, Greece, England and France can't go on an all-out war. There would be too many casualties. I'd like there to be another way for the title to be decided". Fortunately, everyone in the room agreed with me. It is a bit insane for us all to start a war over an event like this.

"True words Caesar, but I tend to wipe my men's safety our of my mind for the time of war"Ashoka said in a cold manner. Solomon arrived with women behind him, carrying plates after plates and jars after jars. The women spreaded the entire table with twenty jars filled with win, massive uncut chiched fried, roast and grilled. Decent amount of salad and other vegetables along with Ham. Other beverages such as orange juice and lemonade were also present. For anyone who prefers to ear small, the women placed soup, omelettes, bread and pork. The feast was dazzling on the surface. The aroma was heavenly. "My regards to who cooked this".

Once the women tied knapkins around our necks, they left the Realm of Rulers.

"This will be the starting of a new era. I can't wait to see how it turns out. ChEERS!" shouted King Solomon.

"CHEERS!!"

As I chowed down on all the Ham, I looked at how Victoria's and Joseph's servants were suffering. Instead of stuffing their own faces, they were feeding their King and Queen. It Is unfair, Victoria and Joseph both have hands don't they? The teenage girl Joseph brought with him, she deserves better. The guy who got angry when Victoria was called a skank, I expected him to be treated better as well. "Mind your own business Caesar. Xavier enjoys what he's doing" Victoria suddenly spoke to me. She probably noticed my staring and immdediately guessed why.

"Wow, was I that obvious?"

"Indeed".

When all of our stomachs were filled, King Solomon brought out several weapons. Two swords, a spear, a custom made fan, a gun and a kunai knife. "I'll give each of you a weapon. These weapons are very important, they will pass down a specific power I possess onto you six. Hope you're excited".

SWOOOOOOOSHHHH!!!

SPLAAAASSHHH!!

The king of kings displayed his overwhelming power by snapping his fingers. First was a strong gust of wind lifting up everyone's clothes. Next was a small explosion that destroyed Solomon's chair. Those two examples of the weapon's capability was enough to impress the rulers.

"Let me go first" Ashoka raises his hand. He was given the only handgun, it looked like a normal gun. Nothing special radiated from it unlike the other weapons. The swords and spear had a glowing aura around them that screams power, the gun had no such thing. "Interesting, wonder what this thing does".

"You are wise to keep the power I hand you a secret" Solomon advised. Those words were also meant for the rest of us. A warning to not show our foes the powers we are given. Next up was Queen Elizabeth. As we all guessed, she received the fan. It too was glowing a sparkling aura. "You will make good use of that fan. I just know it".

"We'll see".

I nominated myself to go next. King Solomon threw one of the two swords at me then gave the other one to Alexander. We both receive swords. "Will Caesar and I share the same ability?" asked Alexander.

"Of course not. You two are melee fighters aren't you? The swords are perfect for ya".

Louis was given the kunai while Joseph was stuck with the spear. "Now that everyone claimed their weapon, I have nothing more to say. The Crown War can begin as soon as you all arrive back to your homes. With that being said, I'd like for you six to spend the night here before you leave".

"Yes! We shall!!" we all agreed.

Finally, the gathering was over. I left the Realm of Rulers to check up on the men I brought with me. They were also treated to a banquet but just in a different room. Shawn was dying to ask me my opinion on the gathering. "What do you think my king? Do you think you'll win this Crown War?"

….

"Caesar?"

The truth is after that gathering I understood why it was important for the six candidates to meet up. King Solomon made the right call waiting an entire day for me, he was also smart to lie to Queen Victoria. Otherwise she never would have came. "I'm glad I came here all of a sudden. With this brief interaction, I can say for certain. I will win this century's Crown War" I told Shawn softly. I would hate for anyone to hear what I'm about to say.

"By meeting these people and getting to know them. I now feel much better about myself. No one here will be enough to stop my thirst for knowledge. The world's origin, as long as I claim that piece of info in the end. I don't care about the result, something tells me I can bargain with the others to achieve my goal".

"Don't you think King Solomon is cruel? The last Crown War took thousands of lives. Why would he want to repeat such a tragedy?" Shawn sighed.

"He's not the only bad one. Don't forget, the six of us rulers have agreed to it. We could have ignored his request therefore causing the Crown War to never happen. But we accepted the War anyway" I told Shawn.

"I hope you didn't bond with any of the rulers. It would make things difficult". To utter such garbage I chopped him on the head. "Bonding? You think I'm that weak? Stop it".

Suddenly Louis stood between Shawn and I in the middle of our conversation. "The HECK!".

"Sorry for interrupting. Just hear to warn you Caesar. Be wary of Alexander tonight".

"Why? Is he planning murder or something?" I asked him. "I'm not sure, judging from his facial expressions when the gathering finished. I assume he has something in mind to do before heading home".

"Fine, I'll be wary of him".

Louis began to walk away but just before he went out of earshot. He asked "This war, do you think any of us have to die?"

"Yes. None of us would agree to this Crown War if we had not accept the fact we would kill".

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Louis clapped at my response then left. Victoria threw a pebble my direction once Louis left. She along with the red haired man were by the fourth floor window in the castle.

"King Caesar! Have a minute?" she calls me over.

After a coupple minutes of walking upstairs, I managed to face Victoria. "What is it?" I asked her. "What do you think of fake personas? Should someone lie to themselves in order to move forward? I want to know your thoughts".

Persona? "Lies are very powerful. It can impact the world in shocking ways over and over. If someone lie to themselves, doing the opposite of what they really mean. Eventually that lie will become the truth. You can still move forward with a lie".

"Really? You talk as if lying isn't a bad thing".

"I wouldn't call it bad. I lie all the time. Lies can bring about good results just as Truth can. If I pretend to be a guy I'm not it will have advantages. I could fool my fellow companions around me with a fake persona".

"So in the end you're saying you see nothing wrong with it".

"Nothing at all. It is the human's decision to do whatever he or she wants".

Victoria had a long pause before she spoke again. The sun was setting, ironically we were at the perfect spot to witness it. Birds even flew and chirp around us, celebrating the end of the day. The red haired man who stood next to Victoria bowed his head before me. "My Queen thinks differently King Caesar" he suddenly spoke. As he did, Victoria turned her whole body to the window. She was most likely indicating that she will have her servant continue the conversation for her.

"Differently how? There shouldn't be any wrong with lying to yourself. It can bring forth strength just as if you were telling the truth. Hahaha, I'm kidding".

"Is that true strength? Will you get what you truly want by lying to yourself my king? You don't sound like you were joking".

"Yes, it is possible. Like I said a lie can become the truth if you let it. For example, the truth is that your queen is a scared person who is in over her head here. What if she conjures up a persona, lying to herself that she is indeed the best in the room. She will gain strength that way don't you think? By thinking like that, the lie may very well become true some day".

"My name is Xavier Foster, your majesty. Are you putting on a false personality right now?".

"No, there's no need" I told him.

"Good to hear. Queen Victoria wants everyone to accept who they truly are. Embrace then move forward, seems like you don't share that sentiment".

"Accept who you are? Acceptance is always a good thing. Rejection is not bad either, you could reject who you are and change yourself". I agree with what Xavier is saying 100%, it is important to be true to yourself and move forward. However through my past experiences I can confidently say there are some moments where I wished the people around me had reject their true self instead of accepting it. When you accept something, you tend to find it hard to change it. When you reject something, you will have a motive to change, acceptance has it drawbacks just like everything else in the universe. A balance of right and wrong.

"Hmm, you are an interesting fellow. My Queen is curious to see how you will go about this Crown War. You are free to negotiate with her at any time, as long as it involves her getting the Title of course". This guy, I am starting to like him. He speaks to me in the same manner I imagine Vic would have. It's like the two of them are one and the same. Victoria has not reacted badly to any word Xavier has utters while she stared out the window.

"We're leaving Shawn" I said walking away.

"Wait! Once this War begins, I aplore you to leave King Louis and King Ashoka alone. I have a hunch that they will be fighting each other ignoring the rest of us. Leave them to kill each other and one of the other four will hold a greater chance of survival". Victoria nodded with Xavier words.

"I hear you loud and clear. Good bye".

The day is finally over, for most of it I spent with the other rulers eating and discussing the upcoming war. The rest I simply stuck around in Solomon's Castle. At the very top, the King of Kings stood chanting words that are beyond my understanding. It was a language I have never heard before, honestly it sounded like absolute jibberish. As if a just born baby was speaking and not an old man.

I climbed my way up to the top to interrupt the King's chant. "What are you doing?" I

King Solomon flicked his finger my direction, he was a good distance away from me yet I was blown off the roof. A strong gust of wind pushed me off. "SHIT! What did I do to deserve this?" As I fell to the surface, all I could think about was the odd language I heard. It undoubtedly reminded me of baby chatter. "Does that have something to do with the World's Orgign? Is that why he was serious enough o push me off immediately?"

CATCH!!

Luckily Shawn caught me in his arms just in the nick of time. "I wont even ask".

"Good, you better not".

The next morning King Solomon was no where to be seen in his own residence. My men and I left through the same portal we entered through. The other rulers had the same idea, heading home and devising a plan is what's best. King Solomon himself stated that we all should head home first, only then can the Crown War begin fairly. On our way back to Rome, I sensed danger lurking around my men and I.

"My king, we are being followed" Shawn whispered in my ear.

"I know, lets draw them out". At that moment, an arrow struck my left shoulder. "CAESAR!!" Shawn shouted. The arrow pierced my flesh but it was not deep enough to lay a critical ingury nor did the arrow hit close to my vitals. "Amateurs, teach them will ya".

"Yes, will do" my men responded. A total of 80 bandits suddenly surrounded us while we journey through the forest. "Alright men, shout my name with every life you claim".

"KING CAESAR!"

"KING CAESAR!

"KING CAESAR!!"

"Hehe, that's right my fellow soldiers, scream out your king's name. Soon I wont just be your king. I will be a GOD!!"

"KING CAESAR!!"

I stayed on my horse and watched the slaughter took place. Whoever hired amateur bandits to attack me must be fools. I alone could probably dealth with this many. After killing dozens of the bandit I ordered my men to stop. "May the Leader Step Forward. I have some words for him" I told the bandits.

The leader stepped forward as instructed. A fool is the best way to describe him. "Why sacrifice your bandits like this? You are a terrible leader. I had already noticed you people before you had attacked. Please do better in your next life".

"Shut up! Your head is ours. Anything for our beloved King!". The bandit shouted. I wonder which king he is reffering to?

Chest stabbed mercilessly, heads getting sliced off, impaled from behind, bullets to the head and smashed limbs. My men gave these bandits cruelty to the highest order. In only minutes we slaughtered the men who made trouble for us. When it was all over, Shawn wiped the blood off my body. He then gave me the head of the Bandit's leader. "Fool".

"Yep, he should have shot the arrow in your head" Shawn stated.

"You really think this is serious? I bet a King out there is watching us. Evaluating the quality of my soldiers. That person was also hoping for me to join the fight and reveal the power King Solomon gave me through the sword. This was just a ploy by one of the Kings I believe. Or maybe this is Elizabeth's doing and the bandit just wanted to mislead me".

…

"Who cares, lets continue home" I sighed.

When we arrived home, father greeted me with open arms. "It's time son".

"Yes father, it's time for the Crown War".