A Tour of the Ages

"Ah, the human race... a rather fiery and contentious species. It would seem they have a knack for violence, and war, and bloodshed. While it sometimes pains me to see their most horrific atrocities, at the same time I do find them fascinating. Their ways of life and dealing with problems are… unique, to say the least. I have been overseeing the activities of these human beings for quite some time now. That is my occupation, after all. Still, there are certain periods of history that I find especially interesting. Perhaps you would like to take a peek at my findings…"

"Of course, all stories must begin somewhere, and in this case, you could say we're starting at the end. This is the planet earth as it is set on course to be in the year 2125…"

___________________________________________________________

Earth (2125)

"Picture a crumbling and rusty, dark and desolate landscape. Ruins of old cities and other signs of civilisation from every single corner of the eye. It's not the most pleasant sight to behold. Still, even in such a deteriorated world, there remains a beacon of hope. There are still some men and women, brave and bold enough, who are willing to stand up and defend what they have left. As you can see, even in humanity's final days, they still continue to wage war…"

In the midst of the desolate wasteland, a small band of resistance fighters were on the run from a dangerous enemy that was relentlessly pursuing them.

"COME ON!" the leader roared as his comrades followed in his path.

They all carried firearms but were beginning to run a little low on ammunition. Their best strategy was to be quick and evasive as survival was their primary objective. At this point, outright victory was beyond insurmountable.

Once they gained enough distance from the pursuers, the group of worn and dirty yet determined fighters hid behind an old, partially destroyed brick wall. They were in a crouching position and held their firearms in their hands. They had to pick their timing wisely, as the enemy was fierce, ferocious, and deadly.

"Okay, everyone, this is our best shot. When I give the signal, we give them hell!" the leader quietly but firmly instructed.

"Yes, sir!" his followers obeyed.

On the other side of the wall were a horde of grotesque and gruesome, deformed creatures. They resembled human beings in regards to their basic shape and size. However, they were completely mutated in appearance. Lifeless eyes, holes and burns all over their skin, decayed mouths, and in some cases even some missing limbs. They barely looked 'human' anymore.

"NOW!" the leader then yelled as he and his comrades jumped over the wall and began frantically firing at the enemy.

Gunshots were fired and bullets were blasted towards the deformed creatures. The horde of monsters then retaliated by charging at the humans, who could only continue shooting and hope that their remaining ammunition would be enough to annihilate the threat… before the threat annihilated them.

___________________________________________________________

One of the courageous resistance fighters was separated from the others. He had been singled out by the pursuing creatures and was now all on his own as he attempted to escape with his life. He made his way into the ruins of a decrepit old building, where he hoped to evade his chasers and wait it out until the monsters had fled the scene. He made his way inside and quickly opted to hide inside an old large cupboard. He knew the monsters would follow him in, so his best chances for survival were to keep himself out of the sight. He just had to hope that their other senses could not detect his presence inside the wooden structure.

One of the beasts made its way inside and began to roam around the room, wandering the place to find the fresh meat it had been seeking. Knowing danger was imminent, the man did his best to keep the sound of his breathing down and to control his body's urge to sweat under pressure. Anything like that could likely alert the creature to his whereabouts. He kept himself as still and as silent as possible, preying inside his head that the pursuer would just give up and look elsewhere.

Eventually, he was able to let out a sigh of relief after hearing the creature make its way back outside. He finally made his way out of the cupboard, seemingly having narrowly avoided a grim demise. However…

"ARRGH!" he screamed as the wall beside him suddenly exploded. The force of the explosion was powerful enough to send him flying a few feet in the air before crashing down on the ground. Being taken by surprise, the petrified little man looked up and gazed at who or what could have caused the wall to be destroyed all of a sudden like that.

Once the smoke and dust from the debris had cleared, he could see clearly what was responsible for the destroyed wall. What stood before him was a large and strongly built, imposing, mechanical titan. It had a black metallic exterior with a large transparent lid on the front of its head. However, no face could be seen through it, just a glowing red light. The entity seemed otherworldly, but that was hardly at the top of the poor man's list of worries at that moment. All he could think about was the danger he was currently in, and the fact that he was staring into the face of death.

The metallic being then began to speak, in a very eery if robotic manner. "Your destruction is inevitable. Give me the location of the resistance, and I will show mercy. Your life will be ended quickly."

Afraid but still defiant until his final breath, the man let out a cough and did his best to suppress his fears before bravely providing his answer. "I'll never tell you anything! Do your worst!" He then closed his eyes and braced himself for death.

The metallic monster then powered up the laser canon on its arm, as the resistance fighter told him "Just get on with it."

And then, the canon was fired, blasting the man to ashes. Nothing was left but a small sprinkling of dust. With that, another brave resistance soldier had met his end, and the dominance of the monstrosities in this dystopian wasteland became ever stronger.

"The final fate of the last humans looks quite grim, doesn't it? But perhaps I'm letting us get ahead of ourselves. Maybe it would be more prudent to delve into some other eras of history for now. One of my personal favourite time periods has to be the early twenty-first century. Specifically, the affairs of one family in central England spark my interest. What can I say? I may not be one of you, but there are certain characters from your world that I can admire somewhat. Anyway, say hello to Jacob Woods and his family."

___________________________________________________________

Birmingham, England (2025)

It was morning, and the handsome if rugged middle aged father Jacob Woods was waking up in his bed, alongside his loving wife Jen, thanks to his loudly obnoxious alarm clock.

"Ugh! Turn that bloody thing off, J!" his barely awoken wife muttered.

After pressing the button to cease the infernal noise, Jacob mustered the energy to work his way out of bed, as he had a busy day ahead of him.

He made his way downstairs and began making breakfast, with his wife joining him shortly after.

"How come you're getting up so early today, love? It's Sunday." she asked.

"I've got to fill in for someone at work. The lads who normally cover the weekend shift went on a bit of a drinker last night. I got a call from my boss before I went bed telling me I'd need to come in."

"Oh, come on! You do enough for that place, tell him to find somebody else to cover the shift!"

"I know, I know… but Rob's actually a pretty decent bloke. Better than most other bosses I've had. He's promised it will just be this one time." Jacob reassured her.

"Yeah, well, I hope he means that. It's already bad enough that I only get two days a week with you if I'm lucky." Jen said.

Jacob then cheekily mentioned "And evenings." earning him a small laugh of amusement from Jen.

"Don't worry about it, Jen. It's just a one-off. You'll be all mine next weekend from start to finish, I promise."

"That's nice to hear. You know what else I wish was just a one-off? Our son's behaviour!" Jen then brought up.

"Oh, let him be. He's just a young lad enjoying himself with his mates. He'll grow out of all that sooner or later." Jacob said.

"Yeah, but he seems to be getting into a lot of trouble at the minute. Those friends of his… oh, I don't know. They seem like an awfully violent bunch."

"Yeah, they are a bit of a tasty lot, aren't they?" Jacob then replied with an amused tone of voice.

"It's not funny, J! I'm worried that he'll do something stupid and get himself locked up or something!" Jen told him.

A humoured if slightly concerned Jacob then placed his hand onto his wife's shoulder and adopted a softer vocal tone for a moment. "I think you're overreacting just a little bit, sweetheart." He then removed his hand and followed with "I'm sure he'll move past all this rough stuff eventually."

"Oh yeah? I'm guessing you didn't even notice that he didn't come home last night?! Again!"

"Yes he did." Jacob then clarified.

"What?"

"He came back after you went to bed. I heard him open the door just as I was out on the landing talking to my boss on the phone."

"Good! Then we can see what he has to say for himself!" Jen then insisted as she marched her way back up the stairs.

"Oh, leave it, Jen! He's probably hungover from last night."

"Exactly!" she argued as she continued walking, determined to have it out with her son.

The worried and concerned mother then furiously opened the young lad's bedroom door to have some harsh words with him. She was expecting a hungover mess to be lying in the bed. But what she found was actually even more shocking…

"SHIT!" shouted the young woman who was standing in the bedroom, half naked, with only a vest and boxer shorts on.

"Sorry! Sorry. I didn't know you had anyone in here with you, Zack." Jen said as she embarrassingly looked away to allow the girl to wrap some clothing around herself.

"Mum! You can't just fuckin' walk in here like that! You didn't even knock or anything!" an annoyed Zack told her.

"Well, at least you don't seem to be hungover or anything. Anyway, once your little friend here is gone, we need to have a talk!" Jen said.

"About what?" he asked.

"Yeah, we didn't do anything if that's what you're thinking! I slept on the floor." the girl then defensively pointed out, shifting Jen's attention to a sleeping bag that was indeed on the floor beside her son's bed.

"You could have put that there just to trick me! I mean, am I honestly supposed to believe that you two spent the whole night together and nothing happened?!" a suspicious Jen interrogatingly questioned.

"Oh, don't get all arsey about it! It's not like this is the first time we've shared a room together! He sleeps around at mine house all the fuckin' time!" the young girl then said.

With the concerned mother's son now slightly embarrassed by that last comment, he verbally snapped at his young female friend. "What the fuck, Lee?!"

"Oh, is that right… wait? Lee?! That's a boy's name, isn't it?" a confused Jen asked.

"Yeah, It's just a nickname, short for Leanne."

"Leanne? As in Leanne Parker from Zack's school years ago?!" Jen then worked out.

"Yeah, me and Zack have known each other for years, mate! I've even been round here before, though you're normally out when I am." Leanne explained.

"I thought you lost touch with each other years ago?" Jen asked.

"Yeah, she moved schools and we grew distant, but then when we went to sixth form, we met each other again and now we're proper best mates." Zack informed her.

"Which I would have known if you actually bothered to share stuff like this with me anymore. Honestly Zack, I know you see me as some interfering old nag master, but I am just trying to help, you know?"

"Yeah, I know that. Thanks, mum." the brash young man then temporarily softened his exterior and said.

"Anyway, I'll leave you two to it. But I do want a talk with you later before you shoot off again." Jen insisted.

"Yeah, okay."

Jen then left the room, allowing Zack and Lee to talk amongst themselves…

"She is a bit of a nagger, ain't she?" Lee asked.

"Oi, that's my mum you're going on about… but yes, she is." he admitted.

"She must think we're a bunch of rough-as-bollocks pissheads."

"Well, we do go out most nights of the week and have a few pints."

"Yeah, but we hardly ever get drunk! I mean, we're trying to be fighting fit and all that. I don't mind a bit of fun, but I know we can't afford to be getting wankered every night."

"Yeah, I know. A big beer belly doesn't help make you into a great scrapper. So, what time are we going down the park today?" Zack asked.

"Don't know yet. I need to ring Theo and Sam and find out what time's good for them." Lee said.

"Theo could be a great scrapper if he just learned to cut down the crap and commit a bit more to his training." Zack then mentioned.

"Yeah, I've told him that before, but he does like his cakes and his beers." Lee joked, earning a small chuckle from her friend.

"Maybe we should take him to a proper fighter's gym, get him a consistent routine going, get him some discipline." Zack suggested.

"Nah, we've been over this, mate. Most gyms these days are too bothered about fitness and boxercise to be any good! Most of them don't even have sparring classes. Besides, even when they do have them, they're usually too 'clean' for what we want."

"True. It's all about fighting dirty in a real situation."

"Exactly! I don't have time for all that painting the fence bollocks!" Lee said.

"Actually, I think that's only in the films." Zack then jokingly replied, causing the two to share a brief laugh.

___________________________________________________________

Back downstairs, Jacob had just finished his breakfast and was almost ready to leave for work, when suddenly his phone started to ring.

"Hello."

"Hey, J! How's things at the moment?" asked his friend.

"They're alright. And how are you doing?"

"As good as ever, I guess. Anyway, I was wondering if you fancied a bit of fishing later on? It looks like the weather is going to be pretty good."

"I'd take you up on that, but I've been asked to cover a weekend shift at work today. Just a one-off."

"Ahh, that's a bit shit. I was looking forward to us having a few beers and a good laugh."

"Yeah, but what can you do? Duty calls and all that." Jacob light-heartedly joked.

"Yeah, I guess. Anyway, if you fancy a trip down the pub tonight after your shift ends, let me know." his friend then offered.

"Will do. Catch you later."

"Oh, and one more thing before you go!" his friend then spoke up again, stopping Jacob from ending the call in the nick of time.

"What?" he asked curiously.

"I don't know if you've heard about it yet, but apparently there was a big fight at the South Paw down on Westmore's Street."

"Erm, no. Haven't heard anything about it."

"Yep. I heard that this gang of four kicked the crap out of another gang right inside the pub! Apparently, things just got wild all of a sudden."

"Could just be a rumour."

"Could be, but then again, we've all heard the stories lately about how there's been a big crime spree in the area."

"So, these lowlife criminals are targeting little pubs on back roads now? Seems like a load of shit of me!" a sceptical Jacob dismissed the story.

"Maybe. I don't know. I'm not even sure if it was part of the crime spree, to be fair. I just heard that it involved a bunch of young lads and a bird. They'd had a few pints and basically they were just itching for a fight. Anyway, I went down there yesterday and I saw a smashed window, so it looks like it's more than just a rumour."

But as his friend elaborated on the incident, Jacob stood there with a worried and concerned look on his face. He had his suspicions, though he obviously couldn't confirm anything without digging into the matter further.

"J? J? Are you there?" his friend then asked, snapping Jacob out of his mental trance.

"Um, yeah. Sorry, I just had a thought."

"What thought?"

"Doesn't matter. Anyway, I've got to get going, or I'll be late for my shift. We'll catch up later." Jacob said.

"Yep. I'll meet you in the pub for a beer later. Just not the South Paw, eh? Best not to be around when another window gets smashed." his friend then joked.

"Alright. See you, buddy." he replied, laughing off his friend's comment, while audibly suppressing his suspicions and fears.

Jacob, then alone in the room, sighed to himself in disappointment. Whether his rowdy and rambunctious son was involved in the particular incident his friend had described or not, Jacob knew he had to address his son's behaviour, though he would have to wait for the time being as he had other commitments to see to.

"See you, J. Take care." Jen said as she walked downstairs and saw her husband open the front door.

"Yeah, see you later, honey. Oh, and by the way, tell Zack I want a word with him next time I see him."

"What about?"

"Just let him know that we need a chat."

"Okay." she agreed as her husband walked out, a little curious as to what he wanted to speak to their son about.

"Yes, even in this era of relative peace, there are many humans who have a violent mindset. Zack Woods and his friends certainly possess the rowdiness and naturally aggressive spirit of capable young fighters, but they do come from a time where the demand for violence and battle in society is relatively minor. There are plenty of other periods from history that more actively breed the hearts of warriors. For the next part I'm about to present you, I will provide translation for what the old Norwegian people are saying for the sake of clarity."

___________________________________________________________

Trondheim, Norway (900 AD)

Back in the dark ages, there was a small yet brutal skirmish taking place in the outskirts of Trondheim in Norway, on a large pitch battlefield, between two rival factions of Norwegian Vikings. Upon the battle's conclusion, the green field was filled with a bloody scattering of butchered and shredded bodies.

Eventually, one side had prevailed over the other through brute force, determination, and superior might. To ensure there would be no backlash from the conflict they had endured, the winning faction's surviving warriors used their blood-soaked weapons to hack away at the bodies beneath them, checking for and eliminating any survivors from the opposing side.

One of the men from the winning side, the young and ambitious Leif, glanced around at the carnage that had just ensued, and its grim aftermath. It all looked completely typical and even a little mundane to him. Clearly, he had seen his fair share of bloodshed over the years. He had even caused a lot of it by his own hands. As such, he did no more than smirk after seeing his brother in arms, the tough brute Gunner, hack a wounded enemy to death with his signature battle axe.

"I think he's dead." he then cheekily told his berserker friend.

"Better to be sure." the brute said back as he continued hammering away at the body, much to Leif's amusement.

___________________________________________________________

Later that night, the victorious leader of his men returned home, to meet his ever so precious wife, Matilda. While Leif joined the rest of his people in being a violent and bloodthirsty warrior when in the pits of warfare, his demeanour in the walls of his home was an entirely different story.

"Your back?" she asked with only a slight level of surprise.

"Were you expecting to be a widow?" he sassily replied.

"No, I just thought it might take you all a little longer now that I'm not out there to help you." she cockily claimed as she sat comfortably by a small fire on her chair.

Matilda was several months pregnant, meaning the resulting bump on her belly was an incredibly prominent physical feature at this point. Leif couldn't help but gaze at it with excitement and anticipation.

"I'm starting to like being pregnant. It makes a change, you staring a little lower at me than usual." his wife joked.

"I'm just waiting for the glorious day that is to come. The day when my first born will rise from the womb and claim this world as his own!" Leif then excitedly declared.

"Or hers!" Matilda objected. "It could be a boy or a girl."

Leif then chuckled light-heartedly. "Yes, you're right. It could be either. But don't worry, I'm anticipating both outcomes."

"Really? Do you even know what we should call the child, whatever sex it may be?" Matilda asked.

"Well, if it's a boy, I was thinking of calling him Manning, since we want him to grow up to be a strong and valiant warrior."

"And if it's a girl…?"

"If it's a girl, I think her name should be… Astrid, since she will have both power and beauty blessed upon her from the gods." Leif proudly concluded.

An amused Matilda then stood up and hugged her husband as she decided to tease him. "You're quite a poet, aren't you?"

An amused yet slightly offended Leif then replied with a blunt "I'm a warrior, the finest warrior in Trondheim! Would you even be with me if I wasn't?!"

"Probably not. I sought you because you were one of the only men who could best me in combat. I wouldn't settle for anyone less." she then proudly recollected, before reflecting on her current state as a pregnant lady. "Now look at me. A great big lump on my belly, and forced to sit at home all day and wait for a child to pop out! Then when it arrives, I'll be spending my next years taking care of it all day! I guess my days as a shieldmaiden are over…"

Sensing she was upset and disappointed over how things had turned out, Leif knew he needed to make his wife see the good side of the situation. He lowered and softened his voice and thought of the right encouraging words to raise her spirits. "Matilda, what you are about to do is one of the greatest things anyone has ever done. You're going to give birth to the future leader of our people! Our son… or daughter, will grow up to conquer the world… in our name! Just think how proud you'll be of them when they do that! Besides, it won't all be just you, I'll be there to help, too."

Considering another possibility, Matilda then added a curveball into the conversation. "You know? There's something else we haven't considered. What if we have more than one child? Like twins, or more?"

"Sounds good to me. The more young warriors, the stronger we are!" Leif insisted as he put a positive spin on the notion his wife had put forward. "Remember, all these months of slogging around will be worth it. One day, we will conquer lands all across the world, and our children will be standing beside us, marching with us towards glory!"

"And if not…" Matilda started.

"…we'll be welcomed into Valhalla." Leif finished. "The god's know we've earned the right of passage many times." he then said as he and his wife decided to walk outside of the house towards a small pit he had dug up.

It was a pit filled with the decapacitated heads of many of the rival warriors he had faced throughout his many battles. A peculiar hobby of his…

"You really should stop doing that? The rotting flesh stinks out the place." his wife told him.

"It's the smell of death. We should embrace it. In life, without room for doubt, death is the only thing we know we're going to face."

The two then walked back inside as Leif suddenly had a certain urge come along, one that required some privacy.

"You know what? Even with that lump, you're still the most beautiful woman in my eyes!" he said as he began to slowly undress her.

Even though she was a battle-hardened warrior in her own right, Matilda was a very beautiful looking woman, even quite elegant and feminine in appearance. She was eager for a little "action" herself, though her pregnant state did make her just a little hesitant.

"Leif, the child?" she asked, but he just told her "Don't worry, I'll be gentle." Naturally, her response was "Really? That's a first."

After removing Matilda's long green dress and other pieces of clothing, he placed his hand firmly on her breast. Her body still looked like a perfect sculpture in his eyes. She welcomed his admiration and lust, treating it as a very flattering experience.

Leif then made his way over to their bed, where he planted his body down and invited her to come along and enjoy the evening. "Come here, there's room for two on this bed."

Matilda then made her way to the bed and enthusiastically placed herself on top of her partner. "I hope you didn't waste all your energy on the battlefield today." she said as she began to give him the pleasure he sought.

"A fanciful time in the bedroom after a day of vicious combat. Not that abnormal an experience for someone like Leif, based on my observations. Yes, the Vikings were certainly a formidable type of brutish warrior. But in actuality, these ways of man persisted long past the dark ages. Well into the medieval period, these methods of ruthless strategy and merciless thinking still occupied the minds of humans. Take the old kingdom of Thamin, for example…"

___________________________________________________________

Thamin, England (1500 AD)

In the castle of the kingdom of Thamin, the king and his elite councillors were preparing for an important meeting. Five men of high political and social status, all prestigious lords of the realm, were sitting on the long table, waiting for their ruler to grace them with his presence. One of the five men was none other than the king's own son, Prince Godfry Senersarn.

The men waited in silence for a moment as they could hear footsteps from outside gradually getting louder as the man walked closer. Shortly enough, King Godwaine himself walked through the door and entered the room. Immediately, his powerful and respected presence was felt by the other men serving beneath him. He made his way to the end of the table and sat down, before starting the meeting under his own terms.

"Good evening, my lords."

"Good evening, your grace." they all replied simultaneously, without an ounce of delay.

"Now then, we need to discuss the best action to deal with the ever-growing threat of our rival kingdom, Paelot. Every day that they continue to try and invade our land, kill our civilians, and steal our crops, is another day that leaves us in a more vulnerable position. As you all know, there are many kingdoms and armies out there who would gladly take advantage if the opportunity were to present itself to them to assault us when we are at our weakest."

"I agree, father. Which is why I have been devising a strategy to…" his son Godfry then went to say, but was cut off.

"Actually, son, before you say anymore, I should ask you… where is your brother?"

Godfry then backed off a little and silenced his mouth, as did the other men in the room. It appeared the matter of the king's second son was a somewhat touchy subject, though not a particularly surprising or unusual one.

"Speak up, boy!" Godwaine demanded.

After letting out an exhausted sigh, Godfry simply told him…

"No doubt one of the places he always goes at teatime, your grace. Either the brothel, an underground fistfight, or the tavern."

___________________________________________________________

And sure enough, the third prediction proved to be correct. At that precise moment, Godwaine's other son, Prince Grayward, was sitting on a table in the kingdom's local tavern, drinking away his worries.

While he had just downed a few drinks, he wasn't quite at the point of being drunk yet. In fact, he was currently on the dangerous borderline, just before he reached the point of relaxing intoxication, where he was in an energetic and "buzzed" state, where he felt like he could take on the world.

As he was finishing his latest pint, a group of thuggish-looking men from another table looked at him with very hateful and discriminating looks on their faces.

"Look at that royal bastard! Why's he have to come here?!" the biggest guy blurted out to his friends.

"I don't know. Royal pricks like him should stay up in their fancy castles where they belong!" the second one said.

"It's bad enough that the cunt king and all his cunt lords strut around acting like they own the bloody kingdom!" the third man added.

"Well, don't they?" the meekest of the bunch innocently questioned.

"Yes, but can't they at least let places like this belong to the peasantry? This is our territory!" the second one responded.

"You're right! That royal wanker ain't welcome in our turf!" the big guy then declared as he stood up out of his chair and aggressively strolled towards the prince.

One of them then put their hand out and tried to stop him. "Wait! He's the prince of this whole fucking kingdom! His father could get you hanged if you touch him."

"Godwaine Senersarn earned his reputation as a ruthless bastard! Trust me, it's better to just leave it."

"Fuck that! No royal wankers scare me! Besides, golden boy over there needs to learn that he can't spend his whole life hiding behind daddy!" the burly man objected as he continued to make his way over to the prince.

To make his presence felt, he slammed his hands down on Grayward's table and stood before him.

"You're not welcome here, prince! Now get the fuck out before I mess up your face!"

But Grayward just kept calm and collected, appearing to be not at all intimidated by the burly man trying to threaten him.

"Listen, buddy…" he then tried to say, but was interrupted.

"I ain't your buddy! Now fuck off out of this place!"

"HEY! I don't want any trouble in here!" the barman then interjected as he noticed the commotion.

Grayward then stood up and stared down the other man…

"I have as much right as you to be in here. I'm not fucking off anywhere."

"I mean it, you two! I don't want things to kick off!" the barman said again.

"Fine! I'll give him one more chance to give out of here with his teeth still in his mouth! You've got til the count of three, prince!" the man threatened him again, confident that the fancy royal boy would take a hint and retreat out the door.

"Look, why don't we just settle this over a nice cold pint?" the prince tried to reason, but to no avail, as the burly man just responded by spitting in his face.

"One!"

Grayward then wiped the saliva off his cheek before smirking menacingly.

"Two!"

The man then raised his fist, ready to attack, but Grayward grabbed him by his ragged clothes and beat him to the punch, and next word…

"THREE!"

Without warning, the prince gave the other man a vicious headbutt, sending him stumbling back a few steps.

Before the big guy could even retaliate, Grayward charged towards him and tackled him to the ground. The barman placed his palm over his face in disappointment, as he did not wish for the situation to escalate like this, but there was no stopping it now.

The prince demonstrated that he wasn't the fancy or regal man of royalty that the tavern regulars assumed he was. Instead, he was quite a rough little bastard, and his actions were proving that with absolute clarity. Grayward continued his assault with several hard punches to the face, drawing blood from the burly bruiser.

One of the big man's drinking buddies felt the urge to help out his friend, but one of the others held him back from the ensuing violence.

"I'd keep well back if I were you. Clearly, that prince boy is rough as bollocks!"

And he wasn't wrong. After he was done punching his opponent's face in, Grayward stood back up and kicked him in the ribs a few times for good measure. Then, as a form of payback, he shot a spit of his own right into the fallen fighter's face.

"CUNT!" he then shouted before triumphantly walking away and sitting back down at his table once again.

"Come on, aren't you gonna bar him for that?!" one of the other men asked the barman.

"Hey, your lad started it, and he got what he deserved. Besides, Gray's my best customer. He's not going anywhere."

Grayward then sat then and grinned proudly after successfully winning the bar brawl and showing he was not to be messed with. If nothing else, he had proved quite clearly that his attitude and demeanour were a far cry from what was considered typical of his royal bloodline.

___________________________________________________________

"His lack of commitment to his royal duties is becoming rather vexing at this point." Godwaine spoke back in the meeting room.

"I know, father, I know. I have tried to get it through to him so many times, but he just seems to relish in defying your every order." Godfry agreed.

"The drinking, the brawling, the sex with alluring strangers… his filthy actions are defiling our family name." the father then commented, with an almost stoic tone, yet with a slight underlying sense of anger.

"He's your twin brother, is he not, Prince Godfry?" one of the lords then asked.

"Yes, don't remind me. I mean, I know he's my brother, and a part of me cares about him, but another part of me can't stand the man."

"You and me both." Godwaine replied.

___________________________________________________________

Sometime after the meeting of lords and nobles was over, Godfry returned to his chambers, where he had a special someone waiting for him. A very beautiful woman was lying in his bed, and she looked very happy to see him.

"Took you long enough. What kept you?"

"Royal duties take time. We had a lot to discuss in today's council meeting. How to deal with the threat of Paelot invading us, rising concerns regarding the food supply of our people, not to mention my brother and his foolish antics. I swear, the life of a lord is not all wine sipping and hot baths, you know?"

"But the luxuries do make the hard parts worth it, don't they?" the lady then asked him with a very seductive tone, while advancing towards him and acting flirtatious.

"I won't argue with that." he replied, unable to hide the fact that his woman's behaviour enticed him.

"You're tired from all your royal duties, I can tell. Let me put your mind at rest…" she then suggested as she lured him onto the bed, where she began to remove her clothes.

Godfry looked on with astonishment. He knew her quite well, and this was hardly the first time he had saw her undress and bare everything in front of his eyes, but he still found it to be quite the breath-taking sight when she did…

"I know I'm a lucky lady to be graced with the companionship of such an important man. I always want you to know how… 'grateful' I am. I know I'm just a lowly peasant's daughter, and you're the king's son, but I want to prove my worth to you, Prince Godfry." she said as she allured him further.

A part of him wanted it, but something in his head made him resist the temptation. Instead of jumping face first into the exotic act of passion she was offering him, he slowly sat down on the bed and sighed to himself. The situation was not as blissful or even as simple as he would have liked it to be. A part of him was screaming that what he was doing was wrong.

"What's the matter?" his female companion asked.

"You know what? Sometimes, I feel like the I'm the lucky one to have you. You are a beautiful young lady, Elannea, there's no disputing that." he admitted, before following with "But every time I lay with you in these chambers, I'm overcome with fear and worry."

"Why?" Elannea questioned. "I can handle my own affairs, and I can make my own choices."

He then turned to her, sporting a worried expression, and told her bluntly. "Elannea, if my father ever discovers of your presence in my life, he won't just have me confined to my chambers for a whole year, he'll most likely have you exiled… or executed."

Her partner having just killed the mood of the moment, Elannea sat up with the bed covers surrounding her naked body. Godfry's talk of exile and execution was really not the trick to maintaining her sexual impulses. "You really know how to spoil the moment, don't you?" she snarked back.

"I'm serious, I don't think we should keep doing this."

"Why not? Don't you love me?" she asked as she rubbed his neck, doing her best to soothe his concerns and relax his mind.

"Yes, more than I've ever loved anyone…" he admitted. "…and it's because I love you that I need you to go." he quietly but seriously stated. "If you stay, you'll die. My father is not a man who makes shallow threats."

"There are guards out there, idiot!" she aggressively answered back. "If I leave now, then I'll definitely be killed. I'm not going anywhere." she said, a little annoyed that the prince had rejected her advances and told her the get out.

Godfry then laid down beside her and pondered to himself. He wasn't sure what to do. The two young lovers just awkwardly sat in the bed together in silence for a moment as the prince tried to work out what he should do next. Eventually, he came to a decision.

"Tomorrow, I'll sneak you out. Go back to your family, I'll see you're okay for some gold and silver."

But Elannea just scoffed. "You're just going to walk me out the castle in the middle of the day?! Then we'll definitely get seen!" She then followed with "Besides, I don't want your gold and silver. I want you."

"We'll work this out." he ambiguously replied, still sounding a little unsure as to how he would safely direct her out of the castle without his father's watchful eye discovering her presence… or it he was even doing the right thing.

"In my studies of the human species, it would appear that political and personal affairs fuel disputes and quarrels in this world, and medieval England was no exception in that regard. But now I feel it is an appropriate time in this guide of history for us to return to a later period. The twentieth century. This is another time I enjoy reviewing. A lot happened in this span of one hundred years. Two global wars, a battle between two superpowers, a lot of political and social turnarounds, and so on. One of them being the fact that women could serve in the United States from around halfway through this century onwards. Of course, that didn't erase all the complications surrounding the issue…"

___________________________________________________________

Fort Custer, Michigan, United States (1980)

It was morning in Fort Custer when Staff Sergeant Mick Brucks called out his squad of sixteen soldiers to begin their morning training exercise. But he also intended to announce something important to them, regarding the fact that there were actually only fifteen of them that morning.

"Attention, soldiers! As you have probably noticed, one of you is missing this morning. Private Carter was discharged last night once it came to light the severity of his recent blunder. On a night out with some of his old friends, Carter found himself intoxicated, and ended up assaulting a police officer. Given this was not his first instance of misconduct, it was decided that he would be sent on his marching orders. I understand some of you were close with Carter, but as disciplined soldiers of the United States military, I trust you will deal with this turn of events aptly!"

"Sir! Yes, sir!" they all answered obediently, with blank expressions on their faces.

"Now that does mean that my squad has a vacant slot that needs filling, and after some interesting talks with some senior officers I know, we've got ourselves a new private! This person has only been serving for a number of months, but has already proven themselves to be a determined, committed, and efficient soldier. So, I want you all to give 'her' a warm welcome!"

That last sentence raised a few eyebrows. Females being in the army at this point in history, while hardly unheard of, was still not a particularly common occurrence in this time period, given military service was a highly male dominated line of work. Of course, they had to suppress their reactions and keep their expressions as neutral as possible, given they were private soldiers in the presence of their sergeant.

"Say hello to our newest recruit, Esther McGuiness!" he then declared as the woman in question marched her way towards the other squad boys.

They did their best to resist staring at her and tried to maintain their blank, forward expressions, but internally they were thinking all sorts of things. If nothing else, however, they were a little less surprised to find the woman joining their squad after getting a good look at her. She certainly met the physical requirements of an efficiently good soldier. She was about five feet and ten inches in height, or around the same as an average male. She also had a toned and slender, muscular physique which impressed many of the males present. She also had a very focused and serious look on her face. By the looks of things, she took her responsibilities very seriously and did not intend to let anyone down.

"Now, soldiers! Make your way down to the bars! We're going to begin the day with some basic fitness drills!" Sergeant Brucks then ordered.

"SIR! YES, SIR!" they all replied, with the new squad-ette Esther joining them.

They all then ran in a line, one immediately after the other, as they made their way down to the pull-up bar apparatus.

___________________________________________________________

"Alright, soldiers! Get your asses up there!" Brucks commanded as he watched his men, and woman, perform the drill as ordered.

There were three different bars, meaning that out of the 16 privates, there were always three of them performing the task at any time. Two of the physically fittest men on the team, Private Brock Juggersen and Private Rex Hiller, were both competing with each other to see which one of them could do the most pull-ups.

The third slightly slimmer private on the third bar paled in comparison to their impressive demonstrations of strength and stamina.

"Wow, look at them go!" one of the private's quietly mentioned to another as they in awe.

Finally, after going at it for quite a while, Rex's arms gave way, his grip loosened, and he had no choice but to let go and land back on the ground, feet first.

"Damn!" he muttered to himself in disappointment.

"Ha, made it all the way to fifty!" Brock bragged as he finally let go of the bar and landed on his feet beside his fellow soldier.

"Way to rub it in." Rex replied.

"Keep moving, soldiers!" Brucks then told them.

It was then new recruit Esther's turn to prove her physical prowess in front of her new peers. Refusing to be intimidated by the challenge before her, she got into position and began the exercise.

"Come on, McGuiness! Get your ass up there!" her sergeant ordered.

And she did just that. Esther was not the type to give up easily, and that mentality would serve her well in her days of service still to come. Determined to prove herself, she continued to push her body and continue the drill, fighting against the urges of her muscles, which soon began to practically scream for her to stop.

The other privates and even Brucks himself all watched on and were surprisingly amazed by how well she was doing. This young recruit was not lacking in upper body strength. In fact, she was coming close to matching Brock's number of fifty pull-ups at once.

"Woah! She's actually gonna beat Brock!" one of the boys then said in excitement.

"48… 49… 50! And now for one MORE!" Esther said to herself as she managed to ever so slightly surpass the fifty mark before her arms finally gave way.

"Okay, good showing, now keep moving!" Brucks told her as she moved on, allowing the next man to make his way to the bar.

"Okay, private! The new recruit just managed over fifty, so I want to see you do even more! Come on!" his sergeant then told him.

Unfortunately, he wasn't quite as in shape as she was, and her performance was making him look a little underwhelming in comparison. As such, his sergeant was not too impressed…

"Come on, maggot! Private McGuiness just did all that, and you can't even do a fraction of what she could!? What kind of a soldier are you, anyway!?" Brucks then asked him, much to his frustration.

"An impressive display of physical prowess and mental determination, wouldn't you say? There is plenty more in store for Esther McGuiness and her fellow squad men, but we can come back to all that. For now, I think it's worth elaborating on the fact that not all conflicts and battles are bombastic or explosive. Some can be quite hidden and subtle in how they're forged. While militaries, and medieval kingdoms, and Viking armies are all very obvious representations of the war-like mindset of humans, some animosity and violence can be bred in less obvious or outgoings ways. Take this next place I'm about to show you, for instance. It's not a battleground or a training facility, it's just a simple, everyday domestic setting. But even in places like this, anger and conflict are still brewing away…"

___________________________________________________________

Toronto, Canada (2002)

In the early twenty-first century, in a seemingly ordinary home in Toronto, a young fair-haired teenage girl was sitting on the sofa beside her father, watching television. By all accounts, it was a mundane and everyday scenario, and yet, there was an uneasy tension within the room. It was almost as if the young girl was afraid to move a muscle without his say-so.

"Want something to drink?" the father suddenly asked.

"Erm, no thanks, I'm not thirsty." she politely declined.

"Suit yourself." he replied before getting up and walking into the kitchen.

She then loosened her sitting position as a slight sense of relief was felt for a brief moment. She couldn't stand being around the man, despite the fact that he was her father. He seemed like an ordinary middle-aged man. A simple shirt and jeans, balding hair and a small beard, and an average physique. Yet she saw him as something different entirely…

"So, you got no plans this Friday night?" he then shouted from the kitchen.

She didn't answer immediately, hesitant as she was not sure as to what the best response would be.

"Hey! I said have you got any plans on Friday?!" he then repeated with a more angered tone of voice.

"Um… no, dad." she nervously replied.

"Good, I didn't think you did. That works out for me because I had a special something in mind. Just some quality father-daughter time." he then said as he walked back into the room with a bottle of beer in his hand, his angered tone having disappeared again.

"Actually, I was thinking I might go and stay over at Sally's house for a night or two this weekend. You know? Sally from my class at school." the girl then suddenly brought up.

"Huh? I thought that Sally girl moved out of town a few months ago?" her father questioned.

"Um…"

"And to be honest, you didn't seem to be the best of friends anyway?"

"Well, the thing is…"

"Marianne, are you lying to me?" he then asked her.

After letting out a disappointed sigh, the daughter conceded defeat and admitted the truth…

"Yes, dad."

"Why? What's wrong? I'm just suggesting we do a little father-daughter bonding. Is that a problem?" he asked with a surprised and innocent tone.

"It's nothing. I'm just…" she tried to come up with a defence, but to no avail.

"Mari, I'm disappointed in you. I've always told you never to lie to me. Also, I don't see why you're so dead set against the idea of us spending time together. Honestly, you should consider yourself lucky. There are many young boys and girls out there whose parents don't care about them at all."

"I'm sorry, dad." she then apologised.

"It's fine. Just don't do it again. Anyway, since it's clear you're not doing anything else, you can spend Friday night with me. We'll have some fun. We'll eat, maybe watch a movie, have some refreshments…"

"Yeah, dad. Sounds great!" she told him, doing her best to sound excited.

"And I'm sure we can think of something really nice to top the night off when it's all done." he then proposed.

"Erm… yeah. Definitely!"

"Good girl. Now that this show is about done, I suggest you get your chores done for the night. We can't have you going to bed too late, after all. You've got to be well rested for school tomorrow."

"Yes, dad." she said as she obeyed his instruction, standing up and walking into the kitchen to begin her chores like he proposed.

But despite her efforts to hide it, clearly there was an anxiety wriggling around inside her mind, plaguing her mental state. She used the chores as a method of suppressing those worries, and just got on with the task at hand. But there was obviously more to her situation than what was viewable from first glance…

___________________________________________________________

Sometime later, she was in her night clothes, finishing her science homework in her bedroom when something in the corner of her eye demanded her attention. She stood up from her desk and stepped closer to the window beside her. She looked down at the sidewalk across the road from her house, where she saw a man walking home with his little daughter.

The little girl was wearing a Cub Scouts uniform. She had just spent an evening with friends, partaking in recreational activities, with her parents supporting her, hence her father walking her home at night after the session was over. Mari looked on at the girl with envy as she saw her happy, cheerful face that was filled with such sweet innocence. Mari envied her simply because that was a luxury not every child could have, herself being a prime example.

She also admired the father walking beside her, smiling at his daughter's ecstatic and energetic sweetness, ruffling her hair with his fingers playfully as they strolled their way down the street. With just one single glance, it was clear to little Mari that they were a happy and stable family unit.

Marianne felt envy towards them, but she also felt a sense of jealousy, a very similar emotion. In response to this sight of cheerfulness, Mari clenched her fist as she began to bottle up her feelings of anger and rage inside her, channelling them into her tightened hand. The expression on her face began to harden as her feelings of rage slowly boiled their way to the surface. This girl clearly had her fair share of demons, and the sight of a more fortunate girl, even a total stranger, being much happier and more contempt with her situation than she was made her feel so very wronged.

Mari was so close to lashing out at the nearest object, letting her emotions take control of her. She was ready to punch a hole in the window, at that moment unconcerned with the consequences of such an action, but a distraction came along to prevent such an outburst in the nick of time…

"MARI! GET READY FOR BED! IT'S ALREADY PAST 9:30!" her father then shouted from across the house.

Suddenly, the troubled teenage girl unclenched her fist, regained control and suppressed her emotions once again, and reluctantly followed her old man's orders and prepared herself for bedtime…

…but would she really be able to sleep soundly that night?

"Like I said, some forms of violence and oppression are subtle and hidden, but others throughout history have certainly been outgoing and even downright barbaric. To emphasise my point, I would like to direct your attention to some of the bloodiest wars in the history of your species. The Mongolian Conquests, spanning across many years, were indeed a time of destruction and bloodshed. Of course, like with the Germans of the twentieth century, it is fair to point out that not all soldiers within the Mongolian forces were bloodthirsty barbarians…"

___________________________________________________________

Zhongdu, China (1215)

"Here's a little history lesson for many of you. During the rise of the fearsome Temüjin, also known as Genghis Khan, and his powerful Mongol empire, he and his army had many battles and massacres under his name. In the year 1215, his focus was on his war against the Jurchen Jin Dynasty, which controlled northern China. War had been waging between them since 1211, and within a few short years, the Mongol army had conquered its way to the capital city of the Jin empire, Zhongdu. But instead of taking the capital by brute force, their strategy was far slower and much more gruesome in many respects. The efficient but ruthless Genghis decided to starve the people of the city into submission. Needless to say, the implications of this are quite grim…"

The city of Zhongdu was not in a good state at this time. With the threat of a ruthless and powerful Mongol army looming over them, and the lack of food and resources that they had, the people of the city were not faring well. All around, there were very skinny and frail, visually tired and fatigued men, women and children. Thousands had been starved within the walls and at this stage, the populace was at its breaking point. Many had even resorted to cannibalism to survive. Many streets had half eaten bodies lying on the ground; the selected victims of the rest of the starving populace.

Outside the city, the hordes of attackers under the leadership of Genghis Khan waited for their time to strike. One reluctant man within the army of warriors was none other than Oktai, a small and somewhat conflicted member of the Mongol army.

As they waited outside the city for the right time to seize control, the invading force temporarily waited in a large grass field area inside their easily constructed and portable Yurts. In one of those Yurts, Oktai did his best to keep to himself while the others anticipated the bloodshed to come. One of the other Mongol warriors, Batu, walked over to the confront him for his uneasy demeanour.

"Oktai, what is the matter with you? Any day now we will be called by our Great Khan to finally take the city of Zhongdu. We have waited patiently for this chance to strike. We must remain focused on our goal to defeat the Jin empire!"

"Yes, sure, you make it sound so noble and glorified." Oktai bitterly responded as he walked further into the corner of the Yurt's interior.

But Batu was not one to let the matter slide so softly. As a loyal follower of his leader, he saw willingness to follow directives and the meaning of loyalty as crucial things for any follower of Genghis Khan to possess.

"We do what the great Temujin tells us to do! It's because of his guidance, and his determination, that we have achieved so much success in our conquests of this region of the world!" he then insisted.

"Success? That's what you call this? Do you know what I call it? Massacre! Slaughter! Bloodthirst! It's ruthless and vile, and it's wrong! I wish I never had any part in it!" Oktai then bit back.

"No, you wish you were still at your rich father's settlement, enjoying the luxuries that loyal and bold warriors such as myself allow you to have through the spoils of war. Your father was right to force you to fight alongside us! Your view of the world is naïve, and arrogant, and stupid! These last few years of war have been your most important years of all! What we do is not because we are savages! That might be how much of the world sees us, but life is never that simple!" Batu argued angrily.

"Is that right?! You can tell yourselves that there's more to it than just wanting power and wealth, but let's face it, that's what every battle is always about, isn't it? Wanting more!"

"All the great empires of the world's history were great empires because they successfully conquered other lands! We are no different from the romans, or the pagans! Conquest forges prosperous dynasties! If only someone as weak-willed and gullible as you could understand that!"

"You may have a way with words, Batu, but I still call it how I see it! You're all heartless savages!" Oktai insisted before angrily storming out of the Yurt, which was probably a wise move considering how much his words were getting under the skin of the larger, more aggressive Mongolian warrior at that moment.

Oktai walked outside and sat down on the grass beside the Yurt. He looked over at the city up ahead from them, the Jin Capital, the place they had been waiting outside of as part of their plan.

There were walls surrounding the city, but Oktai could imagine what was taking place within those walls. Starvation, abandonment, desperation, treachery… all kinds of horrors he could foresee taking place as its inhabitants dealt with the consequences of being targeted by the fearsome Mongol army.

He began to imagine screams of pain and cries of fear in his head. He was not by his nature a man of violence or destruction; he was a citizen forced into war by his old man as a result of the alliance his family had with Genghis and his allies.

Just as his mind began to feel absorbed and consumed by the horrors of what his fellow Mongol's were doing, he was grabbed roughly on the shoulder by another of his comrades.

"What are you doing out here?" he was asked.

A slightly startled Oktai stood up and faced the other man, doing his best to suppress his inner fears and insecurities. "I was just… getting some air."

"You looked uneasy." the other man informed him. "I suggest you find a way to regain your composure. We are currently fighting in a long and tiresome battle, so we need all the alert and ready warriors we can get. We've cut off the supply of food and water to the town, and we've starved them into submission. We've received word that we will finally take the city tomorrow, so get some rest!"

As he walked away, a still uncertain and conflicted Oktai asked him "Do you think it's right? What we're doing?"

Without changing his walking pace or turning around, the other man simply replied with "What do you mean? We're following orders, of course it's right." and kept moving on.

"Certainly not the typical kind of man you would expect in a legendary Mongol army, but I find that your world's history is filled with many of these anomalies. But Oktai's true test would come the following day, when the horrors of warfare stared him right in the face. Stick around, and I might just show you that. But for now, it's time we return to the medieval period, as my tour of the ages of fury nears its conclusion. Yes, I like to hop around from time to time, quite frequently actually. That's just my style…"

___________________________________________________________

Thamin, England, 1500 AD

The morning after he had returned home from his eventful night in the tavern, a slightly hungover Grayward was resting in his chambers, when he was irritatingly interrupted by a knocking on the door.

"Prince Grayward, it's Sir Duncan. Your grace has summoned you; he expects down in throne room in ten minutes." the knight outside then spoke, earning a groan of annoyance from the uncouth prince.

"Fuck sake." he muttered to himself under his breath, as he held his ringing head in pain.

___________________________________________________________

After a little while longer than ten minutes, Grayward appeared before his proud father, King Godwaine, who sat with an ever so authoritative pose in his throne chair. He had a strongly disapproving look on his face as he saw his scruffy and tired, casually dressed son walk into the room before him. His other son, Godfry, also stood in the throne room beside him, along with a few other appointed knights and lords of the realm. They all stood in judgement of the hungover young figure of royalty that had wandered his way into the room.

"What took you?" the king then sternly asked.

Grayward placed his hand on his head for a couple of seconds before humorously muttering back "I wasn't feeling too well this morning. Can't imagine why."

"Your father asked you to come down to the throne room half an hour ago! Punctuality in a prince is key!" his more obedient sibling Godfry interjected.

"Who asked you, brother?!" Grayward bit back, prompting their father to intervene.

"Enough!" he ever so slightly raised his voice, commanding the attention of both his sons. "I will not allow brotherly squabbling to diverge us from the matter at hand. We have important matters to discuss." he then continued with his usual calm and orderly tone.

"Like what?" Gray asked.

"The kingdom of Paelot continues to prove itself a significant threat to us every passing day. Your brother has suggested something quite intriguing, an idea that I myself have agreed to." King Godwaine began to elaborate.

"Another gold star for Godfry, I guess." Gray snarked.

"I proposed that we call for a truce between ourselves and Paelot, so that we can focus our heads on other important priorities, such as supply of food and managing of financial matters." Godfry said.

"Not to mention the threat posed to us by other, even stronger kingdoms." Godwaine added.

"And how do you intend to make that happen? By asking them nicely to surrender to us?" a sceptical Gray then questioned.

King Godwaine then smirked, evidently familiar with his son's defiant attitude, before replying accordingly. "By arranged marriage. King Henry of Paelot has a daughter, only seventeen years of age, named Pennilla. I will send a raven to his castle today, with a message regarding our proposal. If he accepts, one of you will marry his daughter to secure a healthy and stable alliance between our two kingdoms."

"Naturally, since I am very busy with military matters, I have recommended that father push her towards you, brother. After all, you seem to have plenty of spare time these days, enough to pour beer and wine down your neck like a crazed madman." Godfry mentioned aloud, much to his twin's chagrin.

"Don't I get any say in all this?!" Gray then asked angrily. "I've never even heard of the girl!"

One of the lords in the throne room then spoke up on the king's behalf. "We have heard many promising things about young Pennilla, Prince Grayward. She is very beautiful, so we've heard."

"Yes, you say that now! I bet when I see her, she looks like a right dog!" Gray spoke back, earning him a scalding from his father.

"Enough! I don't want to hear another temper tantrum! You're my son, and the prince of this very kingdom. You will do your duty and marry Princess Pennilla of Paelot!" he said sternly and forcefully.

An increasingly outraged Gray balled his fist in anger, doing his best to contain his inner rage, but this effort did not last long as he quickly lost his temper and decided to let it all out. "Way to fuck me over again, your grace!" he said with a sourly sarcastic tone. "Anything else?! Would you like me to cut off my balls and eat them for you while we're at it?!"

"Watch your tone, brother! He's your father and your king!" Godfry warned him.

"I'm not in the mood for this!" an annoyed and exhausted Gray then said in defeat before walking out of the room in protest of his father's order.

"Should I go after him, father?" Godfry asked.

"Go, try and talk some sense into your brother. Someone has to. I'll finish discussing the terms of our strategy with the other lords." the king said.

___________________________________________________________

"Grayward! Grayward, wait!" Godfry shouted as he ran after his brother in the castle corridor.

"Fuck off!" his brother bit back.

"Grayward!" he repeated as he finally caught up to him and grabbed him by the shoulder, forcing his fellow prince to turn around.

"What?!" he aggressively demanded to know.

"You can't just walk out like that! He's our father and our king!"

"So you said! Let me ask you, brother. If our father asked you to jump out of the window of one of the highest towers in the castle, would you?" Gray then beratingly asked him.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Godfry asked, earning him an amused scoff from his brother.

"Why don't you work it out?!" Gray bluntly told him.

"Grayward, you need to stop all this. Father is offering you a beautiful and important woman as your wife to be. He's doing you a favour!" Godfry insisted.

Gray then snickered before telling him exactly what he thought of the whole arrangement. "He's forcing me to marry a woman I've never met, who I might not even like, just to further his own plans! He's using me as a tool, just like he always does!" He then sarcastically said "But no, you're right! I should be grateful for father's generous gift! I'm sure he has my best interest at heart. After all, he's giving me this all for nothing. I mean, it's not like I've ever earned any prizes or gifts from my old man!"

An irritated Godfry then cold inputted "You're right about one thing. You haven't earned it."

"Is that right?" Gray asked.

"Yes, that's right. You've never done anything to serve your family or your kingdom! While I've been helping father maintain order in Thamin and solve some of its biggest problems, you've been spending your time drinking, whoring, sleeping and fighting! Hardly fitting behaviour for a prince!" Godfry harshly reminded him.

"I never asked to be born a poncy fucking prince!" his brother hurled back defensively.

"No, but you should be glad to be born into such an important and privileged position! It could be a lot worse, you know? Just think of all the peasants out there! Many of them eat scraps, drink dirty water, and get buckets of shit thrown on their heads every morning!" Godfry pointed out.

"At least their honest and hard-working! What are we? A bunch of self-serving, money holding, arse licking bastard men in fancy clothes and golden fucking bedrooms! Give me the peasants life any day!"

"Enough! You're just acting out because you think father has it out for you!" Godfry then accused, to which his brother just smirked and looked away. "He doesn't, he just doesn't care for your disobedience and uncouthly nature. If you actually worked hard to serve your king and your kingdom, you might actually earn his acceptance and appreciation, like I have. Have you ever thought of that?"

Grayward just walked away from his brother, not believing a word he was being told. Godfry just stood there, feeling slightly offended by his brother's rude and dismissive attitude. As Grayward walked down the corridor and back to his chambers, he simply shouted back to his twin "You keep telling yourself that, brother! Maybe one of us will start to believe it." which caused Godfry to adopt a very confused facial expression in response.

___________________________________________________________

Birmingham, England (2025)

After he had concluded his weekend work shift, Jacob Woods was driving around town as he passed by the South Paw pub that his friend had mentioned to him on the phone earlier that day. Exactly as he had described it, there was indeed a smashed window, with police tape having been placed in front of the damage since the incident transpired.

Jacob shook his head in disappointment before driving on. He sadly suspected his offspring might have had something to do with it.

But that's why he was on his way to the pub, so he could relax a little and enjoy the evening with his friends, without having to worry about work commitments or family woes for just a couple of hours.

___________________________________________________________

"So, how's the life of a warehouse worker suiting you?" Jacob's friend Tim asked him in the midst of their conversation as they all sat in one of the pub booths.

"It's a job, if nothing else. Working in a warehouse for a supermarket is not really what I had in mind for a living when I was pushing fifty, but it has its perks."

"Yeah, fifty percent off all booze for employees who work weekend shifts!" one of the others then joked.

"Yeah, laugh it up, but I'm happy with where I am. I've got a decent job, a great family, and a roof over my head…" Jacob then defensively said.

"And a bunch of mates who will give him shit for it!" one of them replied, causing them all to laugh in response.

Jacob was able to take a joke, and so he graciously laughed along with them at his own expense, "Seriously, though. I'm happy with where I'm at. I learned a long time ago that you can either get all mad and whinge about things not going the way you want, or you can just get on with it and make do."

"Fair enough. I suppose I'm quite happy, too. I mean, I've had a few rough patches in the past year." Tim then mentioned.

"Oh yeah, you said something about your wife splitting up with you?" Jacob asked.

"That's right. But I'm back in the dating game. Got one next Friday night with a woman called Rita. Here, I'll show you." he then said as he got out his phone and shown the others a picture of the woman in question.

"What?! No way would a woman like her would go for someone with an ugly fucking mug like you!" one of the other guys said.

"Well, she is." Tim insisted.

"How old is she?" Jacob asked.

"About forty-five. That's what it says on her profile, anyway."

"She's looking good for her age. You've struck gold there, mate." Jacob complimented.

"Cheers."

"By the way, I drove past that South Paw on the way down here. You weren't joking, were you?" Jacob then mentioned.

"No, I told you on the phone earlier. There was some big fight down there the other night. Absolute mayhem, I heard." Tim clarified.

"I heard that, too." the third man said.

"Me as well." the fourth one followed.

"Two rival gangs did it, you said?" Jacob asked.

"That's the rumour. I don't actually know, I wasn't there. Probably some young pricks thinking they can do whatever the fuck they want." Tim guessed.

"That's the problem with youth these days. They all think the world owes them, like they're entitled. They think they can go around doing whatever they want and we should just let them." another one of them argued.

Jacob just sat there and pondered to himself as his drinking buddies rambled away amongst themselves. He still had a suspicion that his son and his friends could be the culprits, much to his dismay.

But as they chatted away, what Jacob didn't know was that he had chosen the same pub to go to that night as his son Zack, who was drinking by the other end of the pub with his own group of friends.

___________________________________________________________

"DOWN IT!" Theo yelled as he and the others watched their friend Leanne drink a whole glass of lager in one go.

"DONE!" she triumphantly shouted as she slammed the glass back down on the table.

"Nice one. Bet you I can do you one better, though!" Sam claimed.

"Anyone can talk big, dickhead!" she challenged.

"Okay, let's not go mental, you lot. If we get completely hammered, we'll be fucked when we go sixth form in the morning, or you when you go work, Sam. Not to mention, we won't be in any good state for training tomorrow night." Zack reminded them.

"Yeah, but we can still have a few. We ain't fuckin' lightweights." Theo said.

"Exactly! A little drink never hurt anyone. Besides, I'll more than work off the beer gut tomorrow. You know how hard I train." Lee insisted.

"Well, you certainly don't hold back, that's for sure." Zack complimented.

"Well, there you go then. I reckon we can get away with another pint or two and still be good tomorrow." Lee claimed confidently.

"Alright. Fair enough." Zack agreed.

"Are you coming down to the park with us tomorrow?" Lee then asked Sam.

"I can't. I'm working late at the garage again. We're always busy this time of year, mate."

"You haven't been down for a few weeks now. I bet you're starting to get out of shape." Zack said.

"Fuck off! Once this busy period is over, I'll be back on the grass with you lot and kicking all your heads in!" Sam bit back.

"Ha! I don't recall you ever being able to kick my head in!" Lee cockily retorted.

"Or mine!" Zack followed.

"I can kick him in, though." Sam then said as he pointed at Theo.

"Yeah, but I've only just started recently. I ain't going to be that good yet."

"Theo's getting better actually. He caught me with a good bomb the other day." Zack mentioned.

"Oh, so he's finally manned up enough to do some sparring?" Sam teasingly asked.

"Actually, we've just done drills where he tries to hit us." Zack answered.

"I asked them to introduce me to it slowly." Theo justified.

"Ha, sounds like you're still a bit of a pussy to me!" Sam said as he chuckled and folded his arms while grinning arrogantly.

"Fuck you, you cunt! At least I'm actually going down there!" Theo argued.

"Still, he's got a point mate. You need to actually get stuck in if you want to get better." Lee then said.

"Alright, fine! I'll do some sparring with you two tomorrow!" Sam boldly declared.

"Are you sure?" Zack asked him.

"Yeah, I'm up for it! Let's do it! Like Lee says, might as well get stuck in!"

"And you know what we should all get stuck into right now? Some more lager! I'll buy this round!" Lee then said as she stood up and walked over to order more drinks.

"Hi, what can I get you, love?" the barman asked.

"Four pints of lager would be nice."

"That'll be £16."

Leanne then got out her card and paid electronically. "Coming up!" she said.

But as the barman walked over to dispense her drinks, a sleazy young man and his gang walked up to her as she was standing by herself at the bar counter.

"Hey, beautiful. Fancy a bite to eat?" he asked.

"You what?" she replied with confusion.

"I was thinking you could come back to mine, and I'd let you have a taste of my jumbo sausage."

"Oh yeah?" she snarked.

"Yep. So, you fancy it?" he arrogantly proposed.

Lee just snickered in response to his arrogance and sleaze, before being saved by the barman's punctuality…

"Okay, here you go." he said as he passed her the four glasses of alcohol on a tray.

"Cheers, mate." she said as she began to walk away with them.

"So, what do you say?" the sleazy man asked again.

"Erm, I've already got company, thanks. Besides, you're not really my type." she said.

The slightly offended man then stepped closer and aggressively retaliated. "Why? Are you a lezza or something?!" he harshly accused her.

"No!" she angrily replied.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. It's just that I ain't into guys with big heads and small cocks."

"OOOHHHHH!" the sleazy man's friends then shouted in response to her burn.

"Fuck you, you little bitch! Your loss!" he shouted.

Lee then turned around angrily to stare him down, but she was stopped by her friends who called her over…

"Hey, Lee? Have you got our drinks yet or what?!" Theo asked.

"Yeah, I'm coming now!" she said.

"What? You're picking them twats over us?" the man then berated her.

"Okay, one, they're my mates! Two, they'd kick the shit out of you wankers any day of the week! Three, so can I, so shut the fuck up before I decide to shut you up myself!" she then warned them before walking back to her table.

"Wow! You got turned down pretty bad there, mate." one of the man's friends then commented.

"No, it's not over yet! No one says fuckin' no to me! Let's go and teach that bitch and her bastard friends a good lesson! Once I beat up those cunts, she'll probably have the hots for me!" he said bitterly.

___________________________________________________________

Jacob had left the table to go to the toilet, and as he walked back out from taking a leak, he received a surprise phone call from his wife.

"Hi, Jen. What's the matter?"

"J, can you come back here? Something's come up?"

"What is it?"

"I'd rather we talked about this in person. Can you wrap it up down at the pub?"

"That would be a little bit rude, wouldn't it?" he asked. "I am halfway through sharing a pint with Tim and the boys."

"Please. It's important." she then requested, sounding quite serious as she did so.

"Okay, okay… I'll be there. I'll just finish this pint and then I'll come back and we can talk about whatever you want."

"Thanks, J."

Just then, Jacob could overhear some loud thuds and some cries of pain, as well as some shouting and general commotion coming from the other side of the pub. It was a fairly large pub, with quite a few different room areas to it, but that still didn't stop the sounds of violence and calamity from reaching all the corners of the building. The noise was so loud and booming, in fact, that Jen could even hear it from the other side of the phone line.

"What was that?!"

"Hang on, Jen. I've got to go! I'll see you in a bit!" he said as he ceased the call and rushed over to see what all the ruckus was about.

"J, you have to see this!" Tim shouted as he made his way back to his friends.

"What's going on?" Jacob asked.

"I think two gangs of youths are kicking off at each other! First it happened at the South Paw, and now here!" Tim informed him. "Things are getting mad around here!"

They were only guessing exactly what was happening, of course, as they only allowed themselves to get moderately close to the action, and there were a lot of people standing between Jacob's clique and the fighting groups. However, one of Jacob's friends managed to catch a small glimpse of the altercation taking place through all the gaps between the observing audience's heads.

"Hey, I think one of those guys fighting is your son, J!"

"What?!" Jacob then blurted out before rushing over to check for himself.

He shoved his way through the small crowd of pub customers who were watching, and slowly but surely got closer to the area. When he did, Jacob saw that his friend was not wrong. One of the young men involved in the altercation was indeed his son Zack. By the time Jacob had made his way close enough to see what was going on, he saw that Zack and his buddies had completely trashed the other gang, having spilt a fair share of blood and leaving them lying on the ground in pain.

"OKAY, THAT DOES IT! YOU LOT ARE BARRED! GET OUTTA HERE!" the barman then yelled, pointing Zack and his friends to the door.

"What?! They started it!" Sam protested.

"I don't care who started it! You're all barred! NOW GET OUT!" he ordered.

"Come on, it's their loss. There's always other pubs. Let's go!" Zack said as he and his friends quickly made themselves scarce.

A fleeing but victorious Lee then also took the opportunity to rub it in the face of the sleazy young lad she had just put on the ground…

"Told you we'd kick your head in, you little shit!"

But as Zack and the others walked out proudly after stomping out the rival gang, his father looked on in shock and disbelief. He had his suspicions about his son, but now they had not only been painfully confirmed, but also with the added embarrassment of the altercation taking place in front of all his close friends.

"So, that was your son, then? He's got a temper, hasn't he?" Tim then walked over and asked him.

But the surprised father didn't answer. He was too focused on what had just happened. The shock still hadn't completely set in…

"Do you think it was his lot who also kicked off in the South Paw the other night?" Tim the concerningly questioned him.

And Jacob honestly didn't know how to answer. He really wasn't sure what to think of his son's behaviour anymore. But one thing he knew for sure was that he had to be a responsible father and step up to put his troubled, aggressive son back on the right path.

"I don't know, Tim. But I do know one thing. He's going to have to answer to me for all this!"

"As you can see, the capacity for people to engage in barbaric and primitive pursuits such as public brawling is one that exists throughout just about any period of human history. Still, if this tour of mine proves anything, it's that there is conflict and tension present in all these different eras, and considering it's my job, I am lucky to be tasked with studying and monitoring all this activity. Like I said, it is fascinating to watch unfold, even if I'm not personally fond of all their ways of thinking. Still, that is how the human mind developed, I guess. But there is so much more to be seen. I have only just begun to show you the ages of fury of the human species. Brace yourselves for so much more…"

"…for there is so much more to see. Since I have been observing and studying the history of the human race and all its significant events, I can assure you there is plenty more carnage and chaos to be witnessed. After all, that is my job, to understand the nature of humans and how they have progressed, or perhaps devolved, over time. It's hard to decide, really…"

"I suppose I should make sure nothing is left out before this tour is concluded. I should probably inform you a little about myself. My title is Chronnixadmeen-4523.1, but if you want a name easier to remember, then you can just call me Chronnix-4. But honestly… it doesn't really matter. My title is not important. What is important is what you are all about to experience. Today's demonstrations are merely a taste of what there is to behold. Be prepared to see a whole lot of violence, lust, envy, ambition, greed, power, and of course… fury. Ages of it!"