Alliance, Butchery, Carnage

Chronnix-4 was once again observing the happenings of earth's history through a holographic screen, and once again he was paying special attention to the periods of human development that sparked his interest most.

But just then, his attention was diverted towards another holographic projection. It was a call from one of his supervisors.

"Sir?" Chronnix asked out of surprise.

"Greetings." he formally replied.

"Greetings, of course. What is it you seek from me, sir?"

"I have just watched the 'guided tour' report you sent me regarding the happenings of a planet you have designated 'earth'. It seems you have been spending a lot of time looking at this world." the supervisor pointed out.

"Earth is just the name given to it by its inhabitants, sir. But I must insist, it is quite an interesting place. By far the most intriguing world I have observed in my time serving in this role." Chronnix claimed.

"Be that as it may, your role is to scan, observe, and report on the occurrences of planets all over your designated region of the universe, need I remind you? Over four hundred million parsecs of distance are yours to analyse and yet you spend most of your working time, it seems, looking at this insignificant blue spec. It's not the only place you have been tasked with researching. Observations should be fast and brief, that is how your colleagues are able to cover so much ground in such relatively short durations. You've tackled your task in a completely inefficient manner. Earth is not so important as to dictate all your time and attention. Remember your duties, sir." the supervisor harshly reminded him, before ceasing the transmission and his projected image faded away.

"Yes, sir." Chronnix reluctantly said before pulling a small timekeeper device out of his pocket.

He pressed a button on the side of it, resulting in the hologram temporarily cutting to a blank screen. A new vision of an alien world than appeared in its place.

He sighed to himself before going on a calm yet slightly irritated rant. "Most other planets in this region of the universe are boring, there really isn't anything else worth seeing! Still, I suppose I should listen. He is my supervisor, after all. I'll just have to return to the blue marble after my business observing the other inhabited worlds is concluded." he said to himself as he prepared to divert his attention for a short while, looking forward to resuming his studies on the earth once his duties were fulfilled.

And he had good reason to anticipate, as there was a lot of eventfulness taking place on the planet…

___________________________________________________________

Birmingham, England (2025)

After having witnessed his son get involved in an eruptive gang brawl at the local pub, Jacob Woods returned home to his wife, who was eager to share some news with him.

"Jen, I'm home!" he shouted as he made his way through the front door.

His wife walked down the stairs to meet him. "J, I'm glad your home. I was hoping we could talk about…" she went to say, but was suddenly cut off.

"What you said? About our son? You were right!"

"What?!" she blurted out in shock.

"I was down at the pub with Tim and the others, and it all kicked off! I ran over to see what was going on, and I saw Zack and his mates standing over a bunch of other lads!"

Jen adopted a look that seemed to be a mix of both anxiety and anger, before replying with a simple question. "Are you sure it was him?!"

"Yeah, I saw him right there, clear as fucking day! They walked out before I got a chance to talk to him, but I saw him!" Jacob confirmed.

A troubled and upset Jen then strolled over to her husband, who embraced her in his arms. Her head rested against his chest as she tried to make what she could out of the unfortunate situation.

"Where did we go wrong?" she asked him.

Jacob could see his wife was doubtful of her own parenting skills, and being a good husband, he sought to put her mind at ease. "You didn't go wrong. You're a good mum to that boy. If anything, I'm the one whose too soft on him."

"You always said it was better to just let young boys be young boys." she then said, quietly yet with a saddened tone.

"I did. I thought it was best. But maybe I was wrong. I thought being too hard with him would push him away, but maybe a little hard love was what he needed."

Jen then released herself from his hold and asked him a question. "Is that how you were brought up? With a relaxed mum and dad? Because if it was, it obviously worked out well for you."

Jacob placed his hand on his chin and awkwardly admitted "Not exactly." before sitting down on the chair and laying back.

"It's weird. Me and you have been married for, how many years now?" she then brought up.

"What is it? Twenty-three years, I think now." he amusingly recalled, reflecting on all the time that had passed since the blooming of their relationship.

"Yes, twenty-three years." she muttered humorously, also reflecting on how much time had passed and how much they had aged. "You'd think we would have got a bit wiser by now." she then remarked.

"They say there's a correlation between age and wisdom, but I guess that doesn't apply to me." Jacob joked.

"Seriously though, J. We've been together for that many years, been through and talked about so many things, and we feel like we know each other so bloody well… and yet I've never really asked you about your upbringing before."

"Yeah you have, loads of times, and I've told you all about it." he claimed. "I have a dad named Derek. I had a mum named Darien, until she died when I was twelve. I went to school until I was sixteen, pratted around for a while until my dad got sick of me and chucked me out the front door, and then I joined the army when I was eighteen." he recapped.

"Yes, you've told me about the basics, but I've never really asked you about it in detail. What was it like, growing up with your dad?"

Jacob then sat up and looked her in the eyes before answering. She could tell by his body language and vocal tone that it was a somewhat touchy subject for him, perhaps the reason why he had never elaborated too deeply on it before. But now he felt like he was obligated to provide her with answers. She was his wife, after all…

"Alright Jen, you're right, you should know about it. My dad was… he was a good man, in many ways. He was respectful, cared about people doing the right thing and living up to their responsibilities."

"So, he was a man of discipline, then?" Jen asked.

"Exactly. He was a man of discipline. In many ways, I admired him. He was the bloke that taught me right from wrong, he made sure I didn't become some pisshead, or a druggie, or a lazy fucking waster!" he said.

"But…?" Jen then asked, sensing a less positive statement about his father was due to follow.

Jacob then stared at the blank television as he continued with his story. "Let's just say, a part of me does wish he would have been just a little bit less strict on me than he was. I don't know, I mean… I know he was just trying to make me into a man of responsibility, and I thank him for that. I might not have been the man I am now if it wasn't for him… but I sometimes get the feeling that I missed out on quite a lot of my childhood, as well." he stated.

"How do you mean?" a confused Jen questioned.

"Let's just say that while all the other lads were out playing on their bikes, or on the swings, or on their games, I was constantly doing stuff for my dad. Whether it be doing housework, or doing training with him in the evenings, or working with him during the weekends… I mean, it was all good stuff, and I'm glad I did it in one way, but I do wish he would have just let me have a little more free time every now and then when I was a kid, you know what I mean? With him, it was almost non-stop all the bloody time!" Jacob then elaborated, letting out a slightly irritated vocal tone as he did so.

"Well, everyone needs their downtime, I understand that. Sounds like your dad was a little full-on with you." Jen said.

Jacob then faced her again and replied "That's what I mean. That's why I've tried to be a little more laid-back with Zack, and let him do his own thing. Let him have the fun that I didn't get to have." But he then expressed guilt with the following sentence. "But maybe that's why he's getting himself into all this shit now. I didn't show him enough discipline. I went too far in the other direction." he fearfully concluded as he stood up out of his chair. "I fucked up, Jen!"

Sensing her husband needed a little reassurance, Jen walked over to her man and spoke with him a little more closely and intimately. "You're a good father, Jacob Woods. I just think that you need to find a bit of a middle ground between you and your dad. I'm not saying we need to start acting like some pair of drill sergeants with big rolling pins up our backsides! I just think we need to be a bit more hands-on with Zack."

Jacob then looked at her and let out a small yet meaningful smile. "You always know what to say to cheer me up, don't you?"

"I'm your wife, that's my job." she replied as she let out a smirk. "We're a team, you and me. Always have been, always will be."

"Your job? Really? Tim says a wife's job is to nag you to death." Jacob then amusingly brought up.

"Did he? Well, maybe that's why Tim has been divorced three times in the last ten years." Jen joked as she aggressively but playfully poked him on the chest.

Jacob stepped back and momentarily laughed at his wife's humour, before resuming his serious outlook on his son's behaviour. "Anyway, you're right. When he comes home, we'll both talk to him about his behaviour."

"Well, I won't keep myself up all night waiting for him! It's 10 O'clock now, so he'll either get in really late or he'll be out for the whole night. We'll talk to him tomorrow." Jen said.

"Fair enough. I've got work again tomorrow, anyway. I'd better get to bed." Jacob agreed. "By the way, what was it you wanted to talk to me about earlier?" he then asked as they made their way to the staircase.

"Oh, that? Never mind, it can wait…"

The two then made their way upstairs, preparing to get some well needed rest after their son had sparked their worries. But they did wonder where exactly their son had gotten to at that exact moment…

___________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, Zack and his friends had made their way back to Leanne's house, where there were no parents present, only a little sister who was fast asleep in bed. This allowed the gang to lounge around in the living room while the television was on.

"That was still pretty sick, the way we kicked the shit out of those dickheads." Lee said proudly.

"Yeah, those cunts deserved a good arse kicking." said Zack.

"That was well good when one of them came for you with a smashed bottle, Sam, and you ducked out of the way and decked him with a dig to the chin!" Theo praised as he walked into the kitchen to grab a drink.

"Yep, told you lot I still had it in me." Sam bragged.

"Still, one of them did catch you with that left hook. If you kept training with us, you wouldn't have got so rusty." Lee said.

"Yeah, I will come back, I've just been a bit busy with work lately."

"Yeah, fair enough." Zack said. "I mean, work has got to come first, Lee."

"I know. I just think he should be worried that Theo might surpass him if he's not careful." Lee then joked, earning her an unamused dirty look from Sam.

Just then, Leanne's little sister walked into the room in her night clothes. She had a drowsy expression and dreary eyes as she walked over to her older sister.

"What are you doing down here, Fern? Shouldn't you be in bed?" Lee asked her.

"Shouldn't you?" Fern replied. "Besides, I can hardly sleep with you and your friends making all this noise down here."

"What noise? We're just sitting here chatting." Lee insisted, though her argument was weakened somewhat…

…as her friend Theo began singing loudly from inside the kitchen. "We will, we will, fuck you! Dun dun dun! WE WILL, WE WILL, FUCK YOU!! Yeah!"

"Has he been drinking?" Fern asked.

"Nah, he's just had a couple, that's all." Zach said. "At least I hope so, for his sake."

"Look, just go back to bed and shut the door. We'll be going sleep in a bit anyway. We've got training on the park tomorrow." Lee assured her sister.

"By the looks of it, you've already had your training." Fern said as she pointed to a small, faint bruise on her sister's forehead.

"Oh, that? A fuckin' scratch, nothing more. Me and the lads got into a scrap at the pub. One of them caught me with a lucky punch. But I made him pay for it!" she proudly declared as she clenched her fist and grinned.

"Let me say something, erm… sorry, what's your name again?" Zack then asked Lee's sister.

"Fern." she replied.

"Let me tell you something about your sister, Fern. She's one of the hardest bitches I've ever known in my life. I wouldn't want to take her on in a real fight, and I admit that without a single shred of embarrassment!"

"You're too modest, Zack!" Lee replied. "If there's one bloke who I wouldn't fancy my chances against, it's you!"

"To be honest, that would be a pretty awesome fight!" Sam commented. "I honestly don't know who would win."

"Surely Zack would win, since he's bigger and stronger." Theo argued as he walked back in the room.

"I don't know, Lee's pretty strong, too. Stronger than any other bird I've ever met!" Zack said.

"It would be a fucking bloodbath!" Sam then stated, causing the whole group to share a brief laugh.

"You're all very violent. Do you know that?" Fern said aloud.

"What? We like being strong, what's wrong with that?" Lee asked her.

"Yeah, I mean, people are naturally very violent. Always have been." Sam claimed. "Men all throughout history have been aggressive fuckers!"

"But don't grown-ups always tell us not to fight? Like, when we're at school, we got told off by a teacher if we get into fights." Fern pointed out.

"Not all grown-ups think that way." Theo argued.

"Yeah, including my dad." Zack followed.

"What do you mean?" Fern asked.

"He's the one who got me into learning all these martial arts and shit in the first place!" Zack declared. "He even taught me a few moves himself."

"Really? What did he learn then?" a curious Lee questioned. "You know, back when he was a young man?"

"He learned some boxing and a few grappling techniques in the army. I think he did a bit of stuff before that as well, but that's what he always went on about the most."

"Your dad sounds like a pretty cool bloke." Theo said.

"He's alright." Zack replied. "Probably won't be so cool after I get home tomorrow, though. Him and mum will go all 'Where the fuck were you last night?! Were you out drinking again?!' on me."

"That's what mum's and dad's do. It's their job to do your head in with their moaning. They'll calm down and it'll be alright after that." Sam assured him.

Zack then laughed a little in response before turning his attention back to his friend's sister. "Still, the point I'm making to you, Fern, is that not all grown-ups believe in this pacifist-never-raise-a-hand bollocks! Some of them understand the importance of standing up to a bunch of pricks when the situation calls for it!" Zack then claimed, which only confused and surprised the perspective of young Fern.

"He's right, little sis. The world ain't all sunshine and fucking rainbows." Lee agreed. "Anyway, you should go back to bed, Fern. It's getting late, and we'll be going sleep soon anyway." she then instructed her sister.

Fern walked upstairs, while the older ones continued their conversation…

"I don't remember you ever telling me your dad was in the army, Zack." Theo said.

"Yeah, he served in the air corps years ago, before he even had me."

"You know? I'm wondering… what did your dad say it was like being in the army?" Lee asked him.

___________________________________________________________

Fort Custer, Michigan, United States (1980)

While Zack and his friends discussed the hypotheticals of army life in the early twenty-first century, back in 1980 Esther and the rest of Mick Brucks's squad were living it outright.

A couple of days after officially joining Brucks's team, Esther was given a haircut by one of her male peers.

"Thanks for the cut, Rex." she said during the procedure.

"It's cool. We're frequently tasked with cutting each other's hair a lot around here. We have to look the part of a disciplined soldier and all that."

"Yeah. Discipline's what it's all about in this game." she said.

"Yep, you're definitely right about that." he replied, before diving into another peculiar subject. "So, Sergeant tells us you're still a newcomer. You've only been serving for a number of months, is that right? It's just that we haven't really talked since you got here. I was just curious." Rex then enquired.

"Yes, that's right. Seven months and counting. I was recruited at Fort McCoy, and they said I was performing well, but now I've been asked to transfer over here because you guys lost one of your own."

"Yep, we did." Rex replied as he shook his head in disappointment of his former comrade's behaviour. "Carter would have made a great soldier, but he didn't have, like you say…"

"The discipline." they both said together.

"I don't mean to come across like some big-headed punk, but my old sergeant told me I was specifically selected by Sergeant Brucks to come here. Apparently, he heard about how fast I was coming along as a private and he handpicked me to be in his squad when a vacancy came up." Esther mentioned. "Needless to say, as soon as I was informed about all this, I was put on some truck down to Michigan that night. Now I'm here."

"Hey, you don't need to be modest with me. I mean, you beat Brock in a pull-up contest on your first day here! Then you ran all our asses off yesterday! You obviously have all the physical tools." Rex complimented as he finally finished cutting her hair and put down his trimmer.

"Thanks." she said. "But I'd understand if you were sceptical. I won't lie, while I do think it's important for women to be encouraged to join our military ranks, I don't believe in this whole idea that some little five-foot-tall girl whose ninety pounds heavy and can't do what's required of the role should make it as a soldier. When I was tested for recruitment, everybody took it easier on me than the others because I was a woman, even though I was probably stronger than most of them, and while I get why they did that in a way, I don't think it's a good direction for the services to be heading in."

"Well, they do that to make it fairer for women to join, right? I mean, I don't mean to sound sexist, but women are biologically built with less upper body strength than men. That's why they cut the ladies a little slack when they're doing the physical exercises." Rex stated.

"But then where does the standard end up? It's not just the army, either. It's the cops, it's the fire services, they all give female recruits tasks where they only have to lift half as much or whatever. But what happens when they're put into a real situation? Let's say a fire officer who is a woman runs into a burning building to save somebody's life, but he's trapped underneath some heavy rubble. Will that rubble suddenly weigh less as if by magic just because she's a woman!?"

"Yeah, I get what you're saying. Meeting quotas is fine and all, but it shouldn't come at the expense of saving lives." Rex agreed.

"Exactly!" Esther said. "I saw the way you guys were looking at me when I showed up yesterday for the morning drills. You all looked at me and thought that I didn't belong here, and why wouldn't you? But here's the thing. I don't want to be treated differently. I don't intend on running behind or holding you guys back. I intend on keeping up and pulling my weight alongside my comrades. I just hope your team are open-minded enough to give me a chance." she then said, her inner insecurities showing just a little bit as she finished speaking her last sentence.

Rex knelt down to face the seated Esther at eye level and reassured her. "Don't worry, I've got your back. I'm willing to give anybody a shot. Besides, I have no doubts in your ability to keep up."

"Thanks." she gratefully replied.

"It doesn't matter anyway, the sergeant said your part of the team now. It's not like I've got a choice." he then joked, earning a dirty look from the now short-haired female soldier. "Honestly, the only ones you've got to worry about are Brock and his little posse." he then mentioned.

"Oh? You mean that arrogant guy who I beat in the pull-up challenge?"

"Yeah, he's just kind of a dick. He's made a couple of digs at me for my race before. I mean, rights for black men were only really addressed less than thirty years ago, and it's not like all the civil rights stuff completely got rid of that kind of attitude of anything." Rex claimed. "But don't worry, if you just keep your cool, things will be fine. Brock is only a problem if you let him be one. Just ignore him and he stops giving you shit. He enjoys the reaction more than anything else."

Esther tried her best to listen to his words, but slight insecurities still rested underneath the surface of her otherwise strong psyche.

___________________________________________________________

Later that morning, Sergeant Brucks came in to inspect the squad on their uniforms and equipment. He paced his way across the room, checking out their performance in this regard.

As all the male recruits were busy tidying their beds, polishing their boots, and folding their clothing, Esther was standing up straight and awaiting her sergeant's approval.

"Well, Private McGuiness. I see you've already finished securing your locker, polishing your boots, making your bed, and sorting your uniform. Your third day here and you're already proving your worth. Call me impressed." he said.

"Sir, thank you, sir!" she obediently replied.

"Come on, you slackers! The new recruit is already making you all look like unorganised, tardy jackasses!" he then sternly told the other men.

"Pfft, what a kiss ass." Brock quietly said under his breath to one of his cronies.

"I heard that!" Brucks then shouted at him, prompting Brock to turn around and face him. "Now drop down and give me twenty!"

But as Brock went down and performed the push-ups as ordered by his sergeant, he took the opportunity to shoot the briefest and yet dirtiest of looks in Esther's direction, making it clear that he didn't approve of her showing him and the other recruits up, even if only unintentionally.

"So, care to tell everyone here how you managed to complete all your tasks with such outstanding punctuality and precision, McGuiness?"

"Sir. I just did everything you told me to, sir." she said as she maintained a stoic and disciplined expression and looked forward, maintaining focus on her superior's words.

"Impressive. But even so, I just hope you're not doing this to try and earn any privileges." he then added. "This may either intimidate you or relieve you, McGuiness, but I do not make exceptions in this squad! Female officers will not be treated any differently than the males!"

"Sir, understood, sir!" she replied.

"That means I won't tolerate discrimination against you from your fellow recruits, nor shall I exercise such attitude towards you myself!" he said aloud as he looked over at Brock and his buddies, before turning back to Esther and finishing with "But that also means I won't cut you any slack when you fuck up either! Is that understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Is that understood for everybody here?!" he then raised his voice further and addressed the other soldiers in the room.

"SIR, YES, SIR!"

"Strength is determined through actions and will, not by what is or is not between your legs." he then told the group. "I only accept those in my squad who have what it takes to get the job done, both in here and out there on the battlefield! I have confidence McGuiness is one of those people who has what it takes, and if she's not… well, she knows where the door is."

Brucks then walked over to pay closer attention to the other soldiers as Esther stood there, maintaining her stoic expression on the outside, yet feeling a strange combination of pride, relief, and worry on the inside. She may have managed to land a solid first impression with her sergeant, at least for the time being, but she knew it would take a lot more to earn the respect of her fellow soldiers. Still, at least most of the men she was surrounded by shared a sense of honour. Most of them…

___________________________________________________________

Toronto, Canada (2002)

Back in the suburbs of Toronto, the young but troubled Marianne was at home with her father, when suddenly the doorbell rang.

"Mari, get that!" her father ordered.

She obediently answered the door as requested, only to see that it was her cousin, Rebecca.

"Hi, Marianne. Your father and my mother were talking earlier, and they thought it would be a good idea if I popped over for a nice little visit." Rebecca politely greeted her.

"Hi." Mari replied with a very sour tone of voice.

Just then, her father walked to the door. "Oh, this is a nice surprise. Nice to see you, Rebecca. Come on in." he kindly said to his niece.

"I've been hoping to catch up with my favourite cousin." Rebecca said.

"I'm your only cousin." Mari dryly replied.

"Yes, but really… how many months has it been since we last saw each other?" Rebecca asked.

"I don't know." Mari said.

"What about you, Uncle Marlon? How long do you think it's been?"

"I don't know. Maybe about three months." Mari's father then guessed.

"So, I thought it would be a good idea to come and hang around with my cousin for a little while. I'm sure you've got tons of exciting things to tell me all about."

"Good idea. Mari, why don't you take your cousin upstairs and have some fun?" Marlon suggested.

Mari just let out an annoyed sigh quietly to herself, but begrudgingly agreed to her father's request all the same. "Okay, fine."

___________________________________________________________

When they got upstairs, Rebecca took a brief look around her cousin's room and disapprovingly shook her head. "I can see that you don't have a lot of toys or anything."

"No." Mari replied.

"No make-up kit? No jewellery? Not even a barbie? What do you do for fun around here?"

"How about we play on my XBox? It's just came out, lots of people are into it." Mari suggested.

"Sorry, video games aren't really my thing." Rebecca objected. "Besides, playing silly games isn't really what's considered cool."

"Huh?" Mari muttered in response.

"Seriously, Marianne. You'd have more friends at school if you stopped acting like such a geek." Rebecca then said.

"I'm not a geek!" Mari defensively claimed.

"Really? Because you don't make any effort to take care of your looks, you don't hang around with anyone outside of school, and now you tell me you're into video games."

"Ugh! So what? I just play games every now and again, I'm not a massive gamer or anything. Besides, I'm in better shape than you! I finished the track in gym class last week before you did, remember?"

"Only because I'd rather not work up a sweat in front of all those other girls up close." Rebecca said. "Anyway, I'm not being horrible or anything, I just think you could do with changing your image a little bit."

"My 'image' is fine, Rebecca!" Mari then replied through gritted teeth.

"Sorry, no need to bite my head off!" Rebecca retaliated.

Mari then sighed and did her best to suppress her anger. "No, I'm sorry, Rebecca. I know you're just trying to help me in your own way."

"It's fine. I'm sorry I called you a geek. It's just that having nothing to do makes me a little bit irritable." Rebecca then said with seemingly genuine sincerity.

"It's okay. I know I'm not the most exciting person in the world or anything." Mari then light-heartedly joked at her own expense, knowing this was a less troublesome approach than letting out her frustrations on the other girl.

"Ah, don't worry about it, cousin. That's why I'm here, to spice things up for you!" Rebecca then claimed. "So, what do else do you have to do around here?"

"We could go bike riding?" Mari suggested.

"No. Come on, Marianne. Try to think of something better than that!" Rebecca encouraged her.

"I guess if you're looking for something to do, my dad did give me a couple of chores to get done. You could help me finish them and then we could…"

"Pfft, yeah right! Seriously Marianne, I didn't come all the way over here to do housework!"

"Well, maybe we could…" Mari then went to say, but was rudely interrupted yet again.

"Honestly, what do you do around here all day!?" Rebecca then bluntly asked her.

Mari just gave her a confused and offended look as Rebecca's polite and friendly front began to fade more and more, and she started letting her true colours show.

"What do you mean?!" Mari questioned her.

"Well, all you have in this room is a bed, a desk, and a stupid game system! Seriously, what do you do in all your spare time when you're not in school?!"

Mari just scoffed in defiance of her condescending attitude before giving her an answer. "Look, I spend a lot of time doing chores for my dad. I have to earn my free time around here! Not to mention, I tend to get quite a lot of homework! Not all of us get to have it as easy as you, Rebecca!"

Rebecca just smirked and relished in her mockery of her cousin. "It's sounds pretty sad, your life does Mari. All you do is housework, school work, and playing on a stupid X Box! You don't even have any make-up, or accessories, or anything! Honestly, I'd consider calling child services if I were you!" she harshly joked.

That last sentence having struck a nerve with her, a now angered Mari decided to raise her voice and let her mean cousin know exactly what she thought of her. Her father may have commanded her to act nicely towards her cousin, but she could only endure so much verbal bashing from the stuck-up snob of a girl. "I knew you were just faking it when you were being polite, Rebecca! Seriously, fuck you! I don't care what you think, you spoilt little bitch!"

Rebecca then stepped towards Mari and violently shoved her. "What did you say?!" she asked her aggressively as her true hostile nature came to the surface. Mari let herself be forced backwards as Rebecca took another step closer and said "Well, you little freak?! What did you just say to me?!" before shoving her back a second time.

But Mari wouldn't let herself feel intimidated by the other girl. She shoved her back, twice as hard, with enough force to knock her into the wall.

"ARGH!" Rebecca cried in pain. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" she then shouted loudly.

"You know exactly what that was for, you fucking…"

"MARIANNE!!! GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!!!" Marlon then shouted from downstairs.

A now fearful Mari froze for a moment in terror, before reluctantly making her way out of the room and down to her father as her cousin just stood there and deviously grinned to herself, relishing in Mari's misfortune.

___________________________________________________________

"But dad, she said horrible things!" Mari tried to justify to her dad during their confrontation.

"So you decided to respond with violence?! Against your own cousin?! I thought I taught you better than that!" Marlon objected.

"But dad, she pushed me first…" Mari tried to justify, but was quickly cut off.

"I don't want to hear it! You were supposed to be nice and friendly to your cousin, instead you attacked her?! What do you think Rebecca's mother is going to have to say about all this?!" Marlon chastised her as he placed his hands on his hips and looked down at his disobedient daughter.

"I'm… I'm sorry, dad. She just made me mad. I know I shouldn't have pushed her, but she was getting on my nerves." Mari said apologetically.

"Don't apologise to me, apologise to her! Then when you've done that, you can come back down here and we'll continue our talk!" he commanded as he pointed her upstairs.

However, Mari did not need to return to her room, as when she looked around, she found her cousin walking into the living room to join them, having slowly followed her downstairs. "Yes, Marianne. You hurt me. I skinned my elbow on the wall. That's going to leave a bruise now." she said with teary eyes and a saddened vocal tone, very effectively playing the victim card.

Mari then sighed and swallowed her pride, giving into her father's demand, knowing it was the easiest path to a resolution. "I'm sorry, Rebecca. I shouldn't have attacked you like that. It was out of order of me."

"It's okay, I forgive you." Rebecca replied ever so sweetly.

Mari's blood was boiling on the inside, knowing she had been unfairly treated and scalded by both her father and cousin, but she knew it would make matters worse to throw a temper tantrum about it, so she just wisely kept her mouth shut.

"That's better. Now you run back upstairs, Rebecca. Your cousin and I need to have a little talk." Marlon said.

After Rebecca left the room again, a frustrated Mari sat herself down on the sofa and tried to bottle up all her emotions. Her father then sat down beside her and put his hand on her lap, seemingly trying to provide some level of comfort for his daughter.

"What am I going to do with you, Mari?" he asked her with a gentler tone of voice, slightly surprising her.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'm your dad, and I want you to be happy. I can also tell when something's bothering you, and you've been very on edge lately. Like everything someone says or does sets you off."

"I… erm, don't know what you're talking about, dad." she tried to deny.

"There you go again, lying to me. I told you not to tell lies." he began to say softly, but his tone became angrier as he continued speaking. "It's starting to annoy me."

A now slightly scared Mari quickly replied with "I'm Sorry, dad. I didn't mean to."

Marlon then softened his expression and voice once again as he continued. "If there's anything wrong, please talk to me. I'm your father, you can share anything you want with me. You know that, right?" he tried to reassure her.

"Thanks, dad." she dispassionately responded.

"Did I do something to upset you?" he then asked her.

"Erm… no." she replied.

"I just get the feeling that you have something against me. I mean, I work hard to make you happy. You know that, don't you? Most parents are nowhere near as close with their kids as I am with you. I don't know what more I can do to please you."

"Dad, it's not you."

"Isn't it? Because it feels like I'm not satisfying you in some way…" he then said as he moved his hand a little further up her lap, but this only triggered her to shuffle away from him.

"Come on, what's the matter, Mari?" he asked with a concerned expression on his face.

Mari then stood up and did her best to convince him nothing was wrong. "Dad, please believe me, it's not like that. I'm just… feeling a little down at the moment, that's all."

"Okay, well I want to do whatever I can to make you feel better." he insisted. "Maybe that father-daughter bonding time I proposed to you last night really would be good for the pair of us after all." he then suggested to her.

"Yeah, maybe…" she said indifferently as she walked out of the living room and back upstairs.

"And Mari, remember to be nice to your cousin!" he shouted to her as she returned to her room.

Mari just replied with an obedient "Yes, dad." before biting her lip and preparing to deal with another round of Rebecca's verbal torment.

But they were hardly the only ones engaging in a bout of verbal sparring…

___________________________________________________________

Trondheim, Norway (900)

Back in the settlement of Trondheim, Leif was out on the field farming, digging up some dirt with his shovel, as his wife Matilda walked over to inform him of an important occurrence.

"Leif!" she called out to him.

"Ahh, if it isn't my loving wife. What is it? Couldn't wait a few more hours until I came home to see you?" he joked. "I guess it gets pretty boring at home without me."

"I see you every night, my love. The gods know that I enjoy it when you're out all-day farming lands or fighting battles, since it stops me from getting sick of looking at your face." she wittingly returned the banter.

"Well, it was this face that helped me get you like that." he replied, pointing at the bump on her body.

"Yes, I forgot to give you a well-earned axe to the skull for putting this thing in me." Matilda joked back, earning a little chuckle from her husband.

"Hey, that thing's going to be your ruler someday, so you should show it some respect." he light-heartedly replied.

The two smiled and chuckled for a moment in amusement, but Matilda knew she had to cease her bantering with Leif, as she had something important to share with him.

"Listen. I've heard that the Jarl is going to speak with the village this evening about his future plans for Trondheim." she said.

Leif then smirked and put down his shovel before walking closer to his wife and letting her know about his scepticism. "Yes, I'm sure he'll have hundreds of plans for this place, just like he has the last twenty years." he said with an obviously sarcastic tone.

"Still, I think it would be wise for you to attend. You don't want him thinking you're not loyal."

"I don't really care what that old shit thinks!" Leif insisted.

"But he's the Jarl. If you act against him, he could order the others to have you killed!" a concerned Matilda then warned him. "I don't really like the idea of having to raise this child up all by myself."

"Oh come on, Matilda! He doesn't have the balls to do that, and even if he did, how many people here are truly loyal to him? He's weak, he's lazy, he doesn't inspire strength or unity or hope! He's a pathetic man who had his position handed down to him from his father! That man is a joke! Nobody would stand behind him if he wanted to have me killed!" Leif claimed.

"What then? You're thinking of challenging him right in front of everyone today?!" Matilda questioned.

"Pfft, like I'd even waste my time listening to him talk out of his shithole. I'm not going, I've got better things to do." Leif insisted as he picked up his shovel and began farming away again, but Matilda knew that wasn't the end of it.

"Your brother is going, you know?" she then mentioned.

"Gunner? Why?" he asked as he continued working.

"Turns out even brutes have a keen eye for politics around here."

"My brother couldn't care less about politics. He's only happy when he's got someone to put his axe through." Leif joked.

"I guess that runs in the family. You and him are both the same. You both rush into things without a second thought." Matilda commented.

"We're Vikings! It's in our blood to take a swing first and ask questions later!" he argued. "Besides, I'm not rushing into this stuff with the Earl! I'm actually holding myself back! You're the one trying to make me get involved." he pointed out.

"I just think you should go and hear what he has to say, I'm not saying you should engage him in a Holmgang or anything."

Leif just snickered to himself in response, before saying "Like I said, I don't see myself attending this little talk of his."

___________________________________________________________

Despite his initial objections, later that day Leif and many of his fellow villagers were all in attendance in the middle of the settlement as the Earl of Trondheim himself, Olan Fredrickson, was standing before his citizens and addressing his future plans for them.

"As you know, I have served the gods as your earl and leader for almost twenty years now, and in all that time, we've maintained prosperity and wealth in our town! I understand many of you are growing… concerned, with how little raiding and travelling we've been doing in the last few years, but I promise you this is the best approach we can take." he spoke to his followers, though as he had pointed out, many of them were sceptical of his approach to leadership, to say the least.

Leif stood there amongst the circle of Viking villagers and just silently brushed off his earl's statements. His brother Gunner, on the other hand, was not so quiet about his objections…

"Stop running your mouth, Olan! Everybody knows you haven't got shit worth saying!"

As soon as the earl turned around to give his brother an objecting look, Leif immediately stepped towards Gunner and put his arm in front of him, doing his best to make him move back, trying to encourage the hot-headed bruiser to exercise some restraint.

But this was easier said than done as Gunner continued with a verbally scalding "Nobody here cares what you think, Olan! You've just stood there and done nothing for the last twenty years!"

Olan then stared down Gunner and shot a threatening line back in his direction. "Be careful what you say in my town, Gunner! Or maybe you enjoy sleeping with one eye open."

Gunner retaliated fiercely by trying to aggressively leap towards him, only to be held back by Leif and another one of his allies, Frode.

Sensing a lot of negativity from his people, the Jarl took the opportunity to regain a sense of dominance within the discussion. "You all think it's easy, what I do, don't you? You all think I just sit back and reap the benefits of being your earl? I can see it in so many of your eyes. Just looking at all of you, so many of you would love to do things differently from me. Wouldn't you?" Earl Olan then verbally challenged out loud, to which nobody in the circle around him could provide a straight answer.

Having regained verbal dominance over the situation, Olan then continued his speech. "Well, guess what? It's not easy being the leader of a settlement. It's actually a living agony, take it from somebody who knows all about that kind of life. It's not all gold and silver, and power and glory… it's fucking hard!" he ranted on as his vocal tone slowly became less calm and more emotional.

"A lot of you standing here are younger than me. Still so full of life, energy, anger, and ambition. But over the years, if you even live to be as old as me, your flames will weaken, your ambitions will crumble, and you'll come to accept things as they are." he then sternly warned his dissatisfied following. "You all think I'm weak or lazy for not striving to conquer every corner of the world, for not raping and pillaging till my heart's content. But I've lived long enough to know that if you roam the lands making too many enemies… it all comes back to bite you! We've farmed enough lands and grown enough crops to keep the people of Trondheim alive and well, and that's really all any of us can ask for."

His words were certainly controversial, to say the least. Some like Gunner were never going to fall in line with his ideals no matter what, but some of the populace did listen well to what he had to say, and a portion of them did begin to see things from his point of view. Suddenly Olan's circle of followers was a little less hostile towards him. Evidently, he had learned some tricks of the trade over his years of service when it came to being a leader.

But Gunner still wasn't having any of it. "All I'm hearing is you're too old and past it to be a good leader! You're running us into the ground!" he roared aggressively.

"Gunner, come on!" Leif said as he and Frode dragged him away.

"What is it, Gunner? Do you think you'd make a better Jarl than me? Is that it? No disrespect, but you're known more for your brawn than your brains." Olan told him. "But let me make it really simple for your slow mind. If you want my rank and title, come here and take it." he then calmly but bravely declared, showing his followers that despite his somewhat passive and modest approach towards leadership, he was still an accomplished veteran of war in his own right, and one who would not back down when challenged.

Even Leif and Gunner had to respect this much about the man, but at that moment their main priority was getting out of there before it all got worse.

But before they could leave, Gunner let one more sentence slip from his tongue. "Maybe I wouldn't be a better leader, but I know who would!" he said as he nodded at his brother. Everyone present caught onto what he meant, and nobody took greater notice of what he had just said than the earl himself. Leif and Frode then took Gunner and made a quick getaway before the situation became any more exacerbated.

___________________________________________________________

After leaving the earl's meeting, Leif and Frode lured Gunner away to a private corner of town, where an angry Leif suddenly grabbed his brother and slammed him against the wall. "Why did you do that?!" he angrily yelled. "Are you trying to get me fucking killed?!"

"No, I just think you'd be better at ruling this place than him!" Gunner said.

"That was a stupid idea, Gunner. You're lucky Earl Olan is not one to be provoked so easily." Frode told him.

"You might be a great warrior, brother, but sometimes you can be a real idiot!" Leif beratingly told him.

"Hey, we're Vikings! We swing first, talk later!" Gunner said, reminding Leif of his own words to his wife earlier. "The thing is Olan isn't a real Viking! How many battles has he fought in his life?! How many victories has he won?! He knows nothing about what it takes to be a proud and brave warrior! He doesn't understand how many of us he's barring from getting a chance to fight and die for Valhalla!"

"We might make it to Valhalla sooner than planned if you keep talking out of turn like that!" Leif angrily told his brother. "One of these days, Gunner!" he then warned him.

Gunner might have been a rageful berserker at heart, but even then, he couldn't bring himself to lay hands on his own brother, even when said brother was grabbing him by the scruff of his neck and holding him against a wall. Having given his brute of a brother the message, Leif finally took his hands off his brother and stepped back, before Frode decided to make a proposal.

"Of course, for as reckless as your brother is, Leif, he does have a point. Maybe Trondheim would be more prosperous if you were its leader."

"What?!" Leif blurted out in surprise.

"Jarl Olan has made it perfectly clear he's contempt with things as they are. As long as we have just enough land to farm, and just enough food to eat, then that's good enough… but what if he's wrong? Besides, with us fighting less battles, more of us are living longer, growing older, having more children…" Frode then began to elaborate.

"Our numbers are growing." Gunner added.

"There, the big brute has got it." Frode complimented. "The lands and foods we've got won't be enough for long. Olan's willingness to keep things as they are will cause big problems for us in the long run. Besides, we need conquests and battles, that's our way of life. We need them not only to give us a chance to fight with courage and to enter Valhalla, but also to distract us from our own problems and keep us from fighting ourselves!"

"What? So you think I should be the Earl of Trondheim in his place?!" Leif questioned. "Why me?"

"Why not you? I can't think of anyone better!" Gunner claimed.

"Besides, you're young, ambitious, and cunning. You could help Trondheim become a pinnacle of power and prosperity! The whole world from edge to edge would be ours for the taking." Frode envisioned. "We'd never be short of land, food, or wealth again!"

"And what if I don't want to be earl? Have either of you even considered that?!" Leif then brought up.

"What are you talking about?! You've always spoke of how you want to conquer the world! This is your chance to do it!" Gunner reminded him.

"I'm a warrior, not a talker! I'd prefer to take the world with my fellow men by my side, not by standing at the back and letting all of you do my fighting for me!" Leif explained. "That's not what I do!"

"Then don't do that! Being the leader doesn't mean standing behind your men and letting them do all the work. Being a leader means you… well, lead! Stand alongside your men and lead us into battle as we raid and conquer settlements all over the world!" Frode encouragingly told him. "Just because Olan took a more passive and inactive approach to his role as jarl, doesn't mean you have to do the same in his place. Be more hands-on if that is your way of doing things, but I urge you to think about what we're suggesting to you." he advised. "Being a leader of a great empire involves more than just charging head first into battles, after all. If you want to conquer, you have to secure a position of authority and influence."

Leif stood there as he considered his options. His eyes were very shifty as the inner workings of his mind were operating at high capacity. A brutish warrior he may have been, but he was also a crafty and clever man who had a lot of thoughts raging on inside his head at any given time. His brother and his friend were advising him to take an ambitious step towards seizing the power he sought… but was he prepared to take it?

___________________________________________________________

Toronto, Canada (2002)

After spending some time playing on Mari's X Box, a bored Rebecca decided to lie down on her cousin's bed as the darkness of the night arrived.

"What are you doing?" Mari asked.

"Oh, didn't I mention earlier? I'm here for the night. We can go to school together in the morning." Rebecca said.

Mari then facepalmed herself in annoyance before coming to terms with this new development. "Okay, fine, but surely you brought your own sleeping bag or something."

"No, your dad said I could use your bed."

"Did he?" Mari replied calmly as she tried to hide her frustration.

"So, maybe you should get out your sleeping bag and sleep on the floor. Here, you can have one of the pillows!" Rebecca taunted as she threw a pillow at her face, though Mari managed to catch it in mid-air.

An annoyed Mari then walked over to her cousin and quietly but interrogatingly asked her a simple question. "Why are you really here, Rebecca?!"

"Well, your dad thought I should come over and hang around you a little more often. I think he feels bad for you. I mean, it's not like you have any friends." Rebecca nastily told her.

Mari just folded her arms and scoffed at her cousin in defiance, but that just made Rebecca even more keen to taunt her further…

"Then again, it's not surprising. You always act so moody and quiet all the time. What's your problem, anyway?" Rebecca then questioned.

Mari just kept quiet and did her best to ignore Rebecca as she walked over to the closet and pulled out a spare sleeping bag.

"Are you deaf, you stupid bitch?! I said why are you such a downer all the time?!" Rebecca rudely repeated.

Mari did her best to control her temper and ignore her cousin's harsh comments. "Let's just get some sleep!" she instead told her.

Mari then closed the curtains, switched off the light, and lied down in her sleeping bag, hoping that her rude cousin would just fall asleep and stop bothering her.

"You still haven't answered me, Mari. Why are you so down in the dumps all the time?" she asked her again.

"None of your business! Now just go to sleep, Rebecca." Mari told her, desperately wanting her cousin to shut up as she turned her head away from her and tried to relax, though given everything that was on her mind, that was easier said than done.

___________________________________________________________

Birmingham, England (2025)

As they had previously planned the day before, Zack and his friends Leanne and Theo were on the park, on a nice and clear sunny day, so that they could do some training. They selected a quiet corner on the big grass field where they would not be interrupted by too many onlookers or people walking their dogs.

Dressed in sportswear and working up quite a sweat, the relatively inexperienced Theo was getting in some padwork training as Zack held the pads for him.

"Okay, jab-cross-left hook-cross!" Zack instructed.

Theo executed the punches, with a moderate amount of power and speed behind them. However, Zack noticed he had lowered his guard after throwing the punches, and so he used one of the pads to whack the novice on his now unprotected head.

"Guard up!" he then reminded him.

Wearing a black hoodie along with some trendy tracksuit bottoms, Leanne stood beside them as they trained. She had her arms folded and a little smirk on her face as she watched her friend come along slowly with his progress.

"Jab-cross-left hook-cross-bob and weave-cross-hook-cross!" Zack instructed.

Theo then performed the combination as ordered. Despite it being a little longer a combination than the previous one, he was able to remember it well enough. This time, he managed to maintain his guard both during and after throwing the punches. However, he sacrificed a little bit of speed in doing so.

"Too slow!" he harshly told himself.

"Don't worry, you're getting it right. Technique comes before speed, and then power follows after that." Zack reassured him.

"Yeah, you're coming on, mate. At least you ain't flapping around like a little shit anymore!" Lee commented.

"Oh, cheers." Theo sarcastically replied.

"And besides, you should get better than Sam soon, since he's always too busy to come down and train with us." Zack said.

"Yeah, you'll surpass him in no time!" Lee followed. "Anyway, I remember you saying you were finally going to do some sparring today." she then recalled.

"Yep, I remember, and I'm standing by it. I even brought my mouthguard and everything!" Theo proudly declared.

"Good, it's about fuckin' time! We've been taking it piss easy with you for weeks!" Lee said. "Time to really get stuck in!"

"So, do I need any gloves or pads or anything?" Theo asked.

"Nope. We don't bother with all that here." Zack said.

"You wouldn't wear gloves and padding to a street fight, would you?" Lee rhetorically asked him back.

"We just use a mouthguard, so that we don't end up looking like fuckin' hillbillies!" Zack joked. "Now let's get started. Don't worry, we'll take it easy since it's your first time." he then told him.

Zack and Theo both raised their fists while Leanne watched on in anticipation. It was Theo's first time sparring with them, so they were eager to see what he could do.

Zack then lightly but quickly jabbed Theo in the face, taking him by surprise. He then followed through with a cheeky right hook to the chin, shocking the inexperienced fighter a little bit.

"Come on, mate, dodge his punches!" Lee told him as he absorbed the blows.

Zack then intentionally decided to slow down his shots just a tad, to allow his novice sparring partner a chance to avoid them. He telegraphed his next jab on purpose so that Theo could see it coming. Theo managed to slip out of the way in the nick of time, which raised his spirits ever so slightly. This newfound confidence didn't last long, however, as he then forgot to block or avoid Zack's following cross punch.

"Oof!" he cried.

Growing erratic, Theo then made the rookie mistake of shouting angrily before launching a haymaker at Zack, who effortlessly dodged it before coming back with a mean right hook to the head, which was powerful enough to send Theo stumbling back a couple of steps.

"Calm down, Theo. It's your first sparring round, of course you're gonna get hit. Don't let it get the better of you." Zack then constructively advised him.

Theo kept back for a second and spat his mouthguard into his hand. He wanted a time out, and the opportunity to make an alternative suggestion.

"Maybe I should do a few other rounds before I spar you again?"

Zack then raised his eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I was thinking maybe the least experienced should go against the smallest. To make things fair."

A slightly annoyed Lee then raised her voice and aggressively asked him "What do you mean small?!"

"Well, you're the lightest of us three, so I thought that would be fairer, for me to go against you." Theo claimed.

Lee then chuckled before launching a light-hearted accusation at her friend. "I get it, dickhead. You just want to fight a bird instead of a man, is that it? Well, this bird can have you any day!"

Leanne then removed her hoodie to reveal a black sports vest underneath… as well as quite an impressively strong and ripped muscular physique.

"Fucking hell, you've got beef!" an impressed and slightly intimidated Theo blurted out in shock.

"Who's small now?" she then cockily asked him.

"I don't remember you being that big last time I saw you without your hoodie on!"

"It's been a while, and I've been working out a lot lately. Maybe if you weren't such a beginner and holding back our sessions, I would've worked up a sweat and felt the need to take it off in front of you before now." she said, engaging in an exchange of banter of sorts.

But Theo tried to brush off his concerns and remain confident. "Okay, so you've got a pretty decent build for a bird, so what? You're still lighter than me!"

"Only because you're a fat bastard!" Lee joked back.

"I'm not fat, I just… have a little pudge on the stomach, that's all. I'm still fighting fit!" he awkwardly insisted.

"Care to prove it?" Lee challenged.

Theo did his best to suppress his worries and instead demonstrated a strong sense of confidence as he convinced himself a female opponent, no matter how aggressive or strong they were, would be a peace of cake. "Okay then, let's be having ya!" he brashly answered. "Now that I know you've got muscle, I won't have to hold back as much."

Zack then walked over and casually warned his rookie friend what he was getting himself into. "Mate, I wouldn't do this if I were you."

"Why not? She's still a bit lighter than you, and she's a bird, which means I've got a better chance against her out of the two of you." Theo deduced.

Zack then shook his head and informed him. "No, you really haven't. Unlike me, she won't take it easy on you."

"I'm sure I'll be fine. How hard can she really be?"

"Suit yourself." Zack said as he backed away and let Theo and Lee approach each other.

They were stood about six feet apart as they sized each other up. Both of them began to feel a rush of adrenaline as they got themselves ready for a 'friendly' scrap. They decided to get in one last instance of banter before the action started.

"I know you're a bit fragile…" Theo began to say, the adrenaline fuelling his confidence and cockiness. "…so I'll try not to hurt you too much."

"Oh, Mr big bollocks has had one sparring round and now he thinks he's Brock Lesnar? Just for saying that, I'll make sure to draw some blood." she said as she grinned menacingly.

At that moment, Theo stared at his opponent and realised he may have made a mistake taunting her like that. The determined look and the focused eyes of Leanne Parker said it all. She meant it when she told him she was after his blood.

"FIGHT!" Zack then shouted, prompting the sparring round to begin.

But before Theo could even process his thoughts, he saw Leanne charging at him like a raging bull. She met him head on and delivered a long series of fast yet impactful blows to the head and torso. Theo was impressed with how fast, ferocious, and powerful she was with her hands, but this was ultimately overshadowed by his sense of panic as he did not have the skill or conditioning to withstand or counter her punishment.

Finally, Lee got close enough to Theo to grapple with him, where she lowered herself enough so that her centre of gravity was significantly more stable and sturdier than his, which allowed her to more easily flip him onto the ground with a hip toss.

"Woah!" Zack said as he watched the action from the side lines. He knew just how tough his female friend was, but it was still a sight to behold whenever she took down a larger opponent with such style and ease.

From the dominant position, Leanne delivered a few nasty shots to Theo's head as he desperately tried to cover up. She then quickly grabbed hold of one of his arms and applied a wrenching armbar submission. She then sat into position and applied the pressure.

"Shit! Shit! Okay, I tap out!" Theo panicked and blurted out loud, fearing she would snap his arm at any second.

"Okay, okay, don't crap yourself. Like I was really going to snap your arm." Lee said as she released the hold and the two stood back up.

"I honestly don't know with you, Lee. I mean, what the fuck was that?!" Theo asked in disbelief.

"That was me smacking your head in, knocking you on your arse, and tapping you out!" she cockily answered as she smirked.

Zack then walked over to them and added "Told you she wouldn't take it easy on you."

"I never knew birds could fight like that." a surprised Theo admitted.

"Oh, birds are often scrappier and more aggressive than blokes. You lot normally follow Queensberry rules and all that shit. Girls like to pull hair, scratch with their nails, bite you, kick you in the bollocks… most women can be dirty little fighters. This whole idea that we're the soft and gentle half of the human race? Ha! It's a load of horse shit." Lee said.

"Except most of the time, women don't have the upper body strength to beat men." Zack followed.

"Yeah, but then you have me." Lee bragged. "I've got more than enough strength to plant some fuckin' novice on the ground, mate!" she said as she flexed her bicep.

"You don't have to tell me that. Out of all the people I spar with, you're the one I know who's gonna give me the biggest ball-ache." Zack complimented.

"So, it looks like I've still got a long way to go before I'm good, then?" Theo asked, a little disappointed by how quickly he had been taken down.

"Don't worry, mate. Me and Lee are really good, we don't expect you to be on our level just like that." Zack reassured him.

"Yeah, if you keep coming down and training with us, you'll be a hard bastard in no time." Lee claimed, making Theo feel a bit better after taking a pretty steep thrashing.

"Anyway, how about we have a round and then we call it a day?" Zack proposed to Leanne.

"Heh, I was hoping you'd ask me that. Time for a challenge!" she confidently answered.

Theo then watched on out of intrigue as his two tough training partners prepared for a 'friendly' spar. "This should be good." he claimed as he folded his arms and watched on.

But for as intense as their spar was surely going to be, they were still just training at the end of the day. Training is one thing, but going out there and fighting for real… that often entails a whole other level of bloodshed.

___________________________________________________________

Zhongdu, China (1215)

It was the day of the siege, and the forces of Mongol were ready to strike against the city. After having bided their time and starved the city into submission, the warriors of Mongol sought to take what remained of the domain by force.

Hundreds of fierce fighters rushed their way through the walls into the city, and began cutting their way through the civilians of Zhongdu on the streets. Screams of pain and slashes of blood could be heard in every direction as complete carnage consumed the place.

The reluctant servant of Genghis Khan's forces, Oktai, observed things unfolding as chaos and mayhem surrounded him. His soft-centred and merciful mindset was taken aback by the violence and gore taking place within the city streets. Men getting stabbed through the guts as blood came spewing out, innocent civilians getting their throats cut by the ruthless soldiers of Genghis. But that wasn't even the worst part for Oktai…

He continued to make his way through the streets as his fellow comrades continued their slaughter. The horrific sights didn't stop as he saw dead bodies lying on the ground, well away from the midst of the battle. Because the Mongol's had starved the city beforehand, by this time the inhabitants of Zhongdu had been driven to the point of desperation. Because they had been cut off from food and other basic supplies, the citizens had been starving. As such, some of them had resorted to cannibalism by this time. Rotting piles of half-eaten flesh could be seen on the ground, slowly being devoured away by the maggots that had swarmed all over them.

Needless to say, Oktai did not feel a sense of pride or fulfilment by serving the Mongolian cause at this moment. Instead, he was the oddity amongst the brutal conquerors of that era. He could only stand there, absorb the sights, and view the whole situation as sickening and vile.

Meanwhile, his fellow Mongols, such as the ruthless yet brilliant warrior Batu, continued to slay their way through the streets against the remaining defence that the now starved and deteriorated city had left, as they sought to take ownership of what remained in the domain of Zhongdu.

But with Oktai, he was the only member of the Mongolian army present who had yet to stain the tip of his spear or arrows with another man's blood. He did his best to blend into his surroundings and avoid direct conflict with any of the city's surviving citizens. He hoped the rest of the Mongols would not notice he was not actively participating in the skirmish taking place.

Seeking to diverge from his fellow men, he sneaked his way through a back alley and out of sight… only to come across a very distressing scene. He saw a young woman in her late twenties, cowering against a wall with her two small children, as she embraced them with each of her arms. Standing before them was a battle thirsty Mongol soldier, ready to tear them apart.

The family closed their eyes in fear and braced themselves for a horrifying slaughter. But before the warrior could strike them down…

…he was fatally pierced through the heart from behind.

After the Mongol collapsed to the ground, the lady and children slowly tilted their heads up to see that Oktai, another Mongolian invader, had just saved their lives.

Oktai knew some of the language spoken by the people of Zhongdu, and was able to tell them "Get yourselves to safety, quickly!"

They obeyed his command and ran for their lives, quickly escaping the alley… only to be murdered once they made their way back into the open streets again, being quickly ambushed and assaulted by a trio of Mongol brutes. Oktai looked on in horror, shock, and disgust as the innocent lives he had just saved were butchered before his very eyes. His good and merciful deed had been for nothing.

But as Oktai watched on at the brutal siege happening in 1215 AD, the otherworldly observer, Chronnix-4, had finished his studies of the other civilised domains of his region in the universe, and had returned to watching the occurrences and tragedies of his most favoured world. He looked on through his holographic device as he saw the reluctant and regretful Oktai standing amongst a sea of blood and carnage.

"Such a peculiar anomaly. The historical records of the human species would suggest the Mongols under the man deemed Genghis Khan were brutal savages and ruthless conquerors. I suppose this is yet another example of history records simplifying events into a more one-dimensional perspective to suit the attention span of the masses. Certainly, this Oktai seems not to fit in with the rest of his people. But then again, perhaps I could make a few… minor rearrangements to fix that." he suggested to himself, hinting at the notion of performing a certain kind of meddling action sometime soon.

"I do find this world ever so interesting. I really wish my supervisors would stop heckling me about focusing more on the 'boring' worlds. Oh well. Time to see how things are playing out in the medieval period."

___________________________________________________________

Thamin, England (1500)

Back in the kingdom of Thamin, King Godwaine, his two sons, and the many lords, knights, and civilians of the capital waited in anticipation for the arrival of their distinguished rivals, hopeful that they would soon be converted into their most valuable allies.

A rich and fancy looking carriage rode into the streets of the city, followed by a long path of armoured knights riding horses. The kingdom of Paelot definitely sought to put on a presentation for themselves as they entered Godwaine's domain. It was clear that both sides considered the following meeting to be of great importance, given all the people who were present for the event.

Grayward folded his arms and looked away, unimpressed by the showing of the rival king. Godfry stood beside his father as they prepared for some long and possibly heated negotiations to come, but they knew they had to put on a civil and relaxed front whilst in the gaze of the public.

Eventually, the arriving horses reached the front of the castle and stopped in their tracks, right before Godwaine and his men. As soon as the movement ceased, everyone present could hear a loud and boisterous, deeply masculine voice coming from inside the front carriage…

"Why have we stopped?!"

A softer, more feminine voice then replied "I think we've arrived, father."

"Oh, thank fucking god for that! I've been sitting here for fucking days! I was worried I was going to shit myself if this journey took much longer!" the gruff manly voice then shouted as he undid the curtains and peeked outside.

Suddenly, a hairy and overweight, yet still formally dressed and crowned man stepped out of the carriage, immediately staring down his rival king, Godwaine, who did his best to put on a respectful front once the two were staring eye to eye. Godfry did the same as he followed his father's standard of decorum. Grayward, knowing his involvement was critical, swallowed his discomfort and stood beside his father and brother as they prepared to greet their guests.

"Greetings, King Henry." Godwaine formally addressed his fellow king.

"So, you're the smart-arse bastard who's been giving my soldiers trouble?" Henry walked over and bluntly asked.

Maintaining his composure and stoicism, Godwaine simply nodded in response. Out of respect for his honesty, King Henry let out a loud and jolly laugh.

"Ha, I see the words about you are true. Efficient, ruthless, and brutally upfront about everything. No wonder you've been a worthy opponent of me and my kingdom these past few years."

King Henry then walked over to Godwaine's first son, Godfry. "So, you're the heir to the throne, I take it?"

"Yes, your highness. I am next in line to the throne of Thamin." Godfry obediently answered.

"I see the resemblance. Between you and your father, I mean. Anyway, I take it you're the one who is about to marry my daughter." Henry asked him.

"No, that would be me." Gray said.

Henry then raised his eyebrow and looked over at Grayward. "So you're the one your father has promised me is worthy of my daughter?"

"That's right." he told him.

"Penilla, don't be shy! You can come out now!" King Henry then shouted aloud.

Just then, out of the carriage came the little lady herself. Princess Penilla of Paelot, the young girl destined to marry Grayward. The two had only just laid eyes on each other for the first time, and yet their engagement was already set in stone.

"Greetings, fine gentlemen of Thamin. I am Princess Penilla. I believe I am to be betrothed to one of you."

"Yes, that would be me." Gray said.

Penilla then blushed as she looked at her future partner, finding him to be actually quite attractive, in a rugged sort of way. "Oh, the lords of the land have been so kind as to allow me to marry someone so handsome." she complimented.

Grayward bluntly then decided to just ask her a question in front of everyone. One that perhaps he shouldn't have asked, but one that was on his mind and he just couldn't hold in. "So, how old are you exactly?"

"Grayward!" Godwaine quietly yet angrily told him off.

"Brother!" Godfry followed in a similar manner.

"No, it's quite alright. It's an understandable concern. I am fifteen as of next week, Prince Grayward. But I assure you, I'm very mature for my age. And you are…?"

"Twenty-five." Gray responded.

Although he was meant to ignore it, the ten-year age gap was a somewhat hard pill for the prince to swallow. And yet, he was being enforced to do exactly that…

"Do not worry, son. I am sure Princess Penilla will prove to be quite a worthy and suitable wife. Now say thank you to King Henry for allowing you to wed his daughter." Godwaine commanded him.

After quietly mumbling for a few seconds, Gray managed to begrudgingly say the words "Thank you, your highness." to King Henry.

"Good. Anyway, now that all that formal meeting and greeting shit is out of the way, I fancy a feast, a few pints, and a good whore to get stuck into! So, shall we go inside and break bread with each other?" King Henry then proposed, to which a still stoic and composed Godwaine replied "Very well."

The royal families, their knights and their lords then all began making their way inside. Godwaine and Henry led the way, whilst Godfry and one of Henry's highest-ranking knights followed behind them.

As they all walked back into the castle, Penilla took the opportunity to try and put Gray's mind at ease. "Don't worry, I will make you a happy man. I promise I will be a good wife to you, Prince Grayward."

But the prince wasn't all that focused on her words. His mind was actually preoccupied with someone else, the knight behind King Henry. The only one of Henry's knights who had his helmet removed. He was a young brown-haired man, perhaps in his late twenties, clean shaven and properly groomed, and with a stern, serious look on his face. Gray couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something about this man intrigued him.

___________________________________________________________

And so, the leaders of the two kingdoms sat together in the great hall of the castle and celebrated their new alliance with a grand feast.

King Henry sat on one end of the long table with a big mug of beer in his hand, surrounded by his elite guards, also indulging in the joyful experience with him. "Come on, lads! Drink up! Today is a good day for both our historic kingdoms!" he said as he encouraged everyone to get stuck in and have a fun time.

King Godwaine sat on the other end of the table, with an untouched glass of wine beside him. Every time his new ally glanced over at him, he gave him back the smallest of civil grins, but beneath his composed and satisfied exterior was a sense of judgement. He found his fellow monarch to be quite the joyous buffoon.

"Father? I must ask if it was a wise decision to invest so much time and cost into forging an alliance with this oaf?" Godfry quietly leaned over and whispered in his ear.

Godwaine just leaned over and whispered back. "Henry is a moron, but his army is powerful. They've been able to hold their own against us for a number of years now. Forging this alliance is critical."

"But how?" Godfry asked. "That fat idiot I couldn't see being able to lead a parade down the streets of Thamin, let alone an army to victory on the battlefield."

"King Henry may be a joyous and bombastic man, but he knows a thing or two when it comes to war. Remember what I always told you when you were little, boy. Never judge a book by its cover." Godwaine explained.

Grayward sat in the middle of the table, alongside his bride to be, sandwiched between the two kings in the room and their right-hand men. Despite his rebellious attitude, even he understood the value in the alliance he was helping to create. But that didn't make the knowledge that he was being used as a pawn in this uneasy arrangement any easier to bear. As he sat at the table, with his newly designated partner Princess Penilla sitting beside him, he did his best to suppress his inner objections against his father's plans.

"So, I guess if we're going to be husband and wife one day, we ought to get to know one another." Penilla proposed, doing her best to break the ice.

Gray knew the girl was no more at fault than himself for the arrangement, so he did his best not to snap at her and blame her for the predicament. "I guess so." he calmly replied.

"Well, as you know, my name is Penilla. I am a fair and proper lady of Paelot. I enjoy fine wine, long talks by the fire, hot soaks in the bath, and I adore silk dresses. You?"

Gray considered his response for a second. He didn't expect Penilla to be too impressed if he were to provide an honest answer, but he didn't care much for lying to her, either. He knew it wouldn't sound great, but he couldn't be bothered with maintaining any deceptions. "I enjoy getting drunk at taverns, back-alley punch-ups, and a good time in the nearest broth…erm…" he then stopped himself at the last second, realising the embarrassment that last part of the sentence entailed.

But Penilla just laughed it off. "Ha ha, you meant brothel, right? No need to feel embarrassed, Prince Grayward. I know you're a little older than I am. I didn't expect I'd be your first. Honestly, I'm kind of relieved. At least this way, one of us will definitely know what they're doing when we lay in bed together. I was getting worried we'd end up looking like a pair of useless cretins in the sack!" she said.

"Wait? You're not mad? You're not disgusted in how dirty and uncouth my behaviour is?" a surprised Gray asked.

"Wow, it sounds like you get a lot of grief off your old man for every little thing you do." Penilla commented.

"Him, and my brother as well, actually. Oh, and a lot of the other lords in the kingdom." he then joked.

"Well, you don't have to tread on eggshells with me. I think you'll find I can be quite 'morally flexible' myself." Penilla claimed.

After sharing a brief chuckle with her, a curious Gray asked "What do you mean by that, then?"

"Ah, so many questions. You'll find out all that's worth knowing about me in good time, Prince Grayward. Now please, let's just enjoy the night. I mean, you've barely touched your drink." Penilla insisted.

Accepting his future wife's request, Gray picked up his mug and gulped down his beer. He figured that she had a point. Whether this arrangement between them would prove to be a good thing or not, it wasn't worth dwelling on. He might as well enjoy a good occasion when it presents itself.

As he gave in and started laughing and drinking away, Godfry and Godwaine looked over and noticed that Gray was actually starting to enjoy himself around Penilla. Godfry smirked and commented to his father "Looks like he's actually having a good time, after all. All that griping for nothing."

"Your brother has always made a habit out of picking arguments with me, even without good reason. Still, at least it looks like we'll receive a minimal amount of opposition from him on this occasion." Godwaine said.

The king and prince then observed as the same stern and serious knight from earlier walked over and sat down at the chair opposite Grayward. Gray himself had previously shown intrigue in this man, and now he happened to sit nearby him at the table.

"Who's that knight sitting across from Grayward, father?" Godfry questioned.

"That's Henry's most distinguished knight, Sir Edmunnd." Godwaine answered.

They then watched on as Grayward made small talk with the man.

"Hey there. That's quite the fancy suit of armour you're wearing." Gray asked him.

"Thank you, Prince Grayward. It was a gift from my king after I saved his life in the battle of Heerley Bridge."

"Really?" Gray questioned.

"Yes. Ever since that day, I was appointed Knight Commander of Henry's forces. I live to serve him and his kingdom as both his esteemed soldier and chief adviser."

A curious if sceptical Gray then decided to propose another question. "So, let me guess. Over the years, as your king has become an old, fat slob, you've been running his army and his kingdom for him?"

"Prince Grayward, I would not presume to…" the commander went to say, but Penilla then spoke up on his behalf.

"Grayward, don't be rude!"

"I was just saying, look at the man! It's obvious he's seen better days!" Gray said as he redirected their attention back to the king, who had managed to get himself quite drunk by that point in the evening, and even more loud-mouthed and sluggish with it.

"LAST MAN TO PASS OUT HAS TO CLEAN ALL THIS SHIT UP!!" Henry shouted out loud alongside his drunken men, for everyone else present in the room to hear.

"He may love his beer a little too much, but he's still my father. I think the less said from you about him, the better." Penilla stated.

"I agree with Princess Penilla. I think you should learn to respect royalty, sir." the commander agreed.

"I respect people who earn it, sir… sorry, what was your name?" Gray asked.

"You may call me Sir Edmunnd."

"Okay, Sir Edmunnd, just answer me this. Do you believe your king is a good leader for Paelot? Go on, look me in the eye and tell me he's the king your people deserve." Gray challenged him.

Edmunnd stared into his eyes, but the words just wouldn't come out.

"That's what I thought." Gray said as he stood up and walked away, leaving the princess and knight to dwell on his words.

"He's a bit brash, isn't he?" Penilla quietly asked Edmunnd.

"Yes, but the sad thing is, he's not exactly wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"Your highness, I respect your father unlike any other. He's proven himself a great man, warrior, and battle strategist in his lifetime. But years of serving him have made me aware of one undeniable truth."

"And that is?"

"He isn't the right kind of man to be king." he declared, while Henry drank himself stupid at the edge of the table, perfectly proving Edmunnd's point.

Gray's brother Godfry then walked over to the princess to check on her satisfaction with the new arrangement.

"Good evening, Princess Penilla. I don't believe I've properly introduced myself. I'm Godfry, I'm Grayward's twin brother."

"Really? I thought twins always looked the same?" Penilla questioned. "I mean, you look sort of similar, but…"

"Actually, I happen to be well read on the subject. I believe some twins can have differences if they are from two different eggs in the mother's womb." Edmunnd said.

"I've read up on that too, in one of Bexan the Brightest's Mysteries of the Land series." Godfry replied.

"Oh, I guess you learn something new every day." Penilla said.

"So, you're the great Godwaine Senersarn's son and heir then? I've heard many things about you over the years. Like when you fought and defeated Didgrick the Dangerous in armed combat during the Battle of the Soils." Edmunnd commented in admiration.

Godfry smiled and graciously replied "It was a lucky shot."

"We all have to rely on luck sometimes." Edmunnd claimed.

"Well, my brother was lucky to win himself such a beautiful young lady." Godfry then flatteringly told his brother's bride to be.

Penilla blushed and replied "Oh, you're too kind, sir. Your brother seems nice enough, though I just wish he shared your dignified and charming manners."

"So do I, but I know he's a good man underneath that brash and rebellious attitude of his." Godfry then said in defence of his kin, before adopting a very serious tone and issuing an instruction to both the princess and the knight. "He may drive me insane with his ways, but he's still my brother. I won't deny that I have my worries in regards to Grayward returning to Paelot with you. Please understand my scepticism, given the bad blood between our two kingdoms over the years. Prove me wrong and take good care of him!"

"Of course." Penilla replied.

"I swear to you that I and the people of Paelot will take care of Prince Grayward when he returns to our castle with Princess Penilla. You have my word." Edmunnd also promised.

"Thank you." Godfry replied with a grateful yet still stern and suspicious tone. He wanted to believe them, but given the history the kingdoms had with each other, he couldn't help but worry that his brother might be walking into a trap set by King Henry and his underlings.

___________________________________________________________

Birmingham, England (2025)

"I still can't believe what I saw, Tim!" Jacob told his friend amidst one of their phone conversations.

"I know what you mean. It was a surprise seeing your son being involved in all that mess. Honestly, I thought he was better behaved than that."

"He is!" Jacob insisted. "He's just going through a bit of a rough time right now. I'll be sure to set him straight, anyway."

"Zack and the rest of the young lads of today lack discipline in their lives. They never get any consequences for all the shit they pull, that's why they run around and cause trouble for everyone!" Tim said. "I'm willing to bet your son and his friends are part of this fucking crime spree that's going on around here!"

"Easy there, Tim! Zack's a good lad! He might be in a lot of trouble, but he's still my son. I know he's a good boy, he just needs putting on the right track."

"I know, J. I'm sorry. I know he's your son…" Tim said before sighing and following up with "I'm just a little bit pissed off tonight."

"Why?" Jacob asked curiously.

"My sister's house got broke into this morning. Some punk kids have ran off with her telly and some other stuff. She's in bits, mate!"

"Oh god, really?! That's awful!"

"Tell me about it! This area's turning to shit, you know?" Tim said.

"The whole world's turning to shit, mate." Jacob replied. "We've all known that for years."

"Sorry for going on about your son like that, J. I know Zack's a good kid. A bit violent, maybe…"

"I suppose he gets that off me. I mean, with me being a soldier in my younger years and all that…" Jacob then joked.

"Maybe Zack should join the army? Would be a good way to get him to learn to control his aggression." Tim suggested.

"Oh, I don't know about that. My Jen would never allow him to go off into a warzone. Besides, it's not all victory and glory, that kind of life can mess you up if you're not careful. I was lucky enough not to be too badly affected by the grim side of army life." Jacob elaborated.

"Yeah. Well anyway, hopefully you can give him a good talking to before he ends up like one of them bastard crooks who stole from my sister."

"Yeah, I'll see to it. Anyway, I'll let you get off. I'm expecting my son to get back here any minute. He's been gone all day. He can't avoid this house forever." Jacob said.

"Yep, I've got some stuff to sort out as well. I'll catch you later."

"See ya."

As Jacob ceased his phone call with Tim, vague sounds began to play inside his head, sounds that triggered certain memories of his time as a soldier. His laid back and emotionally controlled demeanour slowly began to deteriorate as these memories slowly took over his psyche.

Sounds of warning sirens, gun shots being fired, screams and wails of pain, fiery explosions, and men shouting for help all played in his head as he began to remember some of the aforementioned grim moments from his army years that he was just talking about with his friend.

His son's little scraps in the pubs of Birmingham were nothing compared to some of the stuff he had been through during his young life. But that made it clearer to him than ever that he needed to resolve his son's anger issues and violent tendencies before they consumed him. His mental flashbacks of war reminded him of just how important it was that he prevented his son from getting involved in the wrong kinds of activities…

…just then, Jacob snapped out of his mental trace as he heard the front door being opened. He turned to the front entrance to see who it was…

…was it his son?