A Ghost's Wish [MxM]

33. A Roar

••••••Slight Steam Ahead••••••

But not enough to really mark this as a *mature* chapter (I think). We're just fogging up the mirrors a bit.

•••••••••••

Oliver led the others into the cave, and they set up a small fire to keep warm.  The atmosphere was cozy and cheerful because everyone was safe.  Even Draco joined in with the other soldiers as they told tales of their old battles and legends.

One of his soldiers was retelling a legend of an ancient war that predated the Eternal War, where two brothers were caught in an unjust war and forced to fight. Their King would not agree to peace, dragging out the war. The two brothers traveled back to their King and pleaded with him. Their tenacity convinced their King to surrender, and peace settled in the land.

The soldiers argued about this story, some claiming it was made up.

"It's just a romanticized war story," One of the soldiers said with a scoff.

"Every story you hear about war is romanticized. The warrior's bloody sacrifices have been forgotten and replaced by beautiful myths. But then again, no man would dare enter the army if the truth were recorded in history books."

Oliver drank from his water flask, pausing his ominous words.

"A beautiful sonnet will seduce a lover. A beautiful myth will seduce a soldier." His voice was laced with bitterness, and he shook his head with disdain.

"Do you believe this story is a myth?" Ian asked lightly.

Oliver shrugged. "Every myth has a foundation in the truth. I believe two brothers fought in an unjust war. However, that is the only truth I can find in this tale. Two soldiers putting down their swords, leaving the frontlines, and begging for peace is unlikely. Pleading can't make a king who needlessly prolonged a war suddenly complicit."

Oliver shook his head with a laugh, thinking the whole premise was a joke. "Wars are terribly easy to start and are unbearably cruel. They do not end with simple pleading."

"Then how does someone end a war?" A soldier asked.

Oliver smirked. "You kill a king."

The crackle of the fire was the only response he received.

He tore his eyes away from the back of the cave and turned toward the group. "Kill him literally or figuratively. The surest way to stop the fighting is to take a king's life. However, you also have the option to take his position."

"Are you assuming the brothers took the King's position?"

"No. I assume they killed him," Oliver chuckled. "And unjust war is the result of unjust kings. You cannot have peace settle in the land when there is still a cancer festering in the kingdom. You must root the problem."

"But that's... treason."

"It was also treason to fight against the Kirith Empire, but the warriors of the Eternal War did it anyway. They created their own myths and started their dynasties." Oliver explained.

"But..." There was an uncomfortable stillness in the air, and their arguments fell silent. The soldiers naturally feared this subject.

Oliver didn't seem to have noticed it. "How horrifying was this war, and how cruel were the Kings to prolong it? What terrible things did the soldiers see to make them confront their tyrants? What did they have to endure to make them want for change."