King Justin |j.b| (slowly updating)

The Middle: Like Father, Like Son

My father shut his door behind me and rushed over to his pile of books that were scattered all over the desk. Once he found the one he was looking for, he tossed it to me and sat on the edge of his desk. "My father gave me the same book that I'm giving you now about the warfare of a country and when to go to war. It even tells you why."

I scanned through the pages quickly, analyzing the text and the pictures that it showed of previous wars from France. "And you think this will make me want to actually fight in battle? I'm still not sending my people over there to fight a war they're not involved in or ready for, father. You heard me." He nodded. "I heard you. You want to know what else I heard?" I only nodded. "Myself when I was your age. I refused to even fight with any of the other countries because I was so scared of them coming over and taking our land or something. Or worse, killing our people. I didn't want any of that to happen and I know that you don't either. You're more like me than you knew, Justinan."

"I am nothing like you, father."

"That's where you're wrong." He said and took the book back, flipping through the pages. "There. 1754 to 1763. Your grandfather from a long line led that battle." He handed me the book back and I looked at it. The French and Indian war. "I've heard of it. So?"

"Look who was battling, son."

Fought by British America and New France where each of them gathered help from their parent countries of Great Britain and France. They fought to initially see who would be the ruling power of the Unitesd States Of America.

"Us and England?" I questioned. He nodded. "Exactly. They were fighting to see who exactly had the biggest and baddest army in the whole world. One strong enough to control the United States."

I frowned. "We lost." He nodded again. "Bingo. We lost in Quebec, Canada. There was too many of them and not enough of us. France and England have this ongoing battle that's been going on for centuries and finally, finally we have a reason to gain back bragging rights." I rubbed my face with my hands and sighed. "Son, this is your chance to prove to your people that France isn't afraid of England. They may have won back then and became the mother country to America, but this is now. Now, France is ready."

"Are we honestly ready, father? I have no interest in what happened in the past. A treaty was signed and we have no real issues with England. Why make a whole country suffer because of the actions of their prime minister?"

"Because that's what they did to us. Our whole country was in a country of emergency and do you think they cared enough to come down here after the war to check on us? They demolished everything we had and burned many places to the ground. Wake up, Justinan. There was never really a mutual agreement between the countries to begin with. It was all a fluke to make the people from the countries feel whole again."

I threw the book on the floor and stood up. "Why didn't you tell me this before I took the throne?" I said through gritted teeth. He picked the book back up and placed it in my hands. "You weren't ready then, my son. You're ready now."
~C~
Harold stood at the door with his arms crossed. "You're the first woman Justinan has ever brought to his room, you know? Only his mother and his sister. No other woman."

I grinned. "Well thats a good thing then, right?" I asked. He nodded with a smile and then there was a small knock at the door. He opened it cautiously and a little girl walked in. She had to have been about six or seven. She was very skinny, dark skinned, and kind of tall. She brought the tea over to me with a smile. "Ma'am, your tea." I smiled and took it from her. "I didn't ask for any but thank you." The girl nodded. "Mrs. Connie told me to bring you it, ma'am. She said that you like hot tea."