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Story 3

Once upon a time in a far away land, there lived a king. This king had everything except the joy of a family. The king’s family had died while he was young and he had become so busy running the kingdom, he couldn’t find love. Soon, the king became aware of his lonely, aging self, and decided to put aside all king stuff to venture out to find love.

The king began his journey in a small village, 3 days north of his own kingdom. Here, the middle aged king found a lovely young maiden, who had recognized him as king. The king, not wanting his bride to recognize him as a king, fled the tiny village, for word spreads fast. This time, the king went 5 more days north of the small village, and found himself at the neighboring kingdom. Here, he found many eligible ladies, but none of them would be loyal to him, only their king. The king realized his boundaries and set off to travel 2 days southeast. This time the king found no ladies, only a small house on a farm that housed a family of 9.

The grandparents, the parents, and the children all stayed in that house and worked the farm. When the king met the family, they greeted him with acceptance. The king liked the family and they asked him to stay with them, for they didn't get may visitors out there on the farm. As the king got to know the family, he learned that they had another son who was actually a knight in his guard. This knight was exceptional and was the one to venture out to fight dragons and great wizards with his power alone. The family was always worried about their eldest son, but they knew their king would protect all of his kingdom. Now, the king felt bad for the family and decided to tell them that he was the king. The family was, surprisingly, over-joyed to find this out. The family asked about their son and the king didn't have an answer. The king, right then and there, decided to go back to kingdom and check up on the son of the caring family.

It was a long journey home, but the king made it back to his kingdom and resumed his kingly duties. The king also called upon the eldest son of the family he met on the farm to talk to him, and possibly take a leave to see his family. The knight would not come for days, for he was fighting the greatest threat to the kingdom at the time. When the knight finally returned, he met with the king immediately.

The knight was tousled from the journey of 3 days from his usual duties. He approached the king with great remorse for his disheveled appearance. The knight bowed before his king and the king got straight to the point. The king informed the knight of his family missing him, and he offered to return him home. The knight was too honored to turn down such an offer, and quickly agreed.

As the king “walked” the strong knight home, they became well acquainted. The king and the knight talked for the 4 day journey about everything from the economy of the kingdom to their favorite ice cream flavor, to their organizational skills to their shared love for meatballs. Too soon was the end of the joyous journey of the duo, for they had arrived at the farmhouse. The family was overjoyed and offered the king to stay even longer if he wanted to. The king asked the knight if it was fine with him and the knight urged him to stay.

The king stayed with the family of the knight for 4 days, then he had to leave to resume his kingly duties. The entire family was filled with remorse when the king had to leave, and the knight offered to leave with him. The king wouldn’t turn down his best knight’s offer, so they left to get back to the kingdom, a 4 day journey. The two became even closer than before and when they arrived back at the kingdom, they both were sad that they had to separate. The duo came to a consensus (the knight’s idea) that they will see each other every day, if possible, and visit the family every so often. The king was able to deal with that for now, but soon, he knew, he would not be able to bear with being separated with the lovely knight.

The knight had become attached to the king, without knowing it. He treasured the time that they spent together. The knight was too shy to say anything about his undying love for the king. Meanwhile, the king was struggling with the fact that he still hadn’t found the perfect woman, but the perfect man. The king knew he needed offspring and he needed them fast. He also knew that he wouldn’t be respected if he openly loved another man. They both knew that they couldn’t say anything, for each would ruin the other. So, the two men kept the love to themselves, bottled up and then one day, the bottle exploded in each of them.

The duo was meeting before the knight was supposed to go to slay a huge dragon or something, and the knight decided to tell him. The knight blurted his feelings out moment before he was supposed to leave. The king was surprised that someone like that could love someone like him. The king straight up made the first move, and reached for the other man's face. The king knew that the knight wanted this, and kissed him gently. The knight was surprised, but he leaned in, happy that he returned his feelings.

The two then lived happily ever after.

Alternate Ending- The knight never confesses and the king never does either. The two were friends and visited each other very often. One day, while the old king was on his way to visit the knights family, he knew. He knew it was time. The king collapsed and the knight found him, days later. The knight wept and sobbed for days until he, too met his end. The two met once again, but could never get to each other. The two were separated forever, never to show each other their true colors. The two became closed off from the rest of the dead and soon disappeared, for their purpose was and never will be fulfilled.