Random Sanders Sides Stuff

Acceptance is Key

Just so you know, it is not as bad as the warnings suggest, and the times they come into play are short.
Tw:Brief mentions of torture, talk of murder plots, attempted suicide, let me know if I missed anything.

There was rumor of a king who would not turn away an evil soul, nor would deny an innocent person a place to sleep at night. This king would accept everyone for who they were, whether it be by giving villains the refuge they needed or helping an old lady run a soup shop, he ruled with the kind of acceptance that is almost never seen today, much less back then. He would seek out those who needed help and bring them back to his land, even if it meant risking his own life to make sure someone thought more evil than the devil himself was safe. His subjects were terrified of what this could do, rarely trusting the king. No one today could imagine how being too kind would cause someone to be almost killed by the very people that he ruled, yet that is what happened too many times to count.

Virgil's P.O.V.
I rise from my seat as my advisers speak, none of them taking notice as I get close to better hear their discussion of an evil sorcerer that was in danger. I step as close as I can without being noticed, turning so that my side faced them, my ear leaned in their direction as they continued in rushed voices about the dangerous man, almost as if they thought speaking quickly would make it so I couldn't understand them.
"There is a man not too far from our borders, they say he's living in caves as he tries to avoid the wrath of those that he has wronged." One says, looking around worriedly at the others.
"I heard that he is mentally damaged beyond belief, his magic twisted him so harshly that he no longer thinks clearly, only seeing the need for power and the control over others." Another says in a hushed tone, glancing around warily.
"Some say that he is seeking help, he cannot face the consequences of his actions and is too scared to reach out to anyone, for fear they will turn on him." A third says, and I've heard everything I need to know. I back away slightly, looking to my men.
"I am going out on another of my excursions. Leave the lead guard in charge as always, I will only need one of the wards to come with me, ready our fastest two horses in our stables, I will leave at daybreak tomorrow." I declare, quickly heading to the knights quarters. My men look as though this is exactly what they feared.
"He's going to get himself killed one of these times." One says as I make my way to the doors of the specific person I am looking for.
"Ian, I require your services." I say, knocking on his door. It immediately opens, revealing the man I need.
"What is it my king? Another one of your quests? Who shall we be saving this time? I am ready to leave the second you are." He says, he's the only one who doesn't think me insane for my attempts, instead agreeing that we should give them all a chance. I explain what I have heard and we head to our beds, resting so that we will be ready come morning.
As the sun rises I leap from my bed, hurriedly preparing myself for the journey I am about to take on. I make my way down to the stables where our horses have been readied, pouches of food and necessities saddled on them. I mount Midnight, my pitch black horse, and Ian mounts his own steed, Lilac, who is a black horse with small patches that look like light purple flowers. We ride off in search of this mysterious sorcerer.
It takes us all day, but as the moon rises and the sun sets we finally arrive at the cluster of cafes near our border. We set up camp for the night and ride again in the morning, slowly entering the one cave with markings on it's entrance, a sure sign of magic. We tie our horses to the trees nearby, making our way into the dark caverns. I light a torch and carry it in, caution in my mind as I carefully tread through the darkness, only lit by the small flame I hold. I jump to the side as  jet of red magic shoots past me, raising my hands in innocence, Ian doing the same.
"We mean you no harm, we have heard of your tails and I wish to bring you safe shelter from those that have been angered." I call out cautiously, stepping into the firelight by the hearth set up. The sorcerer steps out too, raising his hands warily to show he is ready to attack.
"You cannot fool me, I know you are here to slay me. I will not allow it, not when I am innocent!" He exclaims, sending another blast at us. I drop my torch, pulling Ian out of the way. I chuckle.
"Of course you are wary, I would be concerned if you were not. That there, what you just said, is exactly why I came here. My own subjects have tried to murder me on several occasions for my excursions, allowing those thought to be more sinister than ever before to have a safe home in my town. If they find out I am here, they will have my head. Have you not heard of the rumors that spread far over the world? I am scorned by those who don't even know my name, for I seek out those who most don't think deserve to be heard out. You are innocent you claim, yet they would not believe you. I do. If you give me reason not to, I still would offer you safe passage, however I might not ask you to stay permanently, depending on how severe your actions. No matter what though, I swear on my own life; you will have at least one month of safety in my kingdom, I will send my most honorable guards to defend you if needed." I watch his expression change, shock all over his form as he hears my many words. I did not intend for such a long speech, yet sometimes, it is what the person needs to hear. I fold my hands in front of me, awaiting his reaction.
"I can testify this, for I am the only one who does not see him insane for his actions. If it weren't for his protection, he would be dead several times over." Ian says quietly, a blank expression on his face. He slowly lowers his hands, almost as if waiting for us to attack.
"So it is true?" He whispers, fear in his voice "There is a king too kind for his own good? You seriously risked your own life to come out here and save me from what are told to be my own actions? You are truly a wonder. If you will hear it, I shall tell you my story." He continues in his same quiet tone, disbelief written all over him. I nod and he motions for us to sit in the few chairs he has, we sit obligingly.
"We shall hear you out. Continue." I say softly, and he too sits.
"When I was a child, I discovered my ability of magic. I kept it secret, and for good reason. The second I was found out they threw me out of school, thinking it would be too dangerous to let me learn more. So I made myself invisible and snuck in, I was fascinated by the studies they had. Once that too was discovered I was locked away, tortured and very nearly burned alive. I was chained, yet I did not use my abilities to free myself. This triggered their suspicion and I was blamed for everything that went wrong with my town, of which I was no longer a part of. I did not stop them from torturing me, keeping my eyes downcast as they beat and whipped me, my blood spilling over and over again until I almost died. They threw me out of the town, scared of how accepting I was of my fate. I never made a single sound, so when I was kicked from their rule I used one piece of magic to return my voice. They saw this and feared me greater, running and screaming as though I had done something horrible. I wanted to make use of my voice so once I was hidden I changed myself, making me look like a poor young lad. I came into the town in the dead of night, climbing a tree and singing with my own voice, the first time I had made a sound in years. It was beautiful and sad, soon everyone in the town was listening to the mysterious person who sang songs of heartbreak. As soon as everyone left I ran, farther and farther away as more people blamed me for things I had not done. I screamed in the dead of night, a terrifying sound that scared them all. They finally felt guilt for their actions, but they covered it by sending their own guards to kill a sum of people, before killing themselves and having the king blame me for the deaths. I have not returned since." He looks down at his hands sadly, not noticing the tears forming in my eyes. Ian has tears streaming freely down my face and my face hardens, my voice steely as I speak once more.
"They will pay for their wrongs, and the whole world will see the horrifying truth of what happened. Not only will this  finally free you from you unjust treatment you have 'earned', but it will also prevent others from enduring the same pain you have." I say, rising from my seat. He looks up in surprise, yet there is a hint of gratefulness hidden behind his shock.
"Then I shall join you. If you will allow it, I shall reside in your kingdom, and I will serve you more loyally than any of your betraying subjects have." He says, rising too, Ian quick behind him. We stare at the sky and head out, both of them looking in confusion as I walk into the woods. I find a brilliantly white horse with dark red splotches, like a ruined stain on the once beautiful creature, and quickly soothe it, grabbing an extra saddle from my own horse and setting her up for a rider. The sorcerer mounts it with grateful surprise, a small smile on his face.
"I never did catch your name." I say gently, getting atop Midnight. He looks down with another smile.
"I'm Aron, what's yours?" He asks quietly. I smile too.
"I am King Virgil, though you may call me Virge, and this is my knight Ian." I say as said knight soothes Lilac before getting on her as well. We ride off in the direction of my kingdom, none of us speaking as the wind settles over us like a calming blanket.
Once we arrive back it is already late into the night, the moon high in the sky. We enter the palace carefully, putting the new horse in the stable. My lead guard rushes towards us, an angry look his face.
"Oh, so you return with another villain! There are people rioting in front of the castle at this very moment in protest, they are ready to have you slain, and this time who will protect you? We both know you will not send out your men to die in your place, so what is your plan?" He demands angrily, glaring at Aron, who steps forwards.
"I will die for him if it means he is safe, he has offered me more than anyone has ever even thought to, the chance to explain myself!" Aron shouts, a furious look on his face. I gently grab his arm, holding him back from doing anything drastic.
"See! What has he to explain?" My guard says, pointing at Aron. I glare.
"A whole lot actually, considering the only thing he ever did was have magic, not even use it to free himself from years of wrongful torture." I say, a disappointed look on my face as I stare at my guard, his expression changing to one of slight guilt. He walks away without another word, mumbling something about protecting the palace from any intruders for tonight. I kindly ask Ian to show Aron a room that he can stay in for tonight. He does so happily, apologizing profusely for the behavior of some of the people here. I retire to my own room and fall asleep, worry consuming me for what will happen tomorrow.
I rise again with a sense of urgency, knowing that surely the kingdom that Aron came from will be attacking soon due to my alliance with their sworn enemy and 'traitor'. I go out the front doors, pretending not to notice as Ian and Aron follow not too far behind, making my way to the crowd.
"Please! Calm for one moment so actions can be explained before you strike! The lack of this action is what caused this man to be accused in the first place." I say, gesturing briefly to Aron. They quiet with some grumbling, but one man calls out.
"You have gone too far this time! Why should we bend to your will? You have endangered us once more! How do we even know you are keeping our safety in mind?!" He shouts, but most ignore him as they wait for the explanation.
"He has been accused unjustly, for the action that he was imprisoned for was simply having magic. He was thrown out of his school for it, but wanted to learn like anyone else. He was caught trying to maintain a normal education, as any person keen on learning would. When they found this he was thrown in a cell and tortured mercilessly for years, yet he did not use magic to stop it, not even to lessen the pain or make them see the truth. I am sure most of you would not do the same, kicking and fighting as you attempted to prove your innocence, not caring that this would only damage your chances. While he was in there he was blamed for everything that went wrong in the town, despite him having no idea what was happening there anymore. He was then banished from the kingdom, where he repaired his voice from years of unuse, only to be seen and have even more blame wrongfully cast upon him. He finally released his years of pain in the middle of the night with screams, terrifying the king into faking his murders of the kings men and innocent people, when really it was those men themselves who killed the townspeople, and then took their own lives to cover it." Everyone is silent as they stare in awe and shock at Aron, guilt filling every person's eyes as they realize that they were about to put an innocent man in more pain.
"So this other kingdom is still throwing the blame on him, and sure to attack us for it?" A small girl asks from the crows, and I give a slow remorseful nod.
"Do you see now why I must go on adventures and journeys like this? If I had not this innocent person could've been killed for actions that he didn't do, his true story never to be discovered." I say, looking out upon the hundreds of people standing before me. Slowly, each one bows their head in shame, before they all stand tall again.
"Then we shall fight for his truth to be told! We may have almost done the same as those awful people, but we know the truth now. We won't let this stand any longer!" On shouts, and soon they are all rallying together to fight against those who put Aron in his dark spotlight in the first place. He looks to me gratefully, a small smile on his face.
"Thank you, so much. This is more than I could've ever dreamed for." He says, glancing back Ian without realizing it. I smile knowingly, causing Ian to blush slightly.
"It was no problem, it's my duty to seek out these people, if I don't, who will?" I say calmly, and we all smile again, sadness hidden behind them at the truth of my words.
Soon the entire kingdom is ready for battle, every person, except for a select group who are staying behind to protect the kingdom, traveling out to the shameful kingdom that caused so much pain to this one poor individual. He disguises himself as one of my knights at my request, and we head up to meet the king, warning the people not to show any malicious intents until it is necessary. I make my way to his balcony, where his entire kingdom watches in slight fear as we talk peacefully.
"I am here to discuss with you one who you know is innocent, yet refuse to tell others so." I say calmly, leaning against the railing. He looks over to me with a startled expression, his gaze becoming colder.
"You mean Aron? He is no innocent man, he has caused years of awful things upon our kingdom." He says harshly, yet he does not raise his voice.
"He was imprisoned for simply having magic, something he could not control. He wanted the same opportunity everyone else got, a right he deserved, and you threw him in jail, where he used no magic." I speak softly, showing that I have no intents to harm him yet. He seems to shake, but does not show any sign that he feels this way in his tone.
"Then how do you explain the famines? The droughts? The deaths?" He demands, his voice stern but quiet.
"Famines and droughts are natural disasters, a skill that he has no ability to control. He did not spend years training his magic to harm others, as you choose to believe. You will have to enlighten me on the specific deaths you mean." I say, knowing exactly which one's he's talking about.
"Those innocent people weren't stabbed by thin air, nor were my guards that were originally designated to investigate it. You know that someone had to." He says harshly, his tone rising slightly from the whisper it was.
"No, I did not claim that they were. You sent your guards to kill them when Aron wanted to be peacefully free of your rule, you were guilty when you heard him scream so you covered it by this. Then you ordered your guards to kill themselves to erase the evidence." I say calmly still, looking him in the eyes. He takes a step back, practically shaking with fear and rage.
"And the magic he used once he escaped? I suppose you have an explanation for that as well?" He sneers, yet there is more fear causing his malice than actual accusation.
"Actually, I do. He was healing his vocal cords as he had not used his voice in years. You blamed him for even worse acts after this." I state, and now there is a dark edge to my voice. He takes another step back, actually shaking now as he points a finger at me.
"You're insane!" He says, wincing as he realizes how pathetic of an excuse it is.
"And yet, you have not denied any of my statements. I have been called insane many times before for how kind and accepting I am of people known as villains, so why would I suddenly change and accuse you of horrible things if I did not completely believe them true?" I ask, stepping forwards. The calm tone is long gone from my voice, instead pure hatred is starting to seep through, my eyes giving away the visions of pain I have for him. He backs away further, until he is pressed against the railing in fear.
This entire time however, he has not realized the magic amplifying our conversation, so that every one of his subjects could hear it. They look upon their king in horror, and every action he has ever done finally sinks in. He climbs on the railing, looking beseechingly at the pavement below. I step up behind him.
"If you jump, then so will I." I say, staring him in the eyes still. Ian steps forwards, a determined look in his eyes.
"So will I." He says, not looking down as he gets atop the railing as well.
"As well as me." Aron says, revealing his true identity. Every single person in both kingdoms gasps, awe and shock overtaking them. This person, who has gone through so much pain because of this awful king, is willing to give up his own life for the sake of persuading the king not to do so himself. He steps down, tears in his eyes as we follow him.
"You will endure more than this in the dungeons, and a new, worthy king shall take your place upon your throne." I say, allowing Ian to take him as a prisoner, his sword placed threateningly showing him not to escape "That person, I believe, should be Aron." I say, Ian quickly showing that this was a plan he strongly believed in as well. I hear hundreds of statements of agreement throughout both kingdoms, while Aron looks happy and shocked at the same time. He turns to me once more after removing the enchantment that allowed everyone to hear us.
"Again I cannot thank you enough for everything you have done for me. There is no possible way for me to repay you." He says as more of my guards come and take the previous king away, leaving the two of us alone. I smile.
"There is one thing you can do." I say, making him step forwards eagerly "Take good care of Ian." I say, walking away with a smirk as his face turns bright red. I hear him stutter out incoherent words as I make my way back down to my people, before he quickly runs after me. He catches his breath before speaking again, a faint tinge of pink still dusting his cheeks.
"What is that supposed to mean?" He says, trying to hide his embarrassment. I simply smirk wider.
"Well I'm sure you'll understand more later, but just don't hurt him. I don't take very kindly to my close friend being emotionally hurt like that, but I'm sure you'll make him very happy." I say, in response he starts blushing profusely. I see Ian a few feet away, clearly having heard this exchange, and blushing as well as he realizes what I mean.
I make my way back to the crowd of people waiting outside the kingdom, readying everyone for the journey back to our own. We set off and I see Aron watching from the palace as we ride off, a happy yet mournful look on his face. As we arrive back at the castle Ian approaches me, a sheepish look on his face.
"May I have permission to visit Aron? I know you might need me but-" I cut him off, another knowing smile on my face as he stumbles over his words with a blush.
"Of course, you may see him any time you please, our kingdom could do well with another alliance." I say, his eyes widening as he understands the hidden meaning in my words. He looks down at his feet, fear set about his posture.
"You're okay with this? You aren't going to throw me out of your court?" He asks quietly, his voice barely above a whisper and pure fear in his tone. I give him a small smile.
"Why would I do such a thing just because you're like me? I'm not so cruel that I want to be the only person who doesn't find ladies as attractive." I say softly, making him look up, his eyes wide with shock and relief.
"Wait so you like men too?" He seems to realize what he said and quickly backtracks "Wait- I mean- you don't have to answer that- I didn't mean- I-" I smirk, raising an eyebrow as I wait for him to stop spluttering.
"Yes, though I have to admit that was quite amusing. If I am accepting of villains and murderers, why would I renounce my bond with you because of who you like? Surely you do not think me that heartless." I say, a teasing tone in my voice. He nods with a small smile, his eyes apologetic.
"Sorry, I just, panicked I guess." He says softly. I nod, and wave him off.
"Well you wished to visit him, who am I to stop you? Go ahead." He looks up at me in surprised amusement.
"Who are you to stop me? Only the king, he holds no authority over whether one of his own workers can leave the kingdom to visit another who we barely know." He says sarcastically, making me chuckle.
"Exactly!" I exclaim, he just leaves with a laugh, throwing his hands up in the air. I head back to my room, writing out some small stories, before standing abruptly and closing the door. I glance around the hallway as I shut it, making sure there is no one who might accidentally witness this.
As soon as I am sure no one is near I slowly take out a purple journal, grabbing a quill and ink as I skip to a clean page. The old worn paper seems to shiver in anticipation as my hand hovers above it, thinking carefully of what to write.
Another person successfully saved. They, as always, offered to defend me with their life when my people threatened to kill me for my actions of friendship towards them. My people acted as though they learned their lesson, but I know that they will reject this notion as soon as I set out on another quest, even if it is less dangerous. I only hope that someday, my friends will find this old journal from medieval times, before it comes time that they hate me too much. If they do not, then I will be forced to disappear for their benefit.
                                                                                               ~Someday to be,
                                                                                                                              Anxiety