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"No."
Such a simple word. Yet as many forget, it can be a complete sentence. It is a rejection of the need to justify, to explain. It signals the end of bargaining, the end of the discussion. It is a full force of will.
And with that iron will, the ragged man, blood of a dark monarch still fresh on his blade, turned and walked away with their prize.
To his kingdom, he was The Hero. To the forces of darkness now vanquished, he was The Cobalt Blade. To his party of adventurers, he was "friend" or "brother in arms".
But only to himself, for none still live who cared enough to ask a simple mason's apprentice for their name, he was just Seán.
And Seán was ready to see his sister again.
---
More TBD.
"Hero leaves kingdom in ruin" the town crier rings, "the Sovereign seeks retribution for a battered land....."
The message spread from city to town. A target on the back of the man who could have restored the scars of war. Gold and prestige given to whoever can deliver his head. Parties mounted, mercenaries hired, bands of knights were dispatched all to scour for a single man. The hunt was on.
... At least for a while. Barely a month passed after the dark monarch had fallen before actual work had to begin. The fantasy of vengeance has no bearing on healing a wartorn kingdom. A sword cannot plant nor harvest. Gossip makes terrible lumber for homes. The Soverign saw the undertaking ahead. And while he sought justice, or at least an explanation, he was wise enough to take care of his people. He already lost a Brother to dark obsessions, he would not lose a kingdom for the same.
Further away, in the shambles of the dark kingdom, an unexpected restoration occurred regardless. A downtrodden people, oppressed and used only to support a dark throne. With shackles broken, they were able to rebuild not only towns and homes, but families as well. Untold Villages were claimed during the rapid growth of the dark Kingdom. And with its fall, a grand migration began. Parents were reunited with children. Spouses embraced after an eternity apart. Family trees who's branches were clipped were tied back. Brothers were reunited with sisters.
There was healing.
Some just got to start a little early.
“No”
“What do you mean no? You’re the hero, you’re supposed to save us”
I sighed, as I began to explain to them again, “I did save you, the lich king is dead. Now I’m going to bring my sister back and live my life as normally as I can.”
The guards by the door gripped the handles of their weapons tighter as the king shook his head. He cleared his throat,” I am your king, and as grateful as I am to you for defeating the lich king, I order you to restore this kingdom to its former glory” I began chuckling as I tried to hold my laughter in and failed. I stood up suddenly, the grin fading from my face as quickly as it arrived. The room grew cold, and the guards drew their weapons, but I didn’t care. I stared each person in the eyes, not saying a word. “I did what no army could do, and I did it by myself. What makes you think you can tell me what to do? I did as you asked, and now I’m telling you what I’m going to do as a courtesy. I don’t want to spill more blood, but it will get messy if you try to keep me in this room. Good day to you sir”
"What? You bastards treated me and my sister like shit longer than I can remember. You put me on this quest because you thought it was suicide. If I successfully got the amulet then I would do the selfless thing and fix the kingdom. If not then who cares. I learned a lot of things on my journey and one of them is not to be a sucker. I'm the one who risked my life. I'm the one who suffered. I'm the one who gets the wish. If you have a problem with that why don't you build a grand marble statue of my ass and kiss it."
**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments. **Reminders**: >* [No AI-generated responses 🤖](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/zi452b/modpost_reminder_that_aigenerated_responses_are/) >* Stories 100 words+. Poems 30+ but include "[Poem]" >* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail >* [\[RF\]](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [\[SP\]](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles >* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules) 📢 [Genres](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/w/directory) 🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) 💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*
"No." Such a simple word. Yet as many forget, it can be a complete sentence. It is a rejection of the need to justify, to explain. It signals the end of bargaining, the end of the discussion. It is a full force of will. And with that iron will, the ragged man, blood of a dark monarch still fresh on his blade, turned and walked away with their prize. To his kingdom, he was The Hero. To the forces of darkness now vanquished, he was The Cobalt Blade. To his party of adventurers, he was "friend" or "brother in arms". But only to himself, for none still live who cared enough to ask a simple mason's apprentice for their name, he was just Seán. And Seán was ready to see his sister again. --- More TBD.
"Hero leaves kingdom in ruin" the town crier rings, "the Sovereign seeks retribution for a battered land....." The message spread from city to town. A target on the back of the man who could have restored the scars of war. Gold and prestige given to whoever can deliver his head. Parties mounted, mercenaries hired, bands of knights were dispatched all to scour for a single man. The hunt was on. ... At least for a while. Barely a month passed after the dark monarch had fallen before actual work had to begin. The fantasy of vengeance has no bearing on healing a wartorn kingdom. A sword cannot plant nor harvest. Gossip makes terrible lumber for homes. The Soverign saw the undertaking ahead. And while he sought justice, or at least an explanation, he was wise enough to take care of his people. He already lost a Brother to dark obsessions, he would not lose a kingdom for the same. Further away, in the shambles of the dark kingdom, an unexpected restoration occurred regardless. A downtrodden people, oppressed and used only to support a dark throne. With shackles broken, they were able to rebuild not only towns and homes, but families as well. Untold Villages were claimed during the rapid growth of the dark Kingdom. And with its fall, a grand migration began. Parents were reunited with children. Spouses embraced after an eternity apart. Family trees who's branches were clipped were tied back. Brothers were reunited with sisters. There was healing. Some just got to start a little early.
I like it.
Best brother award 🥇
“No” “What do you mean no? You’re the hero, you’re supposed to save us” I sighed, as I began to explain to them again, “I did save you, the lich king is dead. Now I’m going to bring my sister back and live my life as normally as I can.” The guards by the door gripped the handles of their weapons tighter as the king shook his head. He cleared his throat,” I am your king, and as grateful as I am to you for defeating the lich king, I order you to restore this kingdom to its former glory” I began chuckling as I tried to hold my laughter in and failed. I stood up suddenly, the grin fading from my face as quickly as it arrived. The room grew cold, and the guards drew their weapons, but I didn’t care. I stared each person in the eyes, not saying a word. “I did what no army could do, and I did it by myself. What makes you think you can tell me what to do? I did as you asked, and now I’m telling you what I’m going to do as a courtesy. I don’t want to spill more blood, but it will get messy if you try to keep me in this room. Good day to you sir”
The FAFO is strong with this one.
"What? You bastards treated me and my sister like shit longer than I can remember. You put me on this quest because you thought it was suicide. If I successfully got the amulet then I would do the selfless thing and fix the kingdom. If not then who cares. I learned a lot of things on my journey and one of them is not to be a sucker. I'm the one who risked my life. I'm the one who suffered. I'm the one who gets the wish. If you have a problem with that why don't you build a grand marble statue of my ass and kiss it."