The Crystal Empire Saga

One thousand years of waiting could not bury the eternal struggle between the forces of good and evil, light and darkness, stuck in an eternal deadlock in the Far North.

This is the tale of a Champion, one who led the Crystal Empire to victory in a war that had raged since the beginning of time.

The elderly war veteran, sitting at his creaky wooden desk, blushed a bit as he read once again the words he had written not two decades ago. Yes, it was all true, but that did not make it any less vain to imply that it was his tale and his alone…

Sunlight streamed through the open window, glinting off of the Champion’s shining armor. The army had wanted to re-use it for training new soldiers, but when the Champion had asked to keep it for sentimental reasons, they gladly obliged him—not only was there no military threat on the horizon, but also he was the one responsible for this peace, and the Empire was eternally grateful.

He looked up to the window, wincing at the harsh light of the afternoon sun. It reminded him of a day so many years ago, where that very sun had reflected off of the clear ice of the Far North…until it was blocked out by a great shadow…

“Um, Mr. Champion? Sir?” a young voice echoed out into the empty library from the doorway, interrupting his thoughts.

Looking up from his book, the aged Champion saw a scrawny adolescent figure fidgeting uncomfortably inside the doorway. He did look excited, but…nervous.

“Come on in, child. I promise I don’t bite.”

The squire walked inside, wincing as the door slammed shut behind him. A deafening BOOM echoed across the silent library as the squire cautiously walked toward the former Champion of the Crystal Empire.

Watching the squire act so anxious, as if the old man was a threat who could attack at any moment, the Champion chuckled: “Honestly, boy, even if I did want to hurt you, do you think I could? At this age?”

A small smile began to form on the child’s face. “Well…not really, no. Sir.”

“Exactly. Now come here, I have something to show you.”

Curiosity flitted across his face, and he walked up to the elderly Champion’s desk, looking down at the book splayed open to the very first page. “You wrote this, didn’t you, sir?” the squire asked.

“Hey, you don’t have to call me sir every time you talk to me, if you don’t want to. Is that what they teach you squires nowadays?”

The child shifted awkwardly in his spot, smiling apologetically.

“And…yes, yes I did write this book…over twenty years ago. It is the story of the Legion of the Black King, and how our armies defeated the King and won the great war which our ancestors had fought for countless generations before us.”

“You mean how you defeated the Black King and won the war.”

The old veteran blushed again, grinning from ear to ear: “Well, not all on my own, even though I did play a pretty big part.”

“There’s no need to be modest!” the young squire babbled excitedly, “you’re the greatest hero the Crystal Empire ever had!”

Again he smiled, turning away from the squire, his cheeks a bright cherry red. “Yes, well…I’m sure there are many others. Still, I realized the other day that many of you squires were not learning any of the history of our great nation in your daily education.”

Pouting, the squire replied: “Oh, no, not at all…I had to spend almost all of my free time after lessons in the library, just to learn that the war even happened!”

Frowning, the Champion continued: “So, I thought that it would be a welcome break from your daily routine if you spent the day here with me, learning about the war against the Black King instead of your usual lessons.”

A huge grin lit up on the youngster’s face. “REALLY? Could you do that? That’d be awesome!”

“Well…yeah, why not? And, given your shameful lack of knowledge on the subject as a result of our horrific educational system, I’m sure that your tutors will excuse this interruption of your mundane lessons. Now, let’s see…”

The squire looked on excitedly as the old veteran flipped open the book to its first chapter. Clearing his throat, he began to speak in an epic, dramatic voice, a voice which had once given grand speeches to hundreds of soldiers during the war:

“Banishment into the cold wasteland of the Far North was not enough to end the Black King’s thirst for power…power he could finally steal back as ruler of the Crystal Empire.”