The Castle Walls
By: Christopher Neils - 1935
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, a castle stood, shrouded in light. This castle, owned by a benevolent king, gave hope and prosperity to all who gazed upon it, for out of it came anything that the people of the land would need- the sweetest of fruit, the purest of wine, and the freshest of meats. In return, the people bestowed upon their king a land of peace. One where no valuables were stolen or lives were lost do to needless violence.
There came a day where the kings son walked into his father's throne room, a sure look on his face. As he knelt down on one knee in respect, a small grin appeared on the face of the king. “Rise, my son.” He said calmly. “Rise and speak.”
The prince rose with slightly reddened cheeks and did has his father commanded: “I have come of age, my Lord. Why do you not set aside some land for me like your father did for you? Have I done something to anger you?”
“Tell me, son. What would you do with this land, were I to give it to you?” The king said thoughtfully.
Without hesitation, the prince responded: “Why, I would build a fortress to protect our land! I would train the mightiest soldiers so that I can ensure that the prosperity of our kingdom continues.”
Satisfied with his sons answers, the king agreed, and gave his son hundreds of builders and carpenters and architects, a thousand great slabs of stone and piles of logs, and am expansive patch of land near the sea. And so the prince got to work. Day and night the architects planned, the builders built, and the carpenters carved. Day and night they worked, until a great stone fortress was built overlooking the ocean. Overjoyed with his success, the prince returned to his father to share the good news.
When he revisited the fortress a few days later, however, it was in ruins. Shocked by the unexpected destruction, the prince asked his servant what had gone wrong. To his horror, he was told of a monster that came in the night and tore the walls of the fortress down. Despite the setback, the prince was determined, and so construction began again. Day and night the builders built, the carpenters carved, and the architects planned. Day and night they worked, until a new structure, stronger and taller than its predecessor, stood. This time the prince returned to his father with less cheer, as the work had taken a toll on him and his workers.
A few days later, word came to the young prince that his fortress had once again be destroyed- but this time, half of his soldiers were killed attempting to stop the monster. Enraged that so many had suffered, he traveled to the ruins of his great fortress. “We will build it again.” The prince declared. “One last time, we will build it. And this time, the towers will be high enough to pierce the heavens, and the walls wider than a mountain. Let the monster either be intimidated by its size or face me, as I will slay it myself if I must.”
One last time, the carpenters carved. One last time, the builders built. One last time, the architects planned. Finally, a great fortress stood; tall enough to pierce the heavens and wider than a mountain. This time, instead of returning to his father, the prince waited at the gates of his masterpiece. For days, he didn’t move. During the day, chefs cooked him meals and presented him with wines. During the night, he simply stood watch. Weeks past, and the prince began to have hope that the monster really had been intimidated by the sheer scale of their fortress.
One night, however, he was proven wrong. While guarding the gate, the monster appeared- a huge hulking mass of darkness with blood red eyes and tusks as sharp as the coldest of winter winds. Luckily, the prince was smart. He knew that he was no match for the beast in combat- no, instead, he would have to try something else.
“Stop!” The prince yelled. To his surprise, the beast stopped. “Why are you doing this?”
In a raspy, hollow, dark voice, the monster answered. “Why would I not? Your fortress is nothing. It is a pinprick in my foot. An annoyance that covers my field of vision. It’s in my way, so I will get rid of it.”
The prince, intimidated but determined, challenged the monster: “But what about all the people who you are hurting? What about the carpenters, architects, builders, and the soldiers?”
A laughter echoed from the beasts gaping mouth, loud enough to make the very ground tremble. “What about them? They tried to stop me and they failed. They are ants compared to me. Your soldiers fear me and your workers don’t dare stand in my way. I do not need to care for them, as all I need is myself. All I've always needed is myself.”
Though it took him a few moments to respond, the next words that were said were filled with not anger, but pity. "But look at you.” Said the prince, sadly. “You may be strong, but you are feared. You may be big, but your soul is ugly. You may be powerful, but your end will still come- and when it does, you will be sad. Sad, scared, and alone."
The monster was taken aback. “Do you really think that you out of all people can influence me? You’re pathetic. I will humor you though. I’ll give you and your soldiers a month to prepare. When that month finishes, I will destroy not only your fortress, but your precious castle as well.” Before the prince could say another word, the monster disappeared back into the woods.
Deep within the woods, the monster stood. It stood and thought. Never had a puny human tried to talk to it. Never had they been smart enough to know that they stood no chance. And what the human said? Was that bravery or stupidity? Wisdom or ignorance? Whatever it was, the beast had never heard anything like it.
Back in the fortress, the prince prepared. He trained an army larger than had ever been seen before. He had arrows craft and swords sharpened; hammers forged and walls reinforced. But when a month past, when the apocalypse was supposed to arrive- silence. The monster didn’t show up. It didn’t show up the month after that either. Or the one after that. In fact, it never came back at all. Whether or not the words of the prince had gotten to it may never be known, but decades later the skeleton of the monster was found deep in that forest, and scratched into the tree behind it were three words: Scared. Sad. Alone.
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, a castle stood, shrouded in light. This castle, owned by a benevolent king, gave hope and prosperity to all who gazed upon it, for out of it came anything that the people of the land would need- the sweetest of fruit, the purest of wine, and the freshest of meats. In return, the people bestowed upon their king a land of peace. One where no valuables were stolen or lives were lost do to needless violence.
There came a day where the kings son walked into his father's throne room, a sure look on his face. As he knelt down on one knee in respect, a small grin appeared on the face of the king. “Rise, my son.” He said calmly. “Rise and speak.”
The prince rose with slightly reddened cheeks and did has his father commanded: “I have come of age, my Lord. Why do you not set aside some land for me like your father did for you? Have I done something to anger you?”
“Tell me, son. What would you do with this land, were I to give it to you?” The king said thoughtfully.
Without hesitation, the prince responded: “Why, I would build a fortress to protect our land! I would train the mightiest soldiers so that I can ensure that the prosperity of our kingdom continues.”
Satisfied with his sons answers, the king agreed, and gave his son hundreds of builders and carpenters and architects, a thousand great slabs of stone and piles of logs, and am expansive patch of land near the sea. And so the prince got to work. Day and night the architects planned, the builders built, and the carpenters carved. Day and night they worked, until a great stone fortress was built overlooking the ocean. Overjoyed with his success, the prince returned to his father to share the good news.
When he revisited the fortress a few days later, however, it was in ruins. Shocked by the unexpected destruction, the prince asked his servant what had gone wrong. To his horror, he was told of a monster that came in the night and tore the walls of the fortress down. Despite the setback, the prince was determined, and so construction began again. Day and night the builders built, the carpenters carved, and the architects planned. Day and night they worked, until a new structure, stronger and taller than its predecessor, stood. This time the prince returned to his father with less cheer, as the work had taken a toll on him and his workers.
A few days later, word came to the young prince that his fortress had once again be destroyed- but this time, half of his soldiers were killed attempting to stop the monster. Enraged that so many had suffered, he traveled to the ruins of his great fortress. “We will build it again.” The prince declared. “One last time, we will build it. And this time, the towers will be high enough to pierce the heavens, and the walls wider than a mountain. Let the monster either be intimidated by its size or face me, as I will slay it myself if I must.”
One last time, the carpenters carved. One last time, the builders built. One last time, the architects planned. Finally, a great fortress stood; tall enough to pierce the heavens and wider than a mountain. This time, instead of returning to his father, the prince waited at the gates of his masterpiece. For days, he didn’t move. During the day, chefs cooked him meals and presented him with wines. During the night, he simply stood watch. Weeks past, and the prince began to have hope that the monster really had been intimidated by the sheer scale of their fortress.
One night, however, he was proven wrong. While guarding the gate, the monster appeared- a huge hulking mass of darkness with blood red eyes and tusks as sharp as the coldest of winter winds. Luckily, the prince was smart. He knew that he was no match for the beast in combat- no, instead, he would have to try something else.
“Stop!” The prince yelled. To his surprise, the beast stopped. “Why are you doing this?”
In a raspy, hollow, dark voice, the monster answered. “Why would I not? Your fortress is nothing. It is a pinprick in my foot. An annoyance that covers my field of vision. It’s in my way, so I will get rid of it.”
The prince, intimidated but determined, challenged the monster: “But what about all the people who you are hurting? What about the carpenters, architects, builders, and the soldiers?”
A laughter echoed from the beasts gaping mouth, loud enough to make the very ground tremble. “What about them? They tried to stop me and they failed. They are ants compared to me. Your soldiers fear me and your workers don’t dare stand in my way. I do not need to care for them, as all I need is myself. All I've always needed is myself.”
Though it took him a few moments to respond, the next words that were said were filled with not anger, but pity. "But look at you.” Said the prince, sadly. “You may be strong, but you are feared. You may be big, but your soul is ugly. You may be powerful, but your end will still come- and when it does, you will be sad. Sad, scared, and alone."
The monster was taken aback. “Do you really think that you out of all people can influence me? You’re pathetic. I will humor you though. I’ll give you and your soldiers a month to prepare. When that month finishes, I will destroy not only your fortress, but your precious castle as well.” Before the prince could say another word, the monster disappeared back into the woods.
Deep within the woods, the monster stood. It stood and thought. Never had a puny human tried to talk to it. Never had they been smart enough to know that they stood no chance. And what the human said? Was that bravery or stupidity? Wisdom or ignorance? Whatever it was, the beast had never heard anything like it.
Back in the fortress, the prince prepared. He trained an army larger than had ever been seen before. He had arrows craft and swords sharpened; hammers forged and walls reinforced. But when a month past, when the apocalypse was supposed to arrive- silence. The monster didn’t show up. It didn’t show up the month after that either. Or the one after that. In fact, it never came back at all. Whether or not the words of the prince had gotten to it may never be known, but decades later the skeleton of the monster was found deep in that forest, and scratched into the tree behind it were three words: Scared. Sad. Alone.
Wisdom: 18 - Arcane Power: 15 - Accuracy: 13 - Stamina: 9 - Strength: 4 - Evasion: 22
Binding Mark - Blind Vision - Paragon of Health - Spell Spread - Perfectionist