“I remember telling this story to James a lot before his bedtime. I never thought it would be relevant to me today, but stranger things have happened.”
“There once was a king who had four brothers. The three elder brothers were cunning and smart, while the last one was rather simpleminded.”
“The ruler was getting closer to death and wanted to appoint an heir before he ultimately passed. He tasked his sons with finding the most beautiful object they could. The one who satisfied the requirement the best would be named king.”
“To make sure each of the brothers went their own way, each of them were assigned a different colored feather that the brothers had to travel in the direction they flew. Three of the feathers went east, west, and north. The last went straight up and landed by the simple man’s feet.”
“Gutted, the simple brother sat on the ground and moped about his bad luck. That is, until he noticed a trap door the feather landed near. Inside, he found a young servant boy who worked hard throughout the grounds day and night.”
“When the man told the young lad what happened, the boy felt pity for the simpleton and said that, if he worked alongside him for the day, he’ll award him with his most prized possession.”
“They both worked diligently throughout the day, cleaning the cellar thoroughly and efficiently. As thanks, the boy handed him his most valued treasure; a championship belt made from the finest gold in the land. The simple man thanked the boy and promised that when he became king, he’ll be repaid for his generosity.”
“The other brothers returned not long afterwards. They figured there was no way the simple one would provide something beautiful to the king, so they went to the local village and brought the first things they saw.”
“The first brother went to a church gave a plain cross to his father. The second one travelled into a forest and handed the king a goat’s head. The third snuck into a circus and handed off a freakish looking woman that could tumble and jump like a gymnast.”
“When the fourth brother revealed his treasure, the other brothers talked the king’s head off. There was no way the simple one worked hard enough to earn something so beautiful. They demanded another trial to prove that he was worthy of the belt.”
“The task? To fight each of them and prove he deserved that belt.”
“And that’s precisely what I’ll do.”
“Ezekiel, Nick, and Klaus might consider themselves cunning and smart, but they aren’t willing to prove their worth to everyone in Arcadia like I am.”
“I might look like a simple minded monster, but I’m willing to die defending this belt from the likes of you three. I worked hard to win this belt, and I’m not going to let any of you try and take it from me.”
“So be careful trying to take this belt. You might just get burned doing so.”