Once, long ago and far away, there was a beautiful kingdom. Grass, trees, and stunning fields of flowers stretched as far as the eye could see. Rivers danced across the land, and wild game was plenty. Even the mountains, as imposing as they seemed, brought strength and security by their mere presence.
In this kingdom there lived many people, from unassuming passersby to the knights that protected them with their lives, and the wise king. From his rule, this kingdom was birthed, and he still reigned with wisdom and mercy. Among his court, which he assembled meticulously for the betterment of his country, sat two of his most trusted knights.
They were practically brothers. You could seldom see one without the other, and rarer still to find them away from the king's side. Even though they held the same rank and held themselves to the highest standards, these two could not be any more different.
Where one was studying in the library, the other honed his blade. When one was settling down for the night, the other rose to patrol the castle. And whenever the two would disagree over something, the wise king would have to mediate.
Although it was inconvenient to him, the king never minded being the one who brought them peace. Brothers may bicker, yes, but they never stopped caring about one another.
But soon enough, the king found himself more and more tired. Not because he did not care about his kingdom or his people, but because he had worked himself ragged. His knights were the first to notice, as they usually were when it came to their king, and both wanted to help in any way the could.
However, the knights both had different ideas of how to help.
The first knight wanted to halt anyone from entering the castle until their king was in better condition. After all, if the king were to catch an illness or an adversary were to appear, it would spell disaster.
The second knight thought that he should temporarily assume the position of the king until he was fit to return to duty. After all, the kingdom needed its king to make decisions, and being the more studious of the two knights, it only made sense for him to take that role.
However, before the two could even begin bickering about what would help the king more, a stranger entered the king's court.
The stranger suggested that, instead of either of those ideas, they could make a statue of the king. When pressed further, the stranger revealed that he held the power to animate these statues and constructs. He would make a statue of the king, and the king would give it the gift of knowledge so it could rule in his stead. Only temporarily, of course.
Both knights were skeptical, but the king, seeing no other viable solution, agreed with the stranger.
The first knight was incredibly doubtful of the stranger's plan, but trusted his king's judgement.
The second knight felt betrayed. He was perfect for the role, if only for a short time, but his king would choose stone and magic over him?
He would never let this insult go.
