The King of Man 2 - Defender

The King of Man

Chapter 2 - Defender

By theMadLad

Beta’d by Oofwa and Old man of the mountain

“Surpass you?!” I yelled out in denial, “That’s impossible! You conquered everything from Greece to India!”

“Glory lies beyond the horizon. Challenge it because it is unreachable, speak of conquest and demonstrate it!” He responded with a charismatic joy.

I shook my head before replying, “But that was over two thousand years ago. Things are different now, weapons of mass destruction number in the thousands and that’s not even counting the gods which likely have their hands in various pies throughout the world.” I spoke with a sigh as I continued, “And I’m sure touching those pies will make them very displeased.” I finished while directing him a pointed look.

“Hmm…” He seemed to ponder my answer, thankfully seeing the futility in such an actio—“Even better!” He shouted, causing me to gape at him in confoundment.

“Ah, if I were to ever be envious of another, it would be you! To have the opportunity of such a conquest, my blood is boiling at the thought!” He spoke in covetousness.

I was speechless at his reaction, but that wasn’t to say I wasn’t touched by his conviction.

He grabbed onto my shoulders before shaking me, “Tell me boy! You said you wanted to live a life without regret?!”

“Y-yeah I did.” I yammered out from his shaking.

He grinned before replying, “There’s only one lifestyle that allows such a life.”

“And what would that be?” I asked with a deadpan.

“The life of a King!” He roared in reply as a smile stretched across his face.

“A king lives life to the fullest! He needs to live more fully than anyone else, for he is a figure of untold admiration to his people!" He spoke as his grin widened, “Only a king can live a life unlike any other! He should be greedier than any other, he must laugh louder and rage harder than any other! The embodiment of all things good and evil—someone who brings nothing but envy and adoration to all those who hear of him! A guide to all the heroes who follow him from behind! That is a true king, and why the flames of aspiration—to be just as great as the king is—can burn within the hearts of his people!” He finished with a mighty laugh of joy.

“I live in a republic and am a small orphan child.” I deadpanned in response, hiding the turbulent emotions spurning within me from his speech.

“So? You care too much for laws and restrictions, don’t you know these rules were created by men. A king cares not for the rules of others as he follows only his own will, as there is no will above his own! For his will equals that of all his followers combined!" He retorted as if it was obvious.

“Perhaps I could become a King, but for what? I don’t care much for conquering the world and would rather not bring unprovoked war to anyone I come across.” I argued back that I may not be the most moral person, but I won’t bring death and destruction to those who don’t deserve it.

“Death and destruction? No boy, you have the wrong idea about conquering! To win, but not destroy; to conquer, but not humiliate: That is what true conquest is!" He corrected me before continuing on to retort my earlier point, "Perhaps you may not yet have a reason to rule, but when you someday find a way of life that you can truly be proud of, you'll be forced into your own battle whether you like it or not."

I didn’t have a response to his words, instead choosing to ponder in silence as he started speaking once more.

“How could you ever live a life to the fullest if you allow others to impose their will upon you?”

“Well, if the laws aren’t so bad…I wouldn’t mind doing so, after all without laws and restrictions, what is the difference between man and beast? And also, didn’t the gods impose their will onto you when they refused to grant your wish?” I retorted, “When did being the king ever change that outcome?”

His face turned stoney as he responded, “I was not strong enough to change that, I had believed the gods on my side and ended up unable to oppose them. But, you forget boy, that had taken place after a life I shall grieve, and I shall weep for—But I shall never regret."

“And you are wrong, being the king had changed that outcome. Would I ever have been able to meet you if I was not who I was? My glory may have brought death but also opportunity!” He finished as his face shifted to a grin.

The background of my dreams showing his memories started to come forth once more, showing a wide and endless plateau.

“Here, my armies once rode across the land. A place all the heroes who stood with me, through joy and sorrow, will never forget.” He continued on as the memories showed an army that spanned the horizon marching forth with Alexander at the helm.

He continued to show me more memories while narrating each one personally with a face of pride. From slicing the Gordian Knot to the battles with Darius III, even when he became Pharaoh of Egypt and all the way to his conquest in India.

…It was the adventure of a lifetime.

At the end of his showing he turned towards me before speaking, “I showed you the personal story of my legend, the glories of my life. All those who stood with me against our enemies could hold their chest high, and consider themselves my equal……For my conquest could not exist without them.”

“But even so, their names had been lost to time. No more than a footnote in history attached to my own. These heroes will always live on in my heart, yet most were never individually recorded into the annals of history, for only their King lived on into legend.” He replied mournfully as he focused towards me once more.

“Did you not say you wanted to be somebody? All you have been doing is whining excuses in order to stay in mediocrity!” He chastised me.

“You were born in the legacy of my kingdom, have inherited my name and even my spirit, yet refuse to step up and even attempt to fill my shoes! How could you ever hope to be someone—when you refuse to even leave my shadow?!” He continued berating me as the criticism of his words shot metaphorical arrows through my heart.

That night, he had only spoken towards me once more before I had awakened the next day, “If you are truly unable to find meaning in conquest perhaps one more piece of trivia shall aid you in your decision.”

“You live in the legacy of my kingdom, surely somewhere within you could find the answer to this question.” He moved towards me as a finger was jabbed at my chest.

“I ask of you this, what is the meaning of our name?”

I was about to reply but he raised a hand to stop me, “That is all for tonight, when you make up your mind we shall speak once more.”

Even though it’s already been a few years since, I remember waking up the next day and being in a daze. The caretakers—hell, even some of the kids who I never interacted with—came to check on me in concern. All of this had just been thrust onto me and I didn’t even know how to react to it all.

…It took a few days for me to come out of it.

I had used the time to slowly digest Alexander’s memories, while really looking into myself and how I wanted to live my life going forward.

I still wasn’t sure, I had pondered about what Alexander had told me and even agreed with many of his points. I mean, how could I grasp my own destiny if I let others choose it for me?

Why would I put myself under some dirty politician, when literal gods roamed the Earth. Wasn’t it just a bit pathetic? Or at the very least……anti-climatic in some way.

I had gotten a second chance somehow, wouldn’t it be a waste if I didn’t even attempt to aim high?

But, on the other hand….

I disagreed on some things he said, afterall—when it was all said and done…wasn’t he just following his own philosophical ego and thrusting his goals and ambition on to me? He simply covered it up with sheer charisma. But then again, he still laid everything bare to see, even to the point of showing me his entire life.

Was he not a good example to follow?

At the end of that week, I decided to take the last advice he left me and asked the caretakers to bring me a dictionary of names and a history book about Alexander.

It was in one of these books I had found my answer…

— Alexander

Latinized form of the Greek name Ἀλέξανδρος (Alexandros), which meant "defending men" from Greek ἀλέξω (alexo) meaning "to defend, help" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός).

Huh.

…the Defender of Man.

That sounded like something I might be able to get behind, I reasoned with myself.

But, I knew deep down—that this was just another excuse—because in actuality, I wanted this.

His memories had changed something in me, that rush, the thrill of such a conquest was burning in me. His speech only threw fuel into the fire that had begun to roar in my heart.

Maybe, he and I were not so different after all……just a couple of fools wanting to reach for the impossible, not for some grand goal—but simply to satisfy our own egos.