fall of a king

*William Sheperd had done everything he could. He had flown as fast as his destroyed body would take him. Yet here he stood unable to do anything. Unable to find someone to repair him, to fix him for one final round. He crumbled into the sand. Why was this so damn hard. He was just a cowboy.He didn't know 'nothin 'bout no magic.

He had brought people to help the group yet they all failed him. Every last one of them. What was the point in saving his life if they didn't help him accomplish the mission. Everyone was worthless. He'd have to trudge on alone. Force his pathetic body forward.

He knew it was the end of Nanashi, he didn't manage to win his fight. William's eyes closed, tears dripping down his face. He would get his revenge no matter what. When he had died the first time he had told everyone to fight to the last. To use the corpses of his enemies to light his funeral pyre.

As his thoughts focused in on the rampage he wished to release upon his enemies a black lion appeared behind him. A scar on it's face as clear as the eye could see. This wasn't the same lion that brought him back to life. This was different. It circled him in his dismay, in his anguish it spoke to him.

"What a pathetic vessel. A pathetic king. A cowardice brave." The lion said in a mocking tone.

"Shut up." Willy said in a soft tone.

"You're afraid. Fear is beneath us." The scarred lion said slamming it's foot next to Willy.

"I'm not afraid!" Willy said in almost a whisper.

"Then why did you try and reason with them? Why didn't you just throw the punch when you saw her? Why do you hold back? A king doesn't restrain himself. A king marches forward without fear. With the belief that he'll be fine no matter the outcome. That HE WILL REMAIN VICTORIOUS!"

William remained silent this time. He didn't have a response. The fact of the matter was. He was afraid that he'd die alone. He was afraid that no one likes him, that no one would truly love him. He was terrified that if he walked into the forest he wouldn't come out. So that's all he could do, be silent, be afraid.

"Even in your anger you can't muster up the resolve necessary to march forward. To stay true to your desires. Being brave doesn't just mean facing the bad guys. It means marching forward towards your goals without hesitation. Without FEAR. And to be the King of the Braves means you embody these sentiments."

Once again William sat in silence. Could he do that? Just follow his desires without fear of reprocussion? That was why he never poisoned the forest like he thought about. He didn't want to endanger the town. That was why he didn't burn Shula's tree. Because he didn't want to start the whole thing up again. Yet...If he wanted to move forward...He would have to turn his back on the responsibilities that would come with his march. He'd simply have to do what he wanted.

"A king can bare any storm that comes their way. And a brave rushes headlong into said storm regardless of these doubts. Do you understand now what it means to be the King of the braves?" The black lion asked, almost like a whisper into his right ear. It's words infiltrated his mind, penetrating his cerebrum.

"The king of the braves is the man who embodies courage. A man who fears nothing and does as he pleases. For a King stands at the peak and a brave worries not for the consequences." William said, coming to this conclusion. His green aura flickered on and off of his body. Yet ever so slightly, a black tinge infected his aura.

The black lion smiled and dissapeared, yet somewhere in the background was a tired green lion looking on. It didn't say a word, it simply faded away aswell, leaving the King of the Braves to make his own future. Even if it meant he would fall form the righteous course in the process.*