His Fading Humanity

Chapter 26: I Am King

"I have been put into this position to not only lead, but to serve as well," Kyros spoke, "You are my people, and shall be no different than I. You bow to show me your respect and loyalty to me and the kingdom. I bow to show the same. Please arise with me."

They all rose to their feet upon Kyros' request.

The soldiers, at first, seemed surprised that a king was bowing in their presence. They hadn't known of a king who would do so. Beautiful was a kingdom made up of people who not only bow to their king, but a king who bows to his people as well.

Kyros couldn't help but smile just a little. He felt like he was accepted. Acceptance was something he had always wished to have, even just a little bit. First, it was Asheria who showed him such things. And now, it was an entire kingdom. His entire kingdom. Their entire kingdom. 

He smiled again. Our entire kingdom.

Reuben looked at Kyros with a warm, gentle smile. A few strands of Kyros' curly, charcoal black hair hung in front of his vibrant eyes and his frame stood broad against the gentle breeze that filled the air around them. This was the first time Reuben had seen Kyros look strong and healthy.

And he knew he was witnessing a king in the making.

"Tell me, did you know that they would react like this?" Kyros asked Reuben.

Reuben shrugged, and with a smile, he said, "Oh, I had my suspicions that it would go along like this."

The soldiers started to go back to their games and practices, while Reuben and Kyros walked around them. Kyros was interested in the way they worked with swords and other weapons, and he watched the sparkling blades slice through the air as they practiced with one another swiftly and nimbly.

A man with long, shoulder-length dark brown hair and tan skin battled with a younger soldier, no older than two decades, it appeared. The older soldier was extremely skilled in the way he handled the sword and dodged the attacks from the other. Their world seemed to be a blur, neither of them seemed to have any recollection about what was going on around them.

Until the one with long hair briefly moved his eyes to Kyros' in acknowledgment before engaging back into the fight with the other soldier.

It was clear that the pair wasn't serious, in fact, it seemed as if the older man was training the younger, who was obviously a bit more clumsy and unsure of himself with the sword.

The older warrior easily dodged the younger's attacks, who swiped with quick precision with his sword. But his moves were predictable. The older one side-stepped his attacks and used his sword to block the blows which were directed at him. With haste, he turned his sword around and aimed the blunt end of the handle at the boy's kneecap and struck him, causing him to fall to his knees.

He hit the ground and felt the cold edge of the blade gently touch the skin under his chin. The older warrior forced the younger one's head up so he could look him in the eyes as he spoke to him.

"You've improved. But you must tend to your weaknesses and be intuned with the outside world. Don't lash out at me with one blow after another. Focus on my form and constantly observe my movements so you can have an idea what my next attack might be. Don't only defend yourself for the sake of striking me, be offensive in your mind as well, looking for opportunities to weaken me by watching my form." He told the younger soldier, whose scruffy brown hair was unkempt from the wind.

"Thank you." The younger one replied genuinely and bowed his head and smiled at the older soldier's words. Kyros also smiled at the way the older soldier taught the others. Something told Kyros that the soldier was close with all of the others.