Way of the Wolf and the Raven: Story 3 – Peace Through Lawful Force

Story 3 – Peace Through Lawful Force

“This is a beautiful view,” one of my allies says.

“It is and I hope the food is just as good. You all deserve the very best,” I say.

My friends, family, and I enjoy the view that a restaurant on the side of a mountain that isn’t too far from my house that sits at the top. The best musicians I could find play their music and the children play in the view of their parents while also being far enough away so they don’t bother them as they eat. Moments like these and giving them to people is what I live for.

“How’s life? How’s the family?” I ask a friend.

“Good as always thanks to you. I am glad that you brought the Ravens here as an olive branch. This meeting of Wolves and Ravens will be the first step in establishing peace in this country,” she answers back.

“Yes, and there’s nothing that I want more than peace for my people. Speaking of which,” I say as I ding the celebration bell to get everyone’s attention, “I hope you are enjoying the best fruits of my home. To ensure the constant quality of these fruits, I think it would be best to get down to business. Do not worry because this will not take long. We did come here to make peace after all.

Our country is in a state of chaos. One side is from a foreign power that wishes to instate its ways into us while another destroys us from the inside. The Wolves came to me promising to protect our traditional values while also improving them while the Ravens promised to give the people more freedoms and to improve the country saying that the mistakes of the past should give way to the solutions of the future. I sided with the Wolves for a time but now look at us eating and enjoying each other’s company. To be honest, the Wolves and Ravens should’ve been working together since you both seem to have the same goals, which is the destruction of my home.”

Everyone in the party seem to be shocked by what I said except for my guards. Good.

“What are you talking about, Farron?” one of the Wolves says.

“I thought we were here to talk about peace,” a Raven points out.

“We are here to talk about peace,” I confirm, “My terms are this. Take your forces out of my country or face immediate punishment. I will not have your age old war corrupting my country as it has the others. We’ve resisted your influence for generations and we will continue to do so.”

“How can you do this to us? What about the help we’ve given you?” a Wolf mentions.

“Your help was a debt that I had to repay. My country doesn’t need you just because it is no longer a poor one compared to the others. Now, there will be no more arguments. Make your decision.”

“Farron, you cannot-”

I take my pistol out and shoot it into the air. Everyone appears to be startled, but they do not move.

“Guards!” I say as my numerous loyal guards surround me, “Take these people out of here. Do not hesitate to shoot anyone who resists.”

My guards do as I say and I watch as they escort everyone in the party out. I watch from my mountain as they leave not to make sure that they do leave, but because part of me doesn’t want to let them go. Among them are family and friends that I spent many precious moments with. If they change their ways, I will run to them to welcome them back into my home. For the next week, the houses on the mountain lie empty without residents or anyone to take care of them. They are home to nothing more than dust and the shadows of old memories. Passing by them is like is passing by a graveyard or an old, abandoned town that was once illustrious and is now in ruin.

I pray that one day my loved ones come back and that my nation may know peace, but criminals begin to start trouble in it and I go out to meet them in person. Weaker leaders sit behind their gates and desks to give out orders while I go out to personally punish criminals wherever I can while my police force takes care of the rest. Right now, I must attend to my parish that is facing a protest. Here, I find heretics defacing the church with rotten food and paint while the church’s parishioners defend it with the police. To my surprise, my appearance doesn’t stop the riots though it does at least comfort my allies to an extent.

“Sir, you must go back home or at least someplace safe,” an officer says.

“If I cannot stand up for my God and the people He sent me to protect, then I am worse than scum,” I say as I stand in front of the crowd that’s defending the church.

As I stand in defense of who I love, I get rotten fruit and glass bottles at me some of which are already broken. I then take my pistol out which prompts the police and the parishioners behind me to take out their guns as well. This prompts our enemies in front of us to take out their weapons, but they at least fall silent.

“Just as I thought. You animals will only be quiet with a show of force,” I say.

“We’re the animals? You worship humans, give generous amounts of wealth to the whore of Babylon, and enforce her laws upon us,” one of them says as they all begin to speak up.

“You’re a faithless man!”

“You don’t know what true faith is!”

“You’re a slave to religion and priests!”

“You accuse me of all these things and yet you deface statues of God, His holy Mother, and the saints that dedicated their lives to bringing the true faith to this country,” I counter, “You are free to leave and go to other countries where your heresies and heathenistic ways are welcomed, but here, the true faith sits at its rightful place as the only accepted religion as it is in Heaven. Either leave us alone, repent and be welcomed back, or continue this violent display of your wretchedness and face the consequences.”

The crowd becomes riled up again and starts pushing against us. We protect ourselves and fire into the crowd before they have a chance to shoot first. My police force is trained to handle these kinds of crowds and kill only a few while injuring most of them. They prioritize those who have guns while ignoring those who run away in fear.

One of the injured rioters says, “How could you kill those innocent people you monster?!”

“Innocent people don’t attack their fellow citizens to get what they want,” I answer.

My police force cleans up the bodies and arrests those who remain while my citizens shower me with praise for my actions and being here. Praise I do not deserve.

“Sir! You must go back to the main command base. Your judgment is needed there. There are also more riots and terrorists attacking our people all throughout the country according to what we hear on the radio,” an officer says.

“All this happening at once can’t be a coincidence. Damn Ravens and Wolves. I know they’re behind this,” I say. The Ravens and Wolves have started revolutions and wars that have toppled countries and started new ones. There’s no doubt in my mind now that they’re behind this. “I trust my police and military to do the right thing. Tell them that. I’ll go back to the base to see what’s happening.”

I cross myself in front of the church and make a silent prayer as I ask for strength before heading to the base. Once I arrive there, I find one of my generals tied up along with an officer and his wife standing by him.

“What’s going on here?” I ask one of the senior officers.

“This general forced this officer to give him his son for the general’s personal pleasures to put it lightly. This happened in secret and I didn’t know about it until the boy killed himself and the wife told me all about it,” the senior officer explains.

“How did the general force you to give up your son?” I ask the father.

“He said that he would cut my pay and even have me fired if I didn’t do as he asked,” the father answers.

“Are you the only one he did this to?”

“Yes, since he had a particular eye for my boy since he more beautiful than handsome.”

“I see.”

“Do I not get to defend myself?” the general asks, “The boy and I loved each other like a husband and wife. I do not know why he killed himself.”

“You piece of trash! I should-” the wife says before I stop her and give her my pistol.

“His punishment falls to you.”

“Thank you, sir,” she says before shooting him.

“Thank you so much! That man was evil to the core,” the father says.

I then take the pistol from the wife and shoot the husband as well. Everyone is shocked by what I did, but the wife isn’t as upset as I expected her to be.

“You’re a failure of a father because you gave up your son to him. Your son’s blood is on your soul just as much as his.” I turn to address everyone in the base. “If anyone else is going through similar trials or knows of it, bring it immediately to the attention of your superiors or myself. Root out everyone in our ranks who take advantage of children and their families so I can personally execute justice on them.”

“Sir, yes sir,” my soldiers respond in unison.

From the command base, I listen in to what is happening and coordinate my forces. So far, my police and military are taking care of the riots and terrorists with civilians even taking care of some of the situations by themselves before official help can arrive. Everything appears to be going well until a certain report comes in of escaping criminals that sound like they could be people that I know. I go out by myself and hope that those that I knew did as I asked and left the country. When I arrive at the place of their last sighting, I find the remnants of a battle with the bodies of civilians and police littering the streets.

“Is this what you call bringing peace to this country?!” I yell while knowing that my enemy will hear me, “You brought foreign policies, goods, faiths, and people from countries you considered better, but it was all fool’s gold.”

“It was real gold and truth, Farron!” a familiar voice says as they bring another friend from the wreckage of this massacre.

Both of them are injured and in sorry states.

“Are you blind to what is around you?”

“Are you? If you had followed our plan, then none of this would’ve happened. You swore an oath to be a Wolf.”

“I am no Wolf and I am no Raven. I am Farron, slave to my God, servant of my country, and protector of my home. You have one last chance to leave.”

“Even if we do, the other nations will attack you for its resources and land or because you look like a tyrant from our perspective.”

“Then let them come before I come for them first.”

The two people that I used to know then walk away. When I go back to the command base, I hear that the situation in the country has calmed down, but I also hear that the other countries will be sending troops to take me out of power. Every history book in the world will call me a murderer, a tyrant, and worse. I do not care about them because I know that I’m doing the right thing.

To rally my people against our enemies, I arrange a public speech where I say, “Those who wish to destroy us and force us to accept their values and ways of life surround us on all sides, but they will not overtake us! Even though we have the world against us, we have God, all of Heaven, and each other. None can stand our might and virtue! None will be left to fight against us! Stand with me and together will be victorious!”

My people cheer in righteous excitement. I am glad to see their confidence in me and willingness to fight. My very home and people are at stake and I will give my life and everything I must to protect it even if that means becoming a villain to the rest of the world.