act five: nothing left to fear
She looked out over her kingdom with a smug sense of satisfaction, her servants catering to her every last need. The sunset was beautiful, it cast a shimmer over the ocean before her and made the sky appear as one of the finest paintings she'd ever laid her eyes upon. The crown upon her head did shine in the light of that sun, a beautiful reminder of the authority she held over the land of her kingdom.
A gentle breeze kissed her cheek and brought her to turn her face into it, savoring the feelings that breeze did bring her. She was entirely at peace on her throne, the glory of her past victories cementing her right to reign. She was more than just some mediocre queen, more than the might of any old forgotten king, and greater than the rule of even the most powerful sultans... she was a goddess, and her people loved her for her beauty and her power, her intelligence and her strength... they loved her because she deserved to hold their love.
"Tell me, servant," she spoke up to one of the many who stood beside her, her eyes locking to that one in particular to distinguish him from the rest, "Tell me... do you love me?"
"Yes, I do mistress... I adore you." the servant responded, kneeling before and bowing his head to that goddess which he served so loyally.
She smiles. It is a genuine smile, a smile of acceptance and appreciation. This simple servant was just as the rest, a part of a veritable hivemind of affection towards her. So long as she held the hearts of her people, she would not lose their loyalty along the way.
"Excellent," she whispered softly to herself, turning her face back towards the ocean and gazing out over it proudly, "As a good servant should."
She recalled her rise to ascension for the throne... the struggles she had faced along the way, and her inevitable victory at the end of it all. She remembered that grizzled old man who dared stand against her in the beginning, and she remembered how easily he fell before her might. Who did that old man think he was, returning to the lands he'd left so long ago... he had no place in the kingdom any longer, for it had changed drastically since his departure. She was the one who was sent to put him in his place and, ultimately, she had done just that.
She remembered the two warring soldiers before the throne that she had came upon shortly after, and remembered watching as one of the two slaughtered the other. She remembered her opportunity, the chance to finally seize the throne of the land. That sole surviving soldier, the one who stood against her at the foot of that throne... he was nothing more than a glorified peasant in her eyes, and was just as easily dispatched.
She reveled in the memory of her first time sitting down upon the throne, the battered and bloodied corpse of her enemy laying underneath her feet. From that day forward, she had never removed herself from the throne, ruling over the land from her seat at the center of it and calling on the loyalty of all the land's inhabitants. It was as though that throne had given her a power, an inheritance to the leadership of the world itself... and she was not to take that position lightly.
She never heard any complaints from her people, never was subject to any harsh judgment from her critics-- though, perhaps, that was because any critic of hers had been silenced by her loyal followers for treason. Indeed, she had managed to capture the hearts of the people and take hold of the land with an iron fist, and it was a grip that she refused to relinquish at all, even if time itself should one day reach its end.
The land was in a state of prosperity, and all its resources were dedicated to pleasing her. She cared little for those servants of hers, but was still glad to have their loyal service providing her with all that she ever desired for. It was, for her, the greatest time of her life... the golden age of Stacy Jones, goddess of all she laid her eyes upon.
"Mistress, it seems that we are having troubles among our lands..." spoke out a single servant suddenly, entering the room with a look of concern upon his face.
The goddess did raise her eyebrow and turn to face that servant, her eyes narrowing slightly. What force of the world would dare try and stand against her reign now, now that she had commanded the loyalty and love of the people surrounding her?
"What is it, servant?" she asked, her voice carrying the venom of her hatred towards whatever it was that decided to take issue with her place upon the throne.
"It seems that an elderly man has managed to destroy all of our fighting forces within our jungles... he is apparently on a clear advance towards our kingdom as we speak."
...
...
... what a strange thing, the goddess thought. Ever since taking command of the throne, the only feelings she had were those of ecstacy, and yet now some old and forgotten feeling was running down her spine. What was this cold feeling, this emotion that seemed to tighten her throat and make her heartbeat race beyond its normal rate? What could this possibly mean?
The old man... that grizzled old man...
Her victory was true on the day that she'd brought him down, that was for certain... but she had not finished the job against him, she couldn't have possibly hoped to... and because of that, he was back again.
Ready to take back what he felt was rightfully his.
Ready to finish his life's great story.
The goddess, for the first time since that very day... stood from her throne. She drew her sword, she prepared for battle... never knowing it was a battle she couldn't possibly hope to win. Never knowing that beyond the love that she commanded of her people... was a man who commanded their respect even more.
Never knowing that the man had nothing left to fear.