It was a dark day. Not because the sky was filled with clouds, but because a man was about to be executed. Yet, this was no ordinary man. He had fought for the kingdom valiantly, nearly dying multiple times throughout the war.

Now, the kingdom he had fought, bled, and killed for was about to kill him. A sad twist of fate, to be betrayed by the one you would give your life to see survive. But this was the fate of Aaron, son of a banished knight, high general of Leon’s army, and husband of the princess.

“Aaron, do you have any last words,” spat out the prince.

“I do,” Aaron replied.

He breathed deeply and closed his eyes, preparing for what he was about to say. He opened them and looked into the crowd who had come to see him hanged. He saw knights he had fought beside, nobles he invited to his house to feast, and strangers who had welcomed him back with praise. All looked at him with disgust. Finally, he was ready.

“People of Leon, what I’m about to say is not meant to stop you from killing me. When the judge proclaimed my fate, I accepted it. But I want you to know how you have treated me, and how I have treated you.”

“I’ll begin, as is right, with my father, James. He was raised as a noble in Gremdon, yet he left and came here to Leon as a commoner. He saw what was occurring there and realized it was evil. Upon arriving here, he enlisted in the army, eager to send back those cursed people from our lands.”

“He rose through the ranks, just as I did, and began leading men against the enemy. All who were under him spoke of his bravery. They told of how he attacked with his men, camped where they camped, and supported them off the battlefield, lending money to those who needed it and being a steady presence all could rely on.”

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“He brought you up from cowards, barely surviving against Gremdon, to brave men, on equal standing with the northern kingdom. He pushed them back from Evergen to the Attaich Mountains, opening up the flow of trade we prosper because of today. He was praised for being a great leader achieving the rank of general. And what did the people of Leon do to him? You betrayed him, just as you have done to me.”

“He was cast out of his position, stripped of his land, and only left with a pittance of his wealth. That is what he received for doing so much for you. What he did was great – but small compared to me.”

“I crossed the Attaich Mountains with fewer than two thousand men lost, thought to be impassable without heavy casualties. I invaded Gremdon, pushing back their evil even further. I burned their capital, Pheridin, down, erasing that city of debauchery from the earth. I crossed the Reiner River, only heard about in reports from scouts. I led us on a path of victory suppressing their nation and bringing ours to prosperity. We used to be looked down upon by all the other kingdoms, yet now we rule above them. They send tributes to appease us, hoping we do not attack them.”

“All the land from the Attaich Mountains to the Genteen Steppe is yours now. The jewels of Ferrun, the trade of Stendum, the mines of Cordis: all belong to you. You are rulers now: dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts, and barons. We used to only have one title of nobility, with no land attached to it. Now we have five, each with more land than what my father brought us up from.”

“And what have I held back for myself? Nothing except what you have bestowed upon me. I did not ask to be made high general, but you made me so. I did not ask to marry Amelia, but the king gave her to me. I did not ask for all these riches, but you joyfully gave them to me.”

“I have sacrificed much while on the campaign against Gremdon, I endured the tempestuous weather of the north alongside my men; I spent countless nights on watch to protect my men; and I lost countless brothers-in-arms just as my men. Who here can say they worked harder for Leon than I have?”

“If you have scars show them to me and I will show you mine. There is not one part of my body that is not doesn’t bear a wound. If you have lost friends tell me, and I will tell you how I lost mine. All of this was for the sake of this kingdom, for the sake of you, the people of Leon.”

“And yet, you will have me executed, after all I have done for you. Now, finish it, so I may no longer see the kingdom I love fall anymore.”

This is the story of Aaron.