Third Age: Episode 9

"I Wish", alternatively entitled as “Shiraz’s Last Stand” is the 9th episode of the Third Age fanfic.

''The sound of stabbing was heard in the room. Rolande managed to stab Tatewaki Heisei with a big sword. Because of the large damage of the attack, his old age and lack of enough endurance, Tatewaki faints. When he woke up, the damage became unhealable that led him to start dying. This surprised the people around him, especially his family. His son Jiro Heisei came down from the room to see the family. “Papa!”, said Jiro. Came afterwards are the members of the royal family called the Heisei clan. Jiro is the only son of Tatewaki’s twin sister Kaori serves as the queen following the death of his wife on an accident 2 years ago. Jiro on the other hand has a younger sister named Mikuru.''

“Papa! Papa!”, said the rest members of the royal family.

“You know that I won’t live any longer right?”, said Heisei.

“Did you remember when you recovered when you nearly died by accidentally exploding a bomb? You can do it again, papa!”, said Mikuru.

“You know that my body can do that anymore. My doctor said I cannot have another fatal injury,” said the dying king. “He said to me that I was lucky for the heavens had allowed me to live a bit longer.”

“I thought that we would play in the countryside tomorrow,” said Mikuru.

“Yeah, I promised that to you but my body tells me that I can’t do that anymore,” replied Tatewaki.

''This made Mikuru and the others cry. Meanwhile, the common people who are watching the live broadcast have mixed emotions of crying and cheering over the dying Tatewaki. The people then gathered together outside the citywalls in the island’s countryside in front of a large clocktower. ''

“Tatewaki, please not now!”, cried one of them.

Another one in the crowd prayed for the safety of the king, “Spirits of the Heavens, please help our king Tatewaki Heisei, I pray.”

''Some members of the crowd followed until everybody prayed in their own way. The loud prayers caught attention of the brothers, who were still guarding their mother’s corpse. This led them to pray as well. Meanwhile in the palace, the king ordered his servant to grab his personal Den Den Mushi. While it is being carried, the signals from the large Den Den Mushi died out.''

''The signals from the large Den Den Mushi was transferred to his personal Den Den Mushi. An audio featured the voice of the king. The king prepares for his final speech.''

“Faithful people of Tendokyo... Come on, cut the formality crap! I don’t wanna act like the formal type of dying king anymore. I want to talk about it straight.” After this is being spoken, the video transmission returned.

“I am sorry guys, something in my earlier part of my life where I received a nearly fatal hit by a shrapnel when I accidentally detonated a bomb just outside this palace. And the doctor said that I cannot receive another fatal shot anymore. This is why I’m hospitalized back then. You thought that was a disease, that was wrong. I don’t wanna see something crazy like this that everybody would come together in a rural town square in the middle of warfare, praying that I still live and whatsoever.”

“The king is really a joker,” said Shiraz, who was in the palace just next to the dying king.

''Meanwhile in the city square, people have mixed emotions regarding his speech. Some laughed due to the king's deadly failure. Some however are angry since he only told about that thing now. Despite the mixed reaction of people watching the broadcast, Tatewaki continued speaking.''

“Before I leave, I want to honor those extraordinary people who courageously fought in the war. Those who died fighting will never die in vain and will live in their euphoria and eternal peace with honor. Among all of them, there were a few people whose extraordinary acts stood among the rest. Two of them I heard fought hard to save their mother from dying, despite its failure. Whomever you are in my name, I’ll let someone to come to the palace and grant your medals as soon as possible.”

The last sentence caught Shiraz’s attention, as the king refers to the act his sons Juanito and Santino did regarding their failed operation to save their mother.

“For the true hero of the war, I have a final message for you.” Shiraz cannot believe when the king pointed him out as the Hero of Tendokyo. “Yes, Shiraz. I’m referring to you.” Shiraz suddenly remembers his first moments as a guard in his homeland after retiring from piracy.

This leads to a flashback where around 10 years ago, Shiraz applied for a post for the Royal Army.

This made one of the king’s counselors to be surprised and said to the king, “Your Majesty, why do you want a pirate to be in your army? Don’t you know that pirates like him join because of a plan that will dethrone you?"

The king replied, “I don’t care if one is a pirate or not. Everyone has a right to defend his own country at his or her own will! And the news says he just retired from piracy so he would not be a threat. But I was in distress with the rise of these terrorist groups which are indeed very powerful. Adding him as one of the former Yonko will give the country’s defense a great advantage. But I wouldn’t take him for this. I trust him for he is a truthful man for a disease has made him to speak nothing but the truth.”

''The king hired him initially as sergeant. While serving as a soldier, Shiraz witnessed the king’s goodness. The food of the soldiers were distibuted by the king himself, as well as the rations given to the needy of his kingdom. The king even slept in one of the soldier’s hammocks one time when he went late at night and this made Shiraz to be far more surprised to a facefault.''

The following night, Shiraz was called by the king to the courtyard of his palace. “You know Shiraz,” said the king. “What is it, your majesty?”, said Shiraz.

“Don’t call me that way. Call me Tatewaki,” replied the king. “I hate being referred to in a formal way.”

“Anyway, I see those people over the city, waking up in the morning, going out to the fields, while children play, they have simple food, simple clothing... and simple lives. I wish I was just one of them. I wish I can go out freely like the people. You know Shiraz, the hardest part of being in the royalty is even you have all the power, the fame, the gold, but you are enclosed in the walls of this palace and you cannot go to the people, especially those in the countryside because it is for the sake of safety and security and only experience freedom when on a parade in the city. But the material wealth is making the other kings to be deluged in the fame, the money and the power. Fighting my emotions against being deluged into that shit is what makes being a ruler really hard.”

Both of them laughed and Shiraz said, “You know Tatewaki-san, you are the first king to say “shit” in my whole life. You are indeed not the type of king I know.”

The king replied, “You are really a truthful man. I think it is really hard to have a weakness of yours. I cannot even survive a day without lying.” Both of them became the best of friends and later on, Shiraz will be promoted to a general.

The flashback ends and the memories made Shiraz to burst into tears. The public watching in the town square joined Shiraz in weeping. The king also burst into tears as he was slowly dying. He made his final message to Shiraz.

“You are indeed crazy, but respectable. I hope you son would be like you. I saw his courage even in the simplest things especially when he faced his own fears like it was nothing. He even played around with one of the guards it made me laugh. May I read my last message for you. Hijo, take my ceremonial sword.”

“For the man who has a brave heart and will to fight, I shall honor to Shiraz the ‘Hero of Tendokyo, Commander Grade’, the highest grade my kingdom can offer. Now may I present a man with courage and will and might, Sir Arleigh D. Shiraz.”

“My final wish for you is when you got in your second life, never forget me, your country and your family. I never wanted anything more than that!”, Shiraz said while he was still weeping.

“And for you, I entrust you the security of my kingdom. Anyway, don’t you have a man to finish yet? Go, and fight my friend!”

The crowd in the town square are cheering for Shiraz and his remaining army after the message has been said. The shouting and chanting goes louder and louder with Shiraz and his army are shown in the screen.

The king spoke again, “For my immediate family, I have nothing to say. I have to keep it simple.”

His son said, “Papa, I thought we’ll play in the fields someday?”

The king replied and cried for his ‘failure’, “Sorry son, but I cannot do that anymore! I wish I could live a little longer. I wished that I could’ve played with you! I wished I never let down my guard so I won’t fall into this! I was a failure that I can’t even do the simplest wish of my son! Why?! Why are you taking my life now? Sorry my dear son, but I, I ... couldn't.” This leads to his whole family to weep as well.

The king finally speaks to his constituents, “Guys, we all did a very good job. We all made our part in building this wonderful country and made our best to do it. We made it to be the most beautiful among the nations in the world. Now there is one order that I mus tell to you. Make something to commemorate our hardwork as a reminder of the past, for the present to appreciate, and for the future to know. Remember what I have said in my first day as ruler? Learn to trust one another and they will learn to trust in you. With learning how to trust in one another, there shall rise unity.”

The crowd weeped and the skies above Tendokyo became dark. The shouting of “Tatewaki-sama” became louder and louder and the people said, “We will do what you wish. We lay our trust in you!”

In order to save the kingdom, some of them planned to make a monument for Tatewaki Heisei, while others chased Right Wing members to the port, where the Port Cannons are situated. The Port Cannons are Tendokyo’s last line of defense against any invader. These gigantic cannons fire giant explosive shots which can destroy ships from the escaping enemy fleet.