Heavy is the Head that Wears the Solemn Crown

Thirteen - The Shadows and the Light

Tommy

L'Manberg was built more than a hundred years ago. Slaves from the Greater country escaped their fates to find a home with no oppressors. Those slaves had found a barren land with no people. Instead of bemoaning their horrible luck, those former slaves terraformed and cultivated the land. They name their new village L'Manberg. They did not try to be powerful. They merely wanted to survive in the harsh terrain surrounded by nations that would much sooner conquer their neighbors than form peaceful bonds.

L'Manberg slowly grew. More slaves who escaped their chains arrived at the village in the hopes of having the same freedom. Outcasts and weirdos ventured into the town to seek refuge. When a few of the kingdoms banned magic, the people who could wield it came to L'Manberg to escape persecution. The people of L'Manberg never abandoned anyone. They welcomed everyone with open arms, and in turn, their small village grew into a small nation.

Greater did not like this. A war was started between the powerhouse and the nation. The only reason L'Manberg had a fighting chance was because a lot of the magic users enlisted into the army to protect the only home they would ever have. A lot of people enlisted in the army, really, all for the same reason. No matter how many times Greater assaulted the small country, the people would find a way to persevere.

This was in no small part because of the people at the head of the nation. The leader of the army and the elected leader of L'Manberg was a man by the name of Wilhelm. He had once been a bard who traveled all the nations with his soothing melodies. He had been captured by the king of Greater once word had reached the king's ears about how beautifully Wilhelm could sing. The king gave Wilhelm to his daughter, the only princess of the land. Wilhelm spent his days in captivity singing for the depressed princess. Wilhelm sang of faraway lands and grand adventurer, and the princess admitted that she was jealous of the people Wilhelm sang about. After hearing that, Wilhelm and the princess hatched a plot to escape their prison. Wilhelm was able to escape, but the princess was taken back to her lonesome tower. Wilhelm joined the resistance in L'Manberg. He was going to rescue the princess. He was going to free the people of both L'Manberg and Greater of their tyrannical king.

In this endeavor, Wilhelm met a traveling swordsman by the name of Theseus. The golden-haired man was a master at his craft to the point that he created the sword dance 'Salvation of Stars'. With some clever words, Wilhelm was able to convince Theseus to join the revolution against Greater. With the addition of the bard and the swordsman, the tide of the war began to change. Wilhelm inspired the people to continue fighting with his sweet, carefully crafted words. Theseus was able to deliver on every promise Wilhelm made with his blade. Wilhelm envisioned complex plans that would guarantee victory. Theseus was able to execute every single one. They worked as a team, and they worked as the leaders of L'Manberg.

When the war finally ended with Greater granting L'Manberg its independence, the people made Wilhelm into their king and Theseus into the head of the royal guards. Wilhelm was able to marry Princess Sally of the Greater kingdom, further solidifying the bond between the two kingdoms. Wilhelm and Sally gave birth to Floris. Theseus remained in his position until he met a traveling dancer named Clara. Together, the two gave birth to Clementine. Floris was crowned king. Clementine was given her father's position. The cycle continued for many years.

That was the story Captain Puffy had told Tommy, Tubbo, and Kristin as they passed the very first capital of L'Manberg. It was in ruins, and Puffy continued to share the story of L'Manberg's rich history with them. Apparently, the first capital had been burned to the ground by a traitor. Tommy bristled at the word, and Kristin looked away from the destroyed city.

The next historical spot they came to was a bridge that passed over a large, raging river that cut through the land like a butcher's knife. Puffy told them that two events happened on this very bridge. The first was that Theseus and the crown prince of Greater had a duel on the bridge with bows and arrows. Theseus had been struck in the chest by his opponent's arrow, falling into the water. Instead of dying, he had been rescued and nursed back to health. When his health returned to him, he came back to the bridge to declare a rematch with swords. The prince took Theseus up on his offer. This time, Theseus won the duel and injured the prince. With the score one to one, Theseus decided to offer the prince a prize he couldn't refuse. Theseus would teach the prince the sword dance 'Salvation of Stars' in exchange for L'Manberg's independence. The prince agreed, and Theseus spent weeks teaching the prince how to perform the sword dance. Once the prince had mastered it, he marched back to the capital and overthrew his father. As a reward for his actions, King Wilhelm gave both the bridge and the river to Theseus. The swordsman named the river Mellohi and the bridge Cats. No one knows why he chose those names, but King Wilhelm had no choice but to officially name the bridge and river Cats and Mellohi.