Modern Tales

Introduction

As legends are being told, as myths are being said and as stories are bring written to be heard by the younger generation, who will pass the folk tales to the next generation, sometimes very important mythos which needed to be acknowledged have been forgotten, such as the lost princes - Oh, wait, you've never heard of the chronicles of the lost princes have you? Well then, allow me to be the voice of this tale of old,
Once upon a time, there were three princes. Despite the fact that they didn't have the same blood and they did not look alike they still called each-other brothers. Their kingdom is one of the richest and the oldest in the beautiful land of Medio Terrae. Their home is full of culture and history and the king wasted no time on their education of the kingdom and the land since they have the biggest library in the country.
The eldest of the princes is always silent but polite and puts everything that he holds dear before his own life. He has no fear over his mind or soul but like any man, the daring prince wanted a fair lady.
The second of the princes, unlike the eldest, always speaks his mind without hesitation not thinking of the consequences of what he has said. The prince longed to see the world and to see the different cultures but he has a dream that will never come true.
The youngest isn't strong or as outspoken as his brothers but he has the same amount of spirit as them. He longed to make his own name in the world and not to be in his brothers' shadows.
Theres a forest just outside of the great kingdom. The people called the forest 'saltus ignotae' because no one dared to enter it. The princes agreed to put this 'ridiculous' fear to one side. The princes went through the forest. The people waited for their return along with their noble King and his true love, the Queen.
After the third sunrise, only a few people waited for the three princes. They saw the youngest of the princes and everyone was overjoyed to see him but when they got closer to the young prince, they knew that something was wrong. The prince's eyes are dead, there's no joy or even sadness in his eyes. There is still colour in his eyes but they are hollow. Only a few people can truly experience such pain and suffering that they become a shell. The people asked what happened in the forest and the prince's only reply was ' dark magic ' and it was the only time he said it except when they asked about the other princes. His reply, in a whisper, was 'dead' and when he said it the tears from his dead eyes begin to crawl down his face. When the prince saw the king and queen, he lost all the strength in his knees and landed on them and begged for their forgiveness. The king and queen loved the princes as their own even though they were not from their blood, and automatically forgave the prince and even went down on their knees, crying and embracing the crying prince.
On the next sunrise, the king and queen are still heartbroken with sorrowful tears in their eyes. They announced that the forest will be forbidden and will be named as ' in saltu, in medio umbrae mortis ' so that no one will suffer the loss of a loved one as they did.
Years later, the prince became King and married a charming Duchess from a distant land. The king did have twin boys but he lost his queen bringing these new lives into this 'limbo'. The king truly loved his sons, however his sons reminded him of his own brothers. Due to this and the loss of his father, mother and his beloved wife, the King became bitter and was consumed by hate and rage. Because of his hate and rage, his kingdom, once glorious and full of beauty turned into a wasteland. This type of wasteland still has its previous glory but there is no colour to be seen, no song to be heard, no life in this kingdom at all. The princes loved their father but the hate and rage that corrupts both mind and soul took its toll on the king. The king died and because of his death, there was a civil war in the kingdom. It was chaos, everywhere you could see dark red blood. The dead began to pile up and there were so many that the living didn't give the dead a proper funeral. The two princes went into hiding and went separate ways hoping  that one day, the bloodshed will stop and  glory will return to their fallen kingdom.
You know of this sad tale of the princes,  but do you realise that this tragic legend was based on true events? The civil war has not ended the bloodshed of  the people. The question now is not 'Who is the one, who will end it all? ' but ' Who are those who will end it? '