Post by Anthony Bailey on Sept 6, 2013 1:45:00 GMT -4
“You can build a throne with bayonets, but you can't sit on it for long.” – Boris Yeltsin
My fate was about to be sealed. The word somehow got back to Emperor Marvo that I was “allegedly” plotting to overthrow him and take his seat upon the throne. Did the allegations hold any weight? Well….that’s beside the point because there was no possible way that this ordeal would end favorable for me. To make matters worse, I had also received word that Marvo’s centurions were coming to “investigate” the condition surrounding my stately aspirations for the throne. Investigate huh? Ha, nice try. If you knew anything about the reign of Marvo, there was no requirement to examine anything. We as citizens of the empire were entitled to certain rights, such as the right to have a legal trial or the right to stand for civil or public office, but at the end of the day Marvo had the final say so. What am I to do?
I had received a tip from a fellow laborer that the centurions were coming to take me away at the ninth hour (3:00 PM), so that gave me an ample amount of time to plan my escape. The mental distress that all of this has caused me proved too great to practically arrange a probable escape so my confidant Hopkins came over to offer his assistance. But where would I go? The empire was so vast that he was bound to find me sooner or later. After Emperor Noble’s madness caused his plunge from the throne, Marvo rose to power and quickly laid down the law. He offered to generously reward anyone who discovered a citizen’s sedition against his reign. Intrigued by this idea at first, it is now my worst nightmare because I am the one committing sedition. I was quite fearful, not only of wanting to take over the throne and the responsibilities that came with it, but also of my potential crimes since treason against the empire was punishable by death from crucifixion. Under general circumstances, a citizen could not be tortured or whipped, nor could he or she receive the death penalty unless he was found guilty of treason. And crucifixion of all things?!
No one fared well after being crucified, except possibly for the man whom they call “Christus” about thirty years prior. But that’s a different story for a different day. You see, I was just a regular man. I had made no claims of performing any miracles, feeding a multitude with fish, or healing anyone of their ailments, so if I was caught and crucified only the grave awaited my carcass. But was I wrong in wanting to assist the citizens of the empire? I wanted freedom for them. We are the most powerful empire in all of the known world but we aren’t free. Emperor Marvo, born Terrynicus Caesar Augustus Marvinicus in the year of our Lord thirty-seven, was a diabolical man. One who was self-seeking and one who did a poor job in hiding the fact that he was. His portly stature made a public mockery of all the opposition that he crushed. His rule was immobile and the likes of Biggs, Gates, Level-One, Agrippina J. Parker, Saint, Atken, and Sallust Talfourd all learned this firsthand. Would I be the next one to learn? God forbid.
{{A light knock is heard at the primordial wooden door.}}
“Who could that be?” I thought to myself.
Glancing over at Hopkins and giving him the survey of death, I was hoping that it wasn’t who I thought it was.
“Calm down. It’s nowhere even near the ninth hour,” he said.
“Yeah you’re right,” I said exhaling with a sigh. The sundial was in the back outside and out of my view so I was candidly going off of faith.
Whoever awaited me on the other side of the door knocked again, so I walked over to it and hesitantly placed my left hand on it.
“Who is it?” I asked as my voice cracked, reminding me of my awkward years of adolescence.
“It is I Quintus,” the muffled voice declared through the door.
Quintus was the deliverer of the Acta Diurna, the empire’s daily news tablet. I expelled a sigh of relief and immediately opened the door.
“Quintus, my fellow! How are you this fine day?” I conveyed with a smile as he handed me the small piece of stone displaying the empire’s latest happenings.
“I’m doing fine but how about you two? I now see why you took so long to answer,” he said.
{{I looked at Hopkins in a perplexed manner as Quintus directed my attention to one of the Diurna’s paragraphs towards the bottom right. My trepidation skyrocketed!}}
“What is it?” asked Hopkins.
“Emperor Marvo wanted to bring to everyone’s attention the recent verbal “occurrences” going on in the kingdom,” Quintus said while leaning against the door with his arms folded.
“There’s no longer any room for hearsay,” I thought. I then began to read aloud one of the most urgent matters in all of the empire. “Wanted: Anthony Bailey. For conspiring against the Emperor, Bailey must pay. If you happen to see him bring him to the king’s palace at once, and preferably bring him alive. It’s quite difficult to torture a man who is already deceased. Sincerely your Undisputed Emperor, Marvo.”
No longer had my coup been covert but now ALL of the kingdom was well aware of my intentions and prompted to turn me in on sight. Who could I trust? Everyone except Hopkins had the ability to waiver. My peers from this point on had to be chosen and carefully vetted. Even affiliation with a conspirator was punishable by death but Hopkins always said that his loyalty towards me would go with him to the grave; I just didn’t think that it would be this soon. Even Quintus was a suspect. How do I know that he didn’t lead Marvo’s centurions right to my doorstep? They were probably waiting off in the near distance to pounce on me at any second. I had to leave and I had to leave now.
“Thank you my dear Quintus, but I must be going at once…I have to prepare for the chariot races later this evening,” I remarked unconvincingly. I admit that it was a terrible lie and that my reputation was built on being the bearer of truth, but I had to get him out of my home immediately. It’s hard to be clever when you’re under this kind of pressure.
“Don’t worry Bailey, not all of us are drones of the Emperor or believe that he’s god on earth. You aren’t the only one who feels that you’d make a much better Emperor than he would. You’re selfless and you’re about what’s in the best interest of the citizens, not your own.”
The words of Quintus stunned me. I just thought that he tolerated me, I didn’t know that he actually sympathized.
”Really? Why thank you….I had no idea that you felt this way.”
{{Quintus smiles.}}
“Plus, our fathers were too good of friends for me to rat you out. I was only coming to show you the tablet. I had already planned on keeping it and saying that you weren’t home when I stopped by to bring it to you.”
His quick thinking had likely spared my life. I was forever grateful.
“So now what are we to do? I told Bailey that he has my full adherence, but I am but a man. Marvo has an army,” Hopkins divulged.
Quintus chimed in. “Is he ruthless? One of the most ruthless to ever ascend upon the throne. Is his military strong? The strongest amongst all the natives and the barbarians. But is he invincible? That’s the real question Bailey. No man is invicible.”
“I fully agree,” I dispatched. “But as good of an emperor that I think I could make, look at Marvo’s track record. Look at how viciously he dismantled his adversaries. Can I really take his throne? Or will I simply join his extensive list of casualties?”
With pride laid to the side, I had a valid point. Exploits for a position of authority were so common in our empire; you couldn’t count them as if they were the sands of the sea. But the commonality became a thing of the former years when Marvo rose to power. The iron fist that he ruled with annihilated any hopes and dreams one might have of ascending to the highest position of power in the kingdom. What made me so special though? What made me worthy enough to even strive for the position? Well, it kind of just happened randomly over time. I had found favor in the eyes of both the commoners and the aristocrats. I liked being open, kind, and honest to everyone and contrary to popular belief, that’s what people wanted in a leader. Flexing your strength and might was one thing but genuineness with the people endured and far outweighed the vigor of your gladius or your pilum.
“It is unlikely that the empire will rally behind you as a whole but some supporters, even if it isn’t that many, are better than no supporters at all.”
“This is true my good friend and now that I know whose side you’re on, I’m going to need a small favor.”
{{Quintus swivels at Bailey with the raising of his eyebrows while silently communicating the question “Yes?”}}
“When you leave here, immediately inform all of the people who want to see Emperor Marvo ousted to join me in the revolution.”
“But please be extremely cautious Quintus,” Hopkins added. “We still don’t know who is with us and who is against us. We wouldn’t want the plan ruined before it comes to pass…”
{{Hopkins glances at Bailey.}}
“There is a plan…right?” Hopkins appealed.
I couldn’t lie and say no and look like an imbecile before, so I had to be on my toes this time.
“Quintus,” I said while clearing my throat. “Please tell whoever is joining me to meet me and Hopkins behind the Amphitheater a little after the ninth hour. The centurions will probably be here by then and the chariot races would be getting underway so the Amphitheater seems safe and quiet enough. Tell them to bring any supplies that they can. Chariots, weapons, food, whatever. If Marvo wants to take me down, I want to make sure that I at least put up a solid fight.”
“You got it!”
{{Quintus heads for the door as I bid him farewell.}}
”Thank you once again. Grace and peace, brother.”
{{I shut the door behind him as Hopkins and I began to scramble for any supplies that I might already have at the house.}}
This Sunday night in Lahaina is my date with destiny. I had to war against my angst of wanting to squander time rambling on about how it took me one whole year to get here. But I’m not mad because when you’re close to reaching the mountaintop, you forget why you were upset. I’m just grateful to even be in this locality so anger isn’t in the slew of all the other mixed emotions that I’m feeling right now. Excitement, anxiety, fear of failure, etc. have all been perplexing my mind ever since this match was first announced. I jokingly tweeted about having to go and train with the Pope and the NSA to get ready for the Undisputed Champion himself and honestly, even sitting at the feet of a popular government agency and soaking in all of the wisdom that I am able to probably won’t do me any good.
You think that I make light of my opponents Terry and that is extremely far from the truth. I may not like a select few of my APW colleagues, select few meaning AJP, but I know what she is capable of. Test For The Best proved to the masses what was already evident from the jump…she’s a beast and when she is at the top of her game, she’s ferocious and nearly unstoppable. I have learned this myself the hard way on more than one occasion. It was a sobering experience and a humbling one at that so I’d be a fool to perceive you in a lesser light. If anything, you aren’t plainly in the spotlight as you revel in the "Year of Marvin," you are the one who told Edison to get off his butt in the first place and go invent the light bulb.
To this day, it is still highly debated whether Thomas Edison really did invent the light bulb or if he stole the idea from another person.
You have become somewhat of a demigod in the pro wrestling world. Your accolades and many successes have permeated the confines of APW and lapped other megastars. Your technique inside the ring is unprecedented and I have been studying your matches closely because of this. Learning what to do and what not to do. I’m not taking an ounce of this lightly because there’s something at stake here and I am not referring to just the Undisputed Championship. Delight, self-regard, and reputation are some of the things that need to be considered. If I lose to Terry Marvin, it’s a pat on the back for me accompanied by a “Better luck next time kid, I mean it is Terry Marvin though so what did you expect?” But IF and I mean IF I get the upset over you on Asylum, there’s no pats on the back…
And there’s no cliché “Try harder next time” sayings either. It would have been one of the highest and most potent wrestlers to ever walk the face of the earth losing to a man that he has aided in slandering on social media. A man that he has observed from afar but has never taken the time out to really get to know. But I don’t blame you. With a busy life like yours and to top it off with throwing a new wife in the mix also, life gets hectic and we restrict our knowledge of a person down to one hundred and forty characters on our phones or seated behind a desk staring at a computer screen. Life and time wait for no man and also as life teaches us, everything is temporary.
Michael Jackson, the king of Pop, once told British journalist Martin Bashir and I quote “I would like to live forever.” Being the greatest entertainer to ever live and creating timeless music didn’t delegate the man himself to be eternal. God rest his soul as the crude reality of existence and the cares of this world caught up to him. Because come Sunday, it’ll catch up to you too Terry. You won’t be Champion forever so let that sink in. And I wouldn’t care if I only pull out the victory by the skin of my incisors; I’ll do whatever it takes. Talk is cheap especially when it comes to a dominant force such as yourself, but with the little that you do know about me, know that I am fond of being a man of my word. To the fans....at Asylum, please join me as I aim to make history by defeating the unrelenting man known as Terry Marvin and ending his year long title reign. I am Anthony Bailey…APW’s only Promise…the only Promise that can't be broken. Until Lahaina…
{{The scene slowly fades to black.}}
My fate was about to be sealed. The word somehow got back to Emperor Marvo that I was “allegedly” plotting to overthrow him and take his seat upon the throne. Did the allegations hold any weight? Well….that’s beside the point because there was no possible way that this ordeal would end favorable for me. To make matters worse, I had also received word that Marvo’s centurions were coming to “investigate” the condition surrounding my stately aspirations for the throne. Investigate huh? Ha, nice try. If you knew anything about the reign of Marvo, there was no requirement to examine anything. We as citizens of the empire were entitled to certain rights, such as the right to have a legal trial or the right to stand for civil or public office, but at the end of the day Marvo had the final say so. What am I to do?
I had received a tip from a fellow laborer that the centurions were coming to take me away at the ninth hour (3:00 PM), so that gave me an ample amount of time to plan my escape. The mental distress that all of this has caused me proved too great to practically arrange a probable escape so my confidant Hopkins came over to offer his assistance. But where would I go? The empire was so vast that he was bound to find me sooner or later. After Emperor Noble’s madness caused his plunge from the throne, Marvo rose to power and quickly laid down the law. He offered to generously reward anyone who discovered a citizen’s sedition against his reign. Intrigued by this idea at first, it is now my worst nightmare because I am the one committing sedition. I was quite fearful, not only of wanting to take over the throne and the responsibilities that came with it, but also of my potential crimes since treason against the empire was punishable by death from crucifixion. Under general circumstances, a citizen could not be tortured or whipped, nor could he or she receive the death penalty unless he was found guilty of treason. And crucifixion of all things?!
No one fared well after being crucified, except possibly for the man whom they call “Christus” about thirty years prior. But that’s a different story for a different day. You see, I was just a regular man. I had made no claims of performing any miracles, feeding a multitude with fish, or healing anyone of their ailments, so if I was caught and crucified only the grave awaited my carcass. But was I wrong in wanting to assist the citizens of the empire? I wanted freedom for them. We are the most powerful empire in all of the known world but we aren’t free. Emperor Marvo, born Terrynicus Caesar Augustus Marvinicus in the year of our Lord thirty-seven, was a diabolical man. One who was self-seeking and one who did a poor job in hiding the fact that he was. His portly stature made a public mockery of all the opposition that he crushed. His rule was immobile and the likes of Biggs, Gates, Level-One, Agrippina J. Parker, Saint, Atken, and Sallust Talfourd all learned this firsthand. Would I be the next one to learn? God forbid.
---------------
{{A light knock is heard at the primordial wooden door.}}
“Who could that be?” I thought to myself.
Glancing over at Hopkins and giving him the survey of death, I was hoping that it wasn’t who I thought it was.
“Calm down. It’s nowhere even near the ninth hour,” he said.
“Yeah you’re right,” I said exhaling with a sigh. The sundial was in the back outside and out of my view so I was candidly going off of faith.
Whoever awaited me on the other side of the door knocked again, so I walked over to it and hesitantly placed my left hand on it.
“Who is it?” I asked as my voice cracked, reminding me of my awkward years of adolescence.
“It is I Quintus,” the muffled voice declared through the door.
Quintus was the deliverer of the Acta Diurna, the empire’s daily news tablet. I expelled a sigh of relief and immediately opened the door.
“Quintus, my fellow! How are you this fine day?” I conveyed with a smile as he handed me the small piece of stone displaying the empire’s latest happenings.
“I’m doing fine but how about you two? I now see why you took so long to answer,” he said.
{{I looked at Hopkins in a perplexed manner as Quintus directed my attention to one of the Diurna’s paragraphs towards the bottom right. My trepidation skyrocketed!}}
“What is it?” asked Hopkins.
“Emperor Marvo wanted to bring to everyone’s attention the recent verbal “occurrences” going on in the kingdom,” Quintus said while leaning against the door with his arms folded.
“There’s no longer any room for hearsay,” I thought. I then began to read aloud one of the most urgent matters in all of the empire. “Wanted: Anthony Bailey. For conspiring against the Emperor, Bailey must pay. If you happen to see him bring him to the king’s palace at once, and preferably bring him alive. It’s quite difficult to torture a man who is already deceased. Sincerely your Undisputed Emperor, Marvo.”
No longer had my coup been covert but now ALL of the kingdom was well aware of my intentions and prompted to turn me in on sight. Who could I trust? Everyone except Hopkins had the ability to waiver. My peers from this point on had to be chosen and carefully vetted. Even affiliation with a conspirator was punishable by death but Hopkins always said that his loyalty towards me would go with him to the grave; I just didn’t think that it would be this soon. Even Quintus was a suspect. How do I know that he didn’t lead Marvo’s centurions right to my doorstep? They were probably waiting off in the near distance to pounce on me at any second. I had to leave and I had to leave now.
“Thank you my dear Quintus, but I must be going at once…I have to prepare for the chariot races later this evening,” I remarked unconvincingly. I admit that it was a terrible lie and that my reputation was built on being the bearer of truth, but I had to get him out of my home immediately. It’s hard to be clever when you’re under this kind of pressure.
“Don’t worry Bailey, not all of us are drones of the Emperor or believe that he’s god on earth. You aren’t the only one who feels that you’d make a much better Emperor than he would. You’re selfless and you’re about what’s in the best interest of the citizens, not your own.”
The words of Quintus stunned me. I just thought that he tolerated me, I didn’t know that he actually sympathized.
”Really? Why thank you….I had no idea that you felt this way.”
{{Quintus smiles.}}
“Plus, our fathers were too good of friends for me to rat you out. I was only coming to show you the tablet. I had already planned on keeping it and saying that you weren’t home when I stopped by to bring it to you.”
His quick thinking had likely spared my life. I was forever grateful.
“So now what are we to do? I told Bailey that he has my full adherence, but I am but a man. Marvo has an army,” Hopkins divulged.
Quintus chimed in. “Is he ruthless? One of the most ruthless to ever ascend upon the throne. Is his military strong? The strongest amongst all the natives and the barbarians. But is he invincible? That’s the real question Bailey. No man is invicible.”
“I fully agree,” I dispatched. “But as good of an emperor that I think I could make, look at Marvo’s track record. Look at how viciously he dismantled his adversaries. Can I really take his throne? Or will I simply join his extensive list of casualties?”
With pride laid to the side, I had a valid point. Exploits for a position of authority were so common in our empire; you couldn’t count them as if they were the sands of the sea. But the commonality became a thing of the former years when Marvo rose to power. The iron fist that he ruled with annihilated any hopes and dreams one might have of ascending to the highest position of power in the kingdom. What made me so special though? What made me worthy enough to even strive for the position? Well, it kind of just happened randomly over time. I had found favor in the eyes of both the commoners and the aristocrats. I liked being open, kind, and honest to everyone and contrary to popular belief, that’s what people wanted in a leader. Flexing your strength and might was one thing but genuineness with the people endured and far outweighed the vigor of your gladius or your pilum.
“It is unlikely that the empire will rally behind you as a whole but some supporters, even if it isn’t that many, are better than no supporters at all.”
“This is true my good friend and now that I know whose side you’re on, I’m going to need a small favor.”
{{Quintus swivels at Bailey with the raising of his eyebrows while silently communicating the question “Yes?”}}
“When you leave here, immediately inform all of the people who want to see Emperor Marvo ousted to join me in the revolution.”
“But please be extremely cautious Quintus,” Hopkins added. “We still don’t know who is with us and who is against us. We wouldn’t want the plan ruined before it comes to pass…”
{{Hopkins glances at Bailey.}}
“There is a plan…right?” Hopkins appealed.
I couldn’t lie and say no and look like an imbecile before, so I had to be on my toes this time.
“Quintus,” I said while clearing my throat. “Please tell whoever is joining me to meet me and Hopkins behind the Amphitheater a little after the ninth hour. The centurions will probably be here by then and the chariot races would be getting underway so the Amphitheater seems safe and quiet enough. Tell them to bring any supplies that they can. Chariots, weapons, food, whatever. If Marvo wants to take me down, I want to make sure that I at least put up a solid fight.”
“You got it!”
{{Quintus heads for the door as I bid him farewell.}}
”Thank you once again. Grace and peace, brother.”
{{I shut the door behind him as Hopkins and I began to scramble for any supplies that I might already have at the house.}}
---------------
This Sunday night in Lahaina is my date with destiny. I had to war against my angst of wanting to squander time rambling on about how it took me one whole year to get here. But I’m not mad because when you’re close to reaching the mountaintop, you forget why you were upset. I’m just grateful to even be in this locality so anger isn’t in the slew of all the other mixed emotions that I’m feeling right now. Excitement, anxiety, fear of failure, etc. have all been perplexing my mind ever since this match was first announced. I jokingly tweeted about having to go and train with the Pope and the NSA to get ready for the Undisputed Champion himself and honestly, even sitting at the feet of a popular government agency and soaking in all of the wisdom that I am able to probably won’t do me any good.
You think that I make light of my opponents Terry and that is extremely far from the truth. I may not like a select few of my APW colleagues, select few meaning AJP, but I know what she is capable of. Test For The Best proved to the masses what was already evident from the jump…she’s a beast and when she is at the top of her game, she’s ferocious and nearly unstoppable. I have learned this myself the hard way on more than one occasion. It was a sobering experience and a humbling one at that so I’d be a fool to perceive you in a lesser light. If anything, you aren’t plainly in the spotlight as you revel in the "Year of Marvin," you are the one who told Edison to get off his butt in the first place and go invent the light bulb.
To this day, it is still highly debated whether Thomas Edison really did invent the light bulb or if he stole the idea from another person.
You have become somewhat of a demigod in the pro wrestling world. Your accolades and many successes have permeated the confines of APW and lapped other megastars. Your technique inside the ring is unprecedented and I have been studying your matches closely because of this. Learning what to do and what not to do. I’m not taking an ounce of this lightly because there’s something at stake here and I am not referring to just the Undisputed Championship. Delight, self-regard, and reputation are some of the things that need to be considered. If I lose to Terry Marvin, it’s a pat on the back for me accompanied by a “Better luck next time kid, I mean it is Terry Marvin though so what did you expect?” But IF and I mean IF I get the upset over you on Asylum, there’s no pats on the back…
And there’s no cliché “Try harder next time” sayings either. It would have been one of the highest and most potent wrestlers to ever walk the face of the earth losing to a man that he has aided in slandering on social media. A man that he has observed from afar but has never taken the time out to really get to know. But I don’t blame you. With a busy life like yours and to top it off with throwing a new wife in the mix also, life gets hectic and we restrict our knowledge of a person down to one hundred and forty characters on our phones or seated behind a desk staring at a computer screen. Life and time wait for no man and also as life teaches us, everything is temporary.
Michael Jackson, the king of Pop, once told British journalist Martin Bashir and I quote “I would like to live forever.” Being the greatest entertainer to ever live and creating timeless music didn’t delegate the man himself to be eternal. God rest his soul as the crude reality of existence and the cares of this world caught up to him. Because come Sunday, it’ll catch up to you too Terry. You won’t be Champion forever so let that sink in. And I wouldn’t care if I only pull out the victory by the skin of my incisors; I’ll do whatever it takes. Talk is cheap especially when it comes to a dominant force such as yourself, but with the little that you do know about me, know that I am fond of being a man of my word. To the fans....at Asylum, please join me as I aim to make history by defeating the unrelenting man known as Terry Marvin and ending his year long title reign. I am Anthony Bailey…APW’s only Promise…the only Promise that can't be broken. Until Lahaina…
{{The scene slowly fades to black.}}
