The next day dawned and I walked three miles to the farthest gym, just to get some walking in. Once I was at the gym I signed in and walked into the exercise room. I lifted myself up on the bar and did 100 pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, and leg exercises. I was careful, however, not to let my muscles get too bulky.
All this time, I had noticed my English teacher, Lucia, following me. A few weeks ago I had noticed that she was very pretty. Then, we had started talking after class. We had arranged a date for this night.
I went over to her. “Well,” I said, “Fancy meeting you here.”
“You know,” she said. “I was just doing my morning workout and I spotted you. I have been seeing if you are handsome from afar.”
“And what’s the answer?” I asked.
“Yes. But that does not really matter now. We have a date for tonight, yes?”
I said, “I believe we do. 9:00 all right?”
“Okay. Lets go to the Rue de Bistro. It is the best French restaurant in New York City.”
“I’m fine with french,” I really was.
The Rue de Bistro was a big french restaurant on fifth avenue with a sign that looked like RUE DE BISTRO. The inside of the restaurant had red carpet on the floor and soft read linings on the walls. The place was dark, and had candles on each table. Lots of young couples sat at the table, eating long bread with butter. Lucia was at one of the tables, beckoning to me to to the table.
She was pretty, but not as pretty as she was smart. She was super smart. She could get a job as a human calculator.
I was pretty smart, and always the top in my grade. However, I had to think about answers. Lucia could do things in less than one second.
When I sat down at the table, was a stick of butter next to long bread cut up. When I sat down, me and Lucia talked for a bit. At one point, Lucia said, “Try this.” She was pointing towards the bread. “put the butter on it and eat it. Its delicious that way.”
Doing as instructed, I buttered a piece of the bread and put it in my mouth. The flavor bursted open, as if popped. I had never in my life tasted something this good. It was incredible. “Well,” said Lucia, “that was a success.”
“More or less,” I said. “More or less.”
Looking at the menu, I asked Lucia, “What do snails taste like?”
“They are salty and have a nice, firm texture.”
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll try the snails.”
When the waiter came over I ordered snails, some French thing I don’t know how to pronounce, and dandelion greens to share.
When the food came, Lucia told me she had to go to the bathroom. I didn’t dare start eating without her because she’d get all fired up. She’s like that.
When Lucia came back, we first started on the dandelion greens. I had had dandelion greens in Russia, but they were not nearly as good as they were here.
At the end of the date, Lucia said that if I wanted, I could get a baguette at the bar. So I went up to the bar, got a baguette, and began to head home.
On the way home, or back to the hotel, I should say, a little old women stopped me. “Well hello dear,” she said. “How much would I have to pay you to give me the sword?”
“What sword?” I asked.
“Take out the baguette, deary,” She said. “Now reach in and see what else is in there.”
I did as instructed, and took out something metal. The hilt of the sword was silver, however, when I took it out, the blade was on fire. At first I didn’t know what it was, but then it struck me. In my hands was the sword of Hearth and Fire, crafted by Weivlam de Satenboun in the third century. “How did you know what was in the baguette bag?” I asked her.
“I am the last living descendant of Weivlam de Satenboun. I know his work,” she told me. “How much money would you have me to pay for that thing?”
“I am not selling it,” I told her. “ If you want it maybe you can get another sword.”
Taking a few steps forward I looked back to see the lady charging at me, head first towards the sword. Then, with the smallest touch, she burst into flames.
As much as I wanted to be normal, I had the sword of Hearth and Fire for a reason. I had to do something with it. I would have to kill Putin and stop the war.
I first texted Leo to book plane tickets for Moscow, and told him about the sword. Then I texted Lucia the story and if she could give us a few hundred dollars to go to Moscow. I would call Lucia really well off if not rich.
An anti separatist force has begun to strike back against separatists and is planning to to move the attack towards Russia.
THE ASSASSINATION OF VLADIMIR PUTIN (Vladimir)
In the Laguardia airport, at gate 4C, with Hearth and Fire safely in the baggage cart, Leo and I were in the line for boarding flight 736 to Moscow. Our tickets were in order, and then we stepped in to the plane. Once the plane was in flight I texted Eiseneweir.
We are going to Moscow to try and s vp. I am going to need your help.
I am going to make you bring the force to putins tower in moscow. please
help us.
Eiseneweir texted back.
I am now his secretary and the force are his aids so that we can take him
down. Why now above all other times?
I texted him:
I have got the sword of Hearth and Fire. I am with Leo Eisenwiek.
Once the plane landed in Moscow, which I recognised from being a kid, Leo and I started walking towards Putin’s tower. I felt my hands shaking. It was as if there was a pit in my heart. “Why are you shaking,” asked Leo. “You should be excited.”
“I’m scared and excited at the same time,” I answered him. “All right?”
“Okay.”
We had walked a far way since the airport, and could see Vladimir Putin’s tower in the distance. All we had to do, I kept reminding myself, was touch Vladimir Putin with the sword. That would end the whole thing. Then we would need to notify the government. That, I kept reminding myself, would end the war.
The entrance to Putin’s tower was blocked off by 3 guards. Once you get past the gate guards, then you face Putin’s inner circle. That is where we will be captured by Eiseneweir and taken to Putin.
Putin’s tower was feet away. The three guards didn’t see two men dressed in white on the snowy day sneak inside.
Once we were passed the three guards, we walked straight into the inner circle. “Oops,” said Leo. “We thought there would be only one set of guards”
“I’ll take these men, and bring them to Putin with their hands behind their back,” said one man.
“How about I do it,” said Eiseneweir. “Okay?”
“Fine with me,” said one woman. “He is the best guard here.” Eventually, everyone had agreed that Eiseneweir should take us in.
Eiseneweir stepped out of the crowd. He handcuffed Leo and asked us, “Do you have the sword.”
I answered, “Yes.”
“Then you go hide in his study. Fast now.”
I ran as fast as I could into what I thought was his study. All over the walls were pictures of Vladimir Putin, shirtless. In all of them he was either fishing or horseback riding.
I stared out of the study, and saw a shirtless Vladimir Putin questioning Leo. Putin had his gaze fixed on Leo. I could do it any time, now. It would be better to do while his gaze was on Leo, so that meant doing it now.
I ran as silently as I could, knowing that if he turned around, I may never do this. He didn’t. I stabbed him lightly, and he turned around for one last glance as his skin melted off him.
We had killed Vladimir Putin. This was my first task with Hearth and Fire, but I doubted it would be the last. I could not believe what I had just done, and it didn’t look like Leo could either.
Eiseneweir stood in the doorway, smiling. All of the sudden, an alarm in the tower went off. They knew that their leader had been killed. I hoped that this would be the end. However, it looked as if this would be Russia’s most major battle. And possibly the end of the war.
On 12/28/20, the U.S. sent hundreds of troops to Russia, thinking that they may be able to end the war.
THE BATTLE OF RUSSIA(Leo)
Me and Vladimir ran out of the tower, backed up by Eisenweir and the Anti-separatist force of Russia, who had been in the third corner of the tower. We were being chased by thousands of guards from all four corners of the tower.
When we got to the bottom of the stairs, we came out on the three guards we had snuck past. The three guards, dull as they were, realized that there was a chase and joined the guards.
“Vladimir,” whispered Eiseneweir. “Go to the government’s tower in Ukraine. Bring them here. Hopefully we can end the war that way.”
Vladimir ran, and following him were the three door guards.
WIthout Vladimir, we were doomed. It was five against thousands of armed soldiers. We shot, but although we would kill them every time we shot, that was one dead man with thousands more alive.
(Vladimir)
This was the second longest run I had done this year. I ran for miles and yet I still had miles to run. Every now and then I would look behind me to see the door guards behind me. Eventually I stopped seeing these guards, and decided that I had outrun them.
It was a far way from Moscow to the Ukraine. I was tired, but I had to push forward. I had to bring the government of the Ukraine to Moscow.
On one point in my journey, I passed a group of American troops. I told them that I was from the Ukraine and not a separatist. They seemed to believe me. I kept running towards what I thought was south. I had to check with a separatist which way I was going. I didn’t care about attacking him. All I cared about was getting to the Ukraine.
(Leo)
By now it was just me and Eiseneweir versus about five hundred guards. One time a bullet whizzed past my head. Another time one went under Eiseneweir’s armpit. Eiseneweir was a ringer. He could shoot two people at once, dodge a bullet, and then shoot again, hitting two people at one.
Then the strangest thing happened. “Hold your fire,” one woman told the other guards. By now there were about three hundred guards left. “Let us say something.”
She went over to Eiseneweir, and looking like she was going to say something, captured him. “Your a stupid fool, Eiseneweir,” she said. “You should have known what was about to happen to you when you fake captured them.”
She bent over Eiseneweir and twisted one arm behind his back. There was a crack and the arm fell limp by his side. She did the same with his other arm, both legs, and neck. At the final break, Eiseneweir died.
(Vladimir)
I ran with the governor back to Putin’s tower, and went through the backdoor. “I have to help my friends against the Russian guards,” I said. “When you’re done with Putin’s body, help us.”
I ran out to the front to find Leo against, I would say, two hundred men.
(Leo)
After Eiseneweir’s death, I had started firing like crazy, killing ten men in two seconds. I could easily dodge a shot, because they had to stay away from me if they wanted to live.
As soon as I saw Vladimir had returned, I stopped firing. “They killed Eiseneweir,” I said. “They broke his neck.”
Once my friend had heard the story, he threw Hearth and Fire at the bottom of the guards legs. The sword killed one man, and without stopping, it killed every guard except one, who was smart enough to jump over the sword.
Suddenly, the governor came out of Putin’s tower, holding on to Putin’s body. He threw it at the last guard and struck him down, making him a prisoner.
“Russia and Ukraine are now separate countries!” he shouted. “We are free!”
(Vladimir)
Eiseneweir’s funeral was on the same day as the victory parade for the Ukraine, so I had to miss the parade. Days after the funeral, I accepted Lucia’s offer to get married. I kept the sword of fire, and for now, all was well.
Epilogue: In 2119, Vladimir Eisekoff passed away. The sword of Hearth and Fire flew to the well of Satenboun, and burned it, leaving Satenboun’s grave open. After that the sword combusted.
Finis