Once and Future

Madoc and Cai ran to see who would be king.

The monolith had been erected by the Old Men, thrust into the hill like a sword.

The story said once, the land was empty. So the Old Men raised this post, and from here England sprang. If you were first to touch it in Midsummer sun, one day you’d rule.

So Madoc and Cai ran.

But when they got there, a scrawny girl sat against the rock.

“Too slow,” she said.

Madoc cursed and spat, but Cai asked “Who are you?”

“Arfa,” she said. “And I’m going to be king.”

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This story is from the prompt ‘being first to post’.