Once upon a time there was a blacksmith who wanted to forge priced creations out of the metals that he had found.
He obtained the copper from a pavement just across his garden while he unearthed the iron in the mines and applied his sciences on it to create steel.
To start his creation, the blacksmith put a blaze to his furnace and cleaned his hammer of dust. The blacksmith bathed the copper in fire by morning, and hammered the metal by noon. Before darkness fell, he was able to make a sword out of beating the copper, but the blacksmith was not yet satisfied with his craft. For the next day, he planned of making another sword.
After partaking breakfast, the blacksmith put a blaze to his furnace and added elements to make the fire hotter so it could deform steel. He also cleaned his hammer of dust. The blacksmith bathed the steel in fire by day, and hammered the metal by night. The day ended, but the steel was too tough and it did not become a sword out of the day's beating. Calling it a good day's work, the blacksmith took a rest, and decided to continue forging the sword of steel for the next day.
By the morrow morning, the blacksmith put a blaze to his furnace and added the same elements to make the fire hotter. He also cleaned his hammer of dust. However, he noticed that the steel he was so keen to stretch won't make a good sword, so he bathed the steel in fire by day, and hammered the metal to form a long dagger by night. At the end of the day, he was able to make a long dagger out of beating the steel. The steelwork didn't look the same after a second beating but still, the blacksmith was satisfied with his craft. For the next day, he planned of going to town to sell his products.
Little did the blacksmith know that the King had a competition in town. The man who could get the diamond ring out of a burning oven shall be granted lands and animals. However, should the competitor fail, he shall be an army to fill in the King's thinning force.
One wealthy man who had the ambition of owning more than he can handle saw the blacksmith. He deliberated on which to buy, the tarnished-looking dagger or the shiny sword. He asked to buy the copper sword for one hundred pieces of gold. The blacksmith, after finding it as a good bargain, sold the sword to the man.
More and more commoners tried different methods to remove the diamond ring from the burning oven but none was successful. For every attempt, another was added to the queue of the King's new army.
The last to try was the wealthy man. He bragged of his sword as one which can stand the hottest of fires. The King found him annoying, and decided to change the rules to the last leg. The winner, from then on, shall replace him as King while the loser shall give his wealth to the royals and be as servant. The wealthy man did not present worry and was rather stirred by the greater reward for winning.
The man slowly inserted the copper sword in the burning oven but within minutes, the sword had melted. The man was furious and very disappointed that he kept on yelling guttural noises. The King's army pacified the wealthy man and took all of his belongings for the royal's own.
The King became way greedier that he looked for more people to join his competition. The blacksmith had nothing to lose so he obliged in trying the challenge. With the use of his long dagger made of steel, he tried to pounce for the diamond ring which is inside the burning oven. Minutes of exposure to heat and to the hopeful eyes of the captives, the blacksmith almost gave the job up, until he was able to feel something hit the tip of the dagger. He pushed this time, and to his surprise, saw a diamond ring clinging at the end of the metalwork.
The King stomped his feet in disbelief. There was a stir from the captives and the King was ensnared, after which, loud and triumphant voices filled the townsquare. The blacksmith, being the new king, was hailed.
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Sometimes, people think they already got the best just because of looking at what is obvious. The thing is, one thing better cannot be found on the surface: Like the two metalworks, only that which has already stood the tests of time, decision-making and patience can be worthy. This could mean that, even if the outside is dull, there will always be an ultimate test which will make known to others the one which is more valuable and worthy.
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I haven't written stories like this for a while. Feels refreshing. :)