Jack of Hearts

Many generations after the Great Sky Burn, the remnants of humanity split into factions warring over resources and the sacred relics of Jack. The nation of Jacobus was said to be the ancestral home of Jack, and his patinaed likeness, the holiest of the relics, stood tall and proud holding its heart sceptre aloft in victory in the centre of the capital. At the base of the statue, was an inscription. Most of the text had worn away, but one phrase remained: ‘TOGETHER IN ONE HEART’.

For centuries, the neighbouring country of Carta had guarded the sceptre, but after countless skirmishes, the Jacobeans conquered them and returned the sceptre to its rightful place in Jack’s right hand. Now the only holy relic missing from the statue was the heart-locket, which, it was said, would unleash ultimate power when placed around Jack’s neck.

It was a bitter winter’s night. In a barracks in the Heartland forest, a regiment of the Jacobean army was readying itself for battle. The troops stood ruddy-cheeked and shivering in the chilly night air. They weren’t permitted to light a fire for warmth; any light would give away their position to the enemy, so they had to withstand the cold.

Over the course of many battles, the Jacobean army had gained territory from the borders of Heartland right up to the edge of Heart City, its capital, and now they were about to make the final push to take the fortified city.

Their leader, General Cobalt, was a zealot who’d risen to his position of power due to his steadfast adherence to doctrine. He was determined to retrieve the heart-locket from the Heartlanders at any cost, and the cost had been high. This was the last remaining squadron of Jacobean soldiers made up of around fifty survivors from previous battles.

Cobalt stood before his troops, his breath slithering like smoke from his lips and over his thick brown moustache. ‘Men, this will be our last battle. Your courage and resolve have brought you here today. You’re our nations last hope to crush the heretics and bring home our beloved heart-locket. Back when the Great Sky Burn hit, Jack was the only man left standing, and he rallied his people together through the tremors with these words: “Together in one heart.”

‘We have lived by those words in Jacobus. But those heretics in Heartland never have. They claim that Jack was only a man, but we know that he is divine, for we have fought off invasions and gained military victory because Jack has always been with us. And as we go into this battle, know that Jack is with us now.’

When his speech was finished, Cobalt marched his men to the edge of the woods. Across the clearing was Heart City. It was protected by a thick stone wall with guard towers every fifty or so yards and heavy wooden gates.

A platoon of about a dozen bowmen took their positions on the hill overlooking the city, while twenty men carried a battering ram to the treeline opposite the gates. The rest, armed with machetes, followed behind.

At the general’s signal, the archers fired volleys of flaming arrows into the two guard towers on either side of the gates. As soon as they saw the flames, the men carrying the battering ram charged against the gates with a colossal crunch. It took only a few sharp strikes for the gates to buckle, and several more for the plank holding them shut to snap. However, the city’s guards managed to take out a number of the soldiers before leaping from their towers to escape the flames.

The soldiers heaved the gates aside and marched into the city where they were greeted with arrow fire from the guards stationed just inside. Some of the first troops into the city fell, but the ones behind them swarmed in and overpowered the guards.

From that point on, they met with very little resistance; the fit men of fighting age had been sent out to defend against the invasion. Some of the Heartlanders took up pitchforks and tools to try to fend off the army, but the soldiers slaughtered them.

By the time the troops, several wounded, reached the centre of the city, the citizens had fled or been mown down. In the middle of a paved square, they found a large pillar-shaped shrine with a firepit blazing at its base. At the top of the column, there was a metal ring, and hanging from it was the sacred heart-shaped locket of Jack, its polished surface gleaming in the firelight.

General Cobalt, his uniform torn and stained with red, reached up and cupped it in his hand gently. ‘This precious relic is worth every drop of blood spilt for it,’ he thought to himself.

The men carefully freed the locket from the ring, and then demolished the blasphemous shrine.

Fatigued, they wandered back through the streets of Heart City, past the bodies strewn like snow angels, and out towards the barracks. As he exited the city, Cobalt grabbed a burning piece of timber from the guard tower and tossed it onto the thatched roof of one of the houses. ‘Good riddance to heretics,’ he snarled.

It took several weeks for the remaining thirty-four men to reach Jacobian territory again. In every town they passed through, they were greeted as heroes. After another few days, they reached the capital where the statue of Jack stood, and General Cobalt presented the locket to the chief priest.

The next day, the mayor held a parade down the bunting adorned streets with colourful floats drawn by horses, and a marching band. The whole city, and many who’d followed the soldiers from other towns, had lined the parade route and were throwing confetti and waving Jacobian flags.

The procession ended in the city square where a platform had been erected beside the statue of Jack. Onstage, the priests wore their best vestments, the chief priest’s ornamented with the red, yellow, and blue markings that Jack himself was said to have worn. General Cobalt was given the seat of honour at the centre of the stage, and the last soldiers of the Jacobian army, attired in their dress uniforms, stood at ease on the pavement in front.

The chief priest looked out at the smiling crowd. Many had dressed up for the event, and all wore gleeful smiles. He cleared his throat and announced, ‘This is a momentous occasion. For too long, the sacred statue of Jack has been incomplete. But now, just as Jack restored peace after the Great Sky Burning, his statue too will be restored. I can think of no better phrase to mark the occasion than Jack’s own immortal words: “Together in one heart.”’

The audience repeated the saying and applauded loudly.

The chief priest reached up and hung the locket around Jack’s neck, pressing it into the heart-shaped recess at the top of his chest while the people continued to clap and cheer. When the locket was firmly in place, the applause died down, and there was an expectant silence. Nobody dared speak a word. They stood in mute anticipation for the longest moment.

Suddenly, a bright blue light emanated from the top of Jack’s head, and it spread out to form a halo. The sound of a fanfare rang out from the base of the statue. The Jacobeans were startled and gazed in awe.

As the fanfare faded, tinkling music began to play, and a voice blared, ‘I, the Jack of Hearts, proclaim that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And if your subjects are hungry, you should give them my Hearts cereal. Grains, nuts, and honey all together in one heart-shaped bite. Hearts cereal: a breakfast fit for a king!’

Meanwhile, the blue light that encircled Jack’s head projected the words, ‘Buy Hearts Cereal’.