4/16/08

Warrior 3 - Warrior's Tale

Warrior told his story.....

This castle belongs to me. And the creatures you saw submitting to the Sword of SatNaam were actually my servants but had become the masters of my castle. I am the only one to blame though; I myself was absent from the castle and never cared to manage it. One day, I had returned from a long journey and with a shock realized that my servants had turned into grotesque creatures. They picked me up and threw me out of my own castle.

Although I didn't care for the castle - I had mostly lived outside it — I did however care about the treasures inside. So that night, I stole back into the castle to get the treasures, but the creatures had already removed them. Although it was my own castle, I felt like a stranger in it. I must have made a noise because one of the creatures came to investigate. I silently ran inwards to get away from it. I bumped into a wall. It was rather dark and the creature immediately ran back to get a lantern. I realized that the wall I hit was actually a door. I tried hard to open it, but it would not budge. I noticed a light streaming out of its keyhole. I peeped into the keyhole and that moment changed my life.

What I saw inside that door was inexplicable beauty. I saw a path leading into a city, which glowed with light and life. It was the most wonderful place I had ever set my eyes on. I was so lost in its beauty that only when one of the creatures grabbed me by my shoulder did I remember where I was. The creature dragged me and roughly threw me out again. Although I was badly hurt, I could think of nothing else but the city behind the door. I lamented heavily at my old foolish ways. If only I had spent more time inside the castle, I surely would have discovered the hidden door.

I decided to get help from my brother. I went to the tavern where we both had spent a large portion of our lives. Sure enough, I found my brother - drunk with wine as usual. I immediately told him about the hidden door. He and everybody within earshot burst out laughing. I even told him that he too should not trust his servants, but this only brought more laughter from everybody. No matter how hard I tried, they simply refused to believe me.

Finally, when they could no longer stand my raving, they pushed me out of the door. I could not blame them - I too had done the same to a man who had come into the tavern one night and had warned us about our servants and preached about the hidden door. I had called him mad and laughed at him. If only I had listened!

I sat outside the tavern trying to decide what to do and where to go next. I really had nowhere else to go, so I went in again. But I was no longer welcome there. My brother refused to even recognize me. I begged my brother and others to help me, but their eyes told me that now I, without my treasures, was no longer of any interest to them. Sadly, I left the tavern. Hungry, thirsty and in low spirits, I crumbled down on the side of the road. I had no desire to get up. I was completely crushed.

The side of the road became my new home. I would sit all day and night facing the ground. Once in a while, someone would notice me and give me food and advice. But I would stare at them lifelessly and they would leave me alone. My brother would pass by without paying any attention to me.

After a few weeks, the disgust with myself consumed me so much that I decided to destroy myself. Death and only death seemed the only way out my misery. I slowly made my way to the nearby river in the forest.

...next part

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