Well I suppose if no one else wishes to tell their tale I shall”entertain” you. I come from a family of Paladins of a certain order, I will not say which. For hundreds of years and countless generations, every first born in my line has taken his vows under the first full moon after his 16th birthday. It wasn’t a requirement of the order mind you, just a family ‘tradition’. I was in line and ready for my vows; to be honest I was looking forward to the day. That is until the eve of my 16th birthday.
See two neighboring cities were at war with each other, and both wanted our order’s help. Neither kingdom was ‘evil’, but our leader decided to stay neutral. Which is fine unless, like my brother, you are at an age were you don’t understand war. On the eve of my birthday, he was playing soldier out side the city gates. If I remember correctly he was laying siege to our city gates, when the arrow pierced his back. The healers say he died on the spot, but I remember him trying to call for help as he choked on his own blood. Being a good soldier I ignored my brother’s pleas, thinking one of the 20 paladins guarding the gate would help him. I went after the archer. He had a good lead, and thought he was smart. See he used the armor of an archer from his enemy, and struck from a long range. However, he didn’t hide his face. I couldn’t catch up but I did get close enough to see him clearly. I told what I saw to our leader, and he did nothing. He just called it an “obvious ploy to get us involved”. My father, being loyal to his king, did not try to avenge his son’s death. Thus I spent my birthday burying my brother.
Luckily the next night was the night of my vows. So my father ordered me to prepare, after punishing me for crying. I vowed alright. I vowed to bring justice to my brother’s killers, and to follow my heart into battle (not political lines). I rejected my name, and took Voras as my new name. It means “seeker of justice” in the tongue of my brother’s murderer. I left home to find justice, and wound up joining my order…but that is a story for another time
See two neighboring cities were at war with each other, and both wanted our order’s help. Neither kingdom was ‘evil’, but our leader decided to stay neutral. Which is fine unless, like my brother, you are at an age were you don’t understand war. On the eve of my birthday, he was playing soldier out side the city gates. If I remember correctly he was laying siege to our city gates, when the arrow pierced his back. The healers say he died on the spot, but I remember him trying to call for help as he choked on his own blood. Being a good soldier I ignored my brother’s pleas, thinking one of the 20 paladins guarding the gate would help him. I went after the archer. He had a good lead, and thought he was smart. See he used the armor of an archer from his enemy, and struck from a long range. However, he didn’t hide his face. I couldn’t catch up but I did get close enough to see him clearly. I told what I saw to our leader, and he did nothing. He just called it an “obvious ploy to get us involved”. My father, being loyal to his king, did not try to avenge his son’s death. Thus I spent my birthday burying my brother.
Luckily the next night was the night of my vows. So my father ordered me to prepare, after punishing me for crying. I vowed alright. I vowed to bring justice to my brother’s killers, and to follow my heart into battle (not political lines). I rejected my name, and took Voras as my new name. It means “seeker of justice” in the tongue of my brother’s murderer. I left home to find justice, and wound up joining my order…but that is a story for another time
Viewable by: Public
Posted on November 18, 2008 19:23
1 comment
