Fate

Another summer has come and gone without me posting a single bit more of story. I apologize for the long wait. It was a very busy summer and I had to share a single computer with thirty other people (with the internet going down randomly all the time). It made it very difficult to write emails home, little alone do a blog post. It was all very frustrating writing wise. Adventure wise? A blast! But it does nothing for my writings.

Ah, yes, I’ll stop complaining now and just give more of the story. Ben is now working for Rob and Rob reveals that many of the old soldiers in the mountains are trying to work themselves to death. It’s all very sad and confusing for poor Ben. To the story!
*********
Ben spent the rest of the day thinking on their conversation that morning, barely noticing the work he was doing. The field had been plowed and rows were made, all that was left was to plant the seeds. An easy process that didn’t keep his mind from the thoughts of what Rob had said.

They’re all trying to run, he thought, sticking his pole into the ground, titling it sideways to drop a seed into the hole, removing the stick, then stomping on hole to cover the seed up. Every person I’ve met up here is trying to run from their pasts.

There was something about that thought that didn’t sit well with him. It kept bugging him through the day and the next week after that. What was so wrong with old soldiers wanting to run away? It wasn’t exactly like they were deserters. They fought in the wars, running beside comrades to battle, taking care of weapons, and following orders. They only left once the war was over.

Two weeks after Rob agreed to hire him, he had gotten used to waking up in the morning, though he always woke up with a sick feeling.

“Well then,” Rob said, noticing Ben slump in his chair as he was fixing breakfast. “Seems like you’re starting to get used to getting up.”

“Maybe,” Ben grumbled, planting his forehead on the table. “But I still don’t like it.”

Rob chuckled, turning back to the mush. “Too bad you got up today. I was going to let you sleep in.”

Ben shot his head back up, surprised. “What?” he asked. “Why?”

“Planting was done yesterday,” Rob explained. “I’ll be irrigating it today. I’ve gotten the process down by myself, so I wasn’t going to bother asking for your help. I was going to let you do what you wanted today.”

Ben slumped in his chair. “You could have told me that yesterday,” he pouted. He could have slept in? This was terrible! He was awake now!

“I wanted to surprise you,” Rob chuckled, obviously enjoying himself. He continued to stir the mush when he paused and turned. “Oh, and speaking of surprises. Look behind you.”

Frowning, Ben did as he was told, unsure what could be so surprising in this simple cabin.

The bed near his couch was certainly a surprise.

“I figured that if you’re going to stay for the planting season,” Rob explained. “You might as well have a bed.”

Ben stared at the bed, the first he had seen in months, then turned back to Rob. “You made me a bed?” he asked. “Every night, after I’ve gone to sleep, you’ve been…”

“It’s the least I could do,” Rob said. “It kept my mind busy. And besides, there’s nothing quite as wonderful as a real bed after sleeping on substitutes for so long.”

Ben continued to stare at the hermit. “I thought you didn’t want an extra bed,” he said softly. “Because no one stays long.”

Rob’s back was still turned to him, hiding whatever expression he had. “I never said that,” he said softly. “About wanting an extra bed. I’ve been meaning to make one for years, but never had a reason to.” He half turned to show Ben the smirk on his lips. “I won’t lie, Ben, I tried to pawn you off on some other poor soul, but you got stuck here anyway. I’ve seen so much in my life to not dismiss fate. You came here for the skin of a rare animal, but I think that fate had something else in mind for you. It’s no mistake that you’ve come to our mountains.” He turned back to the mush, letting the silence fill the air.

Breakfast was quiet, even when Rob left, Ben didn’t say much. Once the hermit was gone, Ben took a closer look at the bed. It wasn’t much, like the rest of the cabin, but it was solid, well made.

“Fate led me here?” he asked softly, laying down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. “It has something else in mind for me?”

It hurt his brain to think such thoughts. He was the Bastard Prince of Caanom, a child born out of wedlock of a princess and hero. He wasn’t smart like Al, or as clever as Pat, or as noble as Matt. He was just… Ben the Bastard, a kid shoved to the side and told to mind his own business. That had been his fate, that was what he had come to expect of his life.

Why, grandfather! He silently called out. Why send me here? You must have known it would be impossible to search for my father! Instead, here I am, working my tail off trying to get home, surrounded by warriors who want nothing to do with me or the world outside, and with nothing but a growing sense of dread!

He couldn’t stand it anymore. Getting off the bed, he sulked outside, trying to sort his thoughts. His grandfather wanted him to find peace, but all he had was a sinking spirit. He started to rub his nose again, a nose that he had inherited from his father. This was all his father left him. It was all anyone left for him.

That brought to mind the medallion he had around his neck. He pulled it out, glaring at it. Because of this, no one knew that he was a prince, the only child of Trenton the Hero. He had a very sudden desire to throw it away.

I wish I could forget all this! He thought, yanking the chain off his neck, preparing to throw it. I wish I could forget it all!

He froze, his arm high in the air.

They want to forget too, he remembered. Everyone he had met in the mountains were running from something. It had bothered him, the way that they would so readily dismiss their old lives and come into such a harsh place. If they had stayed back in society, they would have been haled as war heroes, treated well wherever they went.

But, Ben realized, they paid a great price. The respect they would have had back there… All it would do would bring up bad memories.

They don’t see themselves as heroes.

Ben’s legs suddenly gave out from beneath him and he dropped to the ground. He started to breath hard, as one thought lead to another, sudden understanding filling his mind.

There were a lot of people enlisted in the wars, his thoughts raced. A lot against their will. But they did their duty. They fought, they bled, they lost and won. They did great and terrible things. All of them. Not just my father. All they wanted was to live a peaceful life….

And that was taken from them.

How could they return to their peaceful lives with those terrible memories haunting them for the rest of their lives?

“Hard work is the only way we know how to forget.” Rob explained it to me. They’re here to forget. Our war heroes, all of them. They want to leave the wars, they want peace.

They just want to live their lives in peace.

Ben started crying, realizing the truth. It was futile to search for the Hero. He was one among hundreds. Someone forced from the peace they had known into the horrors of wars.

And that peace would never find these men again.

“I finally understand,” he whispered. “Grandfather… You wanted me to know that peace only comes at a price.” He lifted his head up, feeling the sun beat down on him. “The price has been paid. At a terrible cost, but it has been paid.

“And now…. It’s up to us to keep this peace.”
***********
“What’s he doing now?” Rob asked, watching as his irrigation system flood his field.

Beside him, a man in old armor stood. Rob was glad that no one was around to see him. It would have looked very strange. Not only was the man’s armor old, but he was quite translucent, gave off a soft light, and his feet were a few inches off the ground.

“We believe he’s sulking,” the man said, adjusting the crown on his head. Rob would never understand why they would adjust their clothing. They were Spirits, after all. It shouldn’t matter.

“Sulking?” Rob repeated, frowning at the Spirit. “What’s he sulking for?”

“We know not,” the Spirit answered. “He’s been rubbing his nose like mad, though.”

Rob grunted in agreement. He had noticed it too. The boy sure did like to touch his nose a lot.

“I think he’s very upset,” the Spirit went on. “Ever since your conversation with him last week, about working to forget. He’s been… very troubled by that. Though for what reason, I could never say. I’m not a mind reader.”

“Good thing for that,” Rob teased. “I have enough trouble with my own thoughts.”

“Indeed,” The Spirit agreed. “However, I have something I’d like to ask.”

“Then ask.”

“Do you really believe it was fate that brought this boy to you?”

The answer was immediately in his mind. “Yes,” he said softly. “I’ve been pulled by fate for so long, I can recognize it’s touch anywhere.”

“True. But what do you think the fate is here for? For the boy’s own good…. Or yours?”

That Rob didn’t answer. Fate was a strange thing like that. He had long ago given up on the thought that fate had just one purpose. There were many things that fate accomplished with one task. Ben’s arrival was probably for both their benefit.

So, Rob thought, what reason did fate have in brining us together? What could I learn from Ben?

It didn’t seem like much that Ben could teach him. It seemed that the kid was getting more of a learning experience from this than he was.

“Did you know that Ben had a magical medallion on him?”

Rob shook himself out of his thoughts and turned to the Spirit. “What?” he asked. “A magical medallion?”

“It’s not very strong,” the Spirit reported, seeing what one of the other Spirits were showing him about Ben. The other two were out patrolling his land, making sure everything was alright. “I’m guessing that it only affects something about Ben himself.”

“A gift from his grandfather perhaps,” Rob suggested.

“Perhaps,” the Spirit agreed. “But it looks like he wants to throw it away. Sulking, as we…” He stopped, turning his head in the direction of one of the other Spirits. “A bear’s coming.”

“So?” Rob asked. “We get bears all the time. We don’t bother it, it won’t bother us.”

“This one is different,” The Spirit said, his eyes distant as he saw through the other’s eyes. “Something is sick about it. It’s mad…” His eyes went wide. “And it’s approaching Ben!”

Rob didn’t even stop to think. He ran for his cabin, burst into his room, and threw his locked chest open. Before him was his weapon, a thing he still kept well cared for and ready to use if the occasion arose. He grabbed it and ran after the Spirit that would lead him to where he needed to go.

The occasion had risen. Ben was in danger.
*********
Ben sat on the ground, looking at the medallion in his hands. “That’s why you didn’t want us to go by our titles,” he said, turning it over in his hands. “No one would talk to us if they knew we were royalty.”

His grandfather was a very clever man. He wanted to make sure his grandsons knew what was most important to him, what he thought a ruler should know. Cameron had seen a lot of war and suffering, Ben had heard it all on at his knees. The old king was renown for his great desire for peace. He had been called a fool during the wars but was hailed as great in the years after.

Fickle people, Ben thought. They don’t know what they want.

Snap.

Ben was brought out of his thoughts, looking around to see what caused the soft sound. There was nothing around him, just endless forest. It was just…

Why am I not hearing any birds?

Ben stood up, suddenly very nervous. What was going on?

A deep growl came from behind him. Shivering, he turned slowly, his mind blank with terror.

A large bear was not even ten yards from him, breathing heavily through a foaming mouth. Ben knew immediately that this bear was mad. He stared to breath fast, everything gone but the bear.

It jerked up to its hind legs, standing ten feet tall. Ben took a step back, terror pulling him back while rooting him to the spot.

“ROAR!”

Ben bolted as the bear roared. He ran heedless of where he was going. Behind him, the bear clashed behind, quickly catching up. He didn’t even glance back, trying to run for his life.

His food caught on a root.

Ben fell down. He turned enough to find the bear already on him, ready for the kill. He closed his eyes, turning away.

BANG!

The bear cried out in pain, stumbling away. Ben looked up again, the bear’s blood scattered on his face. The bear turned away from him, roaring at something. Ben turned to see what had caused both the sound and distraction.

Rob stood not far from them, holding something long and straight, sighting down the barrel. The mad bear slowly approached the hermit, growling deep in his throat.

“I’ll put you out of your misery, bear,” Rob growled. He pulled the trigger.

BANG!

The bear recoiled as a metal ball hit it in the eye. It roared in pain and tried to charge the hermit.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The bear shuttered with each hit, quickly loosing blood and strength.

BANG!

The shot took the bear in the throat. It gurgled as its own blood drowned it. It finally collapsed, the foam still clinging to is mouth.

Ben was breathing heavily, watching the bear die. He had been saved again. He turned his shocked gaze back to Rob and what he carried. Ben knew exactly what it was. He had seen a dozen replicas, several paintings, and hundreds of references to it. It was rifle, a weapon Trenton the Hero had made. No one was certain how he made it or how it worked, but it won more battles than any arrow could.

This rifle works, Ben thought, looking at Rob. It’s him.

He’s my dad!
*******
Rob snorted in relief. He had gotten there in time to save Ben. The Great Kings had tried to stop the bear from attacking long enough for him to get there, but a second later, and he would have had a corpse on his hands.

But I don’t have another corpse, he thought, relieved. Ben’s fine. He turned to the kid, expecting another thanks for the rescue.

But Ben was staring at him with wide eyes and pale with shock, the blood of the bear splattered on his face. Rob didn’t need to ask what was wrong. There was only one explanation for the boy’s shock. His rifle.

“You’re…” Ben stuttered, unable to get up. “You’re… You’re Trenton the Hero?”

Rob flinched.

“There’s no use denying it, friend,” one of the Great Kings said, materializing beside him.

“We kept telling you,” a second said, also appearing. “You needed to show others how to make and use your metal contraption.”

“Then you wouldn’t be so easy to pick out,” a third finished.

“Foolish,” the forth said. “You’ve been found out because of your stubborn desire to keep that weapon of yours as yours.”

Ben stared at the Great Kings, then back at him.

“Ignore them,” Rob snapped, turning away. “Their advice is unwanted.” He propped his rifle over his shoulder. Yes, he had compromised his identity by saving Ben with this weapon. But it couldn’t be helped. He wasn’t going to let anyone die if he could help it.

“So you are?” Ben asked. “Trenton the Hero?”

Rob glanced back. Ben still hadn’t gotten up; he seemed to be in some sort of stupor. “Not anymore, kid,” he said. “I gave up that life. It has no meaning for me.”

“Then you didn’t know?” Ben asked, astounded.

Rob frowned. “Didn’t know what? That my entire family had been killed? That my princess was murdered? My friends? All of them dead?” He turned away again, shaking with fury. “There’s nothing for me out there. I’m a hermit, dang it! I picked this life so I wouldn’t have to remember!”

“You really didn’t know,” Ben said, sounding amazed. “Marie never did get to tell you…”

Rob rolled his eyes. He thought everyone knew the story. Marie had been killed trying to see him, even after he had plead with her to stay away. “It’s not worth it,” he muttered darkly. “Whatever she had to say, it wasn’t worth getting killed over.”

“She thought so,” Ben said softly.

“Oh?” he said bitterly, turning back to Ben. “What could be so worth it?” He blinked in surprise. Why was Ben crying?

“She was going to tell you,” Ben said, “that she had a son.”

Rob’s world stopped, frozen in time as he gazed down at the kid. The one question he wanted to ask, a question he wanted to know the answer to but at the same time not, he was unable to speak. Ben smiled, perhaps knowing the question.

“It’s me.”

Rob stared at Ben. He had found that medallion in the forest, immediately knowing that it was used to hide someone’s features. Without the magic concealing Ben’s face, he could see himself in the kid. The same eagle nose, firm cheekbones, though there was a bit of his mother’s chin. There was no mistaking who this boy’s father was.

“My grandfather, King Cameron, sent me out to find you,” Ben said, finally standing up. He laughed a bit, a smile slowly etching itself in his face. “I had given up long ago that you were alive… Everyone had. I just… I just never expected to find you.”

Find me?

“Great,” he muttered, sharply turning away. “I have a bastard prince for a son.”

He couldn’t miss the gasp of shock from the kid.

Rob couldn’t take it. He ran off, needing to get away. To get away from his mistake, his horror.

He had been wrong to run after the wars.

He had abandoned a son.

How could he face this child he never knew?
**********
Now I’ve got both characters miserable. Next time, how they’re going to resolve this. Enjoy the journey!