"My Lord, the Grand Priest awaits you. He seeks your audience." I looked at my Head of Servant; a man who had served me from my birth to my current position as the Grand Lord of Camberia. He knows my character as well as he knows of the pock marks on my buttocks. I am discussing the strategies of a war here and yet he dares to intrude upon me this petty matter of the Grand Priest.
"Do you fear the Holy Ones than me, your Lord?" I replied in anger. I am all dressed in my armor with my Generals all awaiting my command and yet he interrupts me.
"My Lord, I need to speak with you in private." The elderly man speaks without fear of me. How can he be, when he was the one who saved me from the vengeance of my uncles who killed my father and seek my blood to end the reign. Gerpato fought the assassins with me by his sides more than once and then rousing the people to fight for their rightful Lord. I was saved by this man and yet he chooses to be only my servant.
I dismissed the Generals and had the chamber cleared of any guards.
"Speak, my loyal friend and guardian" I walked to my throne seat and seat myself. I adjusted the long blade on my waist so it would not intrude on my comfort.
"My Lord, you need to be advised again. This war would cost you more than any you had ever fought." The older man steps up to me. "What has this woman do to you that the other wives fo yours cannot fulfilled?"
"A son, my friend. I am in need of a son to take over this throne. I have five wives before but they are all barren or bear with daughters. I want someone of my own who has what I have and to wield my sword." I replied in distaste as he knows I do not like to speak of that.
"The birth of a child be it a boy or a girl are the wishes of the Holy Ones. You cannot defy their wishes." Gerpato pleaded with me. "I am without a child, nor a family."
The older man looked away from me. I know of his ailment and it was the wrath of the Holy Ones that he was alone. He lost his wife to the barbarian raids, and then his only son died by his hands when he was overcome by madness. I saw the emotions in his face and like me, he does not like to speak of this.
"Send in the Grand Priest." The older man did as he was told. The Grand Priest walked in with his official robe and clad in pieces of jewellery that was paid with the money of the devotees. He also hold the object of his power,; the scepter of the Temples. I am obliged to bow before the scepter as its the holiest item in the temples. I stepped off my seat and approached the Grand Priest. I bowed my head and then kissed the scepter.
"Lord Pathes, you need to cease this war. Your lust for this woman have annoyed...." I heard enough. I grabbed the scepter off the priest and walked back to my throne.
"First, you would addressed me as my Lord. And second, that woman you so called shall be referred to as Heline. She was to be mine and because of King Agres lust; he had imprisoned her there. I am rescuing her and restoring her own kingdom."
"King Agres invaded my city to capture her. He is the enemy I need to defeat." I raised the scepter up high to invoke the Holy Ones.
"Its not right ......m-m-my Lord." The Priest find his own courage to speak out. "She is a heathen; a product of the unholy ones. I plea to you; do not be influenced by this lady. Your people needs you."
"Be gone, priest. Your presence fouls me." I kicked at the priest but he would not be intimidated. I called my guards to dragged him out.
"Hang him over the walls. Let him be a lesson to defy me." I looked at the scepter in my hand. Then I looked at my own reflection in the polished surface of the flooring.
"What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! In form, in moving, how express and admirable! In action, how like an angel ! In apprehension, how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals!" I looked back at the scepter. "And yet, to me, what is this? Quintessence of dust? The beliefs bound me no more. I would be delighted to be my own man."
I handover the scepter to Gertapo to place that in my treasure chamber.
"Let it be part of my gold and be traded when a good price is fetched."
The war with King Agres took longer than I expected, but I prevail with my army. Finally I defeated the evil King who took my love to his lair. I walked up the steps to the throne room with my conquering army. There he stood with the lady I loved. Her face covered in a veil and dressed in an overcoat over her dress.
"King Agres, your army laid waste in the battlefields. You cities in ruins and your people my slaves." I declared to him as he sat there holding onto his sword. He was a true warrior and fought many of my champions to defeat them but at a price; his body suffers with the wounds but never the fatal one till today. I am going to take his captive back to my city.
"Lady Heline, I ....." The King interject into my speech.
"Lord Parthes, you fought with me a war for over twelve years over a lady you have not laid your eyes on. You sacrificed over thousands to walked in here victorious." Ling Agres looked at me. "Do you know what you fought for?"
"Aye! I have her image here." I pulled out the painting of her which was kept by me for fifteen years now. When I first saw the painting, I fell in love with her. I had her kidnap from her country home but they rescued her back from my outer city before I could reach her. Since then, I have razed her kingdom but King Agres stepped in to defend the kingdom. He in turn took her to his city under the guise of protection. I am here to rescue her again.
"That was her when she was in her teens." King Agres looked in disbelief. "You and all those years fought me over a painting of twenty five years old. Are you a fool, Lord Parthes?"
"I am no fool, King Agres." I drew my sword and had it at the King's neck. "Beauty does not fade when one is in love. Only lust fades with the physical self."
"Well said, Lord Parthes." The lady in the veil spoke up. She stepped forth to bowed to me. "I am Lady Heline. I am truly impressed in you that you had fought a war for me. Can I see the painting please?"
I handed it to her who looked at it.
"Its a close resemblance and even the birthmark on my left shoulder." She then looked me. "Do you wished to see the real me?"
I nodded.
She removed her veil and I was treated to my first real sight of the lady I fought over a decade. I lowered my sword and walked away from the King. I joined my Generals and shook my head.
"Man cannot be always fortunate; flowers do not last forever." I muttered to myself. I turned back to face Lady Heline.
"My Lady, I am truly fortunate to have seen you today. But I shall have to bid you goodbye. You are truly a beauty of your time, and still are. But I am an old man who cannot be seen next to you. It would be like myself standing with my daughters."
"Why then did you come?" Lady Heline asked.
"There is a saying that man cannot be always fortunate; flowers do not last forever. I have come to defied that saying. Man can be fortunate if he would to place his mind to fulfilled his ambitions. Just as beauty can be preserved like flowers if the person knows herself. Today, I have proven two things; I am fortunate to survive so many wars in my reign,and even denied the Hold Ones to their request. I also won this war after a decade of fighting. And in that war, I found a lady which can preserve her beauty beyond her age. That to me is an achievement beyond the reasonable doubts."
"Goodday to you, Lady Heline." I bid my goodbye and withdrew my army from the land. On the ride back to my city, I stopped by Gerpato' grave. I told him, I won the bet we had wager on twelve years ago. He told me that beauty does not last forever and Man is a fool to continue in carrying out his ambition. Well, I proved him wrong.
( Dedicated to the women of the world who preserved their beauty for life. And to man who never said quit. )
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