Anything ends
In its beginning,
The circles turning
Slowly, so slowly,
Quern of the beat
Of the downrunning heart,
The sunlight fell like diamonds
But did not slacken
Remembrance forewarning
Of cold and dark to come,
The journey retaken
Without end,
Without end. [1]
Hi, my name is Teague. I’m a young man, about 25 years old. The writer told me to tell you that I live in Medieval Age. Do you know what I mean? It means, you must think about castles, horses, queens, kings, and many other thing related to my age, and think not to electricity, DJs, or everything that haven’t exist in my time. By the way, have you read the poem above? Artistic,eh? Can you see, it is also a picture of a woman? Do you like it?
I don’t. I don’t like everything that done in the same way every time. I like to keep going, running to unreachable, the Great Peak of Perfection. My dream is to be the Commander-in-Chief of my kingdom. It’s a great deal to be a General, but, I want a greater deal, that is to be the greatest general in the world. Today, I’m a step closer there. I’m promoted to be a Junior Commander. Wonderful isn’t? I had proven the slogan, “No pain, no gain.” There are not much that gain this title is aged under 30. But, please don’t think I’m a great talented person. I’m just an ordinary man that doing more. But, I’m still thankful that I got that this title.
Today, I also get a challenge to accomplish my dream. But, I won’t start here. I’ll start with my first meeting with Princess Thetis, and I was 16 years old that time. Here it is.
That day, the moon was shining brightly, and, in the Royal Palace was held Great Aeria Prom, a great dancing party for noblesse in the kingdom. I’m on for patrolling task there. The party was very, very great, and the security was so tight, so there are many guards everywhere. So, change of shift is slower than usual. Luckily, I got the nice spot. I could see the party from outside, from the spot a senior left for something. Oops, to tell you, that day I was a new palace recruit, and the new recruit will never ever got a chance even to get near to the Palace. There was a beautiful party, the most beautiful party I ever seen, and it will be the nicest in my life. There are many beautiful noblemen and noblewomen there, wearing masks, and dancing like a butterfly, in an ocean of colors. “Blurred my eyes, is there colors? If it’s colors, tell me what color is that beautiful?” That’s all I can say. Somehow, the room is filled with great wave of emotion, strongly and beautifully. But, have I seen the beautiful Princess? Not yet. Just wait a little more.
After the party, all the soldiers rested in the guard room (or supposed to be there). But, as a new recruit, I was fiery with curiosity. I started to walk along the garden, gone along the palace roads. I was wearing full soldier armor that time, so if someone spotted me, I could say that I’m on patrol. After a long walk, I’m exhausted (because of this hot, heavy armor) and sleepy. But, suddenly I heard music playing. Then, I took a peek on the palace’s window. Strangely, musicians still played music, even when no one was on the hall. They’re playing the same beautiful song that filled with bravery. Then I passed them, going to the
“Manhood in front of fallen linen is called foolishness”, Shakespeare said. So, I’m not trying to be a man that time. I left then. The only one whom I told that story is my best friend, Angus (and now you know it too). Later, I found that the woman is Princess Thetis.
Back to today, to the challenge. The reward of the challenge was not far from my dreams. It is a prize contest with a reward of the princess love. Do you know what I think? Win the contest → Marry the Princess → be a King → Possess the commander order → conquer the world. From the story above, you know that my last goal is not to get the princess love, but to be the greatest general. But, exactly, to get the princess love isn’t a bad deal. But, that’s not my dream, you know?
So, without many waste of time I attended the invitation in the
After a week of qualification, 32 winners are chosen to participate at the prize contest. We are invited to a secret meeting by the king. Then the king talks,” My fellow noble, ye hast proved thou are worthy to invited to this assembly. For, not in vain I have arranged that competition. Thou hast proven thou art both mighty and educated men. For thy knowledge, our kingdom is in a verge of defeat. The war hast gone fierce, and our nobles was died in a plot of our enemy. After eight year, our kingdom was on equal power with our enemy, and we will lose not this time. I will give my daughter’s love for the one who can form a mighty army and make the war cease. Thou shall be freed from every work thee had, and I, the king shall supply the entire thing thou needed from the kingdom treasury.”
Not a long time after that, every contestants spread out to build their own army. “It’s time! Let’s train our army as the greatest! What ye will do? With unlimited riches from the kingdom’s treasury, shall we acquire a great number of men?” my friend Angus said.
“That’s unwise. Great number brings great casualties, and ineffective training.“ I replied.
“Then, how?” Angus asks to me.
“Tell me, O my friend, is it possible to take an adventure to recruit men from another race?” I replied.
“Brilliant, my friend! Unlike you, I grew as an adventurer, and I got many information about that. But how long will you gone? “Angus replied again.
“As long as it is needed. I heard there is some race that lives in the depth of the mountains, knowing not the outside world.” I said in answer, “they will be our greatest weapon.”
“Do you mean, you want to recruit them,eh? Or overrule them?” Angus asks again.
“I want to govern them. With that way, we could make a strong foundation for our nation’s future.” I answered.
“Then, shall we prepare?” Angus finishes the conversation.
After a small preparation, they build a small explorer army. They are going to find them across the seas. Exactly, before they departed, they heard information that the enemy kingdom’s prince and heir, named Vincent suddenly disappeared. But, they consider that it’s not significant to their plan. Coincidentally, that night The king held a small party, inviting the contestants. The party, exactly was the same party I’ve seen 9 years ago. It’s a farewell to arms. I felt the same that night, I feel the emotion, I feel the spirit and bravery, but, I found also one more thing. There are gloomy auras I can’t feel before.
“Bravery calls the brave,
the strong and the naïve,
call on the glory,
but fell the gloomy,
from the fear of death,
going to fulfillment of fate,
before they’re going,
into the engaging,
that is called: war”
That’s the way, and we’re departing.
Far into the deep, there we are going. That place doesn’t seem hard to reach, yet it asks much labor. Through wide oceans, dense forests, high hills, deep valleys we are going. Numerous enemy, bandits, man-smugglers, and thieves we beat. The dangers were no match for us. Shifting sands, storms, and keep going. The only enemy of this trip is called: ourselves. After half a year, we haven’t reaches the location. We are exhausted, and unenthusiastic.
Today, we are at the entrance of the forest, where they live. The problem is, we have wandered there for three months, and we always came back here every week.
“How long will it repeated? How about going back to home, before it’s to late?”, I asked Angus. But, the mighty Angus roused and answered me, ” Friend, do you want to make this adventure wasted in vain? Go little more and you will find!”
His support strengthens me, and once again we are going into the depth of the forest. This time, everything looks familiar. But, still it’s hard for us to manage into the race’s homeland. We cannot keep going straight, because, somehow, we always returned to the entrance. If we are going to left or right, we don’t know where are we going, and somehow we returned back.
Four more day, and we luckily find an open part of the forest. After a long time, we could make a bonfire. Then I stared at the sky. I remembered, at my farewell to arms, somebody named Victor sang a song that made me annoyed. He sang a song from the poem you read at the first part of this story. You know, it looks like he has completed his task before he done it. I think, I’ll give him some lesson if I could.
But, that song gives me an idea. “Hey, Angus.” I said, “Twelve times we have come in and gone out this forest. And, there’s no point how we could go to the race’s homeland. Either it is a magic or hallucination, we must broke it. Do you know what is in my mind?”
“What?” , Angus asks. Then I answered, “We come in from the entrance and gone out in the entrance. Normally, we are coming in from the entrance and gone out from the exit, right? Then, why not we go to the entrance to find the exit?”
“What? I think it’s crazy to do that, knowing our supply diminishes and our money eased up, because the kingdom is too far from here.” ,Angus said. “But, I don’t have any idea about this. Doing that won’t make any hurt, because we don’t know either this way or your way is right. Then, why we walk forward straight anymore? I think walking forward will make us lost again. Let’s walk to the backward! “
Crazy thing happens on unexpected time. We gone backward after the road we passed (or not, for we know anything not), and we have gone for 6 days after the bonfire. Suddenly, at the peak of the day, we saw an open land. Wide open land, yes. There are only two probabilities about this. It is either the exit or the entrance. With the reason of tired, I stopped my army. Exactly, I had a fear that it’s not an exit, and there will be no change of it if we stopped a little.
Then we stopped, and I talked with Angus, and agreed to stop this expedition if we gone out from the entrance once more. I declare this to the whole army, and we made a ‘feast’ in the jungle, to celebrate the end of the journey.
Finally, we stepped out the jungle. The sun shone brightly, but it not means anything good. It’s looks like we’re coming out from the entrance. There were the same trees, there was the same view, and there was the same air. I have expected it’ll be like this. Except, there are no town, and only camps here!
We made it! After a long chat with local leader, we decided to make a trade. Exactly, they also wanted to gone out from their homeland, because it’s too hard to communicate with other, and get supply when there’s a famine. But, it is a really long chat, and it took me 5 years for me to ensure him to leave.
However, I think the 5 year effort was not in vain. I built a great army there, which is an army that consists of one hundred valiant, trained young men. They had sharper eyes, stronger body, and greater reflex than our army before. With this army leading, we came out from this forest….
“We may walk day and night,
and not be weary,
we may fight a thousand battles,
and not losing,
We are the Andalucian!”
(the Army’s anthem I made )
After a long walk, and going through the seas, we came back to our country. But, for my surprise, there was no war. I expected that war will happen for years. But, from the information I had, the wars have ceased 4 years ago. That is a week after I gone! Also, there were also unity with the opposing kingdom. What is happening? Then, I appear before the king to know the reason.
“Hail, my lord. Thy servant hath come back, with any reinforcement Your Majesty need.” I said.
“ Foolish, where are you going for years? The wars hath ceased a long time ago, and we need not your reinforcement. Don’t you know?” The king answered.
“But, why Your majesty? Who hast won the contest?” I asked more.
“The winner is Victor. Have ye heard the disappearance of Prince Vincent of the neighboring kingdom? He came inside our kingdom, after he succeeded his plot to kill our nobles. Borrowing the name of a Noble from our kingdom, he participated at the contest. I hath said ’who make the war cease is the winner.’ And he had done it, by asking his father. I can’t took back whatever I said. Then, it’s happening like this.”
Anything ends
In its beginning,
The circles turning
Slowly, so slowly,
Quern of the beat
Of the downrunning heart,
The sunlight fell like diamonds
But did not slacken
Remembrance forewarning
Of cold and dark to come,
The journey retaken
Without end,
Without end.
This poem move around my head for long times. Filled with anger and remorse, I gone out from the kingdom, and prepared to strike back, to fulfill my dream….
====The End===
[1] The poem is taken from Part IV of Journey to A Known Place poem, verse 12, from the book Collected Longer Poems,by Hayden Carruth.
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