The Emperor and the Servant: A Tale of Two Heroes

Chapter 1: The Beginning

Chapter 1: The Beginning

  When one possesses the faith to understand, all truth will be known.

  Church bells ring one night…as the birth of a child is announced.

  The world celebrates. As it always does when new life comes.

  The coming of a son, a blessing to all nations. A daughter’s arrival the joy to the world.

  Looking so much like the Father and the Mother.

  The world was so quiet then everything was peaceful.

  Then come the sound of tears and mourning.

  The passing of a beloved woman and the sadness of a man for this loss.

  When all see that such is life, they would find solace in one another and know they are not alone.

  Time passes and all wounds heal. All life rejuvenates. All things return to their proper order.

  Years fly past the present, heading to futures filled with endless possibility.

  The crowning glory comes in unexpected situations, especially after the darkness vanishes.

  The world was filled with light and life.

  All rejoiced. All proclaimed. And one man stood, humbled and proud.

  He bore on his shoulder the Mantle of Rule, on his hands the Scepter and Orb, on his head the Crown.

  Right and left, as his body moves, watching and waiting. Hours pass. He sits upon the Throne.

  And the fate of all humanity is decided…at this very moment.

Canto XXX, Gloria et impera, December 30, 1186 AD

  The day after, the year after the time it all transpired, he had returned it to its shelf, never to be touched for a very long time. Reading the past twenty-nine reminded the young 23-year-old neophyte why he never wanted to be in the place, time, position, circumstance and person that he has put himself right now.

  “The burden we all bear, the pain we all share, the price we all pay. That is what it is meant to have rule.”

  “We all have our obligations.” The winds blew and the window opened up to let light in.

  A tall man appeared before the man, sitting on the table itself. The same height and quality, likened to any who have obtained the blessings of youth and prosperity. He measured nearly six feet. They rather…

  “Alas, it is but the freedom of our laws we exercise, not the freedom of our hearts, which we yearn to express to the fullest, even as few are chosen to be free. There are those inconsistencies…”

  “Like you and I…”

  “You just read my mind…or was it?”

  “Pure chance,” they said in unison.

  “Why did you come here, of all places and of all times? It is too near…and too early.”

  The shadows kept both their faces hidden but their mouths were clearly moving.

  “Obscurity has its way of revealing itself. I wish to see my master, as is my desire.”

  Blue eyes sparkle as they both look at each other and stand on equal ground. The other man bowed in respect. A hand gestures him to stand erect and face the one he speaks.