Arren lay his warhammer beside him within reach and then stretched out his full frame on the soft earth. As was his nightly ritual, he repeated his dedication to God and recited his vows of duty before reaching beneath his tunic and clutching the pendant she had given him.
Oh Mendeleyah, he thought. If I loved you any more than I do, then my emotions would taint the soil.
He took a watery breath and let her go from his mind. For four years he had been travelling now, trying to fill the charge his king had given him. It was an impossible task to say the least, but Arren, duty bound by his paladin's oath, was sworn to complete the mission or die trying. The worst for him was leaving his Mendeleyah behind.
That and the being alone.
He had started this journey with four young men at his side. All of them too had been paladins, selected and groomed from birth to dedicate their lives to the service of the people of Gondolin. They were proud of their stations in life, and proud of what they represented. Without hesitation, each had accepted their mission from the king and set forth with every hope and expectation of achieving their goals.
They had been friends. Companions. Blood brothers. But Alas, yesterday's gone.
Wistfulness permeating his thoughts, Arren drifted off to sleep. And dreamed.
Five moons ago, they had still been two. They were traversing a desolate ridge on the outskirts of Xaphyr when they had stopped at a small brook to water the horses. It was Arren and his closest friend since boyhoood, Tallas. As clear as if it had been minutes ago, he could still see the scene that day as it had played out. He could still feel the stillness before and after. He and Tallas beneath a tree idly chewing on wayfarer's bread and watching a doe chew on leaves just yards away. The silence surrounding them as welcomed and as comfortable as their straw stuffed mattresses at home in Gondolin.
Then the arrows shattering the stillness. The first one sailing past Arren and striking the doe in the flank. The second one embedding itself in the tree trunk not three inches from his head. Arren on his feet in an instant, bronze shield raised before him, fumbling behind him for the war hammer. Tallas, pausing a second too long in bafflement, his instincts delayed by his trailworn body. Coming to his feet, broadaxe in hand but shield still strewn in the grass behind him.
Arren's eyes picking out the two forms in the brush to their left and compacting himself behind his targe as much as possible. The next pair of arrows sailing to Arren's right and embedding themselves in Tallas's unshielded flesh. Tallas's screams. The bloodlust taking control of Arren as he charged into the brush. His warhammer finding it's mark, his shield shrugging off blows, his bellows of rage and the howls of the dying. In the dream and in the present as he slept, tears rolled down his cheek.
Arren dreamed/remembered turning around to look at Tallas but not wanting to. Fearing what he'd see, but unable to avoid what duty bound him to do. Tallas lying on the ground, two shafts protruding from his abdomen, so deeply imbedded that only the feathered ends were visible. Tallas still breathing. Still struggling to speak.
"Do-do not let my Willow weep for me, Arren. Do no-not. Pro-promise me." His breaths coming in short pants. "Tell her I died with hon-honor."
"Shh," whispered Arren. Tears blurring his vision. "Shh, my friend. Let me give you your absolution."
"I-I-I confess....my si-sins to thee oh Lo-lord..."
Arren weeping violently now. A sparrow giving contrast by peeping a summer song. Arren and Tallas's horses whinnying somewhere nearby.
"The Lord walk with you and grant you peace," Arren continuing the cantation, fulfilling duty.
"Cl-cl-cleanse me, my G-g-god," Tallas whispering, the light fading from his eyes-
Arren woke up. Tears covered his face and his chest hurt from the racking sobs that had struck him in his sleep. He got slowly to his feet and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. It would be another night without rest, but he was used to it by now. He picked up his hammer, slung the shield back over his shoulder, and walked towards his grazing mount.
Oh, God so far yet to ride, and so much still to do. He saddled up and kicked the horse into a steady walk. The endless road rose up to greet him, and distant shores awaited......
2007-09-06 04:12:52
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answer #1
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answered by Cheese 4
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Yesterday's Gone. Alas, It was just a summer song. Willow Weep For me, for I will never see what it was meant to be. Before and After, neither matter. If I loved you, I would have been true. Now all i can see, is your heart scattered along the distant shores... becoming only a meager entry in my personal memoirs.
2007-09-06 01:36:16
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answer #2
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answered by Jewls 3
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Hi Miss Kitty. I didn't know anybody still remembered Chad and Jeremy but me. OK, here is a little love story.
Matt realized that yesterday's gone. He told Miss Kitty "I love you now, but if I loved you then, you would not have left for distant shores." Before and after he met her he enjoyed riding the range while singing a summer song. But since she left, you can find him standing all alone by the edge of his garden crying "willow weep for me for I have lost Miss Kitty."
Wow, what a corny story!!!
2007-09-06 01:07:08
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answer #3
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answered by ghouly05 7
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I was sitting at the desk of my literary agent and editor, Edwin Clark. The conversation was not going too nicely. "Mr William Shakespeare, I am just saying that you need to step up your tempo a bit. Your first novel 'Shield Of Faith' rocked the entire country and set a standard." "So did 'Ghost in the House' and 'Will There Be any Stars'!" I said "And these books were in different genres! I do not want to be cast as a Horror novel writer!" "Mr. Shakespeare, I need to be blunt with you. The quality of your work is declining since you stopped writing Horror books and drifted to Romance." "Have you ever written a book, Mr. Clark?" I asked "Yes, I have actually. 'I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow' and "If I didn't Know Any Better." he responded. "But I heard those were written by ghost writers?" I asked. "I beg your pardon!!" said Mr. Clark looking incensed. "I wrote them myself. They were not bestsellers but they did fairly well in the market!" "'My apologies then, Mr. Clark but my mood swings and affects my work. Take 'Deeper Than Crying'. I wrote that a year ago when I met my wife. That was fuelled by my romantic feelings and not horrific nightmares or fears. But it sold better than 'Midnight Rider' which was a horror classic!" I said. "Mr Shakespeare, my point is that you ride on the crest of your first novel. We are not competing. I am your agent. You are a literary icon. But your niche seems to be in the Horror genre! That's my point." "I want to write freestyle. I don't want to be typecast.'I'll Remember You, Love, In My Prayers', 'On The Borderline', and 'Blue Trail Of Sorrow' cut across all the genres. They each sold over a million copies. I want to explore all my options. I may eventually settle in a particular genre but not now." "From 25 million copies of your first book sold, you are now happy with just a million copies, Mr. Shakespeare?" "Thank you, Clark. High sales is good but I want to to reach everyone. I want to talk about love like the 'Marshall Matt Dillion and Sunshine Babe Series'. My wife likes romantic books. But you just gave me an idea for another romantic novel. I will call it, 'When God Dips His Pen Of Love In My Heart'".
2016-05-22 03:19:30
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answer #4
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answered by ? 3
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