A Hero With/Out Time

Chapter 12: My resolution to act. (Part 4)

"I have time," I nodded and prepared myself.

"Then I shall first make some tea," he stood up and moved to the wall were a tea set sat on top a tray as if waiting. He poured the boiling water and began, "Rain perhaps you know from Ardent that before I came here I was a knight."

"I do."

"Yes, I became a knight around your age and at the time all I wanted to do was serve my Kingdom with honour. Back then I went by the name of Matarus and I was very much a different person. Our King at the time was a strong man of pride and honour, an inspiration to the youthful like I was. Thirty years ago the conflict between us and the Empire ended in stalemate. As a result the Kingdom lost a lot of land and to rectify it the King made an order, to take that land from the Demons. As one conflict ended another began." He sat back down slowly passing me a steaming cup and sipping at his own.

He continued with a forlorn gaze, "It was a massacre. The Demon tribes had been mostly peaceful and when we came, we attacked with a ruthless violence. They outnumbered us but stood alone without a common King or Lord. Though at times they threatened a comeback we in turn doubled our efforts to crush them. At the beginning I was intoxicated with the battle. To us the Demons were the enemy, strange uncultured beings that had no rights compared to the glory of mankind. Over two years we pushed them back taking their territory until they were forced to retreat behind the border forest where we could not touch them.

"Axel, where we live today was one of their homes and I personally led a company to annihilate them. They were civilians Rain, but we didn't care. In the end hardly a soul remained alive. And as we celebrated our overwhelming victory I could only feel hollow. This was not how I desired to serve my Kingdom.

"A new border was formed and Greytree was built sealing off the western front. I returned to the Capital and for a few years tried to forget what I had done. If you're wondering it was at that time I met Ardent in the Empire. He was a mischievous brat back then," Mattias smirked but then focused once more sombrely. "I was promoted to Knight Captain, a position that would have increased my standing to above my peers by leagues had I not left soon after. I was on the path to become a General or Commander but in the end I refused. Instead I chose to be awarded a plot of land and I retired early.

"The land I chose was here Rain, Axel. The place of my nightmares. The King passed from illness and his daughter the current Queen now rules the Kingdom. And like the changing of the tides I too hung up my sword and worked to rebuild this town. Margaret, Walter, Lane, Morgan, Nill, Bert, Marcy, Tarhand, them and a few others chose to come with me. Many of us changed our names, mine I changed to Mattias, for us it was an oath of change, to let go of our old selves. Day by day we worked to repair the burnt out homes and make the town live once more. We had our own troubles and steadily built up our foundations as more people we once knew joined us. Then we found you and our town had its first child." He smiled at me, "Without you for us to raise we might have given up.

"The Demons came a few years later. At first I thought they wanted revenge and in return for peace I offered my own head. Instead they forgave me. I couldn't believe it, after all I had done, for them just to let it go was beyond me. Since then we've had prosperous relations with them. Our town benefited with the rare trade as did their village from the goods they could not obtain otherwise. It was a simple agreement that turned to a unique blessing."

After staying silent for so long I had to interject, "But they're Demons...."

"They are still people Rain."

"They invaded Greytree...," I frowned. "I was there, they massacred innocent people like it was nothing." I was mixing up the cycles but I couldn't just ignore what I had seen.

"It seems you've been through a lot... but I did the same to them," Mattias smiled ironically. "Rain when you were afraid of the dark what did I do?"

I folded my arms unsure where he was going with this, "You and Lane spent an entire night outside with me. I got over it."

"Yes, but why?" He proceeded to answer the question himself, "It was because the dark was no longer unknown. We showed you what it was and taught you how to live inside it just as you would in the daylight. Fear, Rain, comes from the unknown. Fear can breed hatred and become injustice. You right now like I was in the past don't know the Demons. Now I know they are not so different from us."

I sat again in silence. The demons I had seen were supposedly few. When they invaded Greytree I believed it was their nature but now it turns out I had known many demons all along. Servius and his family... they were my friends.

"I don't expect you to come around instantly," Mattias finished his tea. "As an adult you can make your own choices, even if that means revealing our secret."

"I'd never!" I responded immediately.

"I didn't say I thought you would," he smiled.

For a moment I said nothing. "Who else knows?"

"A few trader friends that we deal with, most in either Greytree or the Saltwater Port, your Aunt Nera in the Capital, that's all."

I nodded and slowly stood up, "I'll say goodnight now."

"Goodnight Rain," he smiled one last time.

I opened the door and turned to him, "Thank you Mattias, Dad." With that I left and went to my room to think. Taylor had been courteous enough to not be there.