Forgotten Guardians

They walked down the old dusty path in silence for many minutes. The only sound to be heard was the breeze blowing through the forest canopy. Miranda’s mind wondered. A normal day had become a whirlwind of events which led her to meeting this strange man. This man, dressed in black, walking with a giant silver wolf as his companions. He had an essence of torment and secrecy about him, but for some reason she felt completely at ease in his presence. Who was this man and where did he come from? She had never seen anyone dressed like him or anyone who could fight like he had, in all of her life. Also, why was he wearing a long coat and hood on a such hot day? It then occurred to her that she had never seen the man’s eyes. They were always hidden beneath his hood and every time the light was about to hit them, they fell back into shadow. From what she could see he looked very handsome, so why did he hide his eyes? She shrugged it off as none of her business, and began to think she ought to at least get to know him before bringing him to her home.

“So where do you come from?” she asked in the absolute silence.

Josan said nothing for a moment, “The Tether Mountains, west of here.”

“That is leauges away. Why did you come to the Stone Empire?” Miranda asked, shocked someone would come so far to be in this hellish place.

“I’m looking for someone,” Josan said in a icy tone, clearly wanting to drop the subject.

Miranda, however, wasn’t going to just let it go, no matter how much he avoided the topic.” What’s your friend’s name? I know almost everyone in the countryside here; maybe I can help you find him.”

“I never said he was my friend,” Josan said through gritted teeth.

She was a bit taken back by the feriocity of his voice. Miranda decided to for once in her life, she would stifle her persistence and change the subject. “Where did you find your large friend over there?” she asked, indicating Wolf strolling easily along next to Josan.

“He actually found me, on the first morning after leaving my home,” Josan said with a heartfelt tone to his voice. All anger vanishing from his voice.

Miranda could tell by Josan’s tone that there was a deep bond between him and Wolf. She smiled slightly thinking of the harmony the two brought to one another, not just in battle, but in friendship: not as master and pet, but equals with respect for each another.

The three walked along for many more miles, Miranda doing most of the talking while Josan listened. She told him of her land and the days before the Stone Emperor had come. She didn’t remember much from that time, for she was but a toddler, but she related all the tales her Granny told her about the time He asked a few questions about her and about her people. She was surprised of his knowledge of her people and history. Josan would answer her questions, yet did it without revealing too much of his past or his purpose.

Suddenly, serining white pain lanced through her mind. Miranda dropped to her knees, clutching her head and letting out a blood curdling scream. Josan knelt down beside her. “What’s wrong? Are you alright?” He asked in a concerned and confused voice, but she could not hear him. She just sat there with her eyes wide open and a look of pure terror on her face. Her eyes darted back and forth as if she was seeing something which was not there. Josan shook her and asked her if she was alright, without having any idea what was going on. He looked around, frantically scanning the tree line to see if something else was around which could be causing her convulse, but he saw nothing and sensed no one nearby. Miranda collapsed into unconsciousness.

Moments later, Miranda awoke on the side of the road with something furry next to her leg. She sat up quickly to find Wolf lying next to her and the world spinning. Wolf walked around her and nuzzled himself under her arm to help keep her balanced. She sat for a moment regaining her bearings.

“Are you alright?” came a voice from her side.

She looked over to see Josan kneeling next to her, handing her a water skin. She took it with a weak smile and took a healthy gulp of the refreshing water. Breathing raggely, she tried to focus back on reality and leaning heavily on Wolf, grateful for the support.

“What happened?” Josan asked with a confused tone.

She sat with her head down, contemplating whether she should tell him or not?

“It was just a fit,” She said tryng to shrug it off as nothing.

Josan sat back on his heels studying her for a moment. “That was no normal siezure. I have seen people with that illness before and they never acted like,” he said with suspicion.

Miranda turned away, tears of shame stinging her eyes.

“You saw something didn’t you,” Josan asked.

“It was a vision, I have them sometimes,” she said with an ashamed expression perparing herself for the look which was coming: the look of terror that all the countryside gave her anytime they found out about her visions, as if she was some silver-eyed demon.

“Are you alright now, though?” Josan said with oncern.

“Oh... yeah, I’m fine now except for this pounding headache,” she said with a flustered look.

“Lean your head back and relax and stay very still.”

Miranda felt her stomach churn. What was he going to do? Was he going to kill her, thinking that she was a demon of some sort? She decided to do as she was told. Wolf licked her hand which was draped over him as if he felt her uneasiness, reassuring her she was going to be alright. Josan placed two fingers on her temples and pushed in a rubbing motion. She felt a slight sting in her already aching head, but then suddenly the pain was gone. She opened her eyes and saw a small smile on Josan’s face.

“Do you feel better know?”

“Yes...yes, I do, how did you do that?” she asked, amazed.

“A trick I learned from an old teacher a few years ago,” he said, relieved she was feeling better.

He helped her up and retrieved his satchel, which he had used for her pillow, and they started off down the road again. After a few minutes Josan asked what she saw in her visions.

“I mostly see images, but sometimes I can feel emotions. They engulf me and sometimes I go into fits. My granny says it’s a gift from a god, but everyone else thinks it’s a touch from a demon.”

“What did you see in your vision this time, if you don’t mind telling me?” Josan asked with a caring smile.

Miranda was shocked; no one else other than her family had ever asked about what was in her visions. “Well, I saw a bright light surrounding me and felt hatred everywhere at the same time. Then I felt wind rushing by me, as I ran through the forest and then I saw a house burning and overwhelming sadness.”

“Do you know what the visions mean?” Josan asked curiously.

“Not really, they just come to me. Once I had a vision of my little brother falling out of a tree and a couple of days later he fell out of a tree and broke his leg.”

“You’re a prophet!” Josan said, astonished.

“What...no, prophets are old men who sit in towers and predict the future; I’m just a farm girl.”

“Think what you want, but you have the gift of prophecy,” Josan said with a shrug, before letting the subject drop.

After another mile or two, they reached an overgrown wagon trail leading off the main road. In the near distance Josan could see smoke rising from the tree canopy. As they walked around a bend in the path a small farm house came into view. A sturdy rough cut house with a small porch in the front, but the place had been kept up through the harsh years. To the right of the house stood an ancient barn, the wood worn with age, with animals milling about it. By the time they reached the front yard it was nearly dusk. Out of the corner of his eye Josan caught movement from the corner of the house. From the shadows a giant of a man appeared with a scowl of rage painted across his face. The man stomped forward with legs as thick as tree trunks. He was easily a foot taller than Josan and at least three times as wide, with toned muscles which would put a barbarian to shame. The man stopped a few feet away from them.

“Where have you been? It’s late and your ma has been worried sick about you, and she doesn’t need that in her condition,” the huge man said in a gruff tone. He glanced down and saw Miranda’s torn tunic under the cloak. His face contorted with uncontrollable rage as he faced Josan. Josan quickly stepped out of reach and very slowly reached for his weapons. Josan knew he could beat the giant man in a long range fight, but if he got to close to the enraged man, he knew would be no match for those mountain sized arms. One punch could probably knock him out cold or even kill him.

“You miserable bog scum. I’ll send you to the worms in pieces for touching my little girl!” the man roared and started to lunge at Josan.

Miranda jumped in his path, threw up her arms and yelled, “Wait!”

“Out of the way, I’ll teach you to handle my babe like that,” the father roared again, trying to shove Miranda out of his way.

“He saved me from the men that attacked me and if he hadn’t had helped me you would be finding my dead body in the woods tomorrow,” she said with a scowl that matched her father’s.

Her father stopped abruptly with confusion spreading over his face.

“Three Stone soldiers did this to me and would have done much more if it wasn’t for him and his friend.”

For the first time her father saw the enormous wolf standing behind the dark man and his face went from rage to pure terror. He quickly took a step back this time, grasped Miranda and shoved her behind him. “Get in the house quick,” he said with concern in his voice, never taking his eyes from the beast who was passively sitting still.

“He won’t hurt you, Da,” Miranda said with a humorous smile. She walked over, knelt beside Wolf and started scratching his head.

Her father just stood dumbfounded, staring as his little girl causally pet the huge animal. Miranda stood up and walked back over to farther, “Da, this is Josan. Josan this is my da.” Her father took a moment to gather himself then walked up to Josan and stopped in a firm stance.

“Thank you for saving my little girl. I will always be in your debt and please forgive me about how I reacted when I saw you,” he said in a friendly tone.

“You acted like any loving father would have,” Josan said casually.

The man placed his hand out and Josan gladly accepted the handshake, even though the man nearly broke his hand. Miranda’s father let out a hardy laugh and swung an arm around Josan’s shoulder. He gave a quick smile toward Miranda, who stood beaming with joy, for the event had not turned ugly.

Then her father came over and inspected Miranda for any wounds, “Are you alright, is anything broken?” he spoke frantically.

“I’m fine, Da, really,”

“You’re sure? Well, then go see to your ma so she will stop worrying about you.” He then turned to Josan. “You must stay for supper, it’s the least I can do for you after saving me little girl. It’s not a royal banquet but you’re more than welcome.”

“A good country cooked meal is worth a king’s treasure to me right now, thank you,” Josan said gratefully.

“That is a fine animal that you have with you, never seen a wolf that big or a coat like that.” Miranda’s father said.

“He is not property, Da, he is Josan’s friend. His name is Wolf. He helped save me, too.”

Miranda walked inside to see to ma and tell her granny to set another plate for supper, with her father and Josan following right behind her. They reached the porch just as two children came rushing out the door, a small boy and a small girl. So close in appearance they were clearly twins. They stopped in their tracks as they saw the dark man appear behind their father and almost screamed in horror as the giant wolf came into view. Standing with their eyes wide and their mouths open they couldn’t even conjure a thought. At the sight of his children the father let out deep belly laugh and scooped them up in his arms, one in each, and turned around to face Josan.

“This is Master Josan, he saved your sister today and that is his friend, Wolf...Well, show your manners and say hello,” the father said in soothing voice. “These are my two youngens, Jillian and Flance.”

“Hello, Master Josan,” the young boy replied with excitement in his voice. The young girl buried her face in her father’s shoulder and clung with her little arms around his neck. The father leaned his head down. “It’s alright, say hello,” he said. The young girl peeked her head out. “Hello,” she said, but before the word was finished she had her face back in her father’s shoulder.

“Hello, to the both of you,” Josan said as he gave a short bow.

“Can I pet your wolf?” the young boy asked with a astonished look on his face as he looked at the huge animal once again.

“You must ask him, not me,” Josan said in a casual tone.

The young boy looked down on Wolf, “Can I pet you, Wolf?” the boy asked eagerly.

Wolf casually laid down on the porch signaling he did not mind. Josan was always astonished by how Wolf could somehow understand the human tongue. The boy jumped from his father’s arm and knelt down beside Wolf, very gently petting his silver fur. After a few seconds the young girl saw what her twin brother was doing and was not going to be left out. She wiggled from her father’s hold and ran to her brother. The father let out another hardy laugh and slapped Josan on the back.

“Magnificent animal that is,” the father commented. “Come, supper should be ready, you can sit and take off your coat and relax,” he said with a chuckle.

“I mean no disrespect, but I would prefer to leave my coat and hood on due..,” but Josan was cut off before he could finish.

“No need to be sorry, every man has a secret and I’m not one to judge a man for that,” the father said with a gentle tone.

Just before they entered the house, Josan turned and scowled at Wolf, a private thought between them, telling Wolf that he was to leave the live stock alone. On more than one occasion, Wolf’s appetite had led to terrible altercations with farmers.

They walked into a small living area which had some sparse furniture and a single candle burning on a small side table. They turned a corner into a large kitchen. The smell rushed over Josan, sending memories flooding back from the days he used to work in the sanctuary’s kitchen. Josan tried to remember the last time he had a good hot meal, but couldn’t recall. In the center room stood an old plank dining table with years of use written over it. At one end of the room stood a huge hearth with an old-fashion cooking pot hanging over the fire, with the smell of lamb stew wafting from it. On the opposite side of the room stood a long slender table against the wall, with everything a kitchen would need, and a small old woman cutting up carrots. The way the grandmother handled the knife caught Josan’s eye. She wielded it as if were a weapon, not just a kitchen tool.

“This is my mother-in-law,” the father said as the old woman turned around. The small woman was the quintessential grandmother. She was short and frail, with her silvery gray hair up in a bun and wrinkles on her face which showed the knowledge and compassion of eons of life. He looked at her eyes and saw a fire still burning in them.

“Hello, Master Josan, Miranda told me what you did for her today. I thank you for your courage. Pity there aren’t more like you in the world,” she said in the way loving grandmothers do.

“Hello,” Josan said, giving a deep and respectful bow.

There was something about her tone and what she said which made Josan think. It felt very familiar to him, the control in her voice and the way she stood so straight, deceiving her age. The thought was interrupted when Miranda entered the room.

“Ma’s not doing much better, is she?” she said in a solemn voice.

Her father walked up to her and gave her a fatherly hug and whispered, “She’ll be alright, your ma is a strong one, and she needs you to be strong for her, too.” He gave her one last squeeze and let her go. He turned around to see Josan looking confused, “My wife caught a terrible fever and she can’t seem to shake it,” he said as his eyes welled up. Josan could see the frustration etched in his face, for all his strength and heart could not help the woman he loved.

“May I take a look at her?” Josan asked humbly.

“Yes, Da let him take a look at Ma. He might be able to help her. He took my headache away after one of my spells.” Miranda said.

He looked at his daughter then back at Josan, “If me daughter thinks you can help my wife then I beg you to try.”

Miranda grasped Josan by the arm and ushered him back to her parent’s bedroom. Quietly she opened the door to a room no bigger than a closest. She went and knelt next to mother and told her that this man would try to help her. After re-moistening a cloth and then placed it back on her mother’s forehead, she turned back to Josan, telling him all he needed to know. She left the room, shut the door behind her and walked back to the kitchen to help with dinner. As she entered the room she saw a worried expression on her father’s face as he sat at the head of the table, looking at the far wall. Miranda knelt down and wrapped her arms around him and gave her granny a look of concern. Granny gave a slight smile which spoke more than words. Miranda let go of her father and continued to help make supper. She stood next her granny and was about to say something but before she could, her granny spoke.

“Don’t worry, dear, that one is special,” Granny said with a smile.

Miranda was about to ask what her granny was talking about when Josan came back into the room with a solemn look. All attention was on him.

“I can’t cure the infection. I’m sorry, but I have stopped her coughing so she will be able to sleep.” He then sat down and gave the father a list a things to do which would help her recover, such as changing the bed sheets once a day and letting her get fresh air, also ingredients for medicine.

“We cannot afford medicine, especially what you are asking for,” the father said as his head lowered in shame, for he was only a poor farmer.

Josan slipped a solid gold crown on the table and slid it to him. The father looked up and stared at the coin. It was more money then he had ever seen in his life.

“I can’t take your money, sir, that just wouldn’t be right,” he said.

“I told you, I would give a king’s treasure for a good home cooked meal,” Josan said calmly.

The father looked at the coin again, then to Josan. He shook his head and suddenly broke into laughter. He stood up, grasped Josan around the chest and hugged him, almost snapping Josan’s spine in the process. “The Light have surely blessed us today,” he said as tears rolled down his cheek. He set Josan down and composed himself. A smile spread ear to ear as the father sat back down. “You will always be welcome here and all the hot meals you can eat.” He was almost too happy to get the words out of his mouth. Miranda rushed over and slung her arms over Josan and gave him a kiss right on the lips, but then stepped back suddenly, her face completely red. She turned to her father, who didn’t seem to care about what his daughter just did; he let out another hearty laugh. Josan looked over to the grandmother, who just smiled and gave a grateful bow of her head. Again, there was something about the grandmother which remained at the edge of his thoughts. He decided not to dwell on it; the answer would come to him. At that moment, the twins came in with bright smiles after playing with Wolf. They sat down at the table and when their father told them the news.

After the thank you were exchanged, all of which made Josan very uncomfortable, he was not accustomed to physical human contact besides fighting. They sat down to their meal and it was worth every gold crown he had on him. He couldn’t remember the last time something tasted so good, if anything ever had. Miranda retold the story of what happened during the day with the soldiers and the vision she had had. Her father made small talk with Josan about the land, the Epongia culture and the Stone Emperor. At the end of meal the children asked if they could give the scraps of meat to Wolf. Josan said that Wolf would very much appreciate the food. The children ran out of the kitchen with a plate of meat scraps faster than the eye could catch them. Seconds later, squeals of lauhter, echoed from the front porch.

“Where are you headed?” the father asked after a moment.

“The Stone City,” Josan said.

“It’s only about a three hour walk down the road, you can stay here the night and be there before noon tomorrow,” Miranda’s father said.

“I’m sorry, I must decline, there is someone waiting for me there that I must see immediately,” Josan said in a bow.

“Well, I’m sorry you can’t stay, but please stop by if you pass here again, you can get another home cooked meal.” the father said.

“Thank you for your hospitality, but I must be going.” Josan said. He got up, thanked everyone again and walked outside to get Wolf. If they hurried they could make it in two hours. He walked outside and saw the children almost lying on Wolf as they rubbed his full belly and scratched his ears. A looked of almost pure ecstasy showed on Wolf’s face. “I’m sorry little ones, but Wolf and I must be leaving now.” After their sighs, they got up and Wolf sprang to his feet. Miranda rushed out the door and handed Josan a bundle of left over food. She moved her arms around him gave him a kiss on the cheek and thanked him again. As she hugged him, he was engulfed by her scent of rose petals and soil, a scent that he would not soon forget. Her father followed her out after giving his daughter time to say her goodbyes, and shook Josan’s hand.

“I thank you again for all that you have done for me and my family. I wish there were more men like you in the world.” The father said sincerely.

“If there were more men like you there would be no need for men like me,” Josan said humbly.

Josan and Wolf then started off down the dirt path with only the moon to guide them. “Remember, you are always welcome here,” came the father’s voice from a distance. Josan turned and waved before he disappeared into the darkness.

Miranda’s father turned to her and saw the look in her eyes. “You wish to go with him and have an adventure of your own.” Miranda looked up at her father with shy look in her eyes. “People like that, as good hearted as they are, always die to early. Ask your granny and she will tell you,” he said solemnly. He turned and took the twins inside to put them to bed, leaving Miranda alone with her thoughts.