STORY TIME!! "Drowning the Sounds" (ch 2)

Once upon a time in the great (and of course far away) country of West lived a young knight. He married a lovely young maiden and God had blessed them with children. He was well known throughout the land as the “Sharpest Sword in the West”.

Sometime ago, the knight had refused the king’s request to ride out with his fellow knights and take back the land that was overrun by invaders. In spite of his training, the knight chose to live in relative peace with his family on an estate provided by the King; the King was both merciful and wise.

One day, as the young knight was returning home from the royal courts he thought he heard the sounds of battle far off, but the sounds were faint. By the time he stopped to listen, the battle sounds were gone. He could hear only the leaves dancing in the wind, the eagle’s song above his head, and the fast pounding of his heart.

In the silence, his excitement grew. His breathing began to quicken and chills ran down his back. Was it his imagination again? Was it another of those “strange coincidences” that he had encountered lately? He wanted something -- but what? There was something missing in his life but he refused to think about it. The familiar feeling that he ought to DO something had returned, and this time it was strong.

The knight tried telling himself that there are others handling the battles, and, they are, no doubt, better qualified for the job. He thought about the work that had to be done at home. He told himself the King allowed him to stay back – it was the will of the King. The knight’s mind would have kept going, but the horse stirred under him and he was jolted back to the task at hand. Unsettled, he continued on his way home.

At home, there were enough distractions to keep him occupied; the important questions from earlier were stifled. The knight found respite by focusing on the daily work. There was fire wood to split, barn animals to feed, stalls to clean, fences to mend, and repairs to be made on his home. He helped his wife draw water from the well and carried it back in the house. With the work done, he took some time to play with his son and daughter. Later in the evening, the family gathered by the fire to hear his eloquent explanations of sword fighting technique and read stories from The King’s Book of Wisdom.

After the children were asleep the knight settled at his desk. He took paper and quill and wrote letters to his friends, neighbors, and business associates. His loving wife sat next to him reading peacefully. After some time, she got up, smiled, embraced him gently, and retired for the night.

With a willing heart, the knight forgot about the sounds of battle he heard earlier that day…

He finished his letters;
blew out the candle;
walked over to the bed and got in.

He thought about the next day’s activities;
and fell sound asleep.

Meanwhile, there were sounds of battle far off,

but the sounds... were no longer faint.

The kingdom is still at war.