A Warrior of the Heart

Written by Lifecoach Brodie

Here's a fable I wrote unexpectedly yesterday as I was dabbling around with an online course I am creating. It was unexpected in that I had no intention to write a story, nor any pre-conceived idea of what I was writing ... it just came.

I don't know what you will think of it, but I thought I'd toss it out there for just for the heck of it. It was a fun process. Once I realized what was happening, I threw on some medieval Baroque music through iTunes radio & plugged away in bliss until I had the finished product - a story of 'A Warrior of the Heart'.

Feel free to leave comments. Even though it might be a bit hokey or contrived, it's full of great metaphors. If you've got some classical lute music, make sure to give it a whirl along with this tale of heroism & forgiveness. EnJOY!

A Warrior of the Heart

There once was a great warrior who's mission in life was to bring peace to his land & to his people. His days were spent enshrouded in a cumbersome iron suit, and he carried a great silver lance, ready at all times to wield it's power in the face of injustice.

From village to village he would travel, on his mission for peace, arriving in haste to confront and destroy any and all who were causing violence & fear.

As time passed, the villagers, who called him Lord Markus, came to honour his great deeds & value his unbending commitment to their protection.

Upon his arrival one day in the courtyard of a small forest village, Lord Markus was greeted by a trove of villagers who were in an uproar over the latest injustice that had taken place in their homeland.

Before them stood a young boy in tattered clothing, covered in dust & bruises from the savage behaviour of the villagers. Down his cheeks, muddy streaks bared the sign of tears, as he knew his fate. It would be the same as all the others before him who had broken the rules, regardless of their sin & regardless of their age. In the face of Lord Markus, his death was certain, he was sure.

*                                                                    *                                                                   *

Earlier that day, Lord Markus had stopped along the trail by a spring. As he was kneeling for a drink, he heard some rustles in the woods in the distance. He lifted his head to see a young woman burst forth from the trees in a mad dash. In each hand she clenched an apple.

Just as a man in simple clothing also came dashing from the woods, the young woman stepped on the tattered rags of her dress & tumbled violently to the ground. Rolling to a stop, still grasping the two apples firmly, she looked up to see the man staring down at her.

 

Lord Markus had seen this man before in the market, selling his harvests in the markets and it was clear to him that the young woman had stolen the apples from the farmer.

"What an injustice!" he thought to himself. "This young woman deserves punishment for her thievery."

As he stood to take action, he was astonished to see the farmer smile and extend a helping hand to the woman.

With nowhere to run, the young woman, still holding the apples close, reached out and took the arm of the farmer and the two of them stood there face to face. A look of guilt and shame washed over the face of the young woman, and still the farmer just smiled

"What is he doing?" thought Lord Markus. "She deserves to be punished. If he is not man enough to teach her a lesson, then I will!"

As he began to stride forward, drawing his sword from it's long and elegant sheath, he halted in astonishment at what he saw.

There before his unyielding sight, he saw the woman fall to her knees, lowering her head in shame and offer the stolen apples back to the farmer.

The farmer just smiled and gently laid one hand on the head of the young woman. This sent her into despair.

Lord Markus had dealt with many thieves, and was used to hearing a blubbering plea for forgiveness and mercy. He noticed here that this young woman was not asking for forgiveness, but instead, kept admitting to her disgraceful actions and apologizing.

"No matter," the farmer eventually spoke. "These things happen. It's how we learn. If you were to always conform to the rules of the land, you would not necessarily grow wise. It's experience that teaches us, and I believe you have learned something important today."

Still with a lowered head, the young woman spoke, "Yes, I have sir. I am hungry, as is my family, yet this is no reason to steal from you."

"I'll tell you what," replied the farmer. "You return with me to the market and I will fill a sack of apples for you and your family."

"What? Why sir? I do not deserve this." Exclaimed the young woman.

"You deserve an opportunity to learn an important lesson as much as I do or any other member of our village for that matter. I want to offer you a way through this mess. Please join me at my market stall & help me sell my wares. You will learn the value of making an honest living & with the profits from your efforts, you will be able to feed your family with untainted fruits and pride."

Neither of them ever noticed Lord Markus' presence. As they departed together for the market, Lord Markus fell to his knees in astonishment. He felt the pain of all the violent punishment he had delivered on his mission for peace.

In his tears, he saw a new way. He saw the value of error in the teachings from the farmer and in time was able to lift himself back to his horse with a newfound purpose. He would, from now on, dedicate himself to justice through forgiveness & strength of heart.

*                                                                    *                                                                   *

So in the village, as the young boy fell to his knees before the towering armor of Lord Markus, the crowd was confused to see him not draw his lance, but instead, remove his heavy armor, one piece at a time and toss it to the ground. Last of all, he removed his sword, laid it across his two hands and knelt down on his knees, raising his sword to the sky.

Gazing up to the heavens, tears streamed from his face. As his head fell in shame, he lowered his sword and placed it gently upon the earth. He spoke a prayer for peace, wiped his tears and rose to face the village.

He approached the boy with a stern look upon his face. Terrified, the boy cowered in his presence.

Lord Markus lifted his hand and the boy expected a blow to the side of his head. He winced in the anticipation of his death, but no blow came.

The villagers watched in wonder as Lord Markus reached up and plucked a shining red apple from the tree above and handed it to the boy.

As the boy looked up, he saw the stern look upon the face of Lord Markus turn to a smile. The moment he looked into his eyes, he knew he was forgiven. He reached out and received the apple, now with a smile on his face too.

Lady Gloria knelt before the boy. "Will you join me on my mission to bring peace to the land?" he asked.

Surprised at his request, the boy looked back to his people who stood there with eyes wide and with puzzled looks on their faces.

"Yes," he said with a renewed sense of hope and ambition.

Lord Markus picked up the boy and placed him on his horse. She turned to the villagers and proclaimed, "I leave you on this day with a boy. I will return soon with a young man."

Off they road toward new horizons of authentic warriorship ... bringing peace to the people through forgiveness & mentorship.