What makes you alive?
As the nightmare lingered as the fire continues and charred bodies turned to ash, the two brothers lay in silence as their screams took their voices away. The story of their tragedy took them from settlement to settlement. Some people believed their stories, yet had no courage to say anything. Some did not believe any word that came out of those two brothers. Either way, the two brothers could never feel welcomed in any place at any time after they would tell their story to anyone and everyone that was willing to listen. Having lost friends, companions, wives, children, neighbors, the two marched on. Why were we even born? asks Baldbert. I don’t think there’s any other reason than our parents love, says Austrulf. I can’t help but wonder, continued Baldbert. It won’t do much good. Things happen. Looking for a reason when what happens is pointless. What happened to me, to you, it doesn’t matter to them. It doesn’t affect them. It doesn’t change the way the world is. None of the dragons know your name. None of the history will remember it either. We are doing our best and that’s that, Austrulf finishes his rant..Then what’s the point anymore? asks Baldbert. Whatever you want it to be, Austrulf. As weeks turn to months, all the two brothers can get is some pity or sympathy from people. At this point they can’t make the difference whether it’s one or the other. As they continue to live in tents or caves along the road as they try to dodge the dragons.
On a rainy night they muster the courage to find an inn to sleep at. As they enter they are greeted by a couple of tables of people talking politics, drinking and shouting lewd jokes at each other. One big drunk man with a long beard looks at the two as they are about to go towards the stairs and shouts at them. Oy! I can smell people with a good story from far away, and you two lads look like you’ve been through hell. You certainly smell like it, the man continued. As the two recounted their story the man laughs. I told ya I have a good nose for a story. And that’s a hell of a good one. Let me get you some ales as a reward, insists the loud man. So, where are you two headed? asks another man from the table. Anywhere and everywhere that would listen to our story, says Austrulf. But why? asks the same man again. Let me rephrase what my friend is trying to actually ask here, says the loud man, what do you think doing this will bring ya? asks the loud man. I hope when the dragon comes and burns you and your loved ones alive in front of you, says Baldbert before taking a gulp of the ale, that you remember us telling you our story, Baldbert says before taking another swig of his ale. Do you really think that complaining and telling everyone what happened to you that it will change anything? asks the loud man before laughing. I did not say that. I just told you to remember me and our story before you die, Baldbert says. Appreciate the drink, says Austrulf as the two get up to leave. Cowards, scoffs the loud man. Austrulf turns around and looks at them. We’ve been through countless settlements, villages, towns, we’ve told this story to many. How many of them do you see here today with us rallying to do something about it? None. Yet we continue… says Austrulf before they make their way upstairs to their room. What makes you alive? asks Baldbert. What? asks Austrulf. Nothing. Good night, says Baldbert.
The next morning the two brothers make their way out of town. They are both hit over the head with some wooden bats. Baldbert falls down hits his head on a rock and dies there. Austrulf manages to catch himself as he falls with his vision blurred by the blood dripping on his eyelids. He falls down. He wakes up days later with a headache and bandages around his head. A travelling merchant and his daughter took him on their carriage and nursed him back to health. He tells them his story, he thanks them and leaves on his own after reaching the next village. Not wanting to stop, he continues onward. As the night falls he hears a howling in the woods. With a big wooden stick he walks slowly trying to get to a place where he can camp overnight. As he walks, he feels something tugging at his leg. He turns around a wolf is biting his leg. He hits the wolf over the head so hard the big stick breaks and the wolf runs away. He keeps walking with fear that something might attack him again. He manages to find a small spring of water to clean his wound and drink some water. He gets up and moves along, fearing that animals might come to drink here as well. From exhaustion he decides that the first giant tree he finds he will rest next to it. As he walks through the dark forest he finds a big tree, he leans against it and slides down breathing a sigh of relief. Austrulf falls asleep. For the next three days, Austrulf wanders the forest trying to find his way out of it, as during the night he went off the beaten path. In an encounter with a boar he breaks his left arm as he put it forwards to defend himself. In an encounter with food, he slips and falls, hurting himself again. It takes him four days to get out of the forest. and find a village. Bruised, beaten, bitten, hungry, sleep deprived, dirty, lonely, alone, broke and smelly, he tries to comfort himself. I am alive. I am still alive. I hate this world. I hate these people. But I am alive. I have not been born in the right time, in the right place, around the right people, but I am alive. And that means that I have the opportunity to make the right time, make the right place, create the right people. People that are decent to all people, a place where your burden is as much of a burden as mine is, where the right time to solve whatever problem we have is now… Austrulf tells himself. Fancy seeing you here muttering to yourself, says the loud man with a big smile on his face. Before Austrulf even gets the chance to raise his head, the loud man bashes his head with an axe. You can’t just complain and expect people to change. And you dared call me a coward, when you couldn’t even face reality… says the loud man.