Chapter 6

"My grandfather told me once that mighty as they are, the great kingdoms around us will eventually fall," the man next to me said as he raised his glass to his lips.

I simply nodded as I drank the searing liqour from my own glass.

"He said he saw it once," the man continued, "he got drafted into some war way back before my father was born. Fighting for the lord of his land, while the lord fought for some other greater lord. They marched across half teh country to meet at this one great big battlefield in the end."

"I guess way back when my grandpa was my age there was this king that was a great and cruel man. He took to much from the peasants and had a great number of nobles put to death. Grandpa said that he must have been mad to do all that. I figure Grandpa was probably right but I won't ever know cause I wasn't alive back than. Well the battle started going and as wars happen it was a big one. People died and by the hundreds so my Grandpa said. He was fighting alongide some guy said his name was Jarek or something. Anyways when the battle was over the leader of the army that my Grandpa fought in killed the king. I suppose tha's what Grandpa meant when he said that eventually the kingdom will fall."

We both sat silent drinking our fiery drinks, when he turned to me, "you got any war stories?"

"I have a few," I commented.

"I ain't been in a war yet," he commented wistfully, "sometimes I wish I could be just so I could tell my kids story when they're old enough. Well if I have kids I guess."

"You don't want that," I replied calmly.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"War is an ugly thing. It's a twisted, angry ball of hate that washes over everythign that's good and pure in the world and leaves behind it a swath of ash and pain and sorrow. I've seen enough war to know, so you listen to me you be glad there isn't one for you to get caught up in because chances are you won't live to have any kids."

"My Grandpa survived," he responded haughtily, "I bet I would too."

"Your Grandpa was in a company of good strong men, and he had some good friends to watch over him. Even so I bet more than half of his comrades didn't make it past that battle."

"I suppose not," he replied, "you sure do know alot how many wars you been in?"

"Enough."

"That's not much of an answer."

"No but it is an answer," I said as I stood up and patted him on his shoulder, "I've seen enough pain, you don't want to know the type of life your Grandfather lived during the war. nothing good would come out of it."

"Yeah I suppose," he said into his cup. Suddenly he turned his head, "hey I didn't catch your name."

"My name?" I asked.

"Yeah! What's your name?"

"Jarek," was my response as I turned away and walked out of the bar.

Five years later war did come to that country, another bigger country decided to expand it's borders, he was pulled into the battles. We meet once more, while marching to war, I never saw him again but every few years I stop by that town to give at first his widow, than his grandchildren, than his great grandchildren, a flower and some money. They never ask my name or why I would do this. One of his daughters asked me why one day and my response was, the same thing I said when I stopped by to give that young man I ended up sharing a drink with, a flower and a bag of coins, "I knew a good man once, you remind me of him."