Fear

A village learns too late the meaning of letting fear get the better of you.

Fear

by omegax45

 

 

                        Fear is the greatest weapon one can wield.  It can unite all against a common enemy, or cause one to turn on the other.

 

 

 

                        In times of long passed, there was a village within a deep forest that talked in hushed whispers about two fallen heroes.  One was a young boy that was a master of dark magic.  The other was a young boy that was an apprentice of light magic.  Both started out with dreams of protecting their home and being a hero.  Both were banished from their home.  What led to that fate as their reward was not because of greed or avarice.  It was fear. 

                        The young boy of dark magic only started practicing magic when he had noticed powerful creatures coming closer to the village.  The villagers were amazed at his abilities, creating fire in his hands and frost around his sword.  He fought against warlocks and mythical beasts with ease, the thrill of victory making him very confidant and arrogant.  So used to being praise and loved that he missed the signs that he had taken things too far.

                        The villagers were becoming afraid of the dark mage hero.  He was becoming more aggressive to both his enemies and the villagers themselves.  He demanded more from the villagers and refused to help them with everyday chores.  He treated them as if they were his servants and he their king.  Rumors began to spread that he would eventually enslave them and attack anyone that defied him.  His family tried to appease the villagers for their son's behavior, but their excuses only went so far before they were not enough. 

                        The dark mage's mother forced him to flee one night when the villagers came to take him away.  The dark mage was beyond terrified that the very people that he fought so hard to protect were going to attack him or worse.  At his mother's pleading, he ran into the forest and never returned.  The villagers had decreed him to be banished for all time and banned the study of dark magic.

                        The young boy of light magic, on the other hand, was a very kind boy that used his abilities to protect the village with powerful barriers and healed injuries the villagers had sustained.  The villagers praised him for his kind heart and courage.  He always helped the villagers with a kind smile, no matter what the problem was or how busy he would be.  The village healer thought the light mage to be a blessing, making things easier for him for everyday tasks.  However, more and more villagers came to the light mage for assistance instead of him.  It began to make him worry that soon, he would no longer be needed.  He left him being afraid and having restless nights.

                        The village healer asked the light mage to collect herbs for him by the mountains, to which the young mage agreed to.  The village healer had hoped that with him gone, he can prove his worth to the villagers once again.  He did not count on was that the light mage would invite the miller's son to go with him, nor that they would be attacked by rabid wolves. 

                        It was a shock to him when the light mage returned several days later in a panic, the miller's son sporting a high fever after being injured by the wolves.  The light mage had healed the injuries, but couldn't understand why the young boy was so sick.  The village healer took the miller's son in to tend to him, trying many medicines to break the fever.  He checked the young boy for any injuries that the light mage had missed, finding a dark streak upon the young boy's stomach.  He took his knife and made a small cut.  Dark pus spilled out of the cut, a thick and putrid stench coming from it.

                        Infection.  The light mage did not clean the injuries before healing them closed, allowing the infection free reign to fester.

                        The news did not bode so well for the light mage, nor for the miller and his family.  The village healer did all he could to help the young boy and combat against the infection, but the young boy succumbed to the fever and passed away.  The miller and his family howled in agony for their loss as the villagers mourned.  The light mage was in distraught and guilt, having never dealt with infections before and felt himself responsible.  The miller attacked the light mage, who let him do so.  No one came to help him, not even his family.  With all of his abilities, why did he not save the young boy?  Was he not as kind as they thought?  Was he only pretending to be kind to let their guard down, knowing what happened to the dark mage?  Fear  and mistrust filled their beings and it led the villagers to banish the light mage, banning the study of light magic.  They did not listen to the village healer and his reasons for the death of the miller's son.  They only believed what they wanted to believed.

                        As time passed, the village returned to a state of calm, the adults talking their children out of being heroes or aiming to be something great.  Just to live a simple life.  That turned to be a grave mistake, as the village was attacked by a warlord's army.  The villagers didn't stand a chance as the army of monsters and mages destroyed the village, killed any that tried to attack them, and captured the survivors.  They were brought to the warlord, who set a few of them free.  The freed villagers gloated on how they spread the rumors of their heroes, fanning the flames of fear that led them to being banished.  That was all for their master, to be rewarded with freedom while the other villagers were to be enslaved.  They also revealed that the dark and light mage had tried to take on the warlord's army on their own, only to be killed in the end.  Despite all that the villagers had done to them, they were willing to fight for them.  To die for them.  The warlord laughed and called the mages fools, for they had died for nothing.

                        The villager spat and cursed their betraying brethren, but what they said was true.  Had they used more common sense and not given in to their fears, they would not be in the position they were in now.  Had they talked to the dark mage about his behavior, had they talked to the light mage and learned of his lack of knowledge on infections and illnesses... Had they, had they...

                        That's all they had now.  You can't apologize to the dead.

 

The End

Author's Note

Thank you all for reading.