Metaphysics: Love and War

Original Story by Frederick "Abbr-hawky" Abrique. The plot and philosophical content are entirely his. I was only the minstrel.

  This story happened in the Kingdom of Lordenon. There was a young man that goes by the name of Hans Bergson. He was the third and youngest son among five children of the wealthiest merchant in the kingdom. His family had a residence in the market district. However, for he was the one overseeing the family farm outside the city walls, he lives along with some peasants. In times, he was with his family when he’s delivering harvests and livestock from their farm.

                

One day, when he was out in the Deragai woods searching for firewood, a thought came to his mind. “Gathering firewood for keeping the cottage warm, why have I been doing these things?” he asked himself. “What made these things to be like this? Who made me as me?  There must be a purpose, there had to be, for this existence of mine.” He continued, “There might be a greater purpose for this life than plowing the soil, eating, looking for firewood and delivering harvests.” Then he realized, “I must talk to Him, whom people call the Teacher, he can help me with this.” Thus he resolved to see the Teacher in Heim-Eich Academy. But then, his ears caught a rhythm, a mellifluous song fleeting in the air, as he shouldered the gathered twigs. Hans followed the voice. “It’s from the stream, who might be singing such beauteous song? Do nymphs really exist?” He thought as he searched for the source. Nearing the stream of Bane-hut, he caught a figure of a woman, slender and fair, sitting in a jutting rock singing while her feet splashed the clear waters. Awed by such beauty, Hans showed himself hoping to meet and talk to her. But the fair being, startled by his presence, stood and ran away. Hans quickly followed the woman, “Wait! Please halt! I just wanted to…” before he can even finish his words the woman vanished from his sight. With his failure to know the name of the woman, Hans just decided to return home. ---

              

  “Where have you been, Isabelle?” asked Jauffre, the Captain of the local militia of the town of Vena. 

                 “Apa, I just visited my friends, Fil and Sofia, in the mayor’s courtyard.” She replied.

 “Isabelle, don’t you lie. I know you. Nothing can be at two places at the same time. The guard of the West Gate reported that you went outside town.” Her father chided her, “How many times have I told you not to go to the Deragai forest unaccompanied?! The woods are fraught with danger.”  

                “I am sorry, Apa”. ---

                In the castle grounds, Hans and the Teacher were having a conversation. “It strikes me like it does to thee, thy questions are; these are the queries I often asked myself when I was but a wee lad, that I did.

                “By knowing things, a lot of things, answers are found. And about beings, what does thee, young one, knoweth?” the Teacher asked.

                “Beings are things that exist, Teacher.” Hans replied.

                “Right is thy answer, it is. Being encompasses reality, reality is being and being is reality,” The Teacher remarked amusedly, “What composes beings then, young one?”    

                “I do not know.” Hans said, “I came here that you may enlighten me.”

                “Nay young one, answers must be sought only by thee and be found by thee when thy seed of understanding is in bloom. “

                “But, I need answers now for I’m bewildered.”

                “Bewildered young one, return to me if thou are ready to understand what composes a being.” The Teacher finally said. Hans complained no more, he agreed to the condition of the Teacher. ---

                “Oh, by the Divines, where did I put it?” Isabelle whispered to herself as she searched every nook of her room. “Ada, have you seen my necklace, the one given by Apa?”

                “Nay my dear. Why?” Her mother answered.

                “Nothing, Ada.” Isabelle replied. She tried to remember where she had lost it. “Oh! Perhaps I had lost it in near the stream of Bane-hut when I ran away from that stranger, now I remember.” She thought. “Ada, I will just visit my friends.” While saying this she quickly trod towards the door then sneakily went to Deragai forest through the West Gate of the town.

                

Looking for her necklace near the stream, she found it in the base of a willow tree. “There you are, perhaps it got caught in one of the branches when I ran and it broke free from my neck.” Isabelle thought. Suddenly the bushes quivered and a fiendish creature emerged. A monstrous bear with blood lust in its eyes, a sign of being tainted by the plague, bared its fangs and roared. It had found a prey. Fear gripped Isabelle’s body and she stumbled to the ground. And as the bear leaped for its kill, a man of not stocky built suddenly came between her and the beast. Unsheathing his dagger in a nick of time, he drove that into the beast’s throat and pulled it sideways, severing its massive head. The lumbering beast fell and the ground shook. Still trashing and blood spraying from its throat, the man delivered the coup de grace to end the beast’s pain. The scene was too much for Isabelle that she fainted. ---

                “She’s so fair.” Hans whispered to himself. “I must prepare some food for her.” But before he walked out of the room, the girl asked, “Where am I?”

                “Ah! You’re awake.” Hans replied

                “Who are you?”She immediately asked.

                “I am Hans Bergson, the one that saved you from the corrupted bear.” Hans replied.

                “Well, thank you, Hans.” She warily said. “Oh my, how long have I passed out?”

                “About five hours I believe for its now dusk.”

                “Oh no, I must be home now.” she stood clumsily and fell back again while speaking.

                “Wait, wait… You are not well enough. Forgive me of my impertinence but I will not let you go in such a state.”

                “My family will look for me. They might be sore worried by now.” Isabelle said.

                “But first, your necklace,” Hans took the necklace from the table and handed it to her. “Um, may I ask if you are a married woman? I might be falsely accused by bringing you here in my family’s cottage and worse be imprisoned.” his voice was dry.

“Thank you very much. Oh I’m such a klutz. And to your question, I am not yet wed.”

"Oh, glad to hear that. I mean, um, why not yet, I say has no man in your place been smitten by your fair. .” He stopped when she was staring at him with one brow raised and felt embarrassed.

“Fair what?”

"Oh, nothing. Just nothing, really.” He fumbled in his words.

“Pray tell me. Or I’ll be mad at you.”

“I was just saying that, em, you are so fair and that I find it surprising you are still unwed.” He spoke without breathing.

His words surprised her and she blushed. “Oh. You think I’m fair?”

He could not find the right words to answer her. “I believe you were hurrying home.” he thus diverted the course of their conversation.

As if waking from a trance he had impressed on her, she said, “Aye! You are right. I must get home before Apa employs a search party for me. And he always keep on saying ‘I know you; Nothing can be at two different places at the same time’, he would scold me even harsher if he knew that I went outside town, and was almost mauled by a crazed bear and rescued by a fine. .um. . uh. .Oh we should part now.” She looked away from him as her cheeks were flushing.

“Okay, but I will accompany you back to your place, lest any beast try to harm you. And before that, may I, um, know your name?” Hans asked.

“Oh silly me, I have not introduced myself yet. I am Isabelle Florentine, the daughter of Vena’s Head Guard, Jauffre”.

“I believe you are the one that I saw last day, the one that sung beautifully near the stream of Bane-hut and ran with great agility.” Hans said goodheartedly letting out a soft chuckle. “You’re too fast for a woman.” 

“So, you are that stalking figure in the shadows!” She replied. “I was there because that was my favorite place since I was a child, my friends and I used to play there.”

“Please do drop that ‘stalking’ word. I just heard your voice and I followed the source of that beauteous song.”

“I’m not that good in singing.”

“Oh you are. Really, believe me. And forgive me if I startled you.”

“I ran away because my father always warns me not to talk to strangers.”

“Hmm, if I had a daughter I’ll warn her the same way. Why don’t you take a meal and first and after that I will accompany you back to your town.” Hans offered.

“Thank you, Hans Bergson, my savior.”

“My pleasure to serve you, Isabelle Florentine.”

And the two converse while they ate their meal, a dish of steaming haggis cooked by Hans. Both of them were trying to know each other in that short moment of calmness. And their friendship began to deepen. After they finished their meal, Hans saddled his mare, Roan, in the stable to accompany Isabelle return to Vena. While on the way their conversation continued as the twin moon, Esantio and Dumino, shone brightly together.

Reaching the main gate of Vena, “I can find my way home here.” She said then Hans get off first to help her get down from the saddle.

“Will I see you again?” Hans asked.

“You can visit me any time. Just ask the folks here, apa’s quite the citizen that everyone reveres him more than the town’s lord. But his temper is quicker than his wits and I need to soften him before I introduce you first.” Isabelle replied.

“Farewell then, Isabelle. I hope you will not be in so much trouble.” Hans said then climbed up the saddle.

“Fare-thee-well, Hans Bergson. I am indeed in trouble of my own device and I am sorry for dragging you into it.” She replied.

Hans smiled. “I don’t mind, just glad to meet you.” Then with a smile on his lips, he steered the horse back to the forest. She smiled back and waved her hand to the young man and his mare as their figures were engulfed by the shadows of the woods.

On the way back home, Hans can’t get off the thoughts about Isabelle, and then realized a thing. “Isabelle was right; no one can be at different places at the same time. Perhaps it’s the first principle of beings that is they can’t contradict themselves. A being can’t be two different things at the same time and the same respect, just like a man can’t be a brute or a plant at the same time. But still, I did not answer the question of The Teacher.”---

The next day, Hans visited the Teacher in the Heim-Eich Academy. Sadly, the Teacher was not there. An apprentice he asked said that the Teacher attended a meeting with the Elder Council and the sovereign ruler of Lordenon, Niitram’r-fior XXIV, to hear and give recommendations about some issues regarding the welfare of the Kingdom. Hans decided to just visit his parents in the Market district. He told them about Isabelle, and they advised him to bring a present when he visits her. They then gave him a figure of the Goddess Cassiopeia as a present to her. As Hans left the shop, he met the Friar leading a stubby donkey.

“The Teacher, the Maestro, has told me about your cuestión, hijo.” The Friar said to him.

“He left me with a question that I can’t answer.” Hans said.

“A being, is composed of…”but before the Friar can continue.

“Composed of things that which make a thing what it is and that make it differ and the same from other.” Hans intercepted.

“Magnifico,” the friar clapped giddily loosening the reins of his humble mount, “In short it is its nature, its essence. And such answer, where have you found it, hijo?”

  “I realized it just yesterday.”

The Friar then continues. “Excellente! A being, hijo, is not only composed of its nature but also with its act of being that perfects him. Everything is perfecto in different degree. Por ejemplo, a man is not a plant for he has his own nature, nature as a man so as the plants and animals too. In order for a being to exist, his nature primero must be perfecto, therefore, hijo, perfection acts first before anything. This act is called theesse.”

“Well, I still can’t understand the connection of this study of being to the search for the purpose of my life.” Hans said.

“Paciencia, hijo. Soon you will know, just continue discovering and asking. ‘No tengo que llegar tarde vuelta monasterio, eso  espero visita.’ Well, I must return to the Monasterio, I have a visita. Until next time, adiosand may the Divines clear your path.”

“Thank you.” Hans said gleefully.

“Si, hijo” The Friar replied and the donkey brayed in unison as if agreeing to its master then both walked away. ---

Riding his steed, Cabalus, Hans was on his way to Vena when he saw piles of black smoke darkening the sky in the east. “The town of Vena! Isabelle! Make haste, Cabalus!” he interjected. He immediately galloped and sped his way to the town. What a sight he had witnessed. The town was in shambles, houses were being burned to the ground and people were hysterically running to save themselves. Corpses littered the streets. There were human-like creatures pillaging the town. They wore leather armors and wielded weapons of war, but their faces resemble that of a beast. Hans was shocked. He recognized them, the mindless orcs rarely seen in the woods of the kingdom. There were a handful of human cavalry leading the surviving militia fight against the orcs, but they were outnumbered, five to one. Against such formidable foes, they were more of being slaughtered. Hans unsheathed his dagger and galloped in the streets looking for Isabelle. Even in such hand to hand fighting he managed to ask a town guard the location of the house of their captain, Jauffre. He galloped towards the direction given to him, hacking oppositions in his way. When he arrived at Isabelle’s house, he saw her crying with her mother beside her dying father. Two arrows pierced his chest. “Apa, please don’t close your eyes!”

 “Isabelle!” Hans shouted.

“Hans! What are you doing here?”

“Trying to save you!”

“So, you are Hans, uhuu (coughs), Isabelle told me about you.” Jauffre weakly said. “Please… save… save my Isabelle… once more. Isabelle! Go with him.” Jauffre told his wife to go with them. Hans got off the saddle.

“I will protect her and her mother sir.” He said as he clasped the hand of the dying man.

“I put my trust in you.” With that, Jauffre breathed his last.

“Apa! Apa! Apaaaa!” Isabelle was grief stricken and won’t budge from his father’s side.

As she was being pulled by her crying mother and Hans, an orc raider assaulted them. Hans blocked the orc’s attack, parried left and tried to puncture the enemy’s neck just above the collar but his attempt was counter blocked by a shield that pummeled him back. Staggering and losing his grip on his dagger, he was left unarmed. The orc, stunned by his resistance, took a moment to shake its head before striking again. It was a grave mistake. Banging its shield, it bellowed a war cry and as it would deliver another blow, Hans dove and groped for the sword of Jauffre lying nearby the dead body and slashed at the orc’s feet just below the knee. The maimed orc tumbled on the ground and did not let out a cry as Hans, whose already kneeling, reversed his sword and stabbed the back of its neck then twisted the blade. The two women were shivering from terror.

“Now we had to get away from here before more of them show up.” He said with a heavy breath.

They got out of the town with little resistance. Being in a horse and cleaving their way through with a long sword gave a lot of advantage. Yet their thoughts were left scarred with the terrible experience, emotions of fear and the sorrow of death.

As they thought they were safe in the copse of woods, an arrow flew by piercing Isabelle’s mother’s back. She fell from the horse. Both Hans and Isabelle were stunned by the suddenness of events. Hans quickly saw Orcish raiders on mounts from the direction of the town of Vena. The three of them were followed. Isabelle’s mother shouted to them to go. “Go on, leave me here. Isabelle, I love you.” As she finished saying, an orc raider smashed her head with a mace. “Forgive me Cabalus, I need to do this.” Hans repeatedly kicked the steed’s side to force it to gallop as fast as it could. Isabelle, cried so loud “Adaaaaaa!” --

Hans and Isabelle arrived at the gate of the Capital City at eventide. The city guards were alarmed by their presence. It cannot be blamed, blood and grime stained their clothes and Hans’ eyes were burning with rage.

“Make way! My companion needs to rest.” His voice was hoarse with exhaustion and anger.

“We cannot abide that, laddie! Where you from and why the smell and grease of blood?” the guard with a blue crest in the shoulder pad asked authoritatively. The other guards around him have already drawn their spears.

“I am Hans, a son of Friedrich the merchant. And this is my family crest.” He showed them his medallion, “I went to the town of Vena this afternoon and found it sacked by orcish raiders. I only managed to rescue this companion of mine.”

“Orcish raiders?! In our kingdom?!” one of the guards worriedly asked.

“He tells the truth. My family, Apa and Ada, all murdered by those loathsome creatures!” Isabelle said then sobbed woefully.

“Tell the king of what news I brought. I need to see my family in the market district that we both may rest.”

“Let them through and send fleet footed Giuseppe to the castle to bear the message of this lad.” Thus spoke the watch captain. ---

At the Bergson residence in the market district, Isabelle fainted to a well furred rug near the fireplace from the terrible experience and fell fast asleep. Hans told the story to his parents. They were ghastly shocked by the sad fate that befell the town of Vena. And after that, Hans went to see the king and did not even manage to bath or change clothes. 

The castle already received reports of the orcish raid on the town of Vena. The Capital city was alerted by the information. There in the castle Hans saw The Teacher.

“What have happened in the town of Vena, I just have heard, war follows next.” Hans gaze at the Teacher was unwavering and filled with hatred.

“A scout party to observe thy enemy positions has already been sent by the King. A meeting with the generals he is now, planning their next move. And is thy friend alright?” The Teacher asked.

“How did you know that?”

“A lot of things I know, young one that I do.”

“She’s in my family’s house in the market district; it’s not easy for her to cope with what happened.”

“In shock she is now. Thou shall not worry.”

“It’s the damned orcs fault that she’s orphaned!” rage was in his words.

“Young one let not anger take rule of thy heart.  Listen first to the story of the Orcs, and what circumstances, cruel and harsh, that made them as they are to-day.”

“I never heard of that story. But I have seen what they’re capable of, brute and savage creatures. And it’s the second time that I saw their kind. They were creatures of the forest. That’s all I know. And I am really wondering how these cursed orcs could organize an attack to a well fortified town like Vena and that they are well armored and armed.”

      “Let this old one tell thee thy story of Orcs and Humans, young one. Many a century ago, Orcs were living together with the humans. As slaves they served for humans considered them like brutes for their appearance. Then a young orc called Gaean-willow asked himself “why am I a slave?” and to his kind he asked it, that he did. An elder orc named Abbr-hawky answered, “We must not be slaves to humans, for they are not superior to us. We just differ from appearance.” That night, all the Orcs in the Kingdom had a meeting, oh they did. They will not work again as slaves that they resolved to do. They will appeal to the king that equal rights may be granted to them. Many a day had passed when Orcs refused to work without pay or without being recognized as another sentient being. Took actions, the King did. He called for the Orcs responsible for the insolence of their kind. Gaean-willow served as the speaker for the Orcs. He said that his kind demands freedom and equality but the King denied their request that he did, and passed laws that any orcs refusing to obey their human masters will be punished and worse be put to death. Most of the orcs were enraged by this law and were at the edge of a precipice of starting an open revolt and that they would. That action precipitated the Royal Guards to put to death several innocent orcs. It started the uprising of the Orcs, and the streets, littered by fallen orcs and men. As the civil unrest heightens, Abbr-hawky, as the leader of the orcs, decided to have an exodus from the Kingdom to prevent more bloodshed. The last information known to us young one, is that they gathered numbers and moved to the East of the Continent. The Hordes they were then called. Those thee have seen in the forests were former prisoners mad as they were drove by enclosure and cruel treatment in the underground dungeons.”

Hans said, “So that’s it, they were fighting then for equality.”

The Teacher replies “Young one, the orcs realized that the only differences of a human to an Orc are the appearance and level of reasoning that are both accidents of their substance, that they did. Considered as brutes they must not be for their substance are different from an animal. It is far from a brute their nature is, that they are possible to revolt against their human masters. Being an orc is their substance and not as an animal.”

“What are these accident and substance?” Hans asked.

As a reply the Teacher said “Substance is that reality to whose essences or nature it is proper to be by itself and not in another. Therefore, young one, substances continuous existence depends on itself, that it does. But, an accident has the essence that is dependent to the substance. Accidents existence depends on the substance that it is.

                “Eight classifications of accidents there are. The first two are intrinsic to the being. These are Quantity and Quality, both can affect the being for the inside that they do. Next is the Relation, for example your relation to me is not a part of your essence but rises from the interaction of your essence to my essence. The last kinds of accidents are extrinsic for the being these are accidents from place, time, action, position, passion.”

“They may have fought for freedom and equality back then, but now it seems more like a wrathful revenge. The town of Vena is the first but not the last of human settlement that they will raze to the ground. But I will stand in their way and make them pay.” Hans said as he looked angrily towards east while the Teacher sighed for Hans’ descent to hatred and chaos. ---

“Feeling well?” Hans asked Isabelle.

“My family,” the only phrase Isabelle said while staring outside the window.

 “I am really sorry. Please take a rest. And if you want something just tell us.” Hans calmly said and closed the door. He sat down on a bench outside the house and thoughts struck him again. “Isabelle can’t be forever like that. I must do something. I will go to the Friar to get some advice, he have knowledge with these things.”

Hans arrives at the monastery. “Sir, I seek help.”

“How can I help you, hijo?” the Friar asked.

“Can you please help me about my friend?” Hans replied. And he told the Friar the story about Isabelle while having a tea.

“Sustimo,” the Friar finally spoke, “Hija is in the state of Potentiality. When she copes with realidad it will be the time that she is actualized. Actual in the sense that perfection is added to her substancia. What state of being you see today in Isabella is an actuality of her past or state of being or potentiality. Just like thatproceso, it will happen to her just let her cope with. Give her something to do.” The Friar said.

“It seems just like a child is a potential to be a man and man is the actuality of a child.” Hans formulated.

“Si”, the Friar amusedly agreed and while he held his cup of tea he said, “This tiaa was a leaf before it became like this. The tiaa was actualized and became like this. Do you know what makes up the things essences or nature? It is the matter and form. A matter is what that receives the form. Form is the one thatperfecto the matter to become essence of a being. Primero there was a matter, a prime matter to be specific and then a form, the substantial form of a leaf combinar with the matter to crear essence. The prime matter is a pure potencia while substantial form is the one that actualize the prime matter to become a substance or an essence.”

The conversation ended with Hans giving thanks for the cup of tea and for the advice of the Friar."-------

Days, weeks and months passed, Hans had seen Isabelle improving and coping with the death of her parents. His fondness towards her deepened and his affections to her keeps on growing. Yet, Isabelle cannot return his affections for she is a woman cowering in the shadow by the sorrow lingering in her heart.

And the war between the Horde and Lordenon escalated. In the first five months of the war the King’s Army recovered most of the lost territories. However the tides turned back, The Horde slowly wins every battle making them regain the territories. The time had come that the war had been fought almost at the doorstep of the Capital city. Fear gripped the hearts of men within the outer walls. If that wall collapsed the artisans, workers, residents of the outer districts will be forced to evacuate to the inner walls making the castle the last defensive structure of the kingdom.

Hans already heard the news about The King asking for help at the neighboring kingdom. However, The Horde is already at the last town that separates their army from the Capital city. They will soon rampage the East Entrance.

When Hans pondered the question he asked to himself he remembers the answers and further questions given to him by The Friar and The Teacher. “All those answers are pointing to something, could it be that a being is the unity of all those aspect. Right! Those aspects of matter and form, act and potency, essence and act of being can’t be separated from each other, they are all in a being.  I am a being therefore, they are all in me. I am the unity of the aspects of being, I am united, I am one single being part of a bigger being that is the world and consequently reality.”

“Now that I know who I am, I must search for my purpose in life.” Hans thought.

“According to the Teacher, the intellect can only know what is real. And the intellect tends to know the real and true. Because being is real therefore it is true. Being tends to search for perfection. Perfection is good therefore beings are searching for what is good. Like goodness man is also search for what is pleasing, it is beauty, and therefore perfection is beautiful, beauty is perfection. The act of Being is good and beautiful and in line with truth.

“So I must search for some thing that will perfect or add perfection to me. The only thing that is in my mind is Isabelle; I hope she would know how much I love her.”---

When Hans returned home there was a royal messenger shouting the decree of the king. “Every male born before the year of the Single Moon are hereby called to the nearest barracks and be conscripted to wield arms, ‘die as we shall but with resistance. We may lose our lands but not our honor!’.”

Hans rushed to their house in the market district and asked permission from his parents to join the army. His older brothers were already enlisted. And then he went to see Isabelle and said to her, “I had to leave to protect the ones that I love. Please take care of your self.” Isabelle, with tears in her eyes replied, “Please take care too, I don’t want to lose someone dear to me again.” Then she brought out an item and removed the cloth cover, it was the sword that helped them escape the butchery in Vena, Jauffre’s sword. “Please take this with you. It’s a Florentine heirloom passed down from my ancestors, the Royviviệr. May the Divines protect you Hans, return to me when the war ends.” With a heavy heart, he took the sword from her grasp and walked away saying, “Thank you. But I can’t promise you that.” She sobbed more despairingly. ---

The vast army of The Horde filled the Plains of Halcylia in the east of the Capital city. There were hundreds of thousands of orcs ready for battle. Their trebuchets were seen in the far end of the orcish columns. War mammoths, huge tusked beasts, brought by the orcs slowly trod towards the frontline. The humans were outnumbered, one to five. The King in his Dragon armor of Mithril, aware of his people’s faltering confidence, spoke loudly in front of them, putting in their hearts the valor that will fuel their cause and fight the war valiantly. He said, “What you’ve done in life, will reecho forevermore!”* Hans can clearly hear The King. “You know why you are here? The Divines caused you to be here, your mother gave birth to you, because you will defend the Kingdom of Lordenon. We all know that some of us will not make it or perhaps all of us. But, at least, when we see one another in the Eternal Gardens, we can say that we tried to keep our honor by defending what is dear to us. This battle is for your wives, daughters, sons and mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and must of all for the kingdom!  This is the only chance to save our loved ones, to the people you hold dearly in your heart. This is for your life. We fight or die! We will let The Horde feel the wrath of Lordenon!” the king raised his royal sabre, the Frostreaver, boosting the morale of the crowd. Everyone cried, “For our king, Niitram’r-fior! For Lordenon!” Archers at the top battlements were enlivened by listening to the King. Seeing the approaching tides of orcs, they believed their arrows will strike true. --

As war drums of the Horde filled the air, the land trembled with the marching of the terrible foes.  As one of the trebuchets hauled large rocks onto the human walls, the attack of the Horde begun. Human trebuchets and archers of Lordenon pelted the orcs with flaming stones and arrows. Severing the front orcish ranks. But the waves of orcs were resistless as an ocean tide**. When the orc reached the walls, their ladders were launched towards the battlements; Human archers tried their best to fell as many orcs they can. Bitter hand to hand fighting ensued in the top walls. But the massive orcish catapults razed to the ground a large portion of the wall. It’s the sign of the fall of the outside wall. Orcish warriors spilled inside and many ranks of men were run down by the war mammoths.

The retreating forces of Lordenon manage to execute a counter attack to the pursuing orcs through the aid of a group of elite archers, buying time for the king to safely retreat into the keep. Two thirds of the Lordenon’s army was lost on that battle, the remaining forces retreated to the castle keep where civilians are also taking refuge, Hans was lucky enough to be one of the survivors of the battle in the outer walls. Yet, the luck is over; this is their last stand, once the castle falls, all the humans in there will be slaughtered. Hans found his family and Isabelle in the Royal Hall. But he did not bother to talk to them.

That night, the castle was besieged. The horde’s trebuchets soon threw great number of rocks that minimally damaged some part of the castle walls. So the orcs decided that they must attack the castle on foot and break open the massive doors by a battering ram. The remaining human forces prepared their bows, and drawn their weapons. It only took a moment for the orcs to shatter the doors and their army poured into the courtyard. In the dim glow of the twin moon, Esantio and Dumino, hard fighting soon followed. The group of Hans in the left flank broke ranks and began fighting for their lives and for their loved ones that huddled in fear within the keep behind them.

An orc cleaved a heavy claymore towards Hans but he ducked and slashed the back of his attacker upward then lopped its head off. An arrow wheezed close by, missing his nose by an inch. He held his buckler close to his face and turned to see his archer. A clang sounded, another orchish arrow bounced harmlessly against his shield. As the orcish archer tried to draw another arrow, Hans hurled his sword, the Royviviệr, like a javelin piercing the open mouth of his foe. “Hans! Behind you!” shouted Michal, his brother. Hans unsheathed his short sidearm, and in a sweeping motion pivoting his waist sideway with the sword in hand with arms spread horizontally, slashed the throat and chipped the chin of his foe behind. It staggered back, holding its gashing wound and was struck down by a human soldier. “Thanks for saving my back,” Hans said. “No worry.” Michal grinned but his life was forfeited. A stray arrow struck the soldier in his left temple and the tip exited in his right ear. The suddenness shocked Hans and he tried to get near to his downed brother. But a hulking orc came between them and swung its massive war hammer against Hans. He had no chance to parry thus he held his buckler to block but the blow had him reeling and his left arm was numbed by the impact. He dropped his badly battered shield. Face to face with his hammer wielding foe, Hans let out a shout, “You want a piece of me? Come and get it you mongrel!” Provoked by his words, the orc beat its chest twice then sprinted towards him with its hammer above its head. Then the hammer swept down only to hit empty floor and sending rock fragments flying. Hans with the perfect timing had dodged backwards. With the orc trying the free his hammer from the ground, Hans now saw Michal, dead and sprawled in his own blood. Furious and heavy-hearted, he took a better distance then run towards the vulnerable orc. He used the hammer as a foot stool to boost his jump. Way above the orc, he raised his short sword, held by his two hands, and gave a downward sweeping blow to the orc’s head cleanly splitting its skull into two. Another orc tried to kill him but he delivered a backward kick sending his attacker tumbling onto the floor. Wrenching free his short sword from the dead orc’s head, He hurriedly kneeled beside the fallen orc before it rises again and stabbed its chest once, twice then thrice. Rage clouded his vision. Standing up, another archer with a crossbow five yards before him had just released a bolt that was aimed at him. “wheeze!” the deadly resonance of the flying bolt. It pierced him in the right shoulder just below the joints connecting his right limb to his body. It felt hot and as he fell down, he remembered the day he saw Isabelle in the forest, the moment he saved her life from the bear.

He knew Death will then claim him. He closed his eyes. Hands held him from hitting the floor. Opening his eyes, he saw Isabelle. “What are you doing here?”He bewilderedly asked. The only reply of Isabelle was “Trying to save you!” in the ensuing battle before them, they found time to display the deep affections welling inside them. It’s a kind of miracle that they were unharmed while neither the bodies of both men and orcs fell around them nor the drowning noises of battle bothered them.

Speaking in great pain Hans said to Isabelle, “Isabelle… I just… want to...”

“Shhh...Stop taking” Isabelle said as she pulled of his helm and pillowed his head with it. “I will try to mend you.”

“Please... don’t leave me here. I will tell you some thing.” After he finished speaking he remembered the time when he was a child and the Friar once preached there are for kinds of cause. The first one is the material cause, the thing from which a being is made of. The next one is the formal cause; the act of perfection, the one that causes a being to be. The efficient cause is the agent that made the being. And lastly, the final cause which is the purpose.

“Now I understand…. Everything…..” Hans said coughing blood its taste rancid in his tongue.

“What are you saying?” Isabelle asked as she was pulling free the bolt in Hans shoulder.

“Arrgh!!!” Hans cried in pain. “What are you thinking?” He muttered while looking at her.

“I am trying to pull free the arrow.” She said as she was drawing out the bolt, “Have I told you that Apa taught me how to treat wounds like this.” Now she tore a cloth from her skirt and placed it in his mouth. His answer was, “rmmm hrmmm harruum!”

Then she pulled free the embedded arrow head. “HuuuuuRRRRmmmm!!!”

Hans’ wound bled profusely and Isabelle bandaged it with another piece of torn cloth. Hans tried to speak. “Now… I …. I know … the purpose of my life... It is... to protect you… and to love you… You are my Final Cause. I want to be with you, Isabelle.”

“I love you too, my dear Hans. I knew I love you from the first time I talked with you, it felt my heart was going to burst, up to this day, I know I love you.” Isabelle said earnestly and gave the most beautiful smile Hans had ever seen. They shared a kiss, unaware of the faltering battle around them.

Then the soldiers cheered. “What is happening? The battle is not yet over and we are losing it but they still manage to give joyful cheers. Have they lost their minds?” Hans thought.

“Hey, you two lovebirds. You might see your wedding after all.” Both Isabelle and Hans gave that soldier a confused stare. “The army from the kingdom of Einhorein has arrived. The reinforcement has arrived and there are hundreds of thousands of them. We did it, we survived this holocaust.” The soldier shouted with glee throwing his helm which struck his nearby ally. Then they had a fistfight and everyone around cheered merrily. The nightmare has ended.-----

The Kingdom has been saved. And restoration was immediately ordered by the king. Michal Bergson and all those who perished for the human cause were venerated as martyr defenders, dead were they but their honor they valiantly proved will last for generations.

After a few months, when Hans recovered both in body and mind, he and Isabelle got married. And as any fairytales would end, although this story mentioned no fairies or princesses, or prince charmings or even a cameo of Shrek or Darth Vader or the Vampire Lestat de lioncourt or last but not the least, the FBI Agent Aloysius X. L. Pendergast, or to mention the sweet Jun Ji-hyun, they lived happily ever after.

Author's Note

Note:
1.Some of the name of places in the story came from games (War craft 3 and Rohan Online).
2. The Teacher and The Friar have no names coz’ I can’t think of any name so I called them by occupation. I can say that The Teacher is Aristotle and The Priest is St. Aquinas. They teach parallel metaphysics.
3. The first names of characters are from real persons.
4. Some names and places, quirked and punned at some points, are cameo of real persons in BU-CSSP and places in Albay, Philippines.
The Teacher’s accent and manner of speaking is similar to that of Master Yoda in the Starwars saga. And the Friar sometimes speaks Spanish.
*this line was a pun of what Maximus/Russell Crowe said in the film Gladiator.
**a fragment in this line was taken from the documentary of the American Civil War, entitled the “Scythe of Fire”