Across The Lake

by Doug Kelly

  Originally, Aton had intended to keep his journey a secret. However, the circumstances that had arisen and the involvement of so many men had revealed his secret. Because of this, his father summoned him into his chamber for counsel.

  Hushed rumors had confirmed Davin’s suspicions of his son’s desire to leave without telling anyone. His father, a wise man, gave him serious and excellent advice against the gossip of his wish to go on a journey and adventure away from his clan. Aton was the only son Davin had with his devoted wife, Treva, and because he was the only son, everyone expected him to inherit the position of clan leader someday. Although Briand was a capable person and considered the son of Davin and brother to Aton, he was not actually Davin’s son; he was really the clan leader’s nephew, only raised as a son. Briand was capable, but more so as a warrior, and given the weak state of his once great clan, Davin thought it to be prudent to shun conquest, assume a neutral political stance amongst the clans and merely survive. Therefore, since Davin had a legitimate male child, his choice for clan leader would have to be the intellectual, although hot tempered, Aton, rather than a man of brute force and conquest like Briand. He wanted Aton to avoid adventure and stay with his family and clan. He could not promise Aton riches and adventure, but he could try to explain, using his life experiences, that there could be happiness and subsistence at home, without wandering away into the unknown.

  That morning, Davin called Aton into his chamber, which at one time had been more like a throne room, and discussed very warmly with Aton the subjects of journey and adventure. It was not only the rumor of Aton’s passion to leave and seek adventure across the lake, but also the additional gossip that Davin had heard. The newest rumor was that Aton desired to prove his manhood in battle. He asked his son what reasons he had for leaving his home and his family, where he would one day lead the clan and have a chance for a peaceful life, in comparison to the hardships of battle or the unknown perils that would accompany leaving the relative safety of his home. He told Aton that only desperate men went abroad for adventures. Desperation makes men seek fame far from the common road. He warned Aton that a blind journey far away would present him with things that were all either too far above him to reach or too far below him to tolerate. Davin expressed that his choice in life was the median, the figurative middle of the road, or life between the ditches. This was where he had found satisfaction and he thought that should be perfectly suitable for Aton, too. With a lifetime of experience, Davin considered this the best state in the world, the most suited to his happiness, not exposed to the miseries and hardships, the labor and sufferings of most people, and not embarrassed with the pride, luxury, and ambition of the ruling family. He fully understood the perils of blind ambition and the debt burden needed to achieve it. He told Aton that he might judge the happiness of that state by one thing: the state of life that most other people envied. Ambitious and greedy warlords, like Olar, had frequently lamented the miserable consequence of their birth and the resulting stress of their existence, which came from maintaining their position while hiding from daggers and poison. Davin admitted to his son that he was satisfied that fate had placed them in the middle of the two extremes, between the low and the great, neither slaves nor warlords. He was content with having neither poverty nor riches, a lesson he should have learned long ago. Although he had made a terrible mistake by allowing himself to get into debt because he had reached too high, exactly what he had just warned Aton against, he hoped it would not be a permanent condition. If it took him the rest of his life to become free of debt to Olar, he would accept that, because then he could pass the unencumbered title of clan leader to his son, and in the meantime, he could still enjoy his privileges in that position.

  He pleaded with Aton to believe him and to realize that the calamities of life were shared among the upper and lower social stratifications, but that the median had the fewest disasters, and he thought that position was secretly envied by everyone. They were actually not subjected to as much strife and discomfort as those who were, by indulgent living, luxury, and an extravagant lifestyle on the one hand, or by hard labor, want of necessities, such as the servant or slave with an insufficient diet and absence of nearly any kind of material possession, on the other hand.

  Life in the highest or lowest class created an existence in the polarizing extremes, which brought anguish upon those who lived there through the natural consequences of their way of living. The median of life was suited for all kinds of virtue and all kinds of enjoyment. Peace and plenty were the companions of a middle fortune. Temperance, moderation, quietness, health, all agreeable diversions, and all desirable pleasures, were the blessings found in the median, away from the ditches on either side of the road of life. That way, people could go silently and smoothly through the world, not embarrassed with either manual or intellectual labor. Not sold into a life of slavery, begging for daily bread to eat, or harassed with bewildering riddles of politics and war, which rob the soul of peace and the body of rest, or enraged with the passion of envy, or the secret burning lust of ambition for great things that were never enough, even after obtaining them.

  He pressed Aton solemnly, and in the most caring manner, not to waste his youth searching for things that did not exist. He told Aton that at home, he had a relatively comfortable life, especially when compared to the hardships of battle, and Davin begged him to stay. To protect Aton, he promised to groom him for his future position as clan leader if he would stay and settle at home. Finally, he told his only son that conquest could be fatal, and used his own deceased brother for an example of someone to whom he had used the same sincere urgings to keep him from going into the clan wars looking for loot and the adventure of battle. Davin admitted that he had not prevailed against his younger brother’s desires, which had prompted him to become a warrior. He reminded Aton that soon after, a nomad had killed his younger brother in battle and he still blamed himself for the loss. Although Davin said that he would pray to the gods for Aton, he also said if he did take that foolish step, the gods would not bless him or his journey away from his family.

  Aton saw the way his father talked about his deceased brother, saw the tears that ran down his father’s face and hid in his gray beard. When he had spoken of the gods not blessing Aton, he had become so full of emotion that he broke off the conversation, and told Aton his heart was so shattered he could say no more.

  The lecture moved Aton, but it was his father’s tears that affected him the most. Before this morning, he had never seen his father, the clan leader and great warrior, weep. At that moment, he decided not to think of going abroad any more, but to settle at home according to his father’s desire. Then, only a few days later that resolution evaporated. He loved his father, but still considered that this life was not what he was destined for, because he had higher aspirations. He chose the judgment of youth over the sensibility of his father’s experience.

  The removal of the tools, his bow and arrows, and his spear attracted more attention, but his father and mother said little and did nothing about it, although they could not help but notice those preparations for departure. His father ignored the activity, as did his mother. They were both very sad that he had not heeded his father’s warnings and sound advice. Respectively, they tended to the gardens and home, pretending to be busy. Aton was ready, and he was only waiting for the annual springtime festival held at their warlord’s estate, to pay a pre-departure visit to Esina Regalyon, the woman he loved.

  —— —— ——

  In the past, his clan’s location had given Davin a certain importance, more than was due to the size of the estate, the number of his servants, or the clan he controlled. During an invasion of the nomads, his stockade had borne the brunt of the war, and its gallant defense had broken the nomads’ advance. So many nomads had died trying to take the compound that the rest were discouraged and only scattered bands continued onward. When the scattered and beaten nomads had reached the village of Oberlin and continued
advancing toward the warlord’s estate, the old warlord, Olar’s father, crushed them with his armed forces, effortlessly. For that service, Davin had received favors of privilege from the ruling family. As it turned out, this proved to be a liability to him. His privileges led him into a society that he could not afford because the expense of pomp and circumstance was too great in comparison to his income. He was rich with crops and cattle, but he had little money. He had spent unwisely, which resulted in his impoverishment, mortgage, and debt.

  Davin had hoped to obtain the command of an army in the wars that broke out from time to time. The plunder of war was highly profitable to the victor. Those around him, all his peers, admitted that he was qualified for such a position. Those who surrounded the ruling family, always jealous of ability and real talent, collaborated to exclude him. Pride prevented him from acquiescing to their conspiracy. He overcompensated by acquiring and displaying extravagance that he could not afford. To keep himself noticed, he tried to flaunt himself before the eyes of all. This did not last, and when his credit ran out, they forced him to return humbly to his estate, which narrowly escaped forfeiture to his creditors. That was when he resolved to stay away from the extremes in life and set course for the figurative middle of the road, or life between the ditches. Davin was not a skilled politician; he was a warrior and clan leader, but lately he mostly commanded a garden. His estate was like a wounded animal hiding near a pack of hungry wolves.

  The old warlord had prevented a humiliating end after such worthy service by paying Davin’s creditors. To the very end of his life, the old warlord received him as a friend, and listened to his counsel. The old warlord’s son, Olar Regalyon, kept hope that some change in the balance of power would give him his opportunity, and it happened when Olar’s father passed away. When Olar succeeded, he was clever enough to know that the presence of capable men gave his power stability. Therefore, like his father, he also consulted with Davin’s wisdom and experience. Davin’s hopes had risen higher than before, but once again, he was disappointed. The new warlord, Olar, himself incapable, learned to dislike and distrust talent, intellect, and ability. The years passed, and Davin’s position never changed. He strained his resources to visit the ruling family as often as possible, hoping that eventually, a twist of fate would await him, but it never happened.

  There had existed between the Regalyon and the Matin families the bond of friendship. In the past, the usual presents passed between the houses at different occasions throughout the year, but that slowly waned as the years went by. Recently, the beauty of Esina Regalyon had attracted Aton. That attention was responsible for bringing the two families back into communication, although differently from in the past. Proud and still extravagant, Olar could not understand his daughter’s feelings of affection for Aton. Olar’s wife, Nessa, had a sympathetic heart for the two star-crossed lovers. It was no secret that Olar did not condone the relationship; in fact, he had publicly disapproved of it and had harsh criticisms for Aton. Davin had heard the rude comments about his son and could only look at Olar with quiet disdain. Therefore, a certain distance developed further between them.

  In social gatherings, people would constantly remind the warlord of the secret affection between his daughter and Aton. He tried to ignore it. He never discussed Aton. If guests incidentally mentioned Aton’s name, he tried to remain silent rather than draw unwanted attention to the relationship that he had never condoned. The truth was that he looked toward a higher social standing for Esina, so he discouraged the visits of his family friend's son. In doing so, it did bother his conscience, because he could remember when he and Davin were allies in battle, and how Davin was the first to lead troops to his family’s assistance in defense of the Regalyon estate. For his daughter, Olar still thought Trahan’s son, Lanzo Brill, would be a better suitor.

  Aton was not blind to Olar’s rejection; he knew that he was not welcome. He recognized the sense of restraint that prevailed when he was present. It hurt his pride, and nothing but his love for Esina allowed him to rise against it. The frustrating part of it was that he did not fault her father for desiring a better alliance for his daughter. A rich man could provide both money and status. Aton, the king of the forest, the owner of an ugly boat, had neither. That was the strongest of the motives that had made him determined to seek the unknown, to build the boat, and to venture on his journey with an eye open for opportunity and any possible wealth that could bring.

  Between Aton and Briand, Esina’s father would even have preferred Briand as a suitor for his daughter. He sympathized with Briand's spirit and admired his feats of strength and dexterity with sword and spear as only a man experienced in combat could do. He always welcomed Briand enthusiastically and gave him attention, obviously more so than to Aton. This was one reason why Briand was determined to accompany his cousin to Olar’s spring festival, thinking that if he was there, he could occupy the warlord’s attention and therefore enable Aton to have more opportunity to speak with Esina.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  At the first light of day, on the morning before the spring festival, Aton and Briand left together, heading through the woods on their way to Olar’s estate, which was the location of the festival, near the village of Oberlin. The two had ridden away from the enclosure early that morning, and after one quick glance back at the closing gate, headed toward the forest. Fresh from the stable, the horses were full of energy. A turn of the road caused the trees on either side to eclipse, hiding the palisade that they lived behind, and suddenly, they were alone in the dense woods.

  Briand rode his beautiful mare to the festival. He wore a wide brimmed hat, a jacket with a high collar and fringe along the seams of the sleeves, and carried his prized sword. The cousins had not always lived harmoniously, but in the time shortly before Aton’s journey, Briand felt that he would truly miss him, and as the day drew nearer, began to cherish the remaining time before Aton’s departure. He secretly wondered if he would ever see Aton again, but he would never admit it.

  Aton rode a smaller horse, useful, but not nearly the steed that his cousin had mounted. He carried his bow, a hunting knife, and a quiver full of sharp arrows fletched with red feathers. Aton liked to use bright feathers to distinguish his arrows, red ones from male cardinals. During competitions, contest officials had found his arrows with red feathers at the center of any target he aimed for, and because of the exotic-colored fletching, all knew to whom the arrows belonged. The warlord’s estate and the village of Oberlin were a full day’s walk to the north, much too far to walk and still be able to enjoy the festival’s levity, so they took their horses in order to save their feet. With the exception of one long journey into the deep woods by Aton several years ago, neither man had traveled farther away from their clan than the village of Oberlin, so they considered it the last outpost of their civilization. Beyond it, there was nothing but forest and the wild open plains, the home of the nomads and hill people.

  —— —— ——

  Several years ago, on one distant expedition from his clan’s stockade, Aton had traveled through an unfamiliar section of the forest. Days after he had unknowingly passed Oberlin and Olar’s estate, he had not even realized how far he had journeyed from home. After passing what felt like an endless repetition of trees, he broke through a thick wall of saplings in the verdure and found an old road splitting the forest in half. The fractured pavement went as far north and south as he could see. The concrete valley beckoned to him, so he took to it and walked an entire day looking for anything to verify what was under his feet. He was stubborn and wanted actual proof that he had found the ancient road of many legends. As he continued his exploration, the old metal signs could not lie to him. Because he was literate and understood the ancient writings, he used that knowledge to verify the road’s name. It was the old American highway, Interstate 55, and he had really found it. Others had referred to it using the same nomenclature, so when he found the old metal road signs, there was no doubt in his mi
nd as to what he was standing on. During his expedition to that place, he could see that the width, thickness, and extent of the ancient American road had vastly inhibited the growth of vegetation, which would make travel, for either warfare or commerce, easily conducted when compared to the crude dirt roads connecting many of the current population centers. The old stories, the fables from around the campfire about the long and ancient road, were actually true. Since that story was true, he could not help but believe in so many other legends he had heard, about the lake and the wealth waiting for an adventure seeker who could navigate across the dangerous water and make it to the opposite shore, alive.

  —— —— ——

  The sun had already dried the morning dew. It was a beautiful, clear, and slowly warming morning, and even Aton, burdened with a perpetually gloomy mood, could not help feeling slightly cheerful because he knew that he would soon see Esina. The thud of the horses' hooves on the dirt road kept time to Aton’s heart, which raced with passion for her.

  As they passed, songbirds flew a little way back from the path and began to sing again on their new perches. The whistling of other birds came from far away, where there was a running stream. The melody of the morning songbirds became fainter and fainter as they advanced farther from their enclosure. For a short distance, the road remained broad, then it passed through the first thickets of bushes and trees with immense masses of tangled undergrowth between thorny bushes twisted and matted together, impervious above, but hollow beneath. Under these, they could hear squirrels, rabbits, and other furry creatures of the forest searching for food and shelter while scratching at the dead leaves that had scattered all over the ground.