Our fathers
In our lives, few things influence us like our fathers do. From them,
we learn to become the men we are. From them, we either learn to
hate or love, kill or create, encourage or discourage. Fathers either
succeed in showing us what real men are, or fail utterly, creating
within us a void. Some of us try to fill the void with things that matter
little, others with fulfilling things.
Our fathers either provide the love and care that we need to survive,
enabling us to become weak and second class, or they force us to
fight for what we need, making us learn what a fist feels like. Many
young boys learn to do what they hate from their fathers, while
others hate to learn what they see in their fathers. And so it was
like that with them.
**************
"ARRGH!" Bareaus cried out as he swung his sword as hard as he
could at his son. Clang!
The sound of cold steel against steel was unnerving to the child.
Being only ten, he understood little of life. He only understood that
his father was his god. He revered his father, loved him, and most
of all feared him. His father knew right from wrong, the difference
from love and death.
"Likinos, get up!" Bareaus commanded his son.
Likinos jumped to his feet, raising his heavy celtic sword up, parrying
his fathers next hit. Again, and again, his father brought his child down
using the for from his sword. Again and again his son stood up.
Sweating profusely, and exhausted, Bareaus looked at his son. He
looked just like his mother. So beautiful, so full of life. Not like a Celt
should look. There was no barbarism in this boy. Not a drop. He was
gentle and loving like the beautiful woman he married. Still, this child
obeyed his father with such reverence, that Bareaus was touched.
"Good, that is enough for today. Tomorrow is another day."
He sat next to his boy, giving him the goatskin full of water first. He
watched his son drink the water. Whatever his son did, he did gracefully.
It amused Bareaus greatly, being very clumsy himself.
Bareaus thought of his own father. The drunken fool he was. Yes,
he was a chief, but he never payed attention to his youngest son.
He promised to show his son attention. In his heart, he vowed to
teach his son everything he knew, before it was too late.
"My son, the only thing that matters is life. But you must understand,
that life, is nothing without love. Without love, there is no life, and
without life there is no love. The two are like one. One cannot exist
without the other. Remember this lesson." He stopped to drink from
the goatskin himself.
The boy sat silently, exhausted from protecting himself from his fathers
massive blows. He listened to his fathers wisdom.
"Love, is why we are here. Love is why we are alive still. There is much
hate in this world, much death, much revenge, but there is also love.
Love may be little, but it will always triumph against hate. Maybe not
write away, but it will."
Likinos looked up at his father and then out at the setting sun. Bareaus
put his hand on his sons shoulder and also looked out at the setting sun.
**************
"Oh! Give him what he wants! I have much to do, a city can't run itself!"
Avarro yelled at his wife.
His wife, shocked at the response, handed back the falcata to the boy.
Uxentio snatched it from her and looked at his father. He was only ten,
and he looked up to his father. Although he was always busy, he was
always generous in giving Uxentio what he wanted, no matter what the
price.
"Father will you teach me to use it?"
Avarro looked at the boy, annoyed of being taken away from his
work. He spent the half the day avoiding his wife so that he didn't
have to have this conversation. Then he spent the other have avoiding
his son who begged him to get the falcata from his mother.
Avarro, in a mad rage from the days annoyance, took the falcata and
thrust it into his wife's stomach.
A shriek, and then a moan escaped from his wife's beautiful mouth and
then she died.
Avarro, not realizing what he had done, dropped the falcata and left
the room. He was much to busy to think of this. Uxentio, being only a
boy looked at his dead mother. He placed his hand on his mothers
stomach, where the warm sticky blood was flowing from. With his other
hand, he took the falcata. A sense of death came over him. Had he killed
his mother? Why did death excite him so? What would happen now?
He stayed with his dead mother, until the servants came to clean up
the mess. That was the day he learned that life and death are just
a thread away.
*************
"Swear it to me! SWEAR YOUR HATRED FOR THEM!" Hamalcar yelled
at his son.
He held his son over a roaring fire of a sacrificial chamber. He could
feel the intense heat against his skin, and he could only imagine how
bad his son felt.
"I swear to you! I hate them! I hate all of them, they are nothing but swine!"
"What will you do to them!?"
"I will destroy them! None shall escape my wrath!"
He held the boy there for a moment longer, until he was satisfied with
the vow, then he pulled the boy back, and let him catch his breath.
"My son, you must accomplish what you said to me. I know you do
not understand what all this means, but you will one day. One day,
you will understand the importance to do this. They are nothing but
pigs, ready for the slaughter."
The boy was only ten, but one thing was sure in his heart.
Revenge was the reason for life. And he would avenge his mother.
************
I caution you, fathers, to think of the consequences of your actions.
Life, death, and revenge - A Carthaginian AAR -Part 2-
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7x
NOOO! Why didnt anyone ever tell me? I feel foolish now. Sadly though, this is not the reason. Still, here is your balloon, ill give it to you from my own stash. 
Originally Posted by Vasiliyi
Keep it up!
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