A Matter of Some Importance
The sun was just coming up over the horizon, promising another long day of fighting for the young soldier. How long had he been fighting? It seemed like forever as the days turned into weeks and eventually years. He was a changed man, he had seen the worst that the Germans could throw at him, yet he managed to survive. Sometimes he wondered how he had gotten through so many firefights without so much as a scratch, other times he just dropped to his knees and thanked God.
He was dreading the days to come. They had received orders to advance into German territory with the ultimate intent to secure the southern border. This would not be an easy chore. He'd been around long enough to know that the war would end soon, but not yet. The fighting that was to come would be the worst. You see, when you trap a wounded animal in a corner it gets real vicious. His enemy was no different.
At times like this, like all soldiers, he thought about his wife. They had only been married for a few days when he left for the war, but he had loved her all of his life. They grew up in the same small English town, went to the same schools, and shared the same friends. The only difference was that she didn't realize her feelings for him until it was almost too late. He had told her how he felt so many times that he lost count, only to be politely let down. It wasn't until he announced that he'd enlisted and would be leaving soon that she finally faced her feelings for him. She told him that she had been a fool not to realize how much she loved him. She was the one that proposed; she couldn't stand to see him leave without being his wife. It was, and remained, the happiest day of his life.
He had risen quickly through the ranks; it's common during a war. When the squad leader gets shot, someone has to take his place. Then the Platoon Sergeant, eventually the First Sergeant and Sergeant Major fell and he was still there to take their place. Now he was the highest ranking enlisted man in the battalion. It was a heavy burden to bear, but rank had its privileges. One of those privileges was his own tent and a virtually endless supply of tea, even if he couldn't find any sugar anywhere. So the young soldier stood outside of his tent, sipped his tea, and waited for the all too familiar sound of gunfire to start the day.
Just as he was starting to get comfortable with the silence he heard a small pop coming from directly behind him. He quickly removed his pistol from his holster and turned. He definitely was not prepared for what was waiting for him.
"Hello sir, I was hoping to find you here. I'm glad you're alone because we have a matter of some importance to discuss." The newcomer said.
The Sergeant Major was completely dumbstruck. Before him stood a man wearing pointed high heeled boots, a bright robe, and a pointed hat. His beard and hair were both long and neatly kept. His hands were in plain view where it could be seen that he held no weapon. If this wasn't enough to puzzle the young soldier, the look of peaceful confidence on the face of the stranger while apparently defenseless was.
"Who are you sir, and how did you get into this perimeter without being stopped by my men?"
"It was easier than you think. I have ways available to me to get through every perimeter on every battlefield without detection. As for your first question, my name is not important. You have nothing to fear from me my friend and should put away your weapon. I assure you its quite useless against me."
He couldn't explain why he lowered his weapon if you asked him, but he had the strongest feeling that it was the right thing to do. A most curious feeling, an overwhelming calm, overtook him. He hadn't felt this relaxed since before the war. This calming effect allowed all his concerns about this odd stranger to disappear. He knew deep down that there was nothing about this situation to fear, everything would be fine.
"I would greatly appreciate it if you would offer me a cup of that tea; I had a very difficult time determining exactly where you would be."
"Normally I would sir, but I'm afraid I don't have any extra cups. Certain luxuries are in short supply here. I haven't even seen a grain of sugar in months." The Sergeant Major added with a sincerely apologetic tone.
"Then this is your lucky day, I happen to have some sugar and a cup right here." As the stranger held out his right hand a very delicate tea cup appeared there, and in the left a large bag of sugar.
The curious look that was on the soldiers face was immediately replaced by one of shock. Had he just seen this man produce these things from thin air?
"How did you do that? I swear you didn't have those just a second ago."
"All in good time my friend, first we must tend to the pleasantries. I believe that you were about to share some tea with me and I was going to thank you by providing you with this bag of sugar." He then removed something that looked remarkably like a twig and, after making a small twisting motion, two very comfortable chairs and a small table appeared from thin air.
"Please, sit." The wizard said as he waved the stick again and the small pot of tea rose up into the air and began to pour itself into his cup. After this was finished the bag of sugar opened and some went into his cup, some went into the Sergeant Major's cup. The way he saw it, he'd better sit down and hear this man out.
"Now that we're comfortable, let's get to the point. You are a much more important man than I think you understand. Not only do you hold the lives of these fine young men in your hands, but you also hold the lives of the whole world. As I'm sure you have noticed I have certain …… abilities. Well it only makes sense that if I have these abilities than others must have them as well. In fact, there are more of us than you think. Have you ever wondered why you have always just barely managed to avoid being wounded?"
This was too much. Was this man suggesting that there were more like him out there?
"As a matter of fact I have. I was just thinking that very thing when you arrived. I have a feeling that you might be able to answer the question better than I could though. Please continue; you have my attention sir."
"Indeed I can. You my friend are a strange case. Every single person that is born has the abilities that you have seen me display. Some people begin to see them right away; others develop them at a later time, while still others never know that they're there. You were on this last road. Sometimes, and it's rare mind you, people such as yourself develop these tendencies as a result of a severe traumatic experience. I believe that you have developed slight magical abilities as a result of your experiences."
At this point the wizard paused, as if he was deciding if he should continue or not. Eventually he continued.
"This spark will be just enough to pass on to your children, and their children. Eventually your family will have the potential to become powerful wizards. This is why I'm here. Our people have determined that what takes place today may have a profound effect on all of us. Today will end with one of two outcomes. In the first you die. You take charge of the battle when your officer is killed and you lead your men to victory only to be shot by a stray bullet, killing you almost instantly." The wizard paused for a moment to let this sink in.
"The other possibility is that you live. You have shown a remarkable ability to do this very thing when it seems that you have no chance. It is this possibility that has us the most intrigued. Sometimes we have a very clear vision of how things will turn out, others we can only get the final outcome."
"Why are you telling me this?" Asked the Sergeant Major rather forcefully. "You obviously don't make yourselves know to the rest of us on a regular basis, or I would have met some of you before. Why now?"
A smile crept over the face of the young wizard. "As I said earlier, you are very important. It has been prophesized that a wizard, a dark wizard, will soon come into power. It is also said that he will be defeated by a boy. Others say that he will rise to ultimate power and rule over all. Obviously not everyone can be right, so there must be a key point in time that would make the difference. I believe that today is that time. If you survive the day, and I think that you must, you will survive the war. Upon returning you will be welcomed by your young wife and naturally a family will come soon after. You will have a granddaughter with great magical abilities who will team up with her husband to defy this dark lord."
"I thought you said that it would be a boy who would save everyone?"
"Right you are, right you are. It will be your great grandson that makes the difference. I'm telling you this because you are about to be given the greatest gift that we can give, the gift of choice." The wizard stood up and turned his back to the soldier. "After this choice is made, you will completely forget that this conversation ever took place. A powerful thought will be implanted into your mind though, and it will help you follow the course you choose. Will you charge into battle, saving the lives of many of your soldiers and dying a hero's death? If this is your wish, then so be it; however, another choice is also possible. A diversion can be created allowing you to leave this battlefield on important business. You will miss the battle entirely. If you chose this course we cannot guarantee the outcome. What we do know is that you will live, and thus your great grandson will inherit this prophesy."
The wizard sat back down and his features took on the look of a man who carried a heavy burden. In truth, he had been dreading this moment for a long time. How could they ask this man to understand the weight they were placing on his shoulders? He was a soldier, his natural instinct was to stay and help his brothers. If this was the path he chose, it would be honored. He was too good a man to have this forced upon him.
"What you are asking me to do," the soldier replied "is abandon my men. Some of these men have been with me since we formed this unit, how can I just leave them?"
"My friend I expected this reaction and if it is your choice I will respect it. I only ask you to consider the bigger picture. This dark wizard won't be content to merely defeat others of his kind. He will not settle for anything less than total victory."
"Why should I believe you? Fifteen minutes ago I had never even seen you before and now you come in here with this crazy story. What proof do you have?"
It was the question that the wizard hoped would not be asked.
"I'm sorry to say that I can offer you no proof. The events that are foretold are only prophesy, prophesies have a strange way of not coming true more often than not. I can say though that I believe. I have a great deal of faith in the old woman who told us of this situation. She is rather famous among our kind, that is to say she is right more often than not. It is strange for a prophesy to be made about events that will happen so far in the future. I can only offer you this reassurance, I believe. That's what it all comes down to, do you have faith? Now, the time has come for a choice to be made. What will you do?"
The soldier turned and walked a short distance deep in thought. "I don't know why, but I believe you. I think that I've always known about this. Every inch of my brain is telling me to walk away and fight with my men, but every inch of my heart tells me that that would be the wrong thing to do."
The wizard felt deep sympathy for this soldier. He too had been a soldier of sorts. He would have gladly laid his life down for his comrades as well.
"The way I see it I don't really have much of a choice do I. If you're right, I have to leave."
"I hoped you would see it that way."
"What's next, how does this work?" The soldier asked.
"We have already arranged for the distraction that will cause you to leave. The rest will be easy, and since you won't remember anyhow, and time is short, I won't go into detail. Only know that you won't remember any of this."
"That's a shame. I would have liked to speak with you again. I have so many questions." The soldiers face was hard for the wizard to read. Was he angry, confused, or just frustrated? After some time he decided it was the latter of the three that he believed to best describe how this man felt.
"I would also enjoy such a meeting. You seem to be a good man. Now, I'm going to point my wand at you, say a few words, and that will be that. Are you ready?"
The soldier replied after a short time "I'm ready. Will this hurt?"
"Not In the slightest my friend, however you will feel a slight tickling sensation. It's actually quite pleasant."
And with that the wizard raised his wand and said a few words in a language the soldier didn't understand. A bright light shot out of the tip of it and surrounded the soldier who immediately went into a sort of trance. The wizard lowered his wand and knowing that the soldier would be dazed for a few more seconds stopped and looked at the man whose family would save them all. Just before he disappeared he said his goodbyes to the man.
"It was a pleasure to meet such a fine man in these troubled times. I will never forget the day that I met Sergeant Major Evans, the great grandfather of the boy who would save us all."
Author's Note: I would like to thank Broken Innocence from betasrus. Awesome beta! If you liked it please leave a quick review and tell me why. If you didn't like it feel free to leave a nasty little review as well telling me why.