Author's Note:
Hello people of fanfiction! As a new personality around this part of the internet I believe a few fair warnings need to be said before anyone reads the first chapter.
Firstly, I am brand new to this; not only have I not written a fanfic before, but creative writing in general is new to me. I was introduced to this story in the bible by a friend, and upon reading it I knew instantly that I HAD to indulge myself further into it. Upon searching the site however, it happens that there are no truly complete works on the subject (Interdits by Nelja being the only one I could find again upon writing this. If you can read french I highly suggest you read her scene. She writes far better than I ever will!) Me being who I am I really wanted to express this story to a more full potential than yet explored in its literary sense, so that's what I'm here to do.
That being said, I will most definitely make mistakes. I have people around me that know a thing or two about fan fictions, so I've attempted to avoid the normal mistakes therewithin. One of particular note is Uncutetomboy, my beta reader. You, dear readers will not directly appreciate what she does - but trust me when I say that her edits are nothing less than frighteningly magnificent. If you like this story, I highly suggest you go to her page and leave her a nice comment or twelve.
Warning two, and possibly the most important one: while this is a bible story, I will be portraying homosexual relationships in a positive light. If this is something you have a moral conflict with, you should probably leave this story now. I understand that this is not a new concept here, but you wouldn't believe the intelligence level of some (although I suppose those who would be offended by it are unlikely to have read this far.)
This story is loosely based on the events of 1 Samuel 16:14 to 2 Samuel 1, using the King James translation of the bible. You do not have to have read this story at all to appreciate my fanfic, but if you want a deeper appreciation for what I believe is certainly a story of true love between two men in the bible, you should read those verses.
A SONG FOR JONATHAN
Chapter 1
A single sunbeam broke over the horizon; as always, the warmth heralded a new day, sent by God to greet the world. As the massive star rose in the sky, the dusty landscape yawned and groaned, as though it were displeased to face another baking. Facing also the new dawn as well as the menial task of baking, were women aged beyond being considered of use, assisting their daughters; creaky hands fetched ground meal and water while their younger family members constructed the dough needed to sustain their growing households. All children who could footed the path to their community water wells - some of which were a great distance from their home. Young boys, too tender for a life in such a place, helped their aged fathers and uncles in whatever trade the family survived with; be it carpentry, trading as a merchant, or another necessary trade. Those unlucky enough to lack skill in these familial trades, toiled in wealthy men's fields; a lucky few managed to own their own land, but their wealth was not so great that they did not have need for themselves to manage the crops, which were struggling to maintain subsistence in the arid and unforgiving sand-tundra that comprised Jerusalem. Living to work was a heavy burden, and all who carried it found a certain bitterness in life; this had been seasoned to edibility only by their faith in their God.
David, a young shepherd aged no more than seventeen years, found a different flavor in his work. He loved his sheep, and they he; like a mother never did he let harm befall them. Quiet and solitude suited him well, though he saw his family in passing each day as they would bring him his daily meals. After his mother passed, it had been his Father, Jesse, who came and spoke a while with him about the happenings of the day before; other times, less rarely than rain however, one of his brothers would visit him in the field. David had three brothers; Eliab was younger than him by two years, and their two older brothers, Shammah and Abinidab. Abinidab, his immediate older brother, had to be the strongest man David had ever seen in his life, not that he had really seen many men. His arms were thick like braid but solid like stones and his chest was grandiose like the rooster, but sturdy like that of a water bison. Eliab, the youngest brother, always aspired to be just like Abinidab, and had of late been accepted into the royal army under the command of his brother. David rarely saw them, as they were always fighting in some battle against Palestine.
Shammah was the eldest of all Jesse's children, and by far the most learned. Shammah was a scholar who worked in the temples of Jerusalem as the main assistant to many of the Pharisees. While he, too, often traveled throughout and beyond Israel, he had always visited his father and brother often. Shammah was closest with David, second only to their father, and David cherished Shammah for his friendship and his kinship. One day, after returning from one of his adventures abroad, Shammah came to the field with a gift for David : a beautiful lyre made of a dark, nearly black wood. Shammah told David he hadn't any idea of how to play it, but was sure David would enjoy something more to do than watching sheep in the field. When the time allowed, David would play his lyre; eventually he plucked out the melodies to every song he had sung as a child. He begun to compose his own melodies and poems to go along with various melodies, though, to David, they never felt complete. The sheep would rarely wander when he played, but never had he performed for his family - he was far too shy and humble for that.
One man in the land who had no claim to humility, however, was Saul; the mighty King of Israel wanted - above all else - to rule a larger and richer kingdom. What else, Saul would say, does a man who has everything have to live for? His subjects viewed him favorably, as they had no clue about the expense for which they toiled to support of his lavish existence. Few had the awareness that Saul, while a good king at face value, behind closed doors was no more than a glorified beggar, always needing and craving more.
Today, Saul had been in an especially rotten mood - not only had his push against the Palestinians, his most persistent foe, failed, but it had been discovered that his court musician had been stealing an extra meal to eat each day for the last month.
"Bring him to me," Saul ordered the informant, who was quick in retrieving the man. The informant drug him into the room upon return, and, in a passing glance, one might think he was true royalty by how pale the musician's complexion was; however upon looking closer it was obvious he had not been living very comfortably. He was thin, far too thin, and his fingers were cracked and calloused from nonstop practice.
"My loyal, trustworthy guard tells me that you have been greedy," Saul enunciated softly, a favored tactic in intimidation, "I cannot believe you were able to stay out of sight with how fat you've gotten." The man continued looking down at the floor, tears and sweat sliding down the tip of his nose onto the cold sandstone as he shook imperceptibly. "You continue to be more trouble then you are truly worth. Your musical 'ability' grows weaker by the day, likely due to your callous lack of attention to your practice." Saul looked up at the guard and requested coolly, "Remove his shoes."
While most people in the land wore sandals, the servants of Saul wore closed shoes if they were troublesome. As the guard removed the weeping man's shoes, any question of why he wore them had been answered : the musician's feet were but stubbed ends to his legs. He had no toes left, as they were all cut off when he disappointed Saul in any way. Saul found this to be a fair punishment for failing to properly do a job, as it allowed for a 'warning' system of sorts; however, and unfortunately for the musician, this man's warnings had run out, as he had literally no feet left to stand on.
Saul stepped closer to the man and hunched over slightly, his imposing frame hovering ominously, "It appears that this time you will need a harsher punishment, now wont you?" Saul practically whispered as he held out his right hand for the guard to place a bronze scimitar in his palm. Clenching the sword in his grip until his knuckles were a pale white, the king spat through his teeth as his eyes glinted cruelly, "I allow you into my court - and this is how you repay my kindness? I pray to God that your disgusting soul does not plague Olam-Ha-Ba."
Saul cursed the man violently as he swung the curved sword down onto his neck as a violent crack filled the hall and a dark pool of blood quickly formed near the King's feet; the sound was not indicative of a clean cut, however. With an angry and violent motion, Saul kicked the man's head off and across the room, leaving behind it a trail of crimson splashing across the floor.
Saul looked up from the bleeding and decapitated corpse, his eyes dark and lifeless. "Clean this up," he demanded to his court guards as he began back toward his throne.