1 The Guardian
"What the hell did the gods ever do for me?" Paladin yelled. "It's not exactly a perfect life I'm living!"
He stormed off back to the village and threw himself into his hut. He sat down heavily on his bed and brushed his dreadlocks away from his face.
He stared sullenly at the white crescent moon shape on his chest, just below his neck. He felt like tearing off the skin of his chest. Although he knew it would do no good, the mark would simply grow back with the new skin. He was the guardian, there was nothing he could do about it, the gods had chosen him, it was his destiny.
No-one said he had to like it.
"Paladin?" A female echidna poked her head into the door of Paladin's hut.
"Ardor?"
"Yes, I saw you storm off in here, what's the matter?" Ardor entered the hut, she was of a more peachy colour, as was common in female echidnas. As opposed to Paladin's light purple.
Needless to say, there was no white crescent moon on her chest, Paladin caught himself thinking this and scolded himself for looking at Ardor's chest in the first place.
"It's this whole guardian business. What else?"
Ardor looked sympathetic. "I understand."
She sat down on the bed next to him.
"They can't possibly expect you to give up the rest of your life to look after some emeralds." She smiled up at him.
"I agree with you. It's not fair."
"They're not just some emeralds, Ardor, they're the Chaos Emeralds."
Ardor was taken aback slightly by this response, Paladin had been chosen to guard the Chaos Emeralds. He hadn't liked the idea, in fact he had rebelled against the idea forcefully. Now he was correcting her on their properties? There was something wrong here.
"Paladin? Do you want to guard the emeralds?"
Paladin glanced up, realising his mistake, he didn't want to give his life up, who would? He did not, however want to fail the expectations of all those in the village. His family, his friends and his leaders.
And being the kind of echidna he was, he put the interests of other people before his own.
"Yes." He lied. "Yes, I do."
"Then guard them." She stood up and disappeared in a haze of purple mist.
"I really hate it when she does that."
"What the hell did the gods ever do for me?" Paladin yelled. "It's not exactly a perfect life I'm living!"
He stormed off back to the village and threw himself into his hut. He sat down heavily on his bed and brushed his dreadlocks away from his face.
He stared sullenly at the white crescent moon shape on his chest, just below his neck. He felt like tearing off the skin of his chest. Although he knew it would do no good, the mark would simply grow back with the new skin. He was the guardian, there was nothing he could do about it, the gods had chosen him, it was his destiny.
No-one said he had to like it.
"Paladin?" A female echidna poked her head into the door of Paladin's hut.
"Ardor?"
"Yes, I saw you storm off in here, what's the matter?" Ardor entered the hut, she was of a more peachy colour, as was common in female echidnas. As opposed to Paladin's light purple.
Needless to say, there was no white crescent moon on her chest, Paladin caught himself thinking this and scolded himself for looking at Ardor's chest in the first place.
"It's this whole guardian business. What else?"
Ardor looked sympathetic. "I understand."
She sat down on the bed next to him.
"They can't possibly expect you to give up the rest of your life to look after some emeralds." She smiled up at him.
"I agree with you. It's not fair."
"They're not just some emeralds, Ardor, they're the Chaos Emeralds."
Ardor was taken aback slightly by this response, Paladin had been chosen to guard the Chaos Emeralds. He hadn't liked the idea, in fact he had rebelled against the idea forcefully. Now he was correcting her on their properties? There was something wrong here.
"Paladin? Do you want to guard the emeralds?"
Paladin glanced up, realising his mistake, he didn't want to give his life up, who would? He did not, however want to fail the expectations of all those in the village. His family, his friends and his leaders.
And being the kind of echidna he was, he put the interests of other people before his own.
"Yes." He lied. "Yes, I do."
"Then guard them." She stood up and disappeared in a haze of purple mist.
"I really hate it when she does that."