A Different World
2nd Chapter: There is no such Thing as Holy War
The next morning after everybody had eaten breakfast, the four and Mathew gathered in the boy's room. Lucy and Peter sat on Peter's bed, while Susan and Edmund were on Edmund's bed. Mathew relaxed on Peter's comfortable armchair that the oldest Pevensie usually sat in to read.
"As you all now know, I lived for some time in a world called Arosa. But before I tell you how I got there, what I did there, and how I came back, could you tell me what year it is?"
"1942," Susan answered promptly.
Mathew was stunned.
"The last time I was in this world was a hot night in July of 1191!"
He was even more confused to see no signs of surprise. Susan was the only one with a hint of disbelieve in her eyes.
Edmund explained: "In our experience with Narnia, we found that time runs differently between worlds. We were gone from Narnia for a year of our time, but when we returned the next time more than 1300 years had passed. Arosa must be the opposite; you lived there a couple years, but here 751 years passed."
"Let him tell his story," Peter, Susan and Lucy exclaimed together.
And so Mathew began.
In 1190 King Richard the Lionhearted made a Crusade together with King Philip of France. I followed his call, for I was outraged in 1187 at Jerusalem's fall.
One thing haunted me, however. My mother's last words. When I departed, my father was proud and happy (probable because this took care of the problem of two heirs), but my mother was dismayed. Her last words to me were:
"There is no such thing as Holy War. Christianity should spread through peace. Islam has spread through war. Remember, all apostles save Johannes (John) died as martyrs without resistance."
These words followed me the whole way to Akko. Then, on a hot July night in 1191, just days after we had seized the city, I lay awake in my tent. I remembered a time when I was 17 that I had killed a man to protect Father's castle. I had felt bad for it, but I had known it was my duty. This time it was different. I felt ten times worse for what I had done, and I knew that I had had no reason to kill the dozens I had slaughtered, save that my King ordered me to do so. Mother's words continued to resurface in my mind.
At last, I belted my sword to my side and left the tent. I wandered through the camp under the shining silver moon. I was thinking of the coming day and my mother's words when I reached the gates of Akko. The King had made the gates the city of limits, so I turned around and followed the moat. Then I saw the tent that served as a chapel. I went inside to pray. I prayed for understanding of what was happening and for forgiveness of the deaths I had caused.
When I left the chapel-tent it was dark. At first I thought a cloud had covered the moon, but when I searched for him I found none. I thought that more than odd. Now I examined my surroundings more closely. All I could make out was that I was in a field. I knew I couldn't discover more until the next morning, so I sat down. Despite the strangeness of my surroundings, I dropped eventually off to sleep.
