A Brother's Epiphany | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: A Brother's Epiphany | Previous Challenge Entry
By Christy B
08/05/07
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Once upon a time, there were three brothers: Caleb the Wise, Nikolai the Brave, and Kevin the Young. Caleb the Wise had long since left home in his quest to gain wisdom. Nikolai and Kevin yearned for his company and his adventurous stories of knights and fair maidens, but they had their own pursuits to occupy their interests, and eventually stopped dwelling on their beloved older brother.

Occasionally, Nikolai would get annoyed by the silliness of youth he saw in his younger brother. Kevin sang and danced while Nikolai worked in the fields to feed the family; and Kevin ate more than his share of the food while Nikolai slept. Nikolai’s patience grew thin and his anger was not well hidden. Nevertheless, Kevin insisted on provoking him until the two were constantly at each other’s throats. This went on for years, over every matter either of them could invent that might cause an argument.

When Nikolai the Brave became a man, he left home to serve in the king’s guard. In the years since Caleb’s departure from their village, he had become the king’s wisest advisor and was inside the castle when the regiment arrived. Oh, how the brothers rejoiced at the sight of one another! On nights when Nikolai was not standing guard, he could be found in Caleb’s chamber, the two of them laughing and catching up on one another’s lives. They spoke in depth of their beloved younger brother and prayed that he would be safe and gain the wisdom and courage he would need to face the world. Finally, they sent word that they longed to see him again.

The request brought joy to their parents, who had been sorrowfully lamenting the rift between their sons. They scrimped and saved until they had enough gold to send Kevin the Young to see his brothers. His father brought the sturdy mare, Kalara, around from the stables and Kevin was delighted to be taking his favorite horse in the whole world. As he turned to bid farewell to his parents, Gwindalynn burst into tears, seizing her youngest offspring and hugging him tightly.

“Mother, I will be back before you know it.” Kevin told her, gently separating himself from her grasp. He mounted Kalara and gradually disappeared down the shady trail leading away from the village.

Kevin had grown into a brilliant young man. He was handsome and tall and wanted to learn all he could about the world in which he lived. He just didn’t want to learn it from his two know-it-all brothers, so he suffered the anxiety of a prideful conscience all the way to the distant hilltop.

The countryside was breathtakingly beautiful. Kevin couldn’t help noticing the magnificence of nature God had created as he passed fields of grain, mountains covered in bright arrays of wildflowers, and streams trickling under Kalara’s hooves. He thought about all the arguing he had caused in his family and mourned for the lost years of closeness he now realized he missed so much. Anger, he decided, was not worth it. Struggling to be right could never bring him peace.

Kalara’s ears pricked backwards at the sound of his weeping. Kevin the Young’s heart was changing, turning away from wrath. He had never intended to make trouble for his brothers. He had just wanted their attention. His train of thought was broken as he felt the shade of the forest peel away and looked up.

In preparation for his arrival, colorful banners had been hoisted over the parapets of the castle. Kevin grinned, seeing his brothers and all their friends charging down the hill to meet him as he approached. They were all was smiling and whooping, the castle behind them shining like a diamond in the sun. Kevin soaked up the grandeur of it all and let out a deep sigh of relief that they were not still angry with him for abusing their love in the past.

That night, the three brothers and their friends had a splendid dinner together, reminiscing and discussing all their hopes and dreams. At the end of the evening, Kevin stood unceremoniously and began removing the trays and plates from the grand table. The castle’s servants were not disturbed to carry out chores, but were left to sleep. Kevin the Bright had finally realized what it meant to be part of a family.

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