The Third Tale - The Tale of the Three Brothers - Day 15

The Tale of The Three Brothers

    Nicholas bit deeply into his ripe fig and wiped the juices off his mouth with his sleeve. He was grateful for the local farmers that had brought it to him, offering it to "Saint" Nicholas. He had hoped that the nickname would wear off eventually, but it had followed him when he moved to Myra to be the overseer of his own church. It probably hadn't helped that he had given away all of his family’s riches. It had just been such a better use of the money, and he had helped so many people. He had asked them, of course, not to tell anybody, but everybody told, and his nicknamed spread.

     He liked being an overseer of this church. People respected him and he was an influence for good in the town. There were still men that tried to do bad things for their own gain, but with him around, they tried to keep it in check. He always had to keep an eye out, but he kept teaching about Love and people were starting to listen. 

    Nicholas reached down for one more fig to finish off his morning meal. Today was going to be a good day, he could feel it. He felt like he was going to be able to do a lot of good today. He was happy, the sun was shining, and the fig was tasty. That is when he heard the shouting. A group of people was running his way, shouting for him. He sprang up to see what was the matter. 

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    The three young officers were concerned. This was supposed to be a straightforward job. The emperor had sent them to take care of some people attacking one of the borders of the empire. They were to take a small group of soldiers and protect the people of the land. It was their first mission, and it was a chance to prove themselves to the emperor. All had been going well until they stopped in this town for a meal and a night's rest. 

    While they slept, some men had stolen some of their uniforms and gone around town starting fights, causing chaos, and even robbing some places. The townspeople were so upset they were trying to break down the doors to get at the soldiers. The three young officers in charge didn't know what to do. Their journey would be over almost before it started. 

    "What are we going to do Nepo?" asked Eupo. They have surrounded the inn and are pounding on the door! '

    "I say we show them what it means to attack imperial soldiers!" shouted Ursus. "Do these fools think they can fight us? We will leave them dead in the streets!" 

    "No Ursus, we are protectors, not killers. We are not here to fight them. There must be a peaceful way." Nepo looked around for a way out of the inn that would be safe for his friends and the rest of the soldiers. Unfortunately, there was only one way in or out and it was blocked by a screaming mob. 

   " I think we are going to have to follow Ursus' way, " said Eupo. "There is no way out of here." 

    "How do we go back to the emperor and tell him we killed citizens?" cried Nepo. "We would be thrown in jail for sure!" 

    "I'd rather be alive in jail then beaten by one of these townspeople. We are soldiers, that's what we do, fight!" Ursus picked up his sword and began swinging it back and forth, getting ready for battle. 

    "Sheath your sword Ursus! We are not killing these townspeople!" 

    "Wait!" said Eupo, "Do you hear that?" 

    "What?" said Ursus, "I don't hear anything." 

    "Precisely," said Nepo, picking up on Eupo's point, "the crowd has gone completely quiet." 

    At that moment there was a knock on the door. Ursus growled and brought his sword to the ready. Eupo crouched into a fighting stance, ready to fight back if he had to. Nepo approached the door. 

    "Who is it?" he said. 

    A calm voice responded, "I am called Nicholas. May I come in?" 

    "You may, but be warned, we are armed!" 

Nicholas walked into the room where the officers were gathered. A sense of strength entered the room with him. It suddenly felt like they were in the room with the person in charge. Nicholas smiled. 

    "My friends, loyal soldiers of our emperor, may I invite you to my house for figs?" 

    Nepo, Eupo and Ursus looked at each other confused. Go? To his house? For Figs? Weren't they about to be attacked by a crowd of angry people? 

    "Um, sure, we can eat." said Nepo. "What about our soldiers?" 

    "I've spoken to the innkeeper. He will make sure they get a good breakfast." Nicholas said. "Come, my house is a little ways from here. I do not like to be away for too long." With that, Nicholas left them and began walking back up the hill away from the docks. 

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Nepo, Eupo and Ursus were puzzled. They walked silently up the hill away from the docks and to the main city. Who was this man they were following? How had he quieted the crowd so quickly? What did he want with them? They weren't sure, but somehow, they trusted him. As they walked along, the angry stares and shouts had turned to happy greetings and smiles. Everyone seemed to love this Nicholas. He wasn't a quiet man by any means. He laughed and greeted everyone loudly. There were hugs and handshakes and a hearty smile for everyone. His eyes twinkled and he had big dimples in his smile that made him always seem merry. He was a strong man with a big bushy black beard. His skin was dark enough that they knew he was from this area. Yet even with his loud laugh and jolly attitude, there was a quiet peace about him. A man of contradictions, no doubt. 

    They walked for quite a while and were very hungry and thirsty when they finally arrived at a small house. 

    "Here we are," Nicholas said, "let's see to your hunger." and ushered them inside. 

    As their eyes adjusted to the room, they saw there was already someone in there. It was a little boy sitting on a stool and rocking back and forth. 

    "Otis child, what is it, what is wrong?"  

    "If you had only been here, oh if you had only been here." stammered the boy. 

    "What happened Otis. Quickly, tell me." 

    "I heard them. They came for Timon and his brothers." 

    "Where did they take them. Quickly now, where are they?" 

    "They took them to the Red Field. It is too late for them." 

    "It may not yet be. Maybe not yet." And with that, Nicholas rushed out of the room. 

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    The three young men were soldiers, trained in the emperor's army, full of energy and at the height of their health, yet they struggled to keep up with the big man. He flew through the streets dashing down alleyways and across empty lots, sometimes even clambering over fences, whatever way would get him most quickly to the place known as "The Red Field". 

    As they approached, they saw a large crowd had gathered around the spot. It was hard to make out exactly what they were shouting. Some seemed to be calling out excitedly to see the death of the captives. Others were shouting for the executioner to stop what he was doing. For his part, the man with the sword seemed to be going about his duties quickly, as if he expected to be stopped at any moment. 

    Nicholas forced his way through the crowd, with the officers close behind him. They weren't sure what they could do. It looked like this stranger had taken them from one angry mob only to drop them in the middle of another. Nepo sighed. He really hadn't wanted to draw his sword today. He nervously looked over where the brothers were kneeling on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs. The executioner was slowly swinging his sword back and forth, getting ready to strike. 

     "Stop!" yelled Nicholas, with all the force of rolling thunder. "Stop what you are doing this instant!" 

    The crowd quickly hushed under the booming voice of the one they called Saint Nicholas. No one dared disobey him. The executioner, however, swiftly raised his sword. He had been given a job and nothing was going to keep him from doing it. 

   " I said Stop!" Nicholas' voice rang out again, but the executioner was having nothing of it. He swung back, over, and down with a vicious blow. 

    Nicholas didn't hesitate. He stepped directly in front of the sword as it swung down, brought his two hands together in a mighty clap, and stopped the sword in mid-air, pressed between the palms of his hands. 

    The executioner yanked his sword back to swing again, but the sword didn't budge from Nicholas' hands. The executioner leaned down to push the sword on through. Nicholas' arms bulged, his feet spread apart, and a trickle of blood ran down his forearms. The sword did not move. 

    Nepo, Eupo and Ursus stood on the sidelines. They had started to pull their swords to defend their newfound friend, but now they just stood there in awe. The crowd was on edge. Everyone was watching the silent battle between the giant executioner and Nicholas. No matter how he pushed, pulled, or twisted, the sword would not budge. 

    The executioner pulled with all his strength, one last time and lost his grip, stumbling backwards. He roared with frustration and began shoving his way through the crowd, leaving as quickly as he could. 

    Nicholas simply stood there, holding the sword in midair, until the executioner was gone. Then he dropped it on the ground, took his knife from his belt, and cut the brothers free. After speaking with them briefly, he began marching up the street. The crowd followed, eager to see what would happen next. The officers hurried along, just as curious. 

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Nicholas made it up to the governor's house and began knocking on the door. To be honest, it was more like pounding on the door. He was obviously angry, and he didn't care who knew about it. The crowd gathered round to see what would happen next. The governor threw open the door with a big smile on his face. 

    "Nicholas, so good to see you! I'm so glad you stopped by! You should have sent a messenger. I would've prepared a reception for you. And look at all these people you brought with you." The smile never left the governor's face, but his eyes looked at the crowd nervously. 

   " Don't you 'Nicholas' me after all you've done today! I won't hear any of your lies. We've always known the things you do, but this time you have gone too far. I've caught you in the act! I came here to tell you that I am sending word to the emperor. He will punish you for the evil you have done. "

    The governor looked nervous," Nicholas, don't be upset with me. I am just a servant of the people. You know I didn't do this. It was the government officials that came to me and forced me to send those men to be executed. I had no choice! "

    Nicholas looked at the governor, his face getting redder and redder. The veins on the side of his forehead popped out and the muscles in his forearms tensed up the way they had bulged when he gripped the sword. His hands became fists and he squeezed them so tight that a few more drops of blood fell to the ground. The crowd stared and the officers held their breath. Then... Nicholas laughed! 

    "Ho, Ho, Ho, Ho, Ho!" he said doubled over and gasping for breath, "Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha! Hee, Hee, Hee, Hee, Hee!" Nicholas was laughing so hard that tears were coming out of his eyes. 

    Everyone stood there, stunned, the governor most of all. 

    "Are you all right Nicholas?" said Nepo. He was a little worried that all the commotion had somehow caused Nicholas to go a little crazy. 

    "Ahh, ho, ho, yes, ha, ha, I'm all right, hee, hee. I'm fine, ho, ho, I'm fine. It's just that, ha, ha, this man expects me to believe that he was forced to do this. He stands before me and this town and makes lies bigger than the fishermen at the docks and thinks we will all believe him. Ho, ho, ho! It's just so funny. How foolish he looks, and he doesn't even know! " With that he started laughing again. There were a few nervous laughs from people in the crowd. The governor, however, was starting to get angry. 

   " Now you see here... "

   " No, YOU see here. " suddenly, Nicholas wasn't laughing," you know good and well it wasn't the government officials that 'forced' you to execute these brothers. No one in this town can 'force' you to do anything. It was money that convinced you. Yes, you love money more than the life of the townspeople. Businessmen came to you because they wanted the land that Timon and his brothers lived on. Timon wouldn't sell his family's land. The businessmen tempted each brother in turn, and each refused. So, they tempted you. They would give you the money if you found a way to get rid of the brothers. Of course, even they in their greedy little hearts never imagined that you would have the brothers killed. You, a representative of the emperor, a royal governor, killing the people that you have been sworn to take care of. This is an evil thing, and no amount of your lying will protect you. The emperor will hear of this."

    When the crowd heard this, they became very angry with the governor. He saw their reaction and fell to his knees. He knew that what he had done was wrong and that the emperor's justice would be swift and final. If Nicholas reported him, he would die. He begged for Nicholas' forgiveness. 

Nicholas thought for a moment. He was trying to teach the townspeople how to live by the Three Rules. How could they be applied here? Finally, Nicholas had an idea.

    "Governor, stand up.  I have learned something and now it is time for you to learn it. When making a decision, we must always consider three things. The first thing is Up. It means to love God with all that you are. In this situation you did not show a love for God. The second is Around. This means to love everyone around you the way you love yourself. You did not show that kind of love to Timon and his brothers. And the final and greatest rule is to Love. You have not shown love. You are not a wise ruler. You do not follow the Three Rules." 

The governor stood weeping softly before Nicholas, with his head down. His life or death was now in this fierce man's hands. Nicholas called over Nepo, Eupo and Ursus and spoke with them quietly for a moment. 

   " Governor, these men are traveling on the emperor's business. When they have finished, they have agreed to stop by here before returning to the capital. At that time, they will hear from me what kind of governor you have been. If they hear that you have not changed, then they will report your evil ways. If, however, you have learned to put the interest of the people before your own, then they will have only good things to report. Do you understand? "

    The governor looked up at Nicholas." I understand, "he said quietly," I will learn to be a worthy governor. Timon and his brothers are set free, they can return to their property. I will speak with the business leaders and explain that paying me is not the way to get things done anymore. "

    Nicholas smiled, "Do not look so sad. You will find that following the rules will make you a happier man. Now," he said looking at the officers, " I think we were going to get some figs!" 

    And with that, they headed to his house for a much-awaited breakfast.