The Fool stood on a hillside in the middle of farmland, looking down on a walled city. Next to the Fool, an adolescent girl sat on a stallion, wearing ornate plate armor. She was looking down on the city. Siege machines were being dismantled and removed from the walls of the city. Crows were circling the air above.
I’m either an angel or a demon, the girl said, it all depends on what man sees me.
She held a sword and she lifted it over her head before bringing it to her side. The Fool saw her youth, but he also saw so much pain and experience in her eyes. She was sad: not the kind of sadness a teenager normally feels, but the kind of sadness that comes from the weight of the world.
I am a general, and a great tactician, the girl said, but since I am not the normal general I have to be criticized, broken down into little parts and inspected, analyzed, poked. Both sides try to find where God’s relationship is with me.
A line of soldiers walked in a straight line past them. All of the soldiers were men, and all of them saluted the young girl in the armor and hoisted their swords in greeting. She nodded at them, looking them over with maternal care. They were dirty and worn out, but a few gave the girl compliments on the win.
The crows circled the army, singing their songs. It was a beautiful day, with little fluffy clouds high up in the sky, above the circling crows. The constant kawing of the birds made it feel like this land had never existed without the sound.
I am only doing my ultimate calling, the general went on. Some people never see that strong of a calling. I went when there were so many that doubted me. Doubted me because of where I heard the call and because of who I am. Some people think that, if someone were going to hear the call I heard, it shouldn’t have been me.
She hoisted the Fool up onto her horse and they trotted up the marching line of soldiers, heading north. The crows stayed behind them and the sounds drifted into the background and then the very nature of the silence elated the Fool.
I don’t understand our war, the girl said. If we could unite we could defeat the real enemies. There is heresy elsewhere in the world, and I wish to fight that instead of my brothers and sisters. It makes me believe that people don’t know what they believe.
Anyway, she sighed, you are my pupil now, so let me teach you. First off, stop relying on my words as a lesson. You are too dependent on others to give you your answers. Some say when you read a book and you want to learn something, only look at the black, but I am here to tell you to look at the black and everything else as well.
The Fool could hear what she was saying. Every person he had met in that world, he’d looked to for the undisputed truth, but the truth had been ever out of his grasp. When compounded by the environment, the objects that his eyes are drawn to, and letting his mind wander a little with what each person says, he could see getting more out of each experience than he had been.
This goes for the promises others make, she continued. You have to remain open to the possibility of not getting what people say they are giving you. It is a sad endeavor, but you have to be able to protect yourself.
You don’t owe anyone anything, she said, and you don’t have to do anything anyone tells you to do. I believe that we all should be of service to each other, but sometimes it isn’t wise to sacrifice ourselves in the pursuit of altruism. It can do more harm than good.
The Fool liked the bluntness of this Warrior-Queen. She made sense and said things very matter-of-factly. It was a nice change of pace from some of the obscure and mysterious ways others talked to him; it was also very practical. He liked this girl and stayed for more.
They rode until they came to another walled city. Siege machines were already dispatched to the walls, and smoke rose from the city beyond. Men were getting into formation and awaiting orders.
The girl let the Fool down on the ground from the horse’s back and ruffled his beard. Go, she said, for I now prepare to battle, and to continue my calling. You have a calling elsewhere to find, so I bid you adieu.
She rode down the ranks of soldiers, barking orders. The men prepared their weapons and carried out many of her commands.
The Fool walked away from the battle and the crows that were beginning to swirl around the city. The Fool didn’t like the kaw of crows very much.