Around the Campfire #3- The Tragedy of Meegone

As the camp settles in just inside the gates of Bellum, Lieutenant Rain heads out on horseback to speak with High Command on behalf of the new King and Queen. She is the only person with the clearance to make the journey through the night.

Will takes it upon himself to cook the stew for the Royal delegation. Most of the Meegan security force is camped about them with their own fires and stews boiling.

“Hell of a day!” Aero says as he pats Will on the shoulder.

“Yes, my King it was. The first of many victories ahead.”

“I hope so, for now I just want to relax and enjoy the company of friends.”

“I noticed Matthew isn’t around. Is he okay?”

“I sent him and Ali on a mission, they will meet back up with us on the other side of Bellum.”

“If they let us through…”

“Have faith Will, The Bellumi’s let us through once. I’m sure they will again. The question on my mind is if they will be loyal to us or not.” Aero replies.

“They will, Rain said so.” Roasa says as she walks up.

“I hope she’s right.”

“She knows her people. Trust in that my husband.” Asna says as she sits near the fire.

Aero joins her and soon the rest of the group are gathered around the fire with David and Stephan joining last.

“It will be a while before the stew is ready, anyone have a story?” Will asks.

“Stephan tell the story of Ser Patrick again!” Aero suggests.

David places his hand on Stephan’s shoulder to stop him. “We have heard that one a million times. I demand something else!”

Everyone laughs. The group is at ease inside the security of Bellum.

“Then tell a story brother.” Aero replies.

“No, I want something different. A Durrie or Meegan story perhaps?”

Everyone turns toward Roasa.

“What? Durrie don’t have stories. We move from one place to the next, that’s it. I am sure the Queen has a few Meegan stories to share.”

Everyone looks to Asna.

“I can share a Meegan story. I will tell my favorite one.” She says.

“Is it an adventure?” Aero asks.

“Yes, the best kind of adventure- Love.”

Aero softly groans in disappointment.

“My story is called the Tragedy of Meegone.” Asna says as she begins telling the story. “A few thousand years ago, in the centuries after the Age of Magic Discovery lived a man named Meegone. He was secretly a descendant of the Light Bringers, the magicians of the first age who originally brought magic to the land. He was an immortal but didn’t appear as one of the old beings, he looked like a normal guy. He was a traveler much like the Durrie are today, but one day something caught his eye… a woman.”

As she continues her story, each person listens intently.

“She was a slave, named Ky. She was young and beautiful. Meegone instantly fell in love with her. Ky was the servant of one of the richest men in the land. He used Ky as a sex slave for many years until he decided to pass her on to a friend, where she continued in her duties of a slave to the new master.”

“Damn.” Roasa whispers to herself.

“All the while, Meegone loved her from afar. You see, since he was an immortal being, he didn’t understand the urgency of time. He didn’t see the effects of aging. He loved her in secret for twenty-three years. Until one day, she spoke to her in the market where her master had sent her for some items. To him, she was still as every bit as beautiful as the day he first laid eyes on her. That day, he started speaking to her, and for the many months that followed whenever she came to the market. After months and months of secret conversations, he told her of his love for her. She couldn’t believe it.”

“I wouldn’t either, a guy waits twenty years?” Will asks. Several people hush him.

“So they began an torrid love affair that lasted years until her master found out. He demanded retribution from Meegone. But Meegone didn’t understand the concept of slavery or worldly possessions. He had nothing to pay. So in a rage, the master sold Ky to another man. This man took Ky away for a while. Meegone didn’t know where she was taken. He had someone ask the master where she went but he just laughed. And said she was on her knees somewhere serving her new master.”

This story is not like the legends of the mainland. Most of them are of knights and warriors performing feats of valor and heroism.

Asna continues. “But about a year later, Ky returned to Meegone on her own. She had escaped. It didn’t take the new master long to come looking for Ky. The two lovers had to abandon the lives they tried to make together and live on the road. Meegone ran them to the north-east where the land meets the sea. With their backs against the wall and arrows flying around them, Meegone used his immense power to create a walking bridge across the water. In doing so, he accidently created the Inland Sea cutting it off from main sea. He hurried them across to the other side, but when they made it, he found out that his love Ky was wounded mortally by an arrow in her side.”

Tears form in David’s eyes.

“Meegone sat there holding his love in his lap until she passed. Then, he sat there next to her body clenching her hand in his, day in and day out. All he did was hold her hand. Being immortal, he had no need to eat or drink. He didn’t need to go to the bathroom or anything. So he just sat there, holding his dead lovers hand.”

Tears flow from David’s eyes.

“Centuries roll by unnoticed. In the middle of a barren desert, he sat. Nothing stopped him, not her decomposing body, because eventually he held just her skeleton hand. It was as if he forgot to live after she died. But some say his love was too deep to let go even when she was gone. He sat there for over a thousand years until her bones turned to dust. Once the last vestige of Ky was gone, Meegone realized he had nothing to live for and made a decision in a moment of weakness… He tore out his still beating heart and buried it in the sand where Ky once laid. He killed himself on the spot where he had clung to her for so long.”

Tears flow freely amongst the group.

“His actions formed the region of Meego that stands today. The city was built on the spot of Meegone and Ky’s death. His heart contained so much life magic that the legendary oasis of Meego sprung out from where it was planted. The lover’s deaths were seeds that provided life for millions to follow them. Out of their ashes, my people arose.”

“But why did he kill himself after a thousand years of mourning? He should have healed by then.” Stephan asks.

“Sometimes, love is so strong that we hold onto dead things until it destroys us. Only a select few ever learn to let go before it’s too late.” Asna replies.  “I believe that is the main lesson of the story.”

Most of the group quietly reflect on the story and its lessons while they eat their stew.

Roasa thanks everyone for the fellowship and heads to her tent for bed. Once inside, she collapses to the floor and quietly weeps for her Jose. The story hit too close to home for her tonight.