Life is not all sorrow, after all, and at one time, we must make peace with our demons because they’re a part of us as well. It’s not what we do. It’s why we do it. Roric had taken lives away, but the villagers looked at him with respect, for he had done it with a purpose. If he hadn’t fought, maybe all of us would have suffered. Instead, he took that pain on himself and did the deeds we were incapable of doing. He still had sleepless nights and hated songs about war, but he didn’t hate himself.

For the first time during this year, we lived. We did our mundane chores, but we laughed. We had quarrels but we made love. He was here, he was with me. He didn’t do things out of duty. He did them because he wanted. Life was back where it was last winter before the ambitions of other men took him away. I never knew what treasure we had in the boredom of our everyday lives.

“I’ll go check on Arron. I haven’t seen him since I came home.” - Roric said one morning.

“Tell him I said hello.” - I said.

Later this afternoon, he returned with Arron and Bohdan - the warrior, the cripple, and the builder. Bohdan hugged me tightly, and Arron greeted me without looking at me. I didn’t say anything to him. Having to live with himself was punishment enough for that monster.

“It appears that our greatest warrior has decided to become a gardener.” - Bohdan said with his thunderous voice.

“Well, I have to start somewhere. I got these seeds from the plains, and I’ve always wanted to make a garden.” - Roric said.

“You want to sow plants?” - I said in bewilderment - “Did they hit you on the head?”

“Oh, come on, humor me. I’ll take care of them myself.” - Roric laughed and passed the other two the tools.

They poured sweat over the garden all afternoon. When the boys were done, I prepared food and invited them in. Arron declined, saying he was tired, but Bohdan had a bite with us before going home to Idania. A man doesn’t become his size by refusing food.

“Since when do you do things like that?” - I asked.

“I realized I haven’t created anything my whole life. Haven’t built a fountain or a bridge. I most probably never will, but I can try to grow a plant!” - he answered and smiled.

This autumn, Roric became a new man.