The first time I saw...
For the first time in a long time, Joxer looked down at the parchment in his hand and smiled. This was something he could answer without fear. Something that wasn't going to send him back into the pit he'd been fighting so hard to crawl out of. Picking up his quill, he began to write.
'The first time I saw Lord Ares, I was only seven years old. Father was sacrificing an Ox and asking for his blessing upon the army. Father wanted the three of us to be there because we needed to learn what would someday be our duty to perform. For as sons of a War Lord, we were expected to become the same.' Joxer put his quill down and smiled to himself, none of them had even come close to being what their father wanted. Jayce was now a great actor and Jett was one of the most sought after (and hunted) assassins.
'I can remember it like it was yesterday, the smell of the candles. The sound of the axe cutting into the ox's neck, the spray of the blood that covered the priests body and the copper scent that I thought would never go away. I didn't like blood even then, much to my fathers dismay. Maybe it comes from seeing too much of my own?'
'Never mind that, it was after the ox was slaughtered and offered up in sacrifice that Lord Ares appeared to us. I didn't know then how much of a blessing this was back then. There was this flash of red light that over powered my sight and the next thing I knew, there standing in front of everyone was this amazing man.'
Smiling to himself remembering, 'He was tall. Taller than anyone I can ever remember seeing. Dressed in black leather pants and a leather best that was tied in the front. He was almost overwhelming to watch. His face was strong, with the square jaw covered with a goatee. Long hair that reached the nape of his neck and had a slight curl to it. The black color the same as my father's new stallion. But it was his eyes that drew me. They were deep and wise. I saw something in them that I'd never seen before.'
'I can remember Jett's (or was it Jayce's?) hand on my arm, holding me back from stepping closer to the alter. I don't know what I planned on doing but I wanted to go up there. Maybe it was to pledge my love and loyalty? For you see, I fell in love with my God that day and in twenty-four years, that hasn't changed. I will always and forever be devoted to him, even if I will never be the warrior that he wants.'
Joxer looked over the parchment while waiting for it to dry before rolling it carefully up. He intended on laying it on Ares alter as an offering of devotion to his God.
'The first time I saw Lord Ares, I was only seven years old. Father was sacrificing an Ox and asking for his blessing upon the army. Father wanted the three of us to be there because we needed to learn what would someday be our duty to perform. For as sons of a War Lord, we were expected to become the same.' Joxer put his quill down and smiled to himself, none of them had even come close to being what their father wanted. Jayce was now a great actor and Jett was one of the most sought after (and hunted) assassins.
'I can remember it like it was yesterday, the smell of the candles. The sound of the axe cutting into the ox's neck, the spray of the blood that covered the priests body and the copper scent that I thought would never go away. I didn't like blood even then, much to my fathers dismay. Maybe it comes from seeing too much of my own?'
'Never mind that, it was after the ox was slaughtered and offered up in sacrifice that Lord Ares appeared to us. I didn't know then how much of a blessing this was back then. There was this flash of red light that over powered my sight and the next thing I knew, there standing in front of everyone was this amazing man.'
Smiling to himself remembering, 'He was tall. Taller than anyone I can ever remember seeing. Dressed in black leather pants and a leather best that was tied in the front. He was almost overwhelming to watch. His face was strong, with the square jaw covered with a goatee. Long hair that reached the nape of his neck and had a slight curl to it. The black color the same as my father's new stallion. But it was his eyes that drew me. They were deep and wise. I saw something in them that I'd never seen before.'
'I can remember Jett's (or was it Jayce's?) hand on my arm, holding me back from stepping closer to the alter. I don't know what I planned on doing but I wanted to go up there. Maybe it was to pledge my love and loyalty? For you see, I fell in love with my God that day and in twenty-four years, that hasn't changed. I will always and forever be devoted to him, even if I will never be the warrior that he wants.'
Joxer looked over the parchment while waiting for it to dry before rolling it carefully up. He intended on laying it on Ares alter as an offering of devotion to his God.