A true tale by the fire
In the midst of winter, in an era of discontent, the traveler from a distant empire sat down by the fire with his host. They talked. The traveler, younger, had nevertheless the patience to listen. He asked questions and he got answers, only not as he probably expected.
The host told, ultimately, one single, whole, true story. A tale about the history of the place, about betrayals and feuds, about inevitable decline of all empires, about implacable realities. What made the story true was above all of these though.
The host managed, rather craftfully, to make the visitor forget that he was listening to the leader of a rival empire, caught in an undeclared, yet very present, war with his guest’s empire.
The traveler came as a scout, an explorer of possibilities. He will leave as the bearer of a message.
The tale the host shared with his guest may lack details, may have inserted idealizations, omissions and inaccuracies. The host may have been vague at times or not entirely truthful about all the motivations, intentions or actions that led to one outcome or another. But the tale of tales was true.
Both knew the only reason they should meet transcends the open conflict, egos, material interests, desires, revenge, deals, reparations or retribution. The traveler directly asked about the presence of the evil in the world, cleverly probing if his guest considers himself as a champion for the good. The overall answer, complete only after the last words were said, is what makes the tale fundamentally true, detaching and freeing it from the temporal context.
The host was peacefully resigned, like in a karmic abandon, yet he presented an opportunity for hope, for all those concerned. What will be, will be, but from all the paths possible it is not necessary to take the most hurtful one. If the message entrusted will be understood, there will be less evil in the world, it’s about that simple.