No Good Deed (5 page)

“Well, you can imagine what this did to her parents. They tried to put glasses on her; she would throw them to the ground and step on them. They put spells on her and amazingly, she willed them off. They changed her eye color, moments later her eyes would be back. She looked at her parents, ‘these are my eyes, it’s what the universe gave me, and I will not deny them. I have learned to deal with it; you’d better do the same.’ Her parents weren’t ready to hear it. They still wanted to hide her, protect her, but she wouldn’t have it,” His feet were on the floor, he was leaning forward over the table for dramatic effect. He strummed hard and fast then slammed the lute to stop the music. “Finally, as she started school, they gave in. And that’s when it started.” For a more dramatic effect, Alister finished his stew and beer. “Could I get a refill on the beer please? Thank you.” The beer was there before he finished the sentence.

Alister took a sip and continued, “The children in school were just as cruel as those in the park. However, our resourceful Lucinda had a solution. During the lunch break of the first day, after everyone had been ridiculing her all morning, she went looking for the toughest kid in her class and picked a fight with him, right there in the classroom. The teacher was humiliated. The first day of class and a fight broke out. She got a good punch in but the kid only pushed her down. Before she got back up the teacher grabbed her and hauled her to the principal, where he gave her a paddling. Then, he foolishly asked her if she had learned her lesson.”

“‘Yes’ she replied, ‘I’ve learned I can’t count on anyone around here but myself,’” Alister now huffed himself up to look taller, “’What do you mean?’ the principal asked.”

“‘Well, when I came here, people make fun of me, the teacher didn’t even look me in the face this morning. You so called adults, who are supposed to help me, have done
nothing
! You’re just as bad as the children. You shun me, beat me, and blame me for something I can’t change. Then have the nerve to ask me if I’ve learned my lesson. I hope you’ve learned yours. You’re supposed to help everyone, not just those that are pretty, or smart, or normal. No one told them to stop picking on me, or to leave me alone, so I did it myself. And I’ll do it again, so you better keep your paddle handy.’”

“Now, at this point the principal could have said something, could have calmed her, but he didn’t. Instead, he let her leave. After school let out, she found her foe again, and challenged him to a fight, this time off school grounds. ‘Sure pit face,’ he replied. Children followed them as they went to the open field behind school, and there they fought; rolling around, throwing punches, kicking, biting, no holds barred. Finally, she got the best of him when she put her head squarely into his gut. On the ground, she sat on him, pinning his shoulders with her knees and started slapping him in the face. ‘What’s my name? What’s my name?’ She screamed at him, ‘Lucinda, Lucinda’ he cried back, ‘Mommy’ he screamed through the slaps. She let him up. ‘That’s right, and don’t you or any of you EVER forget it!’ She walked away, refusing to show how injured she was.”

“Well, life after that point was interesting. For the most part she was left alone, but in the fourth grade, where she was out with the older kids, she did the same thing, only to a sixth grader. It took more than one battle. Now this isn’t to say Lucinda never lost a fight, she lost plenty, however it can truly be said that if you thought she looked bad, you should see her opponent. Soon people stopped fighting her because even when they won, they lost.” He finished his beer. Before he could ask, another beer was already there.

“Then came high school. As a seventh grader, she immediately challenged the alpha bully, Marcus Dragonbreath, to a fight. He was in the highest grade in high school, tenth grade, and very athletic. This didn’t scare her. This fight was brutal, more brutal than any fight she had been in before. Because not only did she have to fight him, she had to fight his sycophant cronies. She was left badly beaten, but did gain some respect, considering it was three on one. But she didn’t let it sit there. Throughout the year, she trapped the two cronies and pounded the crap out of them to the point that they abandoned Marcus. Finally, she cornered him and goaded him into a fight that everyone could see. One—on—one, he didn’t stand a chance. She beat him quite easily, easier than anyone had imagined. Now she was the alpha bully. But she did things differently than he did. She would not pick on the weaker students; she only picked on the athletes, the rich kids, and the other gangs. When asked why not go for the easy money, she made it clear and simple. ‘Any coward can pick a fight they know they can win. You want to prove your worth, pick a fight with someone bigger than you and better than you. Only then will you get better. That’s how I was able to defeat Marcus so easily. He spent all his time picking on those he knew couldn’t fight back, so when he got a real challenge, he got his butt whipped. Now I catch any of you picking on the weaker students, you will answer to me, and regret it.’” He cleared his throat.

“The funny part now was everything ran a lot smoother. She didn’t allow people to disrupt classes, the weak picked on the weak and the strong picked on the strong. She never asked for money, but didn’t refuse homage. Those that did pay her were allowed to be seen with her, which was often enough to keep bullies away. And through it all, no one made fun of her eyes.”

“Then one day, a new student entered the school. He was tall, strong, handsome, and became her nemesis. As she set the tone for the bullies, he set the tone for the protectors. He was Obidaan Grailann. Yes, he spent the last two years at her school, but he was a good person, who broke up fights, protected the weak, and tore into gangs that didn’t see things Lucinda’s way. They would often meet, sometimes on the same side, often against each other. For you see, Obidaan wouldn’t let her pick on anyone, regardless of size, means, or ability. He was also the first person who did not shun her eyes. If anything he ignored them and treated her normal. She liked that, a lot. She had a great respect for him even a longing for him, and would often back down from fights, but made it look as though she wasn’t interested in what he was protecting. Still they did clash a few times. You would have to say that their fight record was even, neither able to get the other to yield. She loved him from afar but knew it couldn’t be. Not that she didn’t try either. Obidaan turned her down early and often. Still, the unrequited love for him was there. Finally, Obidaan graduated; he’s a year older than her,” Alister looked out over the audience. There was total silence, and it seemed everyone was hanging on his every word. Even Lucinda seemed to be enjoying her story, though it was obvious this part pained her, and Obidaan, but not as much as what was about to come. And it was the anticipation of the next part that was plastered plainly on both their faces. If anything, Alister realized, he had better play this part straight, it was the touchiest.

“Lucinda tried to keep up with Obidaan’s happenings, but bard tales were scarce. Obidaan had moved on, pretty much leaving his old life behind. Years passed. He found Relina, married her, and then became a paladin. Four years ago, Lucinda heard about his marriage, but not about his paladin status. She was outraged.” He looked over at her, she simply nodded as to say, go on. “She tracked him down and there they had a huge argument. She declared her love for him again, and he told her that he was married, and even so, he wanted nothing to do with the likes of her. She lived her life in a way he could not, would not condone. Bullying, extortion, ‘You fight for pleasure.’ Obidaan told her, ‘I fight for necessity. It would never work, I could not love you.’” Alister was looking at Obidaan now, with Relina at his side. They sat there, holding hands. Obidaan and Relina both nodded, as if to say “finish it.”

“So then, she lunged at him, knocking him to the ground, ‘Make a deal with you. Fight me. If I win, you’ll divorce Relina and marry me. You win, I’ll leave you alone forever.’ “

“‘No deal!’ Obidaan replied, and pushed her off of him.

“‘In that case, I’ll stalk you, and keep on doing it till one of us is dead!’ She screamed at him.”

“’Fine, you win, but you must realize, I’m not the same person I was a few years ago. I have changed, a lot.’ Obidaan did not tell her he was a paladin now. To do so would have jeopardized more than his marriage. He tried to get her to back down, but it was no use. The fight began.”

“It was an arduous fight, a long fight, and both were using everything at their disposal, weapons, rocks, dirt, spells, you name it, they used it. All except for one thing, Obidaan would not heal himself during the fight; there were times he wished he had. Both bloodied, bruised, and broken, they made a final attack. Using her mana, she lunged at him leaping high into the air. Feeling he had no choice, he loved Relina and wouldn’t let anything take that away, he channeled a holy smite into his fist. The last thing Lucinda heard from that fight was ‘By the power of my god, let my fist fly true and smite this evil.’ She knew there and then what he was, what was coming, and why he tried to avoid the fight. She also lost her will to fight and live. Still, there was nothing she could do but hope it missed and take him down. Obidaan and Relina are still married.”

“Obidaan’s fist hit her square in the jaw, caving in the right side of her face. Obidaan is left—handed. She flew across the field like a kicked ball. Her body was limp, her bones now broken and she was barely conscious. In this state she could not cushion her landing and landed face first into the dirt, rolling several more feet like a log. Obidaan ran to her, and was going to lay hands on her, but she told him through her broken jaw and teeth, ‘DON’T touch me you bastard. Don’t heal me, I will NOT be healed by you!’”

“‘Shut up and let me help you,’ Obidaan said, ‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was a paladin, I couldn’t,’” He began to lay hands on her anyway.”

“‘Because you knew I’d use it against you. You were always clever. You win, but you will not heal me.’ She said all this through her shattered jaw. Obidaan laid hands on her, but just as her will had removed the eye color spells, so now did it refuse his touch.

“‘I can’t heal you. Why? This is crazy; no one can refuse my touch.’” Obidaan said.

“‘I can, and will,’ Lucinda spurted out, along with blood and teeth, ‘and will keep on refusing you. Now leave me alone, go away!’”

“‘I’ll go for help.’ Obidaan said, and started toward town. It was going to be a long run and she was running out of time.
‘Leave me!
’ she screamed through the blood, bones and teeth.”

“Alone in the field, she felt the life slowing fade from her body. Soon death would be there, and she would welcome it. However, Death did show up, but not the way she expected. In front of her stood two beings, one male and one female; both looking like death, complete with dark robes and sickles.’”

“‘Tis a shame.’ said the male

‘Yes indeed’ said the female

‘Will you take me already,’ said Lucinda

‘We can’t do that quite yet, we have a proposition for you,’ said the male.

‘Yes, but first, let’s make this easier,’ said the female, and at that they lifted her soul out of her body. ‘There, that will make it easier for you to talk and you won’t have to deal with that physical pain clouding your judgment.’

‘You’re Lord and Lady Death?’ Lucinda asked.

‘Not exactly, though we have been mistaken,’ the man answered, ‘you see, Lord and Lady Death are neutral and they do not care who they take. They merely pull souls from bodies then send them on their way. Lord and Lady Death are over there, waiting for us to finish.

‘Then what?’ Lucinda just wanted to have the obvious stated at this point, talking to gods is a bit overwhelming and she need to know where she stood.

‘Well,’ the lady spoke, ‘depending on what happens next, they will take you.’

‘Oh, and what do you want?’

‘Like I said,’ the male spoke again, ‘they are Death. We on the other hand prefer to cause death.

‘So that would make you ...?’

‘War’ the female said, ‘we are Lord and Lady War. Strife, conflict, disagreements, that’s us. When people cannot get a long, they look to us for victory. Make no mistake though we are not the good guys. We do not care who goes to war, just as long as people die. That is our goal.’

‘What do you want from me?’

‘Balance.’ Lord War said.

‘I don’t understand.’

‘A few months ago, the powers of good anointed their paladin. Lord and Lady Seer got that privilege. As a matter of fact, you just tussled with him. So in order to maintain the balance, evil gets to choose their paladin and we got to be the lucky couple.’

‘I could say what’s that got to do with me, but I’m going to assume you’ve chosen me.’

‘Such a bright girl.’ Lady War replied with a smile, ‘See I told you she was sharp.’

‘Well, I don’t want the job. I’d rather die. So if you just let death come, I’ll be on to my final resting place.’

‘And where do you think that will be my dear?’ Lord War spoke, ‘you’ve fought your entire life. Beat up many people, had what an army of bullies, fought over disputed territory, and levied taxes, in the form of extortion. Sound like anything you know?’

‘So you’re saying if I die, I’m stuck with you two anyway, since I’ve been so warlike in life.’

‘She does catch on quick.’ Lady War said, ‘and then to add insult to injury, we would give it to Marcus. Think of all the revenge he would seek on those who betrayed him in favor of you. Think of all those weak people you wanted to protect who would be visited by death with him as a paladin. He would do wonders for us. You on the other hand, see the big picture, know where the real fights are. Know when, what, and who to fight. Marcus is a captain, who would follow our orders; you are a general who would lead in our name. See the difference?’

‘Yes, and fine, I accept.’

‘Excellent!’ They both said.

‘Now let’s get you cleaned up.’ said Lady War. Lucinda was healed and transformed. She was dressed entirely in black now and on her lapel rested the holy symbol, which she is now wearing.” Alister warmed his hands and finished his beer. Another was placed in front of him, just in case.