The Warrior and the Librarian

Who wants to take a break from the Brown Sisters shorts? *raises hand* Also known as, I’ve decided to start making them bi-weekly because, well, as much as I ADORE Olivia and Amelia, there’s only so much you can do with them for four pages and…it’s saddens me to see their colorful characters be stiffled so. *sniffs* Anyway, here’s today’s Tale Thursday short for you all, written on January 10, 2020! 🙂

When the librarian of the kingdom of Ectos was faced with an invading warrior from Deranos, she honestly had no idea what to do or say. Asides from a deep feeling of fear that the invading enemy was in her precious library, her paralysis was caused mostly from shock at finding a warrior in her haven.

They will take everything, she couldn’t help but sob as the warrior and the librarian stared at each other.

The warrior snapped out of his surprise first. “Well, lady, don’t just stand there! Help me with these books!” the young man exclaimed, grabbing one of the huge sacks he had apparently brought and stuffing shelves of books in there.

The librarian couldn’t help it as she saw her beautiful books brutalized.

So she picked up a thick thesaurus and banged the young man on the head with it. “Get out, get out! Invade my city if you have to, Deranosian brute! But you will not burn my books!”

The warrior, hand on his bruised head, stared at the young lady, who could only be a few years older than him, as she breathed heavily and looked about ready to conk him on the head again.

“Burn?! Burn?! No, no! I’m going to save these books from my people’s wrath. Take them and myself far, far away until I can bring back the knowledge to this world,” the warrior managed.

This shocked the librarian out of her trance, but she didn’t trust him. Too many images of burning buildings, burning bodies, blood, and merciless deaths permeated her mind.

But she was going to die anyway if she stayed here. Ectos and Deranos were too evenly matched to do anything but destroy each other.

Might as well try and help this warrior save her books. Even if he was going to burn all the beautiful histories and stories of centuries, she could at least die trusting and saving instead of betraying and destroying.

While in her shocked trance, the warrior had gone back to speeding through the library at unnatural paces, stuffing random books and relics while the village around them burned. His speed was too unnatural—he had cleared out half the large, large library already.

“I’ll help,” the librarian finally stated, grabbing the second bag the warrior had brought and dumping her precious volumes inside, praying that they wouldn’t get too irreparably destroyed while jostled inside there.

And in a much shorter time than should have been possible, the warrior and librarian had put the books into two sacks—which weighed hardly anything.

But the librarian didn’t have time to ask why this warrior from Ectos cared about the books instead of defending his own country. Or why he was so quick and magical. Or why she was helping him instead of trying to help her countrymen.

“I know a secret passageway into the mountains,” was all the young man hurriedly said as he dragged the young lady by the arm and further into the library with the familiarity of someone who had frequented this place many times.

The sacks bounced behind them as the warrior led the woman into the archive (where he again proceeded to clear it out) and then into a hidden tunnel behind a shelf and rows of walls and glowing codes.

Silently, they stepped into the tunnel, the librarian dragged by the warrior without cease even after hearing the passageway shut behind them.

Only when they were steadily on their way to the mountains did the librarian squirm out of the warrior’s grasp and let out her barrage of questions.

How did he know about this? What sort of magic did he have to let him clear the huge public library so quickly? Why did he let her help him? Above all, why did her care about the books instead of the people?

Secrets. Secrets. A shared passions. And…

“Because there are so many who care about the people. There are those who were born to be defenders and warriors. But I, like you, know that the only way we can remember the people and those defenders is through these stories that war would burn along with lives and innocence.”

The warrior hesitated only for a millisecond.

“And,” he finally concluded, his face of pain hidden from the woman, “there was nothing we could do against such mutual hatred and violence. This is the only thing I–we–could do against it.”

The two walked in silence for a long time.

But when they exited the long tunnels into the clear and cold air of the mountains, the librarian understood.

Only through these written words would the sacrifices and horrors be preserved.

Only through these written words would the people have an eternal defense against war and every mistake already made.

Only through these written words would history and humanity be remembered.

In my word docment, I have the following written about this short: Yes, I am aware that my inspiration for this story doesn’t tonally fit the actual tale. I am also aware that I don’t care. So there…

Hehehe…yeah, I was definitely inspired by that picture I saw on A.G. Marshall’s facebook page (apparently originally posted by Philosophy Matters. No idea who drew it, though). And besides, who WOULDN’T pillage the library?! Or BE that librarian?!

Honestly, I don’t know how it changed to something that was light and fluffy into something…well, whatever that is. (I hope my “excuse” for not helping the people was valid. Feel free to glare and tell me so if it wasn’t.)

But see y’all next Thursday!