As I stood to face my people, my hands up in the air, a sign of victory, I felt a sharp pain in my back. My skin was pierced. I could not breathe.
At that moment, Erbin took out double-edged dagger from his trousers. The dagger had been hidden from my view, and stabbed me from the back. The metal blade pierced my skin as I turned, shell shocked, at the unexpected stab. Once, twice, thrice, until I lost count of the stabs on the stomach, neck, legs and thighs. I fell to the ground, head first. Slumped, I vomited blood as I raised my right hand, meekly, but none came forward. They just watched, too scared to come forward for fear of reprisals from Erbin’s men.
I remember murmuring the only prayer I was taught,
‘Dhia, na diobair a bhean a d’ mhuInntireas, Agus a liuth olc a rInn a corp,
Nach urr i nochd a chunntachas. A liuth olc a rInn a corp, Nach urr i nochd a chunntachas’
‘God, omit not this man from thy covenant, and the many evils which he in the body committed, that he cannot this night enumerate. The many evils that he in the body committed, that he cannot this night enumerate’
With that, I breathed my last.
Chapter 2 - Becoming
I remember floating out of my body to where I stood. There, I could see Erbin. He kept piercing my body to make sure I was dead. Once he was satisfied, he glowed with pride. His men forcefully took my men and my slaves dragging them to the ground and killing those who resisted. The lucky ones escaped into the thick dense wooded valley. The docile ones were taken in with much fanfare. ‘What will become of them? Those poor souls, I have wronged them’ I thought to myself ruefully. Stallion, my prized possession was taken by Erbin. But, he couldn’t handle her, no one could. Stallion then dashed off through the meadows and disappeared from sight.
‘You are bound by your thoughts, deeds and actions. You have experienced the consequences which resulted in your death’ said the gentle female voice from behind. I turned around and saw the most beautiful woman my eyes had set upon.
As we both looked at each other, guilt came over me and I hung my head, in shame. As a child, I was orphaned at the age of thirteen years. I had watched as the Roman armies stormed our village. I remember two Roman gladiators. I was helping my father at the herb garden, when they came, he shouted, ‘run, Aidan! RUN!’ My father, who was outside, was killed first. He had resisted but he was outnumbered. I saw the two of them pierce both their swords into his stomach and heart, killing him instantly. When they were done with their swords, the Romans kicked, punched and stabbed him until he lay dead on the ground. I ran inside our home where mother was. When she saw them coming, she motioned me to hide. I hid behind the same fireplace, but as I was tiny and the place was dark, they couldn’t see me. They came for my mother. She was scared. I will never forget the look on her face when the two Romans stormed in to our home. It was a look of fear. She tried to run for safety by hiding behind the fireplace at the centre of our home. That didn’t work as the Romans surrounded her, grabbed and dragged her to the room. She was screaming and shrieking and fought her way to escape. The Romans didn’t care for the woman, they used them. My mother was taken to the only room in our home. I remember her wails, asking them for mercy and forgiveness.
Then, there was silence. I saw the Romans walking out the door, satisfied. They scoured our home. They didn’t find anything and this had made them furious as they threw plates, pots and pans on the ground. The kicked the tables and I was glad that they couldn’t find me as I had kept silent and still behind the fireplace, not making a sound. I was in tears from the time they grabbed my mother. I was crying now and ran into the room to find her.
In the room, I found my mother lying motionless on the floor, barely breathing. She gestured me to come towards her, ‘Aidan’ she said, weak from the trauma that she had just been through. Her clothes were torn and ripped, exposing her slim slender figure. There were bruises on her skin and she was bleeding at every part at her lip and other parts of her body, they had beaten her into submission. When I was by her side, I placed her head gently on my lap. ‘Mother, please don’t go’ I cried. ‘Stay with me, I’ll take care of you. We will be happy. Those men will pay for this. I hate them. I HATE ROMANS!!!’ I wailed as she gently placed her palms and my face and wiped my tears away.
‘Don’t hate them and seek revenge for the deeds they have done. Fate will take care of that’ she consoled me, still crying profusely. She then whispered, ‘Your destiny is set in stone. Focus. Visualize. Create’ she uttered while gasping for breath.
With that, she breathed her last. When I realized she had left me, I cried until my tears dried up. I couldn’t make sense of her parting words but mother was always right. Slowly, I picked myself up and placed her head gently on the ground. I began to dig a hole in the ground. I kept digging until I was tired. I rested by our well, which was filled with crystal clean water, as I drank its waters, I ate whatever food was left, but seeing the bodies lying everywhere, my appetite had waned. When the hole was ready, I dragged my parents body placed them in the hole. I covered the hole with sand as I cried continuously. I said a prayer for them as I placed flowers on their grave. I buried them on our land, in front of our roundhouse. As I looked around, dead silence enveloped our quaint farming village. As I walked out of our roundhouse, I saw corpses, that of people I once knew and that of the Roman soldiers. There were corpses of children, men and women. Some were headless, while others had missing body parts. It was morbid scene. I vomited at the sight of hearts, intestines, stomachs and muscle parts scattered everywhere. I had to tread carefully to avoid stepping on various body parts. I made my way to the village well and as I threw the pail into the well, I heard a thud. The pail had landed on several bodies which were inside the well. I was thirsty now and had walked a distance from our well. I didn’t want to make a turn back and decided to walk ahead instead. I didn’t have a drop of water to drink nor a piece of bread to eat as I made my way out of our village.
I walked for miles until I came to a spring. Its waters were bluish green in color. I could see the fishes swimming in it. I began scooping water and drank to my heart’s content. I caught some fish with my bare hands and ate them raw. I made myself a water tumbler for me to store my water. As I hadn’t had a bath in days, I took this opportunity and jumped in, naked. I left my torn and tattered clothes on a rock. I had never felt so good as I played swam along the fishes, catching and eating those which fell into my trap, which were my cupped palms. Contented after the swim, I wore my clothes and I made my way wandering the vast plains .I became a lost soul walking aimlessly and begging for food at the villages. I slept on the floor and if I was lucky, I slept on straw which farmers had kept for their horses, aware that I had to be gone before the farmers found me sleeping on it. I did this for a year until I met Donal. He saw me outside a tavern, begging for food. He came to me and said, ‘My boy, what brings you here?’
‘I ask for food, nothing else’ I answered with both palms shaped like a bowl.
‘Where are your parents?’ He continued curiously.
I remained silent as tears began flowing from my red cheeks and I answered, ‘They were killed by the Romans in our village, a year ago today’
Just then, Donal’s men had brought food for us and he said, ‘Eat, my boy. From now, I will take care of you, feed you & clothe you’
‘Thank you for the food, sir. That is all I ask’
He then explained that, ‘my boy, there is something about you. You are special. I lost my son when he was your age. You remind me of him. What is your name, my son?’
‘Aidan Connor’ I replied while gobbling the chicken with my bare hands. I had its sauce all over my face. Chicken was a good meal as it kept me full for a few days. They had given me plenty of bread which I ate heartily.
He then gathered his men and made an announcement, ‘henceforth, Aidan Connor is now my son. Anyone who harms him in any way will have to deal with me!’ His men then clanked their mugs as there was s
uccessor, a young boy who would be trained to a leader. The drinking went on late into the night. Donal and his men were soon chased out of the tavern and made their way to an empty hut. There, his men fell to the ground and slept. Some of his men snored loudly while others began removing their tunics. It was hot that night. Donal brought me to sleep next to him. As he patted my back, I dozed to sleep.
From that night onwards, I became his son. I was given brand new clothes the next morning and plenty to eat. Donal was of noble lineage, he was also a warrior. He was said to be the toughest in his clan. As the son of a high-ranking nobleman and warrior, I was taught to display my status as one. I walked proudly with my head up and chest out. I was to be clean shaven except for my moustache. My moustache signified nobility and I was proud of that fact. I wore a gold torc and my wool which had been torn and ripped was now replaced with a tunic made from silk. My cloak was made of fine wool fastened by a bronze brooch. When at war with the Romans, I wore my iron ring on top of my tunic. I was now armed with a spear, its shaft tipped with a bronze butt spike. As a nobleman warrior, I carried a custom made sword. It was a crooked sword with sharp teeth edges. My shield was oval and made from the finest iron. I had my own two-wheeled chariot which I used during wars. I was trained in using long swords, spears, slings, javelins, axes and bows and I excelled in all which made Donal proud. Donal also taught me the art of infantry, cavalry and chariotry warfare. Donal always told me, ‘you will be the greatest warrior the world has seen’. I was to be perfect in every way, strength, endurance, stamina and agility. He turned me from a lost wandering soul to become a nobleman warrior, the leader of his clan.
Over time, Donal passed on, leaving me as the leader of his clan, at thirty years of age. All the years of intensive training had transformed my scrawny figure to a perfectly-sculpted figure. I had six pack abdomens with muscles fit for a warrior. Years of training had turned me to the man I was. There was some initial resistance from the older members of the clan when I took over from Donal. They felt I did not deserve to be where I was as I was adopted by Donal and not his blood son. The elders were soon silenced when they realized that although I was not of blood family, I grew to be part of one. I was loved by all, young and old, men, children and women. I had also invaded for peace, not for power. We robbed and killed those who deserved it, the rich aristocrats who abused their powers for personal gains and the corrupt who prayed to the God of Money. What we robbed, we kept what we needed to survive and gave the balance to the needy. As for women, though there were plenty at my feet, none interest me. I had rejected many advances and continued to do so.
It was at that thought the voice said, ‘I know everything’
There were many questions on my mind, ‘Who are you?? Why are you here? Did St Michael send you to take me to hell?’
She calmly replied, ‘St Michael has his own men to do his collection. I am Agrona’
Agrona was the Goddess of War who ensured that wars were fought fair. Her main duty was however, to stop or minimize wars altogether. She was, after all, a woman, with a family. She was also the most beautiful person I had seen. She had a slim, slender figure and the dress she wore clearly emphasized her curves. She didn’t seem to age. She looked about twenty years old, at the most. And, she was shining, pale gold. She stood out among the commotion around us. Only I could see her, she was oblivious to the rest.
‘Your destiny is now our responsibility’
‘What is my destiny, exactly?’ I asked curiously remembering my mother’s last words.
‘Your destiny is Taran, God of Thunder!!’
I stare at her, blankly and say, ‘Aren’t there two God of Thunders already, Leucetius and Ambisagrus. Three’s a crowd, my dear’
‘Leucetius has aged. He has to step down soon and he has four daughters, he needs a son to continue his lineage. Ambisagrus is not a legitimate leader. He is known for corruption and pillaging among the higher circles for personal gains. He forcefully robbed the throne from Leucetius. Ambisagrus is also half-demon and that itself does not qualify him a Godly status’ Agrona said.
‘Why was I chosen? I think you have made a mistake. I come from a barbaric lineage where fighting wars runs in my blood. I have killed more people than I can count. I don’t deserve this. You have got the wrong guy to be chosen as a God’ I tell Agrona sadly as I look down to the ground.
‘Your destiny was set the day you were born. You are of barbaric lineage, no doubt, but, unlike others, your heart is pure. You kill not for the fun of it but to protect your people. Your fate has brought you here and that is why you lie there. But, your good deeds throughout your various lives have brought you to me’ she says as she points to my dead body on the ground. My body lay motionless as everyone had left the scene. There was now a calm, eerie silence.
‘An eye for an eye. It has hardened you with all the wars you have fought. Your strength and skills in warfare is unquestionable. You have shown exceptional leadership qualities, despite resistance from your people but you have pulled through. Though you have robbed, you have always returned to the society’ she said as she prepared my body for its last funeral rites.
She then motioned me to come to my body and said that as a respect to my physical body I was to thank my body and bid it farewell for its service to me. I then touched the tip of my skull, ‘thank you for this healthy body you have given me. This body has served me well without any life-threatening ailments or diseases. Though you may be filled with cuts and bruises, you have always healed with constant care and love. I bid you, my physical body, thank you and farewell’.
I rose up and Agrona asked me to move aside which I did. She then raised her right hand and a flaming fire arrow is directed at my body, instantly turning my body into flames. The black ashes of where my body once lay were the only sign that my body was present there. ‘Was that necessary?’ I asked Agrona as I watched my body flaming. ‘Yes, that it was necessary. We wouldn’t want unwanted elements entering your body and making use of it, would we?’ Agrona answered as she smiled at me.
I was amazed at her powers. I was also shocked because, no one knew me as a person. Among my people, I was known as an exceptional noble warrior. I was always alone and didn’t feel the need for company, other than my boys during our drinking nights or when we won a war. Agrona had obviously observed every movement of mine and felt that I was of use for the greater good of Earth and the Realm of the Gods. She had observed me, throughout all my previous lives and today, in my current life. We walked on
After walking further, I asked, curiously, ‘so, how, when and where is this ‘Godly’ transformation going to take place? Have other mortals been through this before?’
‘You do have a lot of questions, don’t you? For the how, when and where questions, you would have to follow me. As for the last questions, you are the first mortal to God transformation, there was never anyone before you and neither will there be anyone after you’ Agrona says.
Agrona then takes my hand and closes her eyes. Within seconds, we are at the palatial palace of Dea. ‘I would love to do that!’ I said as I blinked my eyes, failing at every blink. Agrona laughed and said, ‘soon, soon!’
We are at the picturesque estate of the northern entrance courtyard of the palace. There was a magnificent fountain with the figure of woman holding a pot with water flowing out from it. The woman was fully clothed and not that of any God I knew of. The palace is surrounded by lush greenery on all sides, ‘that over there is the eastern side, and there is the western side and behind us is the southern gardens and here, where we are standing are the northern gardens’ Agrona briefly tells me. ‘You’ll figure out this place soon enough’ Agrona said. She seemed friendlier than before. I could see juniper, oak and ash trees. In the manicured gardens, there were roses, sunflowers, hydrangea and geraniums.
We are greeted by the most polished butler I have seen. ‘Frank, good day to you!’ Agrona greeted as Frank nodded in acknowledgement. He wore a white shirt
with a black bow tie, his black tunic vest complemented by a black jacket. His trousers were black and his shoes were shiny black, so shiny that I could see the reflection of my face on it. He ushered us inside to the living room and informed Agrona, ‘Madam would meet you and Mister Connor at the State Hall’ he said as he led the way to the State Hall.
Agrona nodded and thanked Frank as we may our way to the State Hall, following behind him. When the Frank opened the door, I was glued to my spot and my mouth gaped in awe. I had never seen anything like this before. The furnishings were exquisite and ornately decorated with red velvet upholstery on its furniture. The walls were white washed marble. Above my head, as I walked into the State Room, were the largest chandeliers I had ever seen. It seemed to envelope the hall. It was made from crystals, shining brightly as the light hit their surface. From where I stood, there was a stately chair on the podium ahead of us, on a stage which was raised a few feet above the floor. The stately chair was decorated with gold and red engravings of our Celt language. I was told that The Stately Chair was as powerful as the woman who sat on it and that no one could sit on the chair, only its predecessors and successors of Dea.
‘Welcome Agrona!’ a woman said. Her voice was husky and had a tone of masculinity in it. I turned to look from where the voice was coming from. ‘Welcome Aidan’ the voice continued further. Appearing from the side door entrance, on the podium, Dea appeared and sat on her stately chair. She had two well built body guards each on either side. She was Dea. She was the woman matriarch who ensured peace and stability in the three realms. Her authority was unquestionable as she ruled with an iron fist and would not hesitate to vanquish evil in an instant. I remembered now, Mother had spoken of Dea before, when I was child growing up. Mother would always tell me bedtime stories about Dea, how she ruled the realms and despite ruling with an iron fist, she had a heart, a gentle heart, full of love. Somehow, when I met her, it was as if I knew her.