The Generous and Brave Warrior

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The Generous and Brave Warrior
A Spanish story by Anonomous

Many years ago, long before you or I were born, the country of Spain was
divided between two Kings. The first King was ruler of the North, while the
second King was ruler of the South. These two Kings fought many battles
over many years and countless soldiers lost their lives in such battles. The
Kings fought for glory, they fought in the name of honour, and they fought
to increase their lands. Over the years hundreds upon hundreds of men
died on the battlefield, but still the Kings continued to wage war upon one
another.

There was a city that lay on the border between the North and the South of
the lands. This city was beautiful and prosperous and so both Kings were
eager rule over such a place. But the Kings were wise enough to know that
the wars between the North and the South could not continue – too many
lives had been lost and too much money spent on war. And so they met
one morning in the centre of the beautiful city and devised a simple plan.
‘I have the greatest warrior of them all in my army,’ said the King of the
North. ‘He is a captain and has won many battles. There is no man whom
he cannot defeat.’

‘But I know of a greater warrior,’ exclaimed the King of the South. ‘He is a
simple man but he is brave and skilled in battle.’

‘Then we shall place these two men in combat,’ announced the King of the
North, ‘and in this way we shall see who will rule this city.’

And that is how it was decided. So while the King of the North secured the
services of his undefeated captain, the King of the South asked the brave
Rodrigo if he would fight for the glory of his King.

‘I will gladly fight for you,’ said Rodrigo, ‘but I must first complete my
pilgrimage. When I return I will do battle with this captain and hope that I
shall win the city for my King.’

And so Rodrigo tried to put the impending battle out of his mind and instead
began on his holy pilgrimage.

On his travels, Rodrigo came across a sickly leper who was begging by the
side of the road. Despite his obvious hunger and desperate state, the
people ignored the poor man and walked passed him as if they did not
know he existed. But Rodrigo stopped and asked the man, ‘Won’t you
please come with me to the inn and eat and rest?’

The poor leper agreed and so Rodrigo helped the man up onto his horse
and led him to the inn in the next village. Once they were there, Rodrigo
and the leper ate from the same wooden plate, and later they slept in the
same bed.

When nobody would even look at

the leper, Rodrigo was willing to share his food and the warmth of his bed
with the stranger because he was not only a brave warrior but also a
generous man who believed in helping others.

It was late in the night when Rodrigo was sure he heard a wind blowing
through the small room, a wind that seemed to penetrate his very heart;
and on the wind he heard a soft voice:

‘You were kind to me, Rodrigo, and so I bestow upon you a precious gift.
Because you are brave and true of heart, none shall ever defeat you in
battle.’

When Rodrigo awoke the following morning the leper was nowhere to be
found, but the young warrior remembered the voice from the night before
and he felt within him a new sense of determination.

It was not long before Rodrigo completed his pilgrimage and travelled
South to where his King waited anxiously for his return.

‘Do you know that the people declare you to be the bravest and most
daring of all men in the lands?’ enquired the King as Rodrigo entered the
royal palace. ‘I agree with the people and know that you shall make us all
proud today and win for us the last remaining city in these lands.’

Later that morning a large crowd gathered on the edge of the city. People
had come from near and far to see Rodrigo do battle with the soldier from
the North.

As Rodrigo entered the arena he was nervous and uncertain of his skills.
The soldier from the North was tall and muscular, clad from head to foot in
shining gold armour, and his reputation was well known. He was
undefeated on the battlefield and showed his enemies little mercy.

The two men stood opposite each other with their swords in hand. The
crowd hushed in expectation. Rodrigo felt his heart beating furiously in his
chest. ‘I must be brave,’ the young warrior thought to himself. ‘I must not
shame my family or my King. And if I am to die today then I must do it with
dignity and with my sword in my hand.’

It was then that Rodrigo heard the voice of the leper on a gentle breeze
that rustled the leaves of the trees and lifted the sands from the earth.
‘Because you are brave and true of heart, none shall ever defeat you in
battle.’

With the leper’s words held firmly in his heart, Rodrigo tightened his grip on
his sword and charged towards the soldier of the North.

We will never know if the leper was a ghost or a god or a saint, but his
words were true. Rodrigo defeated the soldier that day and won for his
King the most beautiful of all the cities in Spain.

Rodrigo became a hero to the people of Spain. His adventures and his
many victories became the stuff of legend, and he was forever known as
the generous and brave warrior.