The Key (A Fairytale) — Chapter 2: Ariya (Part 2)

A tremendous exhilaration began rising inside of me, as I watched Ariya disappear into the treetops. All of my unanswered questions now faded into the background. The appearance of this mystical being, whatever she was, liberated me to the point that I was ready to forge ahead with reckless abandonment regardless of what I would have to face. This implausible helper being had gained my complete trust and I just knew, in my heart, that I was on the right track. Nothing mattered to me now except this elusive key, and with the help of this astonishing creature, I was certain that I would find it. I was confident that I would make my way back to a place in my heart that I had been away from far too long.

The next morning, not surprisingly, Conqueror and I discovered an open trail leading out of the meadow, rescuing us from the tangled vines that we had been trapped in for weeks. And with spirits high, our journey resumed. For some reason, the kingdom and my previous decadent life were not missed at all, almost as if I had searched for this key before and knew intuitively how to do it. It was a feeling of a distant recall, that same feeling I had those many years ago before the war, when I stepped into the ring with my general. He was a good man, the General; he deliberately took an arrow that was meant for me.

With unshakeable resolve, my nomadic existence continued as I wandered for weeks and months, with the months turning into years. My undying faith in the blacksmith, and now Ariya, instilled within me a most unusual courage. Nevertheless, my many unanswered questions remained.

In my ragged robe, stringy hair, and long scruffy beard, I continued to roam for five long, uneventful years. If I had not been a trained warrior, I could have never persevered. I built temporary shelters with leaves and branches during the monsoon rains but never stayed in one place too long, wary of my many enemies, both from the kingdoms that I had conquered and, sadly, from my own kingdom as well. They would not rest until I was dead.

I found water in streams and lakes, picked fruit and coconuts, fished, and trapped small animals, but for some inexplicable reason I became increasingly sensitive to taking animals' lives, and eventually I could no longer kill them at all. I had to rely on only root vegetables and plants to supplement the fruits and nuts that sustained me. Something quite unfamiliar was stirring deep in my heart.

But the isolation was devastating; an overwhelming remoteness, something that I had never experienced before. Without Conqueror, I could never have suffered this crushing loneliness that offered no escape. It was killing me.

My body was severely weakened as well by the many fevers and illnesses that struck, and my muscles shrunk to half their normal size, but with the brave heart of a warrior, I continued. I was concerned; however, that one more fever would do me in. I was in my thirty-seventh year.

One night, the mosquitoes were unusually fierce. I wrapped up tight in my torn, shabby robe but it helped little, and as the night wore on, I was attacked unmercifully. The wind then turned cold, and with no shelter from the driving north wind and freezing rain, I was soon soaked to the bone, freezing and shaking uncontrollably.

Conqueror rolled in the mud next to me to break the wind, and I huddled next to the horse's warm body. Memories of my kingdom and of my father haunted me and heavy doubt began creeping in as I longed for the things I had left behind. But that silent voice in my valiant heart whispered to me, "Go on."

Illness struck not long after this dreadful night with a fever as unrelenting as the persistent rains that drenched the forest. I was sweating, then freezing, and regardless of Conqueror dropping bananas near me, I was too weak to eat.

I didn't mind dying. I could accept that. But my heart was broken. Now I knew that I would never find my key. I was also bitterly disappointed with the cunning sorcerer who had lied to me about power, encouraging the commission of atrocities that now became a noose around my neck. I felt my helper being had let me down too, and the thought crossed my mind that perhaps I merely imagined Ariya. Maybe she was only a fanciful illusion brought on by loneliness.

Only after my best efforts were exhausted would she come, she promised, and yet she was nowhere to be found. I knew now that she wasn't coming, and my only concern was for my trusted friend; what would happen to Conqueror? It was cold and raining hard again that night, and as my good eye began to close, I began slipping away.

I wasn't sure whether I was dreaming or not, but there seemed to be a small point of light flickering through the fog and rain. Straining to see the faint green glow with my good eye, and all the remaining strength I had left, I was suddenly astonished by a blinding flash of blue-green radiance, as Ariya descended and stood before me. With her piercing eyes dancing, she entered my mind and said, "Did you doubt your helper being, my king?"

Almost imperceptibly at first, I felt a mounting strength filling me. In no time, the fever was gone and my shaking stopped, and although the deluge continued, not a drop of rain fell on me. She was transferring her great power into my body; I could feel it, and she was saving my life. My heart melted.

"Ariya, you didn't forsake me; I thought perhaps you had."

"Oh my great king, your mind is filled with so many doubts. Just believe in me, and as you seek your key with all your heart, all will be well."

"I will, Ariya, I promise you. Part of me doubted you, but only for a moment. My heart never did. You promised that if I followed my heart, I would find my key and so I followed it for five lonely years, believing in you. And what I have come to realize is that until I find my key, I will always be lost, even with your help."

"Well said! You are really making progress! The five lonely years you have spent has cleared your vision a little. And this was your first test."

"My vision has cleared in many ways," I replied, "but not completely. Although I trust you, I must tell you that I do not trust the sorcerer. He lied to me. He claimed his gold would give me power, which would lead to lasting happiness, but all it led to was suffering and death."

"Oh, the sorcerer! She replied. "Please, don't judge him too harshly. Someday you will see him in a different light. The sorcerer is a master of masters and will always do what is in your best interests, even though you won't understand things at the time. He knew you had an iron-strong will, which is of course required to find the key, but he knew as well that you would only believe what you discover for yourself, never believing what you are told. Would you have believed that all the gold and power in the world would not make a king happy? Of course not, so he let you see for yourself. You believed that killing had no severe repercussions, but your nature was to kill, certain that no repercussions could ever touch the greatest warrior in the land. The sorcerer could not alter your nature, only you can change that through something much stronger than the sorcerer, but he could open your eyes to the consequences of your nature. He knew that you would lose an eye because all of this, but considered it a small price to pay if it led you to a quest for the key."

She was right, of course, and as I looked back, I could see the sorcerer's clever manipulations. This sorcerer was a very tricky individual indeed.

"Ariya, five years ago you left before answering all of my questions, and now I have many more. Please, could you take a moment and satisfy this hunger that I have?"

Ariya smiled, listening patiently and then began addressing the many questions she had already seen in my mind. She said that I had freewill, and that I could either return to my kingdom or continue my quest, that she would protect me either way. She said that I must be careful of this freewill; however, because I will feel the direct results of every action I consciously take, no matter how trivial.

"Within your freewill," she said, "you can search for truth; which is very difficult, or look the other way and take the easy path of least resistance. This is what most people do in the world; take a path of convenience. It seems easy, and they are not the least bit worried about their fate in the next world, thinking that they will handle whatever comes up later. Their destiny is then out of their hands. Life is impermanent; it has no unchanging subsistence and therefore becomes disappointing sooner or later. All things change. And if all things are constantly in flux, then there is no fixed "self," or permanent soul that is unchanging. The fact that you, my king, are constantly changing gives you a chance to either expand your consciousness and escape from lifetime after lifetime of disappointments, going on to better worlds, or remain stuck in the human condition time after time which only guarantees eventual pain and death.

"Everything is constantly changing, including yourself, and this can be frightening to some, even to warriors. But it is true that there is nothing we can count on. Your body will age, become ill and die, which your father has taught you, and our finest aspirations can become shattered as you discovered after conquering all of your kingdoms. Everything that has a beginning must end. When you finally find your key, you will know what it is like to have neither beginnings nor endings, and you will understand a Reality that is eternal. But for now, just remember that whatever you run from, you will eventually have to face. You can never go back to where you've been or who you've been . . . because everything changes."

I listened to Ariya with increasing interest. I probably couldn't go back now, and it actually was no longer my intention to return to my kingdom, even though at times I felt as if I had abandoned my subjects, leaving them helpless without my leadership. But power could easily get into the wrong hands now, and if that happened, it would only be an additional hardship for my subjects. And if power was in the wrong hands, additional problems would develop for me; the new king would have to make sure that I never returned to cause complications.

Just as I was thinking to myself that I was going to see this through no matter what, Conqueror‘s ears stood up. He nervously looked back into the dark forest. (To be continued)