He kept looking at the candle flicker. Out of the twenty four candles he looked at only that one. It was the thinnest among the lot yet it burnt the brightest, because of the long wick. It cast shadows of its own shape as the flame occasionally quivered.

The thin candle will burn out sooner than the rest. That doesn't stop it from burning.

The room seemed dimly lit despite of the twenty four candles and two torches. Shadows seemed to loom everywhere. But the shadows weren't the fact that made the atmosphere intense. It was the silence. Though the room was within the temple, not one sound could be heard from outside. The air seemed to respect this silence as well. He saw no reason why he should not.

"Do you wish to cleanse yourself?" the priest's voice cut through the silence like a knife had once cut through him.

He let the silence return before he chose to reply, "I have already been cleansed by The White God. I killed The Giant." The candle still had his undivided attention.

"An act of killing cannot cleanse a soul. Be it killing a monster," Priest Bill shook his head.

"It wasn't the act of killing that cleansed me. It was the act of rising in the face of defeat." Silence received its respect again as he said this.

The priest did not look away from him. "What is your purpose of coming here then?"

"What do you know of the King?" Wilbur asked, as if the question was meant for the candle.

"Well, I have never met him in person. But I won't assume much of him, depending upon what justice he has shown Andlenore in the past and what sort of men he has sent here." The Priest stopped as he realised that the man sitting in front of him, had a sword with the King's seal, and was a man of the King.

"Go on. The King accepted bribes from the Giant. His justice court turned to nothing but a farce when it came to protecting the weaker," he completed the Priest's sentence. "And the King himself, renowned to be a brave man. Good at wielding weapons, great at diplomacy, greater still at benevolence," The candle seemed to sense the heavy sarcasm in his tone, as it flickered. He let the silence resume its reign before he continued.

"So why, you might ask, Priest. Why would any man in his sane mind serve him? Why would a knight pledge his sword to the King? Why would a mage turn his knowledge for his use? Why would a priest save a blessing for him?"

"Power," replied the Priest.

Wilbur smiled at the answer.

"Power," he repeated. "That is the answer, Priest. Power. A knight hungers for power more than he does for glory. But what gives the King his power? How did he get this power?"

He answered his own question, "The knight himself. The knight himself constitutes some part of what is the King's total power.

"Now after all this, Priest, we come again to another question. If the knights themselves are the power that the King possesses, why would they rather not choose someone they truly want to serve than give their power to someone unworthy and gain feigned glory?"

The Priest looked at him. Wilbur did not return the gaze for it was still afixed on the candle.

The Priest did not reply so he went on, "This arises out of the knight's own selfishness. He wishes more power for himself. That hunger itself leads him to choose falsely. Because of this hunger, he looks not beyond himself. If he does, his hunger makes him say, 'What can one knight do? I am but one in an army'. He doesn't realize that every knight in the whole army replies in the same fashion. While the answer should have been, 'I will look for a man worthy of my power.' A simple solution. But he does not reach this conclusion as his very definition of glory had been adulterated, to the point; his glory remains nothing but a personification of his selfishness. His pride a hollow case.

"And all for what? The whole concept of power is but an illusion. As hollow as the pride the knights now hold. As deceiving as their definition of glory. Their insatiable hunger leads them here."

The shadows and silence played a harmony of menace in the pause that ensued.

"What do you want warrior?" the Priest asked again, his question finding a new meaning this time.

The candle finally found freedom from his gaze, as he turned to face the Priest. He got up from his seat. His six foot frame created a looming shape shifting shadow. He unsheathed his sword with his right hand.

The sword had the King's seal on the hilt. The blade reflected the candle light.

"My loyalty lies elsewhere. I wish to be free from the oaths I have taken."

****

"We have gathered here today, to hear out a man who was touched by Almighty, just like we were. This man was the means that led to the death of the Giant."

The Priest got down from the make shift stage that had been prepared. The little town of Andlenore had gathered on his call.

Wilbur rose up the make shift stage in full battle armour. But this wasn't the King's armour. It was painted white with sky blue engravings on the chest plate and sky blue shoulder plates from which was hooked a plain white cape. The armour seemed to glow in the morning sunlight.

He saw the eyes of the town's folk on him. The words of the Priest seemed to have affected them, but he could still sense doubt.

"You remember me as a man who came with the Giant to supposedly rule this town. You remember me as a man who did nothing but watch as the townsfolk were harassed. You remember me as a man with no honour. You are wrong. You are wrong because that man is dead. He is dead along with that platoon of his.

"The man who arose again, after being stabbed is the man I am. Remember me, if you will, as the man who freed this town. And how did I arise?"

He paused for a moment.

"The answer is simple. I was touched by The White God.

"No longer do I walk under subjugation. No longer do I bow to false authority. No longer do I walk the path I don't deem fit walking. I walk the path lit by The White God. For he was the one who saved me. He was the one who, I believe, chose me. I was chosen by God as means to free this town from the Giant.

"The same is also true for you, good people of Andlenore. We are the people God chose to show himself to. You are free of all the restraints."

He raised his tone a little with every line.

"You do not need to bow to a king, who is unworthy of ruling you.

"For it is not king that chooses their people, it is the people that choose their King.

"Follow your faith.

"Go with what you believe!

"Have the strength to follow what you believe. And let me be the means of that strength!

Saying so, he unsheathed his sword. The blade was pure white. It almost shone with radiance. He raised the sword as high as he could. The hilt of the sword did not have a King's Seal. The tip of the blade gleamed in sunlight.

"Let me free you once again, O people of Andlenore. Accompany me in this path I have chosen. Walk with me in the path lit by the White God!"

A silence followed as everyone had their eyes on the pure white blade. He rejoiced as a cheer broke through the crowd.