Saturday Excerpt, "Quest"

“Your temper is what needs to be controlled, Linvin.  How many times in the last few weeks have you lost control with Rander alone?  He is not even your enemy.  Then you let some barnyard-smelling ruffians pick a fight with you.”

Linvin fired back, “They crossed the line!”

“Then perhaps,” Anvar responded while sitting down, “the line was drawn too close.  Your skin must grow thicker to be a great leader.  Otherwise, you will be doomed to the life of a puppet whose strings are easily drawn.”

Anvar continued his lesson.  “You chose to take action in spite of the condition of the party.  It was a bold but unwise choice on your part.  You ended up surrounded but still managed to fight your way through them.  For that, I give you credit.  Unfortunately, you once again let your temper rule your actions.  After brilliantly handling the first two men, you took your time with the leader.  Had you finished him quickly, you could have easily noticed the bartender or perhaps helped one of us.  Instead, you spent a good amount of time flogging him, did you not?”

Linvin stuck his chin out as anger swelled within his being.  He stared at a patch of forest where Anvar could not directly see his face.  “I wanted him to suffer,” he said at last.  “I wanted him to pay for what he had said and done.  He had humiliated me and I wanted to return the sentiment.  In the end though, I wanted to squeeze his neck until I could feel his windpipe crush beneath my fingers.”

Anvar softened his face and walked over to Linvin.  Brushing his nephew’s cheek ever so slightly with his hand, he turned Linvin’s eyes to meet his own.  “You wanted revenge, my boy.  You wanted it for their actions, but I think you also wanted it for the loss of your parents.

“I am not immune to such feelings, either, but you must remember, revenge is not a path to a positive end.  Revenge leads to unclear thinking and poor decisions.  It was your desire for vengeance that made you lose track of the bartender.  Instead of being victorious, we were chased out like rats because of your pride and shortsightedness.  That was your greatest failure.

“Think of this journey, and your life, for that matter, as training to be worthy of the Red Sapphire.  Simply being strong or intelligent is not sufficient for the power you have been chosen to wield.  You need patience and diplomacy working alongside brawn and brain.  Only then can you and the gem reach your full potential.  Protecting the weak and the helpless is a far cry from revenge.  Strive to be the great man you were meant to be and you will find him within yourself.