I still remember the day that I was given away… given away
like a child gives away an old toy. As I think about that day, I never
anticipated the events that would occur. Yes, I awoke like any other and
wondered what the day would have in store. However, never, never in my life,
did I think that I would be wished away to keep some peace. Ugh, men and their
wars… to prove what… their honor? Soldiers go off and leave their family and
their baby’s piercing screams behind to instead be pierced by gruesome metal.
Ugh, men and their wars. My mind has always been too idealistic. Well, on that
day, I learned to face the actualities of my life and fulfill my duty to my
people.
I couldn’t have objected. Could I have? No, of course not. I
am shuddering at the simple thought. Hrothgar was right when he rejected my
brother’s riches, even the bear… however big it might have been. I have come to
terms with my fate. It is my job to keep the peace. I have had two kids and
even raised Hrothgar’s nephew. It all feels like so along. This might even be
my place now. At first, I thought I’d spend my life as a living treaty.
However, I’ve grown accustomed to life in Heorot.
At first, I thought I’d just be pouring mead in the
background. However, I do much more than that. I care for the kids… no, not
just the kids, but the warriors as well, Unferth and Beowulf. My children and
the nephew are growing up; Beowulf should be their adult-figure. Hrothgar is
aging quickly and as he ages, his legacy, the foundation of his power, fades.
Beowulf would make a great figure to care for them. He is courageous. Not just
courageous, but fearless. As fearless of death as those who are have already
died. Unferth, on the other hand, needs my compassion. Beowulf overshadows him.
That is why I patted Unferth on the shoulder, to show him he isn’t as
invisible as the breeze. He might be a breeze to others after his mocked defeat
and Grendel’s condescending patronizing, but in actuality, he is just a
troubled man forever lost on the path of an aspiring hero. Yes, looking back, I
have made a difference by Hrothgar’s side. However, in the end, I guess that I
truly did it to protect my people. It was me, a peacekeeper, or an ultimatum of
war and its piercing metal against my people. Ugh, men and their wars.
