He laughed.
It wasn't because of the joy of his journey coming to an end. No, He laughed at the irony of it all. He left in order to find his dreams, to realize his ambitions, save his homeland. A land plagued by oppression, where the rich bathed in the land's bounty and the poor labored to gather it. Because of his people's plea for help he went on a journey to find a mythical place, a story passed down from father to son. He went in search of the fields of gold.
He went through a lot. Crossing the seven seas, soaring in the skies,traveling from city to city in search of his elusive goal. Every place he visited had the same story as his homeland, A field of pure gold that stretched as far as the eye could see. Of course each city had their own versions or additions to the tale. A man of extreme power that guards the fields, A gem called the Philosopher's stone that gives life to the field. But in each rendition of the tale one thing stayed true, the field will only show itself to he who has been enlightened by his journey.
He never thought about it, always so set in his goals. He always thought that he has been enlightened enough. That he has already seen everything the world has to offer. He never thought he can be so wrong until he met her.
It was during a banquet that he was invited to. Apparently she was the daughter of a noble he had saved from bandits in his journeys. There in that gathering he saw her. A privileged girl born of nobility, educated, elegant, beautiful, innocent, sheltered. Perhaps too sheltered. Her smile was bright, her movements graceful yet cheerful, her laugh was magnificent. But he saw through her facade. He knew that behind the woman everyone knew was a girl longing to be saved. He shuddered whenever she looked at him, not because she was beautiful. No, it was because of her eyes, it was dull, empty, dead. He can no longer remember how many times he saw those eyes whenever he looked at a mirror. That was why he wanted to save her, not for anyone's sake but his. He didn't want anyone else to suffer like he did.
He went to her and talked to her, told her stories about his adventures. How he journeyed through the land in search of something that can save his homeland. He told her of stories about the people he met, places he have seen and enemies he has fought. Each story would bring hope in her eyes, and slowly but surely it started looking alive. By the end of his stories the eyes of the girl had been filled with hope, an inextinguishable fire now lit it up.
The next day he left for his journey once more, edging closer to his goal. He didn't get far though, before he heard a voice calling his name. Turning around, he saw the girl running after him. She explained her situation to him. She wanted to come with him on his journey, to see the world for herself. She did not want a part of the fields of gold, she didn't want any treasures. She just wanted to be a part of his adventure, to create her own stories from now on. He looked at her and saw the fire alive in her eyes. He was the one who lit it up, he was gonna take the responsibility.
They started travelling together. Their journey brought them to different places allowing them to meet new people each one different from the last. New stories formed everyday both for her and for him. But that was not the only thing that was formed. Each day that he traveled with her changed his outlook on life. He used to be so focused on his goal that he missed everything else. Having her as his companion changed all that. She laughed at the stupidest jokes, got fascinated by the simplest things, got excited for the smallest exploits.
She changed him, slowly but surely. He did not know how it started. But now he smiled more, laughed more, appreciated everything more. No longer was he the man that can only see his goal in front of him. He no longer took everything for granted. He started seeing the world in a different light. He was no longer afraid, not of failure, not of the spite his people will give him, not of himself. He had finally learned to accept things as they are and find a way to make it right. She changed him, and for the better.
Then it happened, they heard the story of a man who says he had seen the fields with his own eyes. He lived in a town at the outskirts of his homeland.They immediately set out to seek the man. After arriving at the small town they wasted no time in seeking out the only witness. The witness is an old man, bedridden because of old age and now fragile. The man told them of his story, how he got lost in the mountains and how he found the fields and how it was gone when he came back.
It was the best information he had gotten in ages. He now had an idea where the field is and he was not gonna let it go. They immediately went to find the place the man had told them and prayed that he was not just becoming mad because of old age. When they arrived they were both at a loss for words. A field of gold that stretched as far as the eye could see. He can’t believe it all this time it was here, ecstasy filled his very being as he started to run towards the field.
Then he stopped.
The moment he got close enough to make out what it really was, his world shattered. His hopes, his dreams, his salvation was all a lie. He was brought back when he heard her speak. She was holding a stalk of the plant and was walking towards him. She looked at him and he was able to read her expression. She looked at him with pity, because she knew that now he had no goal. It hurt her, but she had to say it nonetheless.
“This is wheat.”
He laughed. He laughed at the irony of it all. He wanted to cry but tears won’t come. The pain had numbed him. All his sacrifice, his pain, his efforts. All of it was wasted. After all these years the very thing he had been chasing was a myth all along. He thought that maybe it would have been better to not have seen it, to keep on living in his own little world. He thought maybe if he kept living that lie he would not feel this pain of having everything he ever strived for crushed, he thought that maybe he could continue being with her. And that was when he felt it. She was holding him close to her. He heard small sobs coming from the fragile body that held him close indicating that she was crying, for him. He looked at her and he remembered their entire journey everyone he met, every places he visited. He thought about everything he learned. Then he remembered something.
“Are you sure this is wheat?” He asked her after a while.
She nodded. That was it, his answer. He knew it. He broke the embrace and slowly moved forward. He started moving towards the field all the while gazing at its vastness. Maybe hope wasn’t lost after all, maybe this was the answer all along. He closed his eyes and raised his head. He cleared it and took a deep breath. He once again looked back at his journey, their journey. This time though it wasn’t to look at it like it was some damned curse. He thought about everything he learned as if it was the answer to all of his questions. That moment he realized something. He had found his answers after all.
“I’m sorry that this wasn’t what you were looking for, but maybe if we looked harder. Maybe, just maybe we can find the fields of gold.” He heard her say.
He opened his eyes. He was now looking up to the sky, the beautiful blue sky. She was trying to cheer him up. He thought that maybe his eyes looked like her when they first met. But he knew better. He knew that he has changed, for the better. So he turned around and smiled at her.
“This is the fields of gold.”
Her eyes grew wide as she remembered. This land did not harvest wheat. The soil outside of the mountain range did not promote the growth of wheat so no one has ever planted it and it was also very plausible that no one has ever seen it before it got harvested and transported. And here it was a wheat field so vast it can supply an entire town for two winters in one harvest. It also made sense, wheat only grew once a year. It would explain why the witness found it gone when he returned. This particular variety was spring wheat, he probably went back before the winter set in when the wheat had already whittled.
She smiled back at him. He could not help but be happy inside. Now that he looked back at everything he can’t help but feel that she was the one who helped him change. Before he didn’t care about anything else but his goal. All he could think about was finding the fields of gold and saving his people that he did not bother to learn anything from his journey. He turned around again and closed his eyes. He thought about that time before he met her. He thought about what he would have done if he found this place before he was changed. Would he have thought of this solution?