Ganhail Reaches for the Unreachable

'Good enough' was NEVER good enough for Ganhail. He had loving parents, friends, and a pretty young woman who was devoted to him. But, he was not a Knight; for he was not the son of a King, Duke, Earl, or Baron. He was the son of lowly peasants. Ganhail knew this system of things was not just. He was determined to right an unrightable wrong; believing the only way for him to change things for the better, was to become a Knight. It was an impossible dream, but somehow, he had to achieve his quest.

His father found joy whenever he could hunt to provide something extra for his family. It supplemented their meager portion of the crops—after they paid the Lord of the Manor his due. He was happy enough with his lot in life; and tried to convince his son to be the same. But, Ganhail couldn't stop chasing 'perfect'. At times, Ganhail's father had to walk away, so Ganhail wouldn't see him wipe away a tear or two, which formed at the realization that his own son wasn't proud of him.

Ganhail's mother warned: "Don't get too big for your britches!" His mother worried he had fallen into the sin of covetousness, wanting to be like the highborn—nothing good could come of that. However, Ganhail believed his quest to be an admirable goal; he could not be swayed.

Adela was Ganhail's sweetheart for as long as he could remember. Yet, she never let herself dream of a life together; for Adela was well aware of his dissatisfaction for peasant-life. Yet, at the same time, she could never bear to walk away; for she loved him, deeply.

Everytime Ganhail rode away on a journey, Adela feared that someday, it would be for the last time. As for Ganhail, of course he loved Adela, he would say so to anybody who asked. But, he secretly wondered what life would be like with an aristocratic wife.

You may be thinking that Ganhail was a terrible person... But, he wasn't. Everybody liked Ganhail. If anybody in the village ever needed help, Ganhail was the first to come to their aid. Ganhail focused on chivalrous acts, living for honor. He followed a code of conduct: -Protect the weak and defenseless, -Respect the honor of women, -Never lie or go back on your word, -Be generous, and -Always and everywhere be right and good against evil and injustice. Ganhail lived by what he thought were a Knight's virtues. Ganhail believed life would be perfect if only he could achieve Knighthood. But, how? Ganhail was pondering that, as his adventure began...

He was returning from delivering the tribute for village crops to their Lord of the Manor who owned the entire village, when it happened... Ganhail stopped to give his horse a drink, then kneeled down to fill his leather flask with the cool, clean water flowing in the stream. Lifting his eyes, he saw an old man who had no shirt, leaning against a tree. "How had I not noticed him before?" Ganhail offered the beggar what few extra coins he had, and a drink of water from the stream. After pocketing the coins and accepting the kind drink, the old man began to grin. But, Ganhail was not done with his chivalrous acts... He pulled the blanket out from under his horse's saddle, shook it out, then wrapped it around the old beggar's bare shoulders. At this, a smile lit up the old man's face, and he began to speak.

But, what he said made no sense to Ganhail... "To make green, mix together yellow and blue; vary the proportions to change the hue." Ganhail assumed this mysterious stranger had lost his mind. But, when the old man opened his hands; in one palm was yellow pigment, and in the other was blue. When Ganhail pushed the old man's palms together; the old man pulled his hands apart—and a glowing ball of fluorescent green light floated up into the air!

Ganhail gasped, as he suddenly realized he must be in the presence of a Sprite or an Angel! (Which one, Ganhail was not sure.) The old man pointed toward the glowing ball of green light and instructed, "Reach for the unreachable, for your quest to be teachable." This time, Ganhail didn't hesitate... He stretched out his arm and reached for the green.

Everything around him was changed in an instant! Somehow, Ganhail was in a suit of armor, riding a Knight's horse toward a castle. His lifelong wish had been granted! Ganhail's amazement was interrupted by a whinney from behind him.

Ganhail saw a beautiful woman at his side, wearing a stunning, long green gown, accented in burgundy. Atop her head was a green, cone-shaped hennin, which covered her long auburn hair. She was quite beautiful—so much so, that Ganhail was speechless. Could he have been granted a wife, as well? He didn't have to wait long to find out, for she spoke—but they weren't exactly the words he had hoped for: "Husband, I've fulfilled my wifely duty and accompanied you on this wretched journey to the home of our Feudal Lord." She continued with sarcasm in her voice, "Is there anything else you require this night? A pipe and slippers, perhaps?"

Ganhail was taken aback by her attitude... Adela would never have talked to him in this manner. The thought of Adela pained his heart.

Ganhail's reflections were interrupted by the drawbridge being lowered over the moat, so they could enter. When he thanked the male attendant for showing them to their rooms, his wife sneered at him in disgust, saying: "Are we associating with commoners, now?" Before Ganhail could defend him, the attendant announced: "The banquet will be served at 8:00 p.m. Our Lord looks forward to your presence." A lady's maid appeared to help Ganhail's wife dress for dinner, while the male attendant acted as valet for Ganhail, who was not comfortable with having another man dress him. "Why are my sword and sheath green?" Ganhail wondered.

Startled, he heard his wife slap her lady's maid from the other room, for some small oversight—which pained him to the core. "If Adela became a lady's maid, I hope she's being treated better," he worried.

At the banquet, the Feudal Lord showered attention onto Ganhail's wife, feeding her green grapes. Watching 'courtly love' in action, soured Ganhail to the ways of aristocracy. Just when he couldn't abide it any longer, the Lord announced that all his Knights should get some rest, for at dawn they were off to attack a disrespectful Manor house, who were their rivals for the agriculture. Excitedly, Ganhail obeyed and retired to his quarters. He had no desire to sleep with that horrible woman who was his wife. But, it wouldn't have mattered, because she still had not returned by the next morning; when the entire order of Knights began to march, under a green banner.

Ganhail's excitement soon turned to alarm when he realized they were headed to the Manor of his former, kind Lord! Everything was in a green haze, as Knights scaled the walls—except for a dozen, who galloped off in the direction of Ganhail's village! Urgently, the faces of his loved ones—his father, mother, and Adela—flashed before his eyes; and terror gripped Ganhail's heart. The life of a Knight was not what he had imagined, not at all! Ganhail hastened away to protect his loved ones. But, alas, he saw smoke rising from the homes of his villagers, his friends—none of whom deserved this!

He spied his dear mother in a green dress... His cherished father grabbed her and darling Adela by their hands; desperately trying to rush them to safety. Ganhail screamed out a warning as he saw a Knight gallop toward them, with sword unsheathed! But, it was too late... His parents were pierced through, before he could reach them. The Knight had spared Adela— but only for his own evil purposes... He grabbed her and attempted to carry her away on his horse. But because Adela put up such a fight, he tossed her to the ground. Ganhail heard her neck snap, killing her instantly... He fell onto his knees in anguish, pleading with outstretched arms: "I don't want this life! Please, bring them back! I'm sorry for my covetousness. Please, help them!" Ganhail buried his face into his hands, and began to sob uncontrollably.

Between his sobs, he once again heard the voice of the mysterious old man. Looking up, Ganhail realized he was back by the stream, where he had first encountered the mysterious stranger! Ganhail's horse was still drinking water... Glancing down, Ganhail saw that he was back in his old familiar clothes. Whirling around, he could not see the old man, anywhere. All he could see was a green-tinted cloud in the distance, floating away. Then, he heard the old man's voice, saying: "Your lot in life is up to you; rally the others, this system is through."

Realizing it had all been a warning vision, Ganhail vaulted onto his horse and galloped away. He hurried back to his Lord of the Manor, to warn him that the Feudal Lord's troops were coming!. They would scale his walls and burn his village; in order to take his lands and surviving serfs! He urged his Lord to quickly, appeal to the King for protection against the robber-Baron! Since Ganhail was one of his most trustworthy and honorable peasants, the Lord of the Manor believed in his vision; and hurried off to the King, forthwith.

Ganhail galloped again; not stopping until he reached his village. His parents were alarmed when he burst into their home and fell to his knees. He begged for their forgiveness for his impertinence and grand ideas. After he explained his vision; his father hurried off to ring the church bell to gather all the villagers together, so Ganhail could sound the alarm. But first, Ganhail could wait no longer, to see Adela.

Forever loyal, Adela was already on her way to his house to welcome him home. Ganhail rushed to meet her. Before she could say a word, he swept her off her feet, twirled her around, leaned her against a wall, and kissed her, right on her mouth. Surprised and breathless, Adela objected that everybody could see! Ganhail replied, "But, is it not proper for a groom to kiss his bride? That is, if you'll have me, my Darling. I don't deserve you; but if you'll marry me, you'll make me the happiest man in the world." Adela couldn't believe her ears, but she exclaimed: "Yes! Oh, Yes!"

The church bell started ringing, as if on queue. After the townspeople had gathered around him, Ganhail related his vision that the Feudal Lord was coming, and his Knights would destroy their village—unless they were prepared to fight back. Their Lord of the Manor was already on his way to appeal to the King, for help. Ganhail had no doubt that their Lord—and ALL Lords, would soon be giving up the feudal system of serfdom, at the King's request, for a central government. The villagers were rallied as Ganhail spoke of how they all would learn new and better ways. His inspiring words about a new system that would replace serfdom, spread to other villages, far and wide:

"We can help each other to stand on our own—for our children, and our children's children. We can't compete with money and status; but we CAN compete on sheer will and determination... Because THAT can't be bought, it can't be handed down, and it's supply is endless—if we NEVER give up! If we reach for the unreachable, we will touch the IMPOSSIBLE!"