The Endless Road

AS THE SUN ROSE over the eastern horizon, the donkey began to bray a complaint of hunger and Steven awoke to find Madame Selah Welinska wrapped in his arms beside the dying embers of last night’s fire. She stretched luxuriously, turned her face toward him, and smiled, then snuggled back down into his arms. He gently extracted himself from her embrace and went to tend the braying donkey.

When he reached the animal, he discovered that it was tethered just out of reach of a tasty batch of thistles. He unfastened the lead and let the donkey graze on the thistles.

“I don’t know why I bothered to tether you,” Steven said as he reached for sand and weeds to curry the back of the donkey while it ate. “You never go anyplace and I don’t know why you are with me.”

“That is easy,” said Madame Selah Walinska coming up beside him. “You’ve brought him to rescue a maiden in distress.” She pointed at her cart and for the first time Steven noticed that it had a harness, but that the gypsy had no animal with which to pull the cart.

“What happened to your draft beast?” Steven asked, not knowing if the cart had been pulled by donkey, horse, or ox.

“I was careless,” said Selah. “I met a man who said he was a trader as I traveled with a caravan. When I woke in the morning, I found the donkey gone and an empty wine bottle and cheese rind in his place. Some trade.”

“I bought a horse from such a trader in Byzatica,” said Steven. “When I awoke, I had a donkey that docilely follows me wherever I go. If you would like, we can share his labors and hitch him to your cart. I have little to carry and the donkey is strong.”

“The donkey, the donkey,” said Selah. “Doesn’t the poor fellow have a name?”

“No,” Steven said. “I suppose not.”

“Then he shall have one from me,” she replied. She stepped to the side of the donkey and it turned to nuzzle her gently. “Ah yes, faithful creature,” she said. “You have come to the aid of this weary traveler. Would you take as payment the name of Xandros?” Steven was certain he saw the animal bob its head up and down in agreement as if he understood. From that moment the donkey was known as Xandros.

After they had breakfasted and cleaned their camp, they hitched Xandros to the cart. Steven placed his pack in the cart along with the gypsy’s belongings, and they struck out southeastward on the road.

“How shall we entertain ourselves on the road, Steven George the Dragonmaster?” Selah asked as they walked companionably along with the donkey leading the way. “Shall we tell stories?”

“Do you mean to once-upon-a-time each other?” Steven asked. He had not bothered to offer to trade stories since the night with the thief, and was not sure that he could tell a story now that all he needed to fight the dragon had been stolen.

“Once, twice, or as many times as you like,” said Selah. “Come now, what story would you like to hear from me?” she asked.

“I should like to know about Xandros,” said Steven. “How did you come by this name to give to our fine friend?”

As the gypsy, the dragonslayer, and the donkey walked together down the long road, Selah began her story.

ONCE UPON A TIME, at the beginning as stories go, there lived a great bricklayer named Xandros. Xandros was a fine craftsman and was in great demand throughout the land in which he lived. People said that the houses he built were built to last forever. The walls he made would never come down. People wanted him to build them houses. The king wanted him to build a wall around the city. The liveryman wanted Xandros to build a stable, and the clergyman wanted him to build a church.

Xandros was a proud man. The buildings and walls that he built were strong and beautiful. He fired his own bricks and took care in his craftsmanship. As the city grew with houses and garden walls, churches, palaces, stables, and inns, people found that in order to get from one place to another they frequently needed to go around the very walls that he had built for them. They would meet each other and say “I would have been here sooner, but I had to go around Xandros’ walls.”

During the dry season one year, the winds picked up and encountered the walls of the city. But the winds could not pass. Xandros proudly boasted that even the wind had to go around his walls. With the wind came sand and tumbling weeds and scraps of clothing lost by careless travelers. All had to go around the walls.

During the rainy season one year, the citizens discovered that the water, too, had to go around Xandros’ walls. The packed earth streets of his city began to run with water. The sand and weeds and scraps of clothing that collected in corners during the windy season were washed before the waters. The streets ran with mud and people had difficulty passing through.

Xandros boasted that even the water had to go around his walls. People, however, complained. Many wanted to begin tearing down the walls so that the wind and the water could pass more freely. But the walls stood firm.

It was in the early summer that things came to an unpleasant crisis. The sun that had shone so pleasantly on the people of the city could not go around Xandros’ walls. The walls had reached such a great height that only shadows fell upon the people of the city; and the people were sorely vexed.

But Xandros boasted that even the sun had to go around his walls. He was proud of his accomplishment and said to himself, “I am more powerful than the wind, stronger than the water, and cleverer than the sun. Perhaps I should be the king.”

Now people became alarmed because Xandros was so boastful. Eventually news of his boast reached the king and the king called together his council to consider what should be done with the boastful bricklayer.

“If Xandros became king, we should all live within walls and never be free to move about,” said one councilor.

“We shall all live within walls and never be free to move about regardless,” said another.

But the king was wise and told his councilors that Xandros was to be summoned before the throne with all pomp and circumstance. All the kingdom was to be called to witness the way the king honored the bricklayer. Then the king retired to his chamber taking none with him but the court jester.

Banners were flown from all the highest parapets. Heralds strolled up and down the streets of the city calling out the news. Everyone was summoned to witness how the king would honor Xandros.

On the appointed day the people gathered in the courtyard of the brick palace. A great band of drums and bugles preceded Xandros through the streets and when he entered the courtyard, the people threw rose petals in his path. Boldly, he strode up the steps to the king’s throne on a high dais where everyone could see him.