Lord and Lady Penan were enjoying a delicious meal one evening, when a messenger interrupted them with startling news.

“Your enemies are at the gate!” He exclaimed.

Lord Penan looked at his wife, she raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

“Darling, is that guard talking to me?” he asked.

With a tone of mock-seriousness, she replied. “I do not know! He did not address you, so he could have been referring to anyone.”

Lord Penan nodded knowingly. “Then I guess I should not be worried.” He popped a grape into his mouth.

The messenger stared in horror for a moment. Then, filled with resolve he walked over to Lord Penan.

“Sir. Your enemies are at our gates, they are set on destroying you, your house, and all within it. What are your orders?”

Lord Penan stroked his beard thoughtfully for a moment before replying. “Which enemies specifically?”

“Well your lordship, the neighboring lords have sent their armies.”

“That is no trouble, let them lay siege. The bandits in the area have plagued us for years, the invaders will soon grow sick of them and leave.”

“Well, that is part of the trouble sir. The bandits have made a treaty with the invaders in exchange for part of the plunder, they are outside as well.”

“What of the witch in the woods?” Asked Lord Penan. “Surely she will curse any who enter the territory.”

“Well sir, while that is normally the case, last week you kicked over her hovel for sport after an unsuccessful hunt.”

“I take it that she is still bitter about it?”

“She weaves dark magic as we speak. She is also in the assembly outside.”

“Most unfortunate.”

“Agreed.”

Lady Penan got up from the table and left, exchanging a nod with her husband. He in turn, stood up and brushed the crumbs from his shirt.

“Have my enemies crossed the moat yet?”

“No, they are holding the attack for the moment.”

“That is good for now, but they will moat definitely overwhelm us when they strike.”

The guard bit back an angry response, as another messenger arrived.

“Sir!” Said the second guard. “The bones of the sleeping dragon have been disturbed by the rabble outside. When the monster heard that we were under attack, it allied itself with our enemies!”

“Didn’t the other lords declare the skeleton dragon to be an outlaw last year?” Asked the first messenger.

“Indeed,” replied Lord Penan. “However, I once taunted the beast, saying that it did not have the guts to ever attack me. Apparently, it still has a spine to stand up for itself.”

Neither of the guards seemed amused. The Lord poured himself a cup of wine, seeing as the servants had fled the room after the original warning.

“Gentlemen, I am speaking to you both as a fellow human, not as a lord.” He paused, scanning their startled expressions. “Is it meaningful to die for gold?”

The guards exchanged puzzled looks, for it was their job to defend this land. Finally, the second man spoke up.

“I think that there are things worth dying for, but gold isn’t one of them.”

Lord Penan nodded approvingly.

“Then is it good to die for pride?” He asked.

“Of course not!” Said the first guard. “But to die for honor is a noble thing.”

The lord scoffed and took a sip of wine. “What honor? To die needlessly against overwhelming odds is not honor. To stand against the unstoppable brings no more honor to a life than a swarm of locust brings joy to a harvest.”

Lord Penan glanced past the guards at his wife who had returned quietly. She was carrying a lantern in one hand, and a key in the other.

“It’s time.” She said urgently. “The others have been called back, we should leave.”

They exited the banquet hall, making their way down through the winding corridors of the cellars, until reaching a dead end.

“What now?” asked the guards. Is this where we die?”

“So little faith?” chided Lady Penan. “This wall here is our greatest line of defense, I was almost afraid we would never use it!”

She pulled loose a brick, revealing a small keyhole. Unlocking it, the whole wall swung inward as a massive disguised door. Inside waited the rest of the household staff and guards.

The first guard lingered at the entrance.

“What of your house’s treasures? What of the castle?” He asked.

Lord Penan ushered the others inside.

“Let them have it, what’s left anyway. We have set aside enough to make a start somewhere else. As for the castle, let my enemies find themselves trapped inside a tiny space full of people they have never liked. Us and the others will leave this tunnel on the other side of the mountain.”

“Won’t we all be ruined? Won’t your dynasty be erased?”

“Boy, a man’s name is his own. It is mine, and I shall do with it what I see fit. And I choose to spare the people who work for me, and give my family a chance to live a simpler life.”

“You aren’t going to build a new kingdom?”

“No.”

“What of your power? What of the wealth? The influence?”

The former lord sighed and dragged the guard after him, closing the door as he left. His voice dropped to a whisper as they walked.

“I’m going to let you in on a little secret. It doesn’t mean anything; the wealth, power, or any of it. I have found that after I had conquered and built, I was left with nothing but boredom and a headache.”

“Men were ready to kill and die to have what you just threw away.” The guard hissed.

“Then they are the fools, because I would not wish that upon anyone. Well, except maybe my worst enemies who just happen to be claiming that prize as we speak.”

“You know that some people only dream about what you blatantly gave away. Most don’t get the chance to know so much luxury.”

Penan stopped and looked the guard straight in the eye.

“Very few will ever realize how empty that dream is. Few will realize what they have lost to achieve it. And among those whom you call fortunate, even fewer will have the will to break their own curse.

“I tell you this because it is a rare lesson, the truth only known to the accursed. This,” he said gesturing to the stone walls. “it is all nothing. While this,” He prodded the guard in the chest. “The simple reality, that we are all still alive is worth more than all of the riches in the kingdom.”

“Those fools were willing to pay for gold in blood. Let them do so on their own terms. Let them rot.”