Hello. To introduce myself, I am known by many names. I am known as the Grim Reaper, El Muerte, Angel of Death, or just Death. My job is to watch people and take them away when their time in mortality is over. Some might say that my job is rather sobering. I, however, find it rather enjoyable. I get to watch the stories of people's lives—both short and long, both exciting and boring. Although I know the time when each person will die, it is always amusing for me to watch as people's lives unfold to their utter demise. Then, I welcome each person to my humble abode in the afterlife.
Many people believe they can escape time and avoid me. The thought is rather absurd and amusing. How long do they think I've been working at this job? Though, I must admit, they do give a lot of interesting stories to tell. But for now, I will only tell you one. It is a diverting story of greed, malice, pride, and, of course, me. It's a story of a family who thought they were untouchable—even by Death, myself. It took place a few hundred years ago...
There lived a family of nobles. There was a husband and wife with their two children. First is the greedy father, Gifre. He was a plump man who always had gold hanging from his neck and arms. He was extremely rich. Who wouldn't be, if you stole all the wealth from the people beneath you? He could spot a speck of gold from a mile away, and any jingling sounds caught his ears like the sound of a bell to a cat. It was only logical that he married a wealthy wife as well. I think he said "I do" to the money rather than his bride. At the time, I was afraid to tell him that his riches would be gone in the hereafter.
His wife, Danna, was a thin, dignified-looking lady who often dressed much like a saint. She's a little too high in her chair, if you know what I mean. She believed she was a saint and rightful judge to her people. She was a prideful woman who thought she could do no wrong. She trusted in her wisdom and hers alone. She thought she received her judgment from the gods. In truth, she only judged according to her gut feeling—though it was probably just indigestion, if you ask me. If she believed someone did something wrong, it was off to the dungeon or death, regardless of whether she had proof or not. She was always right. She's a woman—who would tell her she's wrong? However, she did not realize that there exists a greater judge—myself—and her judgment would soon come.
Their son, Griffyth, was a strong and built young man. His dark eyes lusted for blood. He gloried in violence and battle. He did not care for land or treasure that he won—only the thrill of combat. He challenged any man he could get a good fight out of. He won his first battle when he was only fourteen. To show his victory, he perched the head of his enemy on the end of his sword and drank his opponent's blood. He even went on to the next course and ate his enemy's flesh. He was such a cute little cannibal, wasn't he? It was funny listening to the guy who died as he swore revenge from the dead. No worries—your revenge will come soon enough. That boy's life will soon be within my hands.
The daughter, Ceindrech, was a beautiful girl with a slender body, oval face, and flowing hair. She was obsessed with her own beauty. There was hardly ever a moment when she did not have a mirror at hand. She constantly fretted about her appearance, fearing—even at her young age—that her beauty was fading with maturing age. She thought there were no other women more beautiful than herself. She believed her beauty was meant for her family and those she deemed worthy, only. She was indeed a vain woman; she'd marry her mirror if she were given the opportunity. Too bad there's no beauty in a corpse.
During supper one night, Gifre counted some gold pieces as he ate. His wife sat across from him signing different papers of people charged with crimes. When she got tired of looking through them, she would go through the papers, alternating randomly between "innocent" and "guilty." Ceindrech had her mirror in front of her as she watched herself eat, making sure she did not eat too much. She did not want to ruin her perfect figure. Griffyth entered the room with a bloodied sword. His face was dirty, and his clothes reeked of blood and decay.
He dropped a blood-stained bag in front of his father. The bag jingled. Gifre opened it with a giddy smile. He poured out the gold pieces and precious gems on the table, disregarding the blood on some of them.
"Another successful victory. Well done, my son," Gifre said. "You are my favorite child."
Danna cleared her throat.
"Shouldn't pick favorites, dear," she said with her false wisdom.
"Oh, the fairest of them all is too consumed in her own reflection to even care," Griffyth replied with a snort.
Ceindrech looked up for the first time from her mirror.
"At least I don't come to the table dressed and smelling like an animal," she said scornfully.
"Enough!" Danna yelled. "I don't need any headaches tonight. Dear, please say something."
Gifre did not look up. He did not pay attention to his family when he was counting his money.
"No arguments. You'll owe me compensation if you continue," he grumbled under his breath. He did not concern himself too much about his children's squabbles. As long as he received more money, he was satisfied. His wife rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"By the way, what poor chap died tonight?" Danna asked her son.
"Some man named Mortimer. He was brother to some other noble heir; he carried a lot of gold on him. But his skill in battle was rather poor. It did not bring me much satisfaction," he replied in a disappointed tone.
"Do not fret, my son. There are many strong men out there. And men with money..." his father muttered over the clinking of the gold pieces he counted.
"Well, I'm proud of you, Griffyth. I think that man was up to something suspicious anyway. He probably didn't deserve any of the money he had," his mother said. "But I wish I had as much time as you do. But who will bring justice to the people if I don't? Only I can do this task."
Her eyes drifted to her large stack of finished and signed papers. She turned to her daughter, who seemed to be brooding into her mirror.
"Ceindrech, you seem to be fretting more today than usual. What is it?" she asked.
"I think a disgusting peasant looked at me. I was in the garden. I thought I saw someone peeking over the bushes. I was right, but I could not see the man's face before he ran off," Ceindrech complained.
"Oh, poor princess, someone saw her beloved face," Griffyth joked as his teeth tore through the meat on his plate. "I'll just kill him if he comes around."
Ceindrech glared furiously at her brother, but her attention drifted back to her mirror.
"The taxes coming in have been rather small lately," Gifre said gruffly. "It's time to raise the taxes again. Danna, are you punishing those who don't pay their taxes?"
"Of course, dear. I'll make sure to do that," Danna answered.
That night, a companion of Mortimer, Aldwin, returned to Mortimer's brother, Nico, to report the news of what befell his brother. Aldwin was a close friend to their family. He was a wise, older gentleman, while Nico was a young, mighty, and kindhearted man. He cared deeply for his brother and his friend. At first, Nico welcomed him warmly, but he quickly realized that Mortimer was not with him.
"What has happened to my brother, Aldwin? Was he not with you?" Nico asked.
"He was killed by the son of the nobleman, Gifre. His name, I believe, is Griffyth. His money was also stolen. I could not do anything, for Mortimer refused my help. I would have loved to avenge him, but Griffyth is far too strong for me. I figured I could at least tell you of this event while I'm still alive. I could use all the aid I can get," Aldwin said.
Nico trembled in rage. "My brother is dead? What was the reason for attacking him? Was I not an ally to his family?" he asked.
Aldwin shook his head. "I do not know. But the man had a scary countenance. Those eyes belonged to a monster, not a man. He enjoyed it—killing your brother," Aldwin said with a disturbed expression.
"I've heard rumors of that man. His family is rumored to be corrupt to the core. I've already lost nearly all patience with them. And now they murder my brother in cold blood?" Nico said, grinding his teeth and clenching his fists. He banged his fist, nearly breaking the table. "That man must die. The evil in him could belong to the devil himself. His family as well... We need a plan. We'll storm their headquarters," Nico muttered to himself, beginning to plot revenge.
"I heard that the whole noble family seems to be losing the trust of the people they've ruled over. We can gain much more from a victory over that boy. Lord Gifre is a man of money. He's sucked his subjects practically dry. His wife is a self-righteous judge who arrests and kills her subjects at her own will. Their son is a murderous animal... And I followed the boy to his home and saw their fair daughter from afar in their garden. She is very beautiful. She'd make an excellent prize and beautiful wife for you, no? It wouldn't take much to make allies—they're greatly hated, after all. The people no longer trust them. We need to appeal to them," Aldwin suggested wisely.
"Yes, we might not have to do much dirty work ourselves. All the people need is a push in the right direction. Also, I've heard of their daughter's beauty. I heard she is very fair," Nico replied in agreement.
"I will get you a bride, then. Now, all we need to do is wait for them to raise the peasants' taxes again and make another costly mistake," Aldwin said with a clever smile.
The next morning, Gifre raised the taxes on the people. And multiple innocent people were sent to prison by Danna. This was exactly what Nico needed. When the noble family was not on guard, Aldwin went among the citizens in disguise.
"Friends, am I right or wrong? You have been oppressed by these people for far too long. Have you not suffered under this family's rule long enough?" he asked the crowd. The crowd agreed in heated mutters among themselves.
"What if I told you I can give you a solution to end their rule?" he asked. The crowd looked at each other uneasily. Nico entered the center of the crowd next to Aldwin.
"I will provide you with the resources to gain victory if you will help me overthrow their power. If you join my ranks, you will get back what was once yours—and more. With your help, it's impossible for us to lose," Nico said. The crowd's nervous muttering grew louder, until their hatred overpowered all caution and rumbled into angry roars.
"End Gifre's reign!" they chanted.
Nico smiled as the crowd became more boisterous.
"Tonight, they fall," he whispered to Aldwin. Aldwin shared the same smile and agreed.
When night came, the noble family sat in the comfort of their home, unaware of the rebellion forming outside their fortress. Gifre was counting the taxes he had collected earlier that morning. He had a small smile.
"There, now we have larger sums of money," he said to himself. His wife sat next to him with a new stack of papers listing the names of the condemned. Griffyth sat in his own chamber, cleaning the dried blood off his sword and other weapons. Ceindrech stood brushing her hair in front of her large mirror.
Griffyth looked up from his cleaning when he heard riotous noise coming from outside. He looked out from his chamber window and saw a large crowd with many torches. He rushed to the lower chambers where his knights slept.
"Wake up! There is a crowd outside. We're under attack!" he yelled, kicking one man out of bed. His knights quickly rose and helped each other into their chainmail. Griffyth boldly stood out and looked at the crowd. An arrow barely missed his head. Many men began to climb the wall. Griffyth kicked down those he could reach. Nico made it to the top of the wall and drew his sword. He turned to some of the other men who had climbed with him.
"Go inside. This young man is mine," he said. They nodded and ran inside. Griffyth laughed maniacally.
"Oh, so it's you, Nico? You dare attack my home? Are you angry because I killed your ignorant brother?" Griffyth asked.
"I came to avenge his blood," Nico replied plainly.
"Very well. Let's see you try," Griffyth said, drawing his sword and licking his lips in anticipation.
Griffyth charged at Nico with his sword, hoping to plunge the blade into his abdomen. Nico blocked his sword, took out a dagger, and stabbed Griffyth in the lungs. Griffyth fell to the ground in shock.
"Don't think that I am at the same level as my brother, whom you defeated. This is war, and I didn't come here to defeat you fairly," Nico said coldly.
"Hah. Clever one. You are the only opponent I will ever acknowledge," Griffyth said between coughs. He began to laugh uncontrollably until he drowned in the blood filling his lungs.
I took my first victim.
Nico looked at Griffyth's corpse in disgust and replied, "I don't care whether I'm acknowledged by you, filth." He kicked the body aside and walked into the fortress. Inside, Nico's army defeated many of the defenders.
Gifre, upon seeing the invading army, ran to his secret chamber where he kept all his wealth. Gold coins and treasures filled the room to the ceiling. He hid there. He kissed the gold pieces as he waited for the chaos to end. The rumbling footsteps above caused the mountainous piles of treasure to sway. He tried to stop them from falling, but instead the pile collapsed and crushed him under its weight. Unable to move or breathe, he suffocated beneath his beloved gold.
I took my second victim.
Ceindrech tried to escape secretly through the garden. To her surprise, she met Aldwin. He smiled and quickly grabbed and bound her. She tried to scream, but he gagged her.
"You'll become Lord Nico's bride," he said with a grin.
He carried her into the woods until they came to a small boat on the river. He placed her in the boat and began to row toward Nico's home. She was able to slip one of her hands free and hit him with her mirror. The mirror shattered and knocked Aldwin unconscious. She looked into the shattered glass in horror.
"No! My mirror! How can I find another mirror?" she cried in panic. She had never been without one before. Then she noticed the moonlight reflecting in the water. She suddenly leaned over the edge of the boat to look at her reflection. It was the last thing she ever saw, because the boat tipped over. Aldwin quickly awoke and swam to the surface, grabbing the boat. However, he did not see where the girl had gone. Her large dress had soaked up water and dragged her to the bottom of the river, where she drowned.
I took my third victim.
The last person within the fortress was Danna. She was quickly captured and bound. When the rest of the knights were defeated, the rebels threw her into the dungeon for the night, and the crowd cheered for the fall of their oppressors. Danna wept in her cell—not because of the death of her family, but because of the shame that her family's power had vanished in just one night.
The next morning, Aldwin returned to Nico. He was drenched from head to toe. Nico looked at him with concern.
"What happened? Where is their daughter?" Nico asked.
"Drowned. She capsized the rowboat. I could not find her after that. I am sorry," Aldwin said.
"It is alright, my wise friend. She is not a prize worth weeping over. But we have gained victory and avenged my brother. That is something worth celebrating," Nico replied.
"What has happened to the others?" Aldwin asked.
"Gifre was found dead under a pile of gold. I guess it fell and crushed him. I defeated his son Griffyth easily. Gifre's wife Danna is awaiting the judgment of the people," Nico said, pointing to where a large crowd had gathered.
In the center of the crowd stood Danna, tied to a pole with large branches of wood surrounding her.
"Let me go, peasants! You cannot judge me—it is my calling to judge you! You are making a mistake! God will punish you all!" she growled.
One peasant stepped forward and said, "You do not judge us! The innocent have suffered greatly because of your so-called gift. If we are sinners, then you are a hypocrite. So since you insist on being a saint, you will die like the saints of old... by fire."
Another peasant dropped his torch onto the wood. She screamed as the flames engulfed her. The crowd cheered.
I took the last victim.
I don't discriminate or give special treatment to anyone. Anyone has a chance to die, so my job is rather fair. The story of this ironic tragedy is only one of many that I've collected throughout the years. And this family is only a few of the many people I have welcomed to my home in the life after.