Paladin shook his head, a sarcastic frown on his face that made the edges of his crimson eyes crinkle. What Lace said was only further evidence of his claim that no one was equal. He had seen the truth, watched it unfold before his eyes, ignored it time and time again only to have it hit him when he too was plagued with age and wisdom was forced into his thick skull. The stallion shifted his weight again, resting one of his back hooves in a position that spoke of him being relaxed, even if he was anything but. “I never said that taking action against those for whatever reason was acceptable,” he said clearly. “I only said that we are not all equal. Look at all of us standing here, and tell me that we are equal.” He challenged both Lace and Aaron, looking them both in the eyes.
“I am crippled with age, my body rebelling against years of abuse, and yet you, Aaron, could easily take me in a battle. Once, I was your superior, and now? Lace has that infernal lizard at his side, always, and Mauja and I do not. We are not equals. We have horns, and you two do not. Aaron has a hound. None of us are equal. We are all too different to ever claim that equality is achievable. To be equal is to deny individuality.” Paladin looked at Lace and shook his head. “One of my daughters was born into this world with legs so crooked she could barely move, but her twin was healthy. Tell me that we are all born equal, now.”
“Equality is a word we use to justify those who do not behave as we do,” he said. “And that is not equality at all. The word, the real word, and the true term we should be using is ‘tolerance’, not equality. No one is equal, but we should all be tolerant of others and their differences - whether we agree or not. We are born with equal rights, but we are not born equal.”
Paladin raised a brow at Aaron, shaking his head. “Fighting for peace is an oxymoron,” he said. “Wherever there is war, there can be no peace. Where blood flows, there is no serenity. What I remember happening to Isilme was shades taking over shortly after my herd was attacked and my daughter kidnapped. I pushed too far – demanded too much – and I changed too much. You lived among your own kind, if I remember, Aaron. You lived with Aera, right? She and I had an understanding. We were close in our own way, but I did not judge her for only allowing your kind into her herd. She had every right to be selective toward those who were her blood-kin.”
Mauja spoke then, his words only solidifying the truth that Paladin had come to realize so late. A pang of guilt bit at his chest as he was able to hear the cold passion in the Frostheart’s voice. How much pain did he feel to cause his tones to be so guarded? The Valiant, the title seeming so ill fit now, nodded slowly. “What reason did we have to fight that day?” he asked. “We shoved them out of their home they had built – a home that was given to them when we all came here, just like I was given the Moonlit Tides. We condemn them for their way of life. We judge them without evidence. We are a tidal wave of destruction, tearing through the world, homes, families, lives while saying big, inviting words as if that is supposed to make it better.”
Paladin frowned. “Where was the invitation for their wandering, exiled herd to live? Hm?” The stallion stood tall, stretching on painful bones. “We were wrong, and we still are. If any of you take anything from the revelation I have gained so late, it’s to do whatever you can to right this wrong. No one is equal, no one deserves anything, and fighting for peace is in itself a hypocritical statement. War is an honorable way to gain land, territory and a home for your kin, but be honest about your intentions. Don’t hide beneath a blanket of equality as if it’s a noble notion – because it’s not.”
The war stallion looked over at Mauja, frowning. "I fought because of Psyche," he said quietly. "I fought because I thought that eradicating any whisper of my homeland would set right my bloodstained path, but I was wrong. When I saw her as wicked, I should have looked and seen someone brave enough to leave our home as I had. She was only trying, in her own way, to make a home for herself, to forget our past, and I condemned her for actions that were not her own. I am sorry."
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