Most quests are not completely understood from the outset. Some quests are not even apparent until the knight is thrust upon them. How anyone in the party will respond to circumstances encountered on the quest is always somewhat of an unknown. Some quests develop and evolve in extremely unexpected ways, making pre-planning pretty much superfluous. Given these truisms, just how is a questing knight supposed to equip himself with the right companions, anyway?
I have spent much of my questing career trying to figure out the answer to this most perplexing dilemma. I have tried questing alone, to no avail. I have tried a variety of combinations of fellow knights and their abilities, but never really succeeded in creating a workable group. Then one day, quite by accident, I stumbled across the answer.
It came in the form of a rogue knight who was sent to me by a friend for assistance with a quest of his own. That led to other quests, some his and some mine, through which we discovered that we worked pretty well together. We were surprised to discover that this was not so much because we were very much alike or because we were at the same place on our questing journeys, or because we ever would have purposefully chosen each other to be questing companions. So what exactly did connect us so firmly?
It turns out that the things which make us different are completely complimentary. The areas in which I am weak, he is strong and vice versa. We understand and empathize with each other in ways we never imagined until the questing forced us to deal with situations that unmistakably brought out the true nature and character in each of us. When we discover a flaw in one or the other, we are motivated to compensate and help each other until the weakness becomes a strength. We each know the other better than we know ourselves…and that has been okay…even beneficial! We find joy in honing each other’s rough edges and helping each other learn and grow. Most of all, we never seem to tire of the joint questing and even seek out reasons to join forces whenever possible.
Does that mean we never quest without each other or with others? Certainly not. Does it mean we never disagree or struggle? Negatory. But we have made a pledge to honor the connection between us and work together whenever and wherever possible for our mutual benefit. The bottom line is that he is my friend in the truest sense and I trust him implicitly and completely. I find great strength and confidence in the knowledge that he feels the same. Funny thing, too…I find myself acting much more like a rogue these days. I wonder if he is rubbing off on me?
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