I am a bit of a movie and series addict. I look for series that are clever, have a different slant and that I immerse myself into the culture of the time. Recently, I stumbled across a series called “The Chosen”, which is a television drama based on the life of Jesus of Nazareth. I have watched several movies with the same theme, but this one stood out because it was based not as much on the Messiah’s life but on some disciples that he chose. One character that stood out was Mathew, the tax collector. This character fascinated me, as in my first book, The Last of the Silver Wings, I have a tax collector, who was driven into the dragon tunnels along with the rest of Nadine’s village. My tax collector fits many people’s perceptions of tax collectors in medieval times.
“The Chosen” showed me a different side of the famous tax collector from biblical times. I Loved the thought that went into this version of Mathew. The series depicts him as an affluent man, who has all the visible signs of success, but who can not walk the streets in peace because of the hatred of his community. He eats all his meals in isolation while the rest of the community gather for the Shabbat meal. For those who don’t know, Shabbat is a day of rest that lasts from sundown on Friday evening through nightfall on Saturday night.
While the interpretation of this character is fictional, the series shows each of the chosen in a light that makes it easy for us to relate to what they must have been going through.
As I read through the responses to my newsletters, I realise that there are many people who are going through some sort of isolation, and not all of it is because of a pandemic. Some people are going through massive trials that they cannot express to others. Some of these trials may be because of their own mistakes and some may be because of choices that others have made that affect them. I have been on both sides of that coin. I have made terrible choices that affect my family and others around me. And I have been burdened with the consequences of other people’s misfortunes or poor decisions. No matter what the reasons for the decisions, I have learned to see things from a different perspective. Part of it is because I care about what people are going through, but part of it is because I see bitterness is an ailment that affects everything we do and say. It is an ailment that makes us sick and breaks down our relationships. I know when I have allowed myself to sip of this cup, that I attract other bitter people and lose the energy to build a better future for myself and my family..
This is one of the driving forces in my medieval fantasy series. I try to show characters as they truly are, with all their beautiful flaws, because perhaps there may be someone in my readers’ lives who needs someone to see their flaws from a different perspective.
Extract from Book 4
Nadine sat in her confinement cave and eased on the garment Nathan had ordered for her. Her arms ached at the effort. The criss-cross pattern of leather on her shoulders and arms offered protection from the tiny razor-like claws of Bliant, the Emerald Forest Dragon hatchling. She looked at the creature curled up on his bed of leaves in the cave’s corner. It was not a burrow like one his parents would have made, but Nadine could not live underground. She closed her eyes for a moment. Her body felt as if there was an invisible force dragging her down below the earth to the fiery pits of Hades. The book of Revelation spoke of a second death being the lake of fire. At night, she felt as if she were just skimming the surface of its fire embrace. Nadine looked up at the ceiling of the cave, to where the water collection trough was. Thirst raged through her, and she cupped her hand to drink. Her father and Nathan, her betrothed, had worked on making the cave comfortable for Nadine and lined the Hatchling’s side with herbs and plants essential for his growth. Her tutor, the Copper Fire Dragon Whisperer, had given them the name of a Dragon Artisan who fashioned a carved door for the cave, much like Elizabeth’s door at her rooms, and Zairdenth the Copper Fire Dragon has melted the stone with his fire to form air vents from the top. At night Nadine pulled a lever from inside the cave, which moved the foliage hanging over the cave to reveal the stars. She knew she and Muquin, her Silver Wing Dragon, would gaze at the same stars, and this comforted her in the night when loneliness held her in its clutches. Muquin did not share the cave. With a hatchling of her own, she needed more room, but the Silver Wing Dragon’s cave was close enough for her to take only a few seconds to come to Nadine’s aid should the need arise.But protocol separated Nadine and Muquin until the egg they had found in the Ancient’s Retreat had hatched. The rules did not permit Nathan to stay with Nadine until after the wedding, but his cottage was also close by. The Silver Wing Dragon Whisperer winced as she adjusted the shoulder strap of the garment. Despite changing the linen wrapped around her chest, her milk soaked all the way through. Nadine had asked if she could be a wet nurse for an infant whose mother had died, but the Copper Fire Dragon Whisperer had forbidden it. A Dragon Mother Whisperer’s milk could prolong the life of those who drank it, but an extended life for those who did not have the calling would be dangerous.
