Role

Chapter 8

Since his chat with Nnaeshuk prior to becoming a squire, Ageryn has been
pondering the nature of his past injuries and present deformity. Seeing
the captain for the first time and the extent of his injuries has helped
Ageryn put things things in perspective to some extent. It has also
created a certain feeling of kinship between himself and the captain,
though Ageryn does not presume to suppose Nnaeshuk feels the same.

Over time Ageryn has come to realize that all those who serve in the
fortress are "damaged" in one way or another, whether visibly or not. No
man is perfect, and no man escapes the corrosive influence of the darkness
that infects this land. Some, such as Ageryn and Nnaeshuk, wear the
physical evidence of their past suffering for all to see. Others bear
their wounds where they cannot be seen: unable to trust, quick to anger,
feeling shame where they ought not. Creation's fallen state has affected
all men, and those who serve in the fortress are not immune.

At the same time, though, Ageryn believes these flaws, which would be
considered a weakness within the Empire, with its relentless pursuit of
perfection, are in fact a great gift. Where there is hurt there can be
healing; where there are disputes there can be forgiveness; where there
is sorrow there can be shown comfort. These are foreign to the black of
heart; they perceive weakness only in the most rudimentary sense: a lack
of power. They do not understand, and are perhaps incapable of
understanding, that it is only through weakness that the greatest strength
can be revealed. The strength to perserve. The strength to overcome.
The strength to sacrifice one's self.