When I Was Twelve

When he was twelve and I a teen, I met him in a vision. 

Young at the time, our souls intertwined, but at seventeen, I was still blinded by my own religion.

Forcing lies into half-truths, I prayed for preyers to cease, but that was just the dreams that children are always wishing.

Burned alive by microwaves from television and the box of death in the kitchen, I stopped seeing straight, living life in tunnel vision. 

It seemed by graduation, I had already failed my mission, missing mental mastery like my mind was attacked by missiles. 

So, I headed straight for sinning, setting my karma back straight to the beginning.

Eventually I had to start over and relearn a life worth winning, but still cloudy from the foggy haze, I wandered around still guessing. 

Each day passed, and I fell deeper into depression. 

Forever hoping for a glimpse of joy that I would somehow be able to cling to.

Over thirty years lost before the vision came to pass, but I still wasn't ready to grasp the seriousness of the task. 

Overthrow the empire and assume control as the monarch? 

Even my maker couldn't shake the uneasiness from my foundations, and soon I found myself regretting the devout path I had sworn myself to follow.

It was a far stretch from barefoot loner, hopeless romantic, and confused immigrant, and what's more, the road ahead had more twists and turns than I had ever imagined or planned for.

But the game was set, and the match as mine as the hair between my brows. 

Slowly I began to grow bigger shoes to fit my new role, but my feet couldn't match the rate of expansion, so I constantly tripped until I fell forward into the present.

Turned out it was secretly a gift, the clumsiness of a fool with the wisdom of a saint. 

Carefully crafted in character to withstand the dangers and evils of temptations along the road to ruling as a czar over a vast land filled with obedient subjects.

So that was it. 

And as much as I hated the idea of never being able to know if a new acquaintance could become a genuine friend ever again, I had a duty to fulfill. 

I had a quest to complete. 

Most importantly, I had a promise to keep.