Reflections Through An Oracle's Eye

Battered , bruised , and bloodied ;...a soldier , clad in tattered armor, now approached the steps of the temple that he did seek. For many days did this battered warrior walk, driven on by one thought ;...why? Why did his army lose ? All seemed to be in their favor. The Tyrannical King  had destroyed the Nation with his entitlements and handouts , that appeased the masses,but which had also driven all that was productive out, and weakened the military  as well.The Kingdom, bankrupt from the King's extravagances , the army  drained of all monetary funds, ,...now seemed the perfect time for a military coup, the soldier thought.Now seemed the perfect time to regain the Kingdom . After all, how, in his weakened , vulnerable state , could this King oppose the rebel forces , that would fight to the death for their freedom? How could the rebels lose against the weakened Tyrant? And yet;...they did. The soldier watched in disbelief as their forces were dispatched on the battlefield with seeming ease, by the King's  Army.An Army that, by all rights , should have been no match for the freedom fighting rebels ;..especially after almost five years of this King's debilitating reign .
And yet, now , here he stood ,this soldier ,  one of the last survivors of this final battle for the Kingdom . He staggered forward , up the marble steps , his spear dragging behind him , his sword clenched in his bloodied fist ,..a sword , that was now poised , for the confrontation to come. The soldier entered the Temple now , and at the end of the darkened room, there sat the Oracle of Delphi.Kings ,Queens , Statesmen,..from across the globe often came here to seek answers to the mysteries that the future held. The Oracle , it was said, could reveal these mysteries to those that sought them.
But now, the soldier did not seek the future,...but an answer to the past. Once, before the battle to come,..the soldier had come to the oracle to learn if victory for the rebels would be in their future. "Yes", the Oracle replied , "You will be victorious . Your forces will depose the Tyrant , and freedom and prosperity will be restored to your Nation, but,..only if the stars are aligned , and your forces united ,..before the battle is joined. Armed with this news,the soldier went forth to his rebel army and told them of the Oracle's prediction . The Army's Rebel Leader then did consult his astronomer , who predicted the hour of this star alignment , and the hour when the battle would be joined. . The Oracle of Delphi is never wrong . How could they lose?
Yet now , a beaten warrior , did stagger forward ,..to seek answers from this damnable Oracle that had sent his army to its doom. He grew closer now , armored feet clanging loudly on the rich, black marble floor,..and as he did , his scarred and bloodied arm reached for his sword , and drew the battered blade from its blood stained scabbard . And, his scarred arm trembling ,..he pointed his sword toward the marble throne upon which the Oracle sat ,..glaring at the approaching soldier,..her long, raven black hair, and brass crown,  shimmering in the candle glow, her long flowing robe of gold, casting  a myriad of reflections on the dark marble walls of her chamber.
"You deceived me Oracle!", the soldier cried."You said the battle would be ours. You said that our forces ,..the forces of freedom,would prevail against the Tyrant , and that freedom and prosperity would be restored . Yet now, ,...look upon me!", the soldier screamed."I am the lone survivor of our decimated forces!"
"Why have you returned to me?", the Oracle asked , growling with rage. "What have I to do with your battles, ..and your Kingdoms?The soldier responded,"You said we would win ,..if the stars were aligned , at the time of battle!", "And they were ,..we made sure of that". "Yet the Tyrant's weakened army , demoralized and bankrupt,...still defeated us "."And now Oracle , I shall have my revenge upon you ,..who sent my army , my comrades,..to their doom , on your empty predictions. ""And now, ..prepare yourself"., the soldier said,  as he  strode closer to the Oracle's throne, and raised his sword , to strike down this false prophet.
"Sheath your sword soldier!", the Oracle commanded, rising from her throne , and pointing accusingly at the man before her. "I promised you nothing."The battle was assured ,..but only if, as I said,..the stars were aligned and your forces united!"The Oracle now pointed one , accusing finger at the bloodied  soldier.  ."Were your forces united soldier?" "Were they?"
The soldier paused , sword in mid swing,...and said,"Well ,.....why , of course we were ." We had a common goal,... the overthrow of a Tyrant , and the restoration of freedom and prosperity to the Kingdom.""We sought the same goal , the same result!", the soldier screamed. "How could we not be united?"
"You were an army divided!", the Oracle bellowed, leaning forward on her marble throne , arms tensed with rage."You fought amongst yourselves constantly, and many among you refused to fight ,..refused to join the battle,..for they viewed your army to be just as bad as the King's, and just as corrupt.""They refused to fight , because , in their minds , they saw no difference between your forces , and so, instead chose self-destruction ,..over victory.Meanwhile , the King's army, although weakened, by the King's many excesses , were still united in their support of his cause. ""This!", the Oracle shrieked, "Is the reason for your loss , the reason for your crushing defeat. "The reason ,..the cause ,...lies within your own forces man,.....so do not seek to blame me for your failures ,...for your lost opportunity "."You were a party divided, man,"  the Oracle continued,"And now,.....you are a party , defeated"."Blame no one but yourself soldier".
The soldier paused, breathing heavily, his blood continuing to spatter the marble floor, from his still open wounds , and,...his sword arm trembling , ...slowly dropped ,..till his blade struck the marble floor , at the foot of the Oracles throne. Trembling with rage and exhaustion, the tattered soldier , now dropped to his knees , gripping the hilt of his bloodied blade in both hands , head bowed, ..the blade grinding into the marble floor. He knew! He knew the awful, terrible truth of it all now,..he knew that the Oracle had indeed spoken the truth . They were divided . Many of his army opposed the method of attack . Many more opposed the leaders within the army , and felt that they were too weak,..too willing to listen to the demands of the King ,..seeking peace with him,..and a bloodless  end to  conflict. Many refused to accept these leaders , and yes,...chose death over battle. Not because they opposed battle, but because they opposed the leaders and the battle methods. "We were fools"."I know that now", muttered the soldier ."In the end, all that mattered was an end to this Tyrant's reign of destruction . Why did it matter who led and how? "They were already beaten!", screamed the soldier."By the gods, Oracle,.. they had beaten themselves.""All we had to do was unite , and finish them off!"The Oracle , now interrupted, "But, man,..pride and arrogance overwhelmed you , and blinded you to your true mission ,...and thus,..sealed your fate. ""And now", the Oracle said, standing and turning away from the soldier , "I have tasks that await me.""Begone from my sight , foolish man, and return to your defeated army, ..to grieve ,...at what might have been. "   And, as the stunned soldier watched the Oracle 's shimmering, golden garments and armor, fade among the grecian columns of her temple,...the man stood on his shaking , bloodied limbs , and cried out , "Wait!""What of the stars?""You said the stars would be aligned at the time of our victory,..and so they were !""Our astronomer said so!""Did that count for nothing?""Stop!", the soldier commanded."I demand you answer me before you leave!""Did the stars mean nothing?""Why did you deceive me, Oracle, ..about the stars?"
The Oracle stopped ,..and strode back across the temple floor ,..and then , paused over the bowed and crumpled form of the soldier .She glared down at him, and replied, "You did not ask me , which stars, did you?""The stars I spoke of were the stars of fate ,...not the stars of the heavens,...and these stars ,the stars within your own rebel army, ..indeed had to be aligned ,...if victory was to be yours".  "What gibberish is this?"cried the soldier, staring up at the Oracle ,..looming over his kneeling, beaten form. "The stars of fate?""Within our own army?""Yes ", said the Oracle. "The stars of fate"."Three of them, all in total. "The Oracle now turned from the stunned , prostrate form , and strode away , into the depth of the temple walls. "Wait!"cried the soldier ."Three stars of fate?""What are these stars?""Speak, damn you!" shouted the soldier. "I demand to know". The Oracle , once again, stopped , and , in the darkness of the temple walls, her voice seemed everywhere ,..and nowhere at the same time . "The three stars, "she replied, are the stars that must , in the end,..become one , and must align , or never will the  freedom you desire rise again".The Oracle's voice, now lower, boomed again,"All three are the same . The Stars of the Republic , the stars of freedom and liberty, the stars of your House, your Senate, ..and your Presidency"."All three of these must  indeed ,align,within your corrupt, former Kingdom , or the freedom you seek will never be".
The Congressman awoke , screaming, ..and suddenly realized the terrible dream , the terrible nightmare,...he had just experienced. He slowly rose from his Washington office desk , and looked at the paper that lay upon his desk. It was a voting ballot. The day had arrived. It was November, 2014,...and the ballot in front of him, had the names of his Party , his team,..and , yes, his name as well,....the Republican candidates that were running for the House and Senate. This was the day. The Day of the Midterm elections,2014. The day that would decide the fate of his Nation , his Kingdom,..for the remaining three years of President Obama's   reign. The Congressman stared at the list of candidates on the ballot, ..and with the dream , the nightmare, he had just had ,..fresh upon his mind,...he took a pencil, and carefully marked a star next to each and every Republican name on the ballot. The Congressman's army ,...was now assembled. The dream of the Oracle,...was a dream of what might be , a nightmare, ..that still may  become reality. And now, filled with resolve, ..the Congressman , up for re-election ,..left his Washington office, ..to go forth , and do battle at the polls. A battle, that , he now knew, ..can only be won,..by an army united,....a Republican Party ,...united.