• The Prouds 216

Chapter Thirty-One

The Advisor was one hundred and six years old when
Jarvis decided to visit and consult him.
When he was a child, he lived in a small village
with simple people. When he became a young man, he
married a woman called Hana, who gave him two beautiful
daughters.
He lived happily and felt that he was the happiest
man in the world. His wife and two daughters were his
whole life.
He was a kind and, at the same time, proud man,
who would not let his dignity be undermined nor let anyone
wrong him. He believed that one could be kind and strong
at the same time, and that kindness did not necessarily
mean weakness.
One day, a man called Irwin came to the village
where the Advisor and his family lived. People in the
village knew Irwin, as did everyone in all surrounding
towns and villages. Everybody knew that he was a very
dangerous strong man and a heartless criminal without
conscience. They knew that he would hurt anyone who said
no to him.
He started asking people of the village for a specific
amount of money, namely, two golden coins from every
household, which was a substantial amount for a village
whose poor people worked hard to sustain themselves and