Plain
©2004 Elizabeth L. Clark

There were two little boys. One was very handsome, some would call him beautiful. The other was plain, almost homely.

The beautiful one was thought to be smarter, better because of his looks. The other was treated as if he were a dumb animal, shunned, spat upon.

The plain boy took it all in silence, never once letting their actions tinge his own sense of self. He studied, trained and worked to be the best possible man he could be.

The beautiful one was lazy, cruel. He treated others like playthings. He got his adoring followers to work for him, therefore learning nothing. He had on his arm a beautiful woman. She, like the rest, ignored the plain one, thinking him beneath her.

But one did not ignore him. She was plain of face, but her beautiful soul could be seen in her large grey eyes. She loved the plain man and he her.

War came. The beautiful one strode onto the battle field in all his fine armour. The plain one wore leathers and carried a plain, serviceable sword.

The battle was fierce. At the first sign of blood the beautiful one ran away, declaring he was too special to risk death on the field.

The plain one fought with fierce determination. He was battered, bloody by days end, but he had helped win the battle and protect the town.

He stumbled off the field, heading to help others more wounded than he. But the town had seen and realized who the better man was.

They lifted him and carried him to the healer, praising him and apologizing. He shrugged it all off, he had only done what a good person should.

The beautiful one came out of hiding to jeers and insults. The woman he had been courting brushed past him and touched the scarred hand of the plain one.

"I was a fool!" She declared loudly. "I never even saw you past his blinding show. Please forgive me and consider me for your wife one day."

The plain man smiled and shook his head. "No. You were not fooled, you choose beauty over substance." He pointed to the plain woman with beautiful eyes. "She is to be my wife, for she loved me when I was not what many seem to think of as a hero. Go back to the peacock, for I do not love you."

The plain man married his grey eyed love and they went on to live a simple life filled with love and children. Their love endured and grew as the years passed.

The beauties did marry and as age took their looks they grew apart and eventually never even spoke.

The moral is: Physical beauty is merely show... inner beauty is what matters in the end.