The Village~

He wakes early in the morning and began to perform his duties.
Circling the village he observes the defensive walls that protects the villagers.
Villagers greet him as he walks by, and each of them he knew by name.

The village chief. Entrusted to guide the village grow larger but also to ensure the villagers are safely protected from the threats of the world. He greets the baker, the farmer, the young couple, the child and he oversees the construction of defensive walls.

The walls were the first line of defenses for the village. It was tradition to add another layer after every breach. Upon closer inspection, one would be able to see the different layers that had been built over time. He knew the reason behind most of it. Some layers were thinner than average, which implicates a minor breach had occur. Some were much thicker, and the chances are that every single villager remembers why those were built.

He gazed at the earlier layers of the wall, and observed the first layer of considerable thickness.
This was the layer that started it all. he thought to himself. It was the first time the village faced the possibility of complete destruction.

The first betrayal. Destroyer of hope. This wall was built so menacingly back then to send a message to anyone on the outside that they will not be welcomed. The threat from friendly and familiar shadows are any time more dangerous than a large frontal assault.

It was many years later that another layer was added. Strong, sturdy yet friendlier.

He paced a few years into the present and observes the construction of the current layer. It took the villagers more than a year to build, so naturally this was the thickest of all.

He began to consider his idea carefully before announcing it to them, because the idea he as in his head will most definitely not sit well with the others. He knew them so well that he could have this discussion with them, but in his head.

"I wish associate our village with a particular one in the east." he would say.
"When?" they would ask.
"Soon."

"It is too soon to decide such, chief."
"Too risky"
"What if they do not mean well?"
"We are still recovering from the previous incident"

"We act now. The village must be protected from worldly threats, but it must also learn to grow."

Our walls have told me that we have been looking strong yet live in fear for too long.