Andaroos

The king was silent. Then he laughed, not with cruelty, but with something like wonder. He had lost too many sons in holy wars. He was tired.

"I will not fight my own people for you," Rodrigo said. "But I will not betray you either. Let me stay as a gardener. Let me learn." andaroos

But the emir saw something in the knight’s eyes—not hatred, but exhaustion. "No," the emir said. "He is a man. Let him heal. Then he may leave or die by his own path." The king was silent

Years later, when Rodrigo was old and Layla’s hair was white, their grandchildren asked, "What is Andaroos ?" He was tired

"Andaroos?" Rodrigo asked one night, pointing to a faint constellation near the horizon.

The emir laughed—a dry, sad sound. "A knight who wants to dig soil. Strange times."

The emir turned to Rodrigo. "Would you shed Christian blood for us?"