Saviors in safe

"Hey, Gatekeeper, open up! Move!"

Oh, my. It was years...no, it was bloody DECADES since I had customers. Not that I miss them much, noisy bastards.

"Coming right up, sir! In a minute!"

Like he is in some hurry, my behind. While I totter to Gatehouse door to let in that screaming mama's boy, let me introduce myself.

I am, as that guy yelled, a Gatekeeper and key word here is a Gate. With capital letter, mind you, size of a cathedral.

I open the Gate from my side and people step out to other side - wherever they want, whenever they want. Very handy, especially if you are some All-Powerful-Grand-Wizard-Of-Something who needs to get to Horrible-Abyss-Of-Hells-Deepest-Hole yesterday at lunchtime. No problem, sir! If you would be so kind and pay me up...and this usually poses a problem.

Very well, let's take a look what we have here today. Ah, I see. Young-And-Boisterous-Warrior-King, second grade. First grade people arrive with more soldiers or less wounded. See, Gatehouse is not easily accessible. To be more exact, it is surrounded by thousands of square miles of swamps with deadly swamp beasts, mountains with deadly mountain beasts, and poisontree forests, you get the picture. Plus some nice gnome tribes who enjoy to fiddle people into insanity, people-eating ogre clans and our prize accessory - real dragon, invincibility and fire breath included. And undead hordes on continuous quest for human meat.

It takes a really powerful wizard - or better, whole battalion of really powerful wizards, or a considerable and very stupid armed force to get to Gatehouse and still be alive. And when those champions finally meet yours truly, they suddenly have a very funny idea that this frail old monkey will let them through Gate just out of sheer respect. Like this boy, for instance.

"Sire, I fully understand that your beautiful bride is kidnapped by Dread Lord Xarth and he will perform on her most unholy ritual, thus gaining indescribable powers, yes, this is very exciting, but I already told Your Highness that Gate will let You through in exact time and place of Your noble choice, so there is no need to hurry. And my services are not free, there is a charge, you see..."

"No, please, I do not need gold, what I would do with a gold in these parts? I grow food in my humble field, I trade with gnomes if I need some items, and they are more interested in my most excellent cucumbers than in gold. Speaking of cucumbers - would you care to sit with me and have lunch? I'll make cucumber salad, it is famous in these lands, we'll have tea and bread, and butter, some eggs - and we could talk, you know, share stories, laugh a bit. Life can be quite lonely here without kind words and intelligent conversation. Gnomes are too evil, ogres too stupid, dragon thinks I am after his gold. Please, let's just sit and talk. That would be my service fee - hour or two of your time, how about that?"

Young people these days...and in earlier days, too...no patience, no kindness. Those champions, kings, wizards, they are too great, noble and in a big hurry saving the world. No time for old farts like me, just open the Gate and be thankful we leave you alive. Alright, I am thankful, Your Highness, this way, please, right through this glowing portal...good bye, have a nice eternity, idiot.

I am not exactly honest. I am not a Gatekeeper. I am Gatemaster. I decide, when and where the Gate will open. And if.

For those who in their rush to do great things forget about kindness and politeness, Gate will never open on other side. They will spend all the time there is in this Universe just hanging in the middle of nothing.

Most interesting part is that world is still there, safe and sound, while its impatient saviors spend their sweet time behind my Gate.