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A Knight's Tale
by
Keelywolfe
In the name of no false gods
do I tell my tale,
but only for the Light,
for there is only the Light
and Darkness shall not prevail.
Once, as I was told it, in a far away land, as far from our world as
the world of fantasies and perhaps farther still, there was a
knight. He was a good man and he carried within him all the goodness
that a knight must; he carried within him the Light and the will to
carry it.
But the knight grew old, as all living things must, and with his age
came a loss of innocence. He saw that the universe was not all of
the light that he carried and he learned of the pain that comes with
living and he learned of betrayal. The Light that was within him was
shadowed by his despair and as he aged the shadow grew until it
nearly covered the knight in a blanket of darkness.
The old knight shut himself away from the universe so that he could
never again feel the agony of betrayal and perhaps it would have
been that the shadow would have consumed him, but for the will of a
young man.
The young man had sought out the knight, for the people were in need
of a hero. And while the young man had the will to help the people,
he could not be a knight unless there was one to train him. He
journeyed far and through much peril to find the old knight and
spoke with him, asking of his help and wisdom.
And though the old knight would have refused him, he found that he
was drawn to the young man in a way he could not describe, for the
young man held within him the Light, just as he had long ago, a
light that would not be denied.
He agreed to train the young man and they traveled together, helping
the people when and where they could. And seeing the universe again
through the young man's eyes lifted the shadow from the old knight
and he was able to feel his own light again and although he would
never forgive it, he put aside the remembrance of his betrayal. And
it came to be that the old knight softened to the young man's warmth
and loved him deeply, although he never spoke of it.
They continued thus for some time, until a day that the old man had
a vision, for he was cunning in the mystical arts. Kneeling in a
garden, deep in his own thoughts, it came to the old man that there
was to be a great battle against Darkness, fought by him and his
young charge, and that though one of them would be victorious, one
of them was destined to fall.
He thought on this vision, until the sun fell low in the sky and hid
its face from the coming of the night. And then he went to the young
man's chambers and was allowed inside.
I could not say what happened that night. Perhaps he told the young
man of his vision or perhaps he did not.
Perhaps he held the young man in his arms that night and spoke to
him of his love, stroking the softness of his hair with trembling
hands as he told the young man of secrets that can only be spoken in
the dark, of things beautiful and fragile, of things that were lies
but were nonetheless true.
Or perhaps they made love and he told the young man of these things
with his hands instead of with words as he learned the taste of the
young man's mouth, of his skin, his sweat.
Perhaps it was all of these things and perhaps it was none of them.
Such things are not for me to know or say.
But it is true that they left the chambers the next morning together
if not lovers then at the least in love. And when the two knights
battled against the Darkness that the old knight had foreseen, it
was as if all the heaven's blazed with the glory of their fighting.
The knights pushed back the Darkness but in one last desperate rush,
the Darkness surged forward and struck down the old knight.
It may have been that he was weary and the Darkness caught him off
guard. Or it may be, as I was told, that he sacrificed himself so
that his love could survive.
Whyever it happened, it was after this that the young knight was
able to destroy the Darkness, forcing it back from where it had
come. And then he gathered his dying lover into his arms and perhaps
soft words were spoken or perhaps only kisses. Again, I know not.
But I do know that the old knight died content in the arms of his
love, knowing there was no other place he would want to be.
And though the story should end here, it is also true that some part
of the universe pitied the lovers and allowed a small piece of the
old knight's essence to remain, hidden deep within the young man's
heart, so that when he also grew old and learned of pain and
betrayal it was the old knight's strength that carried him and kept
him from bitterness and despair.
And when the young man died, as all living things must, it is said
that he and his lover were allowed to be together again, though
whether they walked the plains of light or whether they were
rebirthed, together, into life again, is not for me to say,
It is true though that they -were- together and that no matter their
place in the universe, their life or lack of it, they were content
to simply be with their love within the Light.
Or that is as I was told it.
-finis-
Comments and questions to:
mailto:keelywolfe@gmail.com
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