The Will of a Knight
After knocking on his door quietly so that no one else would wake up, I heard him say come and I opened the door and went in.
His bedroom was modest and simple, but comfortable. One wall is dominated by a feather bed piled high with blankets and pillowcases. A large wood and banded iron footlocker are kept locked nearby. A small working desk is equipped with parchment, ink, an inkwell, and a partially-burned candle. A blade belt hangs on a nail by the door, the leather sheath decorated with the knight's house color combinations. A tapestry, dimmed with age but very well cared for, hangs beside it, portraying a knight in similar colors cruising against a swarm of walking soldiers. Perhaps an ancestor?
Despite being tall, handsome, and muscular, the warriors' presence feels empty, as if the overstretched grin on his face conceals a quiet sadness.
He looked ready for the morning battle.
With each shift of its heavy plates, the armor seems to hum, the steel ringing with perfect vibration. The majority of the armor is dark metal, a mint green hellbent on black, strung with leather straps and bronze buckles, and enhanced with steel fasteners. The metal catches the light in an unusual, erratic manner, a colorful dancing throughout its surface like light from the sun through the misty rain. It's adamantine, which folks recognize the toughest, most durable substance on the planet, forged into an unbreakable armor piece.
He finished his prayer and turned to me and said, "I think it's my turn.'' He spoke in a nervous voice beneath his smile.
''Yes. Good Morning. You are the first duel for today. I know it's very early in the morning, but a messenger in the audience has to get on his horse at noon. I'm glad you're ready. Did you get a good night's sleep? It was very important for you.''
"Actually, I didn't sleep much," he said, looking at the cozy bed on the other side.
''The fear of whether I would survive today and succeed in this duel was enough to keep me awake.''
''I understand...It's a worry that many knights have. Don't worry, I'm sure your opponent is equally sleep-deprived. Remember that you are fighting on equal terms. And besides, your armor looks much stronger than his.''
''You saw him?''
''Yes, I saw him and he was eating something and you better do the same'' I added and handed him the tray I was carrying.
The plate in my hands is piled high with more than enough food to feed a colossus! Slices of cheese of thick sausages with perfectly crisped corners rub shoulders with eggs as yellow as the midday sun in a pool of steaming baked beans. Hashbrowns the size of doorstops sit boastfully beside the several paunchy sausages, and his mouth waters.
I put it down on his bed and he immediately sat down and had a snack.
"Is this my last meal?''
''Oh god! Of course not," I said angrily. "It's a gesture I want to make to you.''
"Thank you. You make me feel relaxed. I feel like no one would take care of me without you. You've always been a good friend to me and you've always been there for me in the hardest times, you've always run to me when I'm in trouble.'' he said, stuffing a few pieces of sausage in his mouth.
"You've done the same for me and believe me after we win this duel, we'll take the money and go and get out of here." I took a bite of cheese and started to accompany him.
We continued to have breakfast, telling each other our troubles.
He took a deep breath as if starting an important sentence...
"Listen to me. If I don't make it today and I go to heaven, I want you to give this letter to Lily. I know she loves me very much, but I don't want her to spend the rest of her life unhappy and crying over me and thinking about me all the time. she should make her own way and live happily. That's what I want and that's my will. I am sure you will share the money we earn with her, but when you give her the money, I would appreciate it if you pretend to give it to her yourself. If that girl thinks that something has come from me, she may not want to spend it. She might even think it's a memento and buy something memorable for herself. I don't want her to remember me every time she looks at it. I love her too much to want her to suffer.'' He handed me the letter on yellow paper, obviously written last night.
I hugged him with all my strength and pressed myself against him, feeling the coldness of his metal armor. As I whispered in his ear, I realized that the tears from my eyes were dripping down the shoulder straps and pauldrons of his armor.
''Don't worry, my friend, you will succeed.''
We walked slowly out of his room and back into the corridor where the arena was lit by the morning sun...
This post was inspired by The Ink Well Prompt #98 Comfort
Thank you so much for reading!
Happy new year!
You shine a light on the poignant moments before battle - the realizations, expectations and ultimately the plans that need consideration in the event of failure.
There’s insight that makes our heart bleed, detail that makes us feel that we’re in the moment and finally, emotional commitment that makes us pray for a good outcome. Beautifully portrayed.
Thank you very much for your valuable comment. Investing in each of the characters and trying to show them living a life among themselves is the way I've enjoyed writing the most lately. Thanks to you, I have the opportunity to think of different scenes and bring them to life.
I wish you a very happy new year 🤗🤗
Yay! 🤗
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It's very impressive. Very nice words said when give the letter. He thinks so much of Lily.
This was amazing, you took me right into the moment. I do hope he survived!
This post has been manually curated by the VYB curation project
Thank you so much for the curation and your kind comment 🤗 I hope he survived too 👏