KNIGHTS BALLAD
By Ablah Shwaika
A golden temple with a silver statue of the warrior Goddess Lilianna. I can’t help but marvel at her; it makes my soul burn. I look into the eyes of the sacred statue and I feel like bursting into a senseless rage of battle. Round face, scarlet eyes made from the temple's jewels, long-wavy hair with curls that look like they’re dangling from the ends. A sword in one hand and a shield in the other as well as a golden breastplate.
Kara, my sparring partner and she’s like a sister to me; she’s also a descendant from the line of the sacred warrior Lilianna. I, Clair, will be forever faithful to Kara.
“Clair”, Kara calls and I come to her in a flash; just like Lilianna’s statue calls to me. Kara owns my soul just like Lilianna’s will does. Kara’s eyes are the same color as Lilianna’s: oval face, ebony hair, fair skin, short slim stature with curves. She’s always wearing Lilianna’s spiritual body armor.
“Clair, why is it that I always find you here in this forsaken temple?” Kara asked trying to catch her breath. She must’ve run here from the guild of the lady knights. “please don’t give me that rubbish about the sacred Goddess Lilianna, calling you to her temple!”
“Well, the temple did call me here!” I replied with a scowl.
“Are you ready to spar with me? because I’m bored to tears!” Kara asked with one hand on her hip and the other on her sacred sword of Lilianna.
The days went on and on, always the same: The drills, sparring and the leader of our guild lecturing us, lady knights falling in the clutches of men knights. Women are more skilled warriors and superior to men. All of us believed in that except for one… Kara. We were all devastated to learn that Kara fell to a man.
The castle of Eradon where the king ordered his men to attack our guild and war descended upon us. We fought with all our might; Kara and I were on the battle front fending off knights. “Kara, use the power of your sacred sword now!” I said with urgency. Swords clashed, and blood was spilled, but not mine… Kara’s.
“I can’t!” Kara cried out with a look of defeat and hesitation in her eyes.
She couldn’t kill the man that she fell for, but he killed her in cold blood with deceit on his face. I looked him over: Strong tall muscular build, black moppy hair, square face and green eyes with a yellow hue. I took her sacred sword and a golden ray of light surrounded me. Kara’s lover and I were eye to eye with the same fierceness on our faces; but my will and determination to spill his blood was stronger.
We were in battle ready position: I charged at him with great haste, not giving him the chance to dodge me, attack or defend himself. When our swords clashed, the sacred sword sliced through his ironclad sword and pierced through his gut. Blood spilled from his mouth as well as his gut and he fell on his knees. victory never felt so good and vengeance never tasted delicious.
“You killed and betrayed my sister in arms and best friend you MAN SCUM!” I said with anguish in my tone and tears welling from my eyes.
“You got it all wrong lady knight. This is how I wanted it to end!” he said in a gruff voice, his eyes gazing in mine. “Now, if you would please lay me beside her!” he shouted with desperation in his tone.
I clenched my teeth, filled with rage. “You lie! I will not grant your selfish request! Now DIE!” I said raising my sword, getting ready to vanquish HIM
“You’re the selfish one: if you kill me and not put me beside her, then our world cannot change.” Kara’s lover/killer said, catching his last breaths. I’m the descendant of, of…” then he perished without revealing his heritage.
“Ethan”, Kara said in a whisper.
I looked over my shoulder and ran to Kara with the sacred sword that I forgot I wielded. How could I wield such a weapon, when I’m not tied to Lilianna or her will? Unless Kara, who is a descendant of Lilianna, willed it to me. I dropped down on my knees by her body, abandoning the sacred sword, and looked her over: Her beautiful hair was covered in blood and dirt, her face was severely bruised, and the slit in her throat... Was the killing blow.
" Kara, I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you. you were savagely murdered, and it should have been me! I failed you," I said with a sob.
" No Claire, you’re wrong; This is how it was supposed to play out, and it’s been this way for centuries. You have always been a part of this day... Descendant of ARTIMIS.
I heard Kara's voice again. I turned and saw Kara’s... SPIRIT? Oh, fates she’s glowing! And it looks like nothing violent has happened to her. Keep your composure Claire; You’re a knight, I said to myself. ( Descendant of Artemis? who is Artemis?). I felt a strange feeling in my body as Kara approached me, gazing dearly into my eyes; as if she was seeing through my soul.
" Lilianna never bred with a man, but she did put her will in an unborn child she would foresee as special, to fulfill her wishes. That’s how we descended from her. She also had a companion named Artemis, who you are exactly like, only you are so much more exceptional. Lilianna fell in love with the first ruler of Eradon"...
I feel like I’m in a vast sea of visions, and everything inside me is burning with a brilliant light. I can see everything Kara is telling me.
" Ethan." I said in someone else’s voice.
" Yes Claire, an exceptional warrior, and king. Every generation of the descendants of Ethan and Lilianna, is born with this knowledge of what you are about to see; And we see it before we are born. please, fulfill my wish Artemis.
I feel every part of me changing, as these visions of Lilianna and Ethan’s feelings are seeping in my soul. They hated each other, just like we feel. Men thought women were the weakest beings. Later on, they saw each other as equal opponents. As a result, they wanted equality for all.
" Yes, we wanted to change the notion of how women and men see each other, and create a better world and we were close to it too." I heard a voice say to me, and it wasn’t Kara’s.
Darkness fell upon me and I couldn't see anything, but a horrific battle. I felt Artemis's jealousy because she wasn't the only one by Liliana's side and her disdain for men pierced me in my gut. Lilianna and Ethan died in their final battle for equality. I feel the pain of their death, their last emotion.
" I want to die by your side and change the world." I heard a man’s voice this time.
" I won’t let that happen," a different woman said this time.
" Artemis, please put me by Ethan’s side... This is my final wish.
" Artemis survived and didn’t grant Lillianna"s wish, equality was not achieved. Artemis killed Ethan, but he didn’t blame her for killing him." I hear Kara"s voice inside my head, everything is dark, But I feel different and warm inside.
" Go find the temple of Ethan: Find his tomb, and put his sword in the empty hand of my statue. Only then, can Ethan and I can become one, and change the world for the better." I heard Lilianna’s voice in my head, but I couldn’t see her. I finally opened my eyes, and a blue light surround my body.
" Only you can fulfill my wish Artemis," I heard Kara’s voice one last time, and it was lights out for me again.
I woke up, and as I regained my consciousness; I looked at my surroundings, my head was fuzzy but I could tell that I was a few feet away from our guild. But how did I get here? I remember seeing a white-golden light blinding me, and I felt the force of it going through me in the darkness of a bubble. Aww, to gone and the fates with all of this confusion! I need to report this to Tessa, the sword master of our guild, that I’m going on my own quest. I walked inside the guild hall, until I got stopped by Tessa.
" Who are you? I don’t think I’ve seen you before, lady knight." She said suspiciously, unsheathing her sword and pointing it at me.
" No disrespect to you master, but... Have you gone mad? It’s me, Claire: I’m wearing our guilds crest! I’m here to report"-
" Claire? Our best knight and my pupil? I don’t think so, you look nothing like her. You’re an impostor! What kind of sorcery are you trying to pull on me?" She asked irritably. Okay, okay, she’s definitely gone mad; Way too far gone. Maybe even further than that.
" I’m Claire, I tell you! Kara’s first knight, or I was her first knight." I muttered that last part.
" I hate to tell you, whoever the fates made you think you are, but... YOU. LOOK. NOTHING. And listen up when I say, NOTHING! LIKE. HER! You don’t have her short fiery red hair. Plus, she is always equipped with GILATHIUS SHIELD." She said in a fit of rage, which I found very humorous.
" Uh, master Tessa; I truly don’t mean to come off rude, I said, bracing myself, hoping she won’t kill me. But are you deluded? I mean, I know you've been in more battles than I have, so I understand if you’re too far gone."
" You don’t believe me? Tessa asked and I just stood there still hoping she wouldn't kill me, because I have to fulfill my sister-in-arms wishes and I need to be alive for that. Fine then, take a look at yourself in my sword."
I scowled at her and snatched the sword out of her hand, and looked at my reflection. I was shocked to my soul! I had scarlet eyes with flecks of my natural eye color, silky smooth ivory skin; a Heart-shaped face, and long ebony hair with fire-red curls dangling from the bottom. Oh, fates NO. I’m petite! And my shield was replaced with the crescent shield. My armor. My beloved armor is gone! My armor is replaced with the one that Kara once wielded. I looked up at Tessa with shock and awe. She gave me a look as if she was saying ( I told you so).
The sacred sword was glowing and I ran out of the guild as fast as my feet would let me, which wasn’t that fast. ( This body be damned!)
How did this happen? I asked myself with disbelief in my tone. Catching my breath, I looked east and I saw the castle of Eradon for the first time. Ethan’s tomb has to be there! The thought of infiltrating the castle made me feel queasy, and I was trying to fight the feeling of vomiting and failed. I went to the temple of Lilianna, in hopes to get some answers to my questions. The temple denied my presence, but she granted me her shield; Which had the design of gilathius, but it wasn't the gilathius shield. It looked like it was fused with the crescent shield. I turned away and headed for the castle of Eradon.
The night sky was in perfect harmony, and the stars were perfectly aligned. I looked into the sacred sword, and I still can’t believe I look like this! My heart feels different as well. I can not rest until I make it to the castle.
I made it to the castle, almost unable to breath. It’s heavily guarded and I’m still getting used to this cursed body! I walked in without a strategy plan, and the castle is in chaos! Men are such barbaric fools: Fighting over who should be crowned king, and cursing out the person who killed their previous king. My heart is stammering, and I put my hand on the sacred sword for comfort. Men stopped fighting each other and stared at me, which gave me great discomfort.
" You are so beautiful, and yet you wear the crest of the scarlet knight guild!" A beautiful man with sapphire eyes said to me.
" Or maybe, I’m an impostor." I replied sarcastically to the knight. He raised a brow and smirked at me.
" You, my lady, are most definitely charming." He replied flirtatiously. My sacred sword started to glow so brightly, and the knight saw it too. suddenly my heart fluttered at the sight of him... What’s happening to me?
" You must be a descendant of Lilianna to wield that sword," he said, studying me.
I panicked and punched him really hard in the face, kneed him in his gut, and elbowed him in the groin. I was about to run off until every man was charging at me with Their swords, shields, and fists. All I could do at this point was dodge my way to the dungeon and that’s exactly what I did. Running for my life, I somehow made it to the secret entrance with minor cuts and bruises. WOW, it’s like a maze in here!
" Let me help you;" I heard a man's voice echoing in my head. Suddenly, I could see a map of Ethan’s tomb in my head. I kept on walking until I saw a carving in the ground that looked similar to my shield. I placed my shield inside the carving, and the floor started to shake, and I found myself going underground. I took my shield out and slid off, and landed really hard: face first on a pile of the gold armory. Fates I hate this body, I said to myself, as I sat up: Then floods of memories come rushing through my mind, and they aren’t mine. I realized this is where Ethan’s tomb is! I unsheathed my sword and braced myself, Then it slashed through the wall and there it was: Ethan’s Tomb... But no sword. REALLY!? NO SWORD? I exclaimed.
" You must be looking for this, aren’t you? '' Lilianna."
I turned fast, and it was the knight that I assaulted. I looked into his beautiful sapphire eyes.
" Ethan?" I said in Lilianna’s voice, not mine. He grabbed me in his arms and kissed me.
" I love you," he declared, as he stabbed himself with the sword of Ethan. Take it: So we can change the world, and be together again." He said, lovingly as tears were running down my face.
I took the sword and ran out of the castle: I can’t believe it was already nightfall, and the temple was far from here. My body is about to give out and I don’t have much time left. I hopped on a steed and raced to the temple. When I got there, I wasn't denied entrance this time around. I looked intensely at Lilianna’s statue: She looked so sad and lonely, and I never took the time to notice it whenever I visited.
I walked forth to put Ethan's sword where Lilianna’s shield used to be. Before I could, the whole temple was shaking and every piece of armor was radiating amethyst and royal-blue light. I put the sword in her hand and the light went through the very essence of my soul, and I saw everything from Lilianna’s past, and how she came to love a man. When I let go of the sword, the light pushed me back; Practically sent me flying, and it really hurt! The amethyst and royal-blue light fused together, and it felt like my spirit got sucked out and put back in again, I looked up, and the glowing lights took the shape of Lilianna and Ethan. OH, WOW... He really is handsome. Brown eyes with a green hue, strong tall build. The left side of his tunic was a crest that resembled our guild. I can feel his soul's energy and Lilianna’s bond: So strong, it’s incredible.
" Before you show me any form of gratitude: I didn’t do this for the both of you, I did it for Kara." I said boldly to Lilianna, hoping she won’t smite me.
" We know Claire, and that's why you succeeded," Lilianna said, with gratitude in her tone.
" UH, excuse me your excellencies, and I don’t mean to sound dishonorable, but... THAT’S IT!? And were you really that SMALL AND WEAK? BECAUSE I WANT MY BODY, SWORD, AND NORMALITY BACK!" Lilianna had a bemused look on her face.
" Once you step out of here, you will see a new world where women and men peacefully coexist. You don\"t have to fight anymore Claire, and new memories are what I will give you in return."
I couldn't\ stop looking at Ethan. He reminds me of the knight that kissed me, and confessed his love for me. Thinking of him now gives me an overwhelming pain in my chest. He died for this. I honor his life, with the one that has been given to me, I declared to myself. But I thought I killed the descendant of Ethan? I questioned myself aloud, not meaning to.
" I did what had to be done, and so did Lilianna. I put my will inside of him, and Lilianna put her will inside you Claire: Descendant of Artemis." He said, looking proud and slightly arrogant.
" The boy who sacrificed his life is alive, so is Kara. She won’t remember you and you won’t remember her, or anything that has conspired." Ethan said, in a casual tone, He maybe handsome, but I truly find his arrogance repulsive.
" Now, turn away from here and breathe new life: Make new memories, and be with the boy you fell for at the castle. He’s waiting for you Claire!" Lilianna said in a commanding tone, pointing towards the door.
" Okay, but can I have my sword back? I asked, feeling a wave of regret; Judging by the way Lilianna is looking at me, I ran out of the temple.
I was outside, and I saw a beautiful boy smiling at me sweetly: Gazing deep into my eyes like he’s been waiting for me his whole life. He walked towards me, holding out his hand for me to take.
" Hello, I’m Ethan. I smiled at him sweetly, feeling like I’d known him before I was born and now I’m seeing him for the first time.
" I’m Artemis," I replied, taking his hand. It’s like I’m seeing the world for the first time. Women were holding babies, and men were talking to women and holding hands. The village made you feel rightfully at peace. The sky was so blue, it made me feel like crying. Ethan and I looked at each other, tenderly smiling at one another. I know it in my heart... It’s the perfect WORLD.
END?
" LILIANNA IS NOT YOUR ALLY. I’LL PUT ALL OF MY WILL INSIDE YOU, ARTIMIS. THE WAR WILL START WITH YOUR OWN BETRAYAL!"
I heard a voice, and I turned my head and a sword and shield dropped on the ground in front of me. It’s the perfect world... RIGHT?
MAYBE
