To ride the night, to be a knight
"I see a man, one that is extremely loyal to you. He is one of your knights in every other aspect aside from a title." The woman said looking in a cup full of water in her hands.
"How could he be a knight without being one?" asks Arthur irritation already seeping in his voice. This was waste of time, damn Gwaine and his stupid ideas. Now he was stuck listening this fortune-teller who supposedly didn´t use magic or blatant lies.
"He has everything that you would list if someone asked how they could tell if someone was a knight. I can see you two, resting side by side on a meadow after a battle.
You are facing the sky your backs on the ground both of your forms framed by red color which is flowing around and under you. The capes are the mark of heroic deeds and acts. Your knights carry them as do you, young King. The red under you is your cape wide open it´s red so same yet so different to his.
Your cape has been made of the finest of materials. His is made of blood.
He is resting by your side his own blood pooling around him spreading just like your cape and showing just as clearly how far he is ready to go for you, just what his acts are like." The woman is speaking with a calm tone and Arthur can´t even remember Gwaine anymore. He is staring at the woman wide eyed and listening so, so intently. He doesn´t know who the woman is talking about, heck, he doesn´t even know what the woman is talking about but he can´t help but listen.
"The man, he is master with his weapon. He wields it with gracefulness and shields it away just as easily as he kills with it. He doesn´t use a sword so it´s not like a part of his hand, no, it´s like a part of his very being. When it comes to using a shield his own skin is the last one he protects." There´s a little pause and the woman closes her eyes.
"I can hear it: ´for the love of Camelot!´, being shouted by your men. The man´s voice is not one of them. He won´t shout it and he won´t kneel in front of his King because he doesn´t have one. He´s not fighting for the kingdom nor because of some vow to you. He fights because of you, for you, since he loves you like he would a brother." The woman snaps her intense eyes open staring straight at Arthur´s wary ones.
"A horse. You give a horse for your knights so they could move easily, so they could be where they are needed. You won´t give him one because of the lack of the title. He doesn´t need one. He doesn´t need four extra legs because he has wings. Night is his wings, he rides it with confidence. With night he is faster than any of your horses, with it he can reach so much further." The woman looks at the water again holding the cup nearer her face her expression frustrated and her voice now strained.
"The man lives within your castle´s walls. He works under your command. He wears a red cloak of blood. He is a master with a powerful weapon. He protects other´s lives with his own. His loyalty is based on love. He has a ride which won´t die or tire." Now she is grasping the cup with enough force to turn he knuckles white.
"The only difference between him and your knights is the title. The title that is given by you. So, in the end, there is a difference only in the way you treat him." The end of the sentence comes out more like a snarl than a word and the woman throws the cup in the ground with fury. The voice of the impact between the cup and the ground is sharp, the water spilling everywhere.
"What a waste." The woman hisses without meeting the King´s eyes. Arthur knows she´s not talking about the water. The woman says nothing for awhile and refuses to look at Arthur so the King rises from his seat thinking it´s better to leave now. When Arthur has turned his back the woman talks again with calm voice of warning.
"He rides a night you fool. The most loyal of your men were his before you even met them. He is just a knight without the title now but he will only have to reach and he has the crown too. Now the title differs him from the knights but if he has the crown there´s nothing making the difference between you two. That´s the point when the titles won´t matter. He will be the definition of power. He will be above any title ever created by humans.
Ranks.
Titles.
Recognize him as an equal to you because he has never been less than you. Reach out to him and pull him beside you before he reaches out rising higher than you could ever hope to reach. Before he turns in to a god and you lose him."
Arthur hears the woman kick the cup and the conversation, or the prophecy more like seems to be over so Arthur exits the little cottage.
"Riding a night…" Arthur whispers to himself.
"Riding a night? Wouldn´t sneaking around in the darkness be less poetic way to say the same thing?" asked a voice from Arthur´s right. The King turned at the direction of the voice.
It was Merlin.
So, liked it? Rolled your eyes at it? Anything else? Please let me know!
Again, english is not my first language so please, if you find any mistakes point them out to me so I can fix them.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KURUMI UCHIHA! Even though it was days (weeks?) ago… anyway, if you like this little story at all, please consider this as yours, as a birthday present.
Anyone there who actually read this on their birthday? Congratulations to you too!