When Knight
Before all the heroics.
Before all of that stuff that, in this topsy-turvy world, would make me…what was it Merlina said?
"The worst of knights, slayer of kings."
Whoo boy. Give me a party hat and we'll have fun with that one.
I watched Caliburn sleeping the day away peacefully by my side. For the first time in my life, I was actually relaxed by water. The lake here was just so sleepy, so peaceful, so…not like most water I'd come in contact with. Hell, water once tried to kill me! In the form of a gigantic killer chaos monster, yes, but still.
I looked upward into the trees above my head. This world, despite it being ruled by an evil king, was quieter than most places on my home world. I could hear the birds chirping and the flowers brushing against the grass in the wind. Speaking of the wind, it sounded like chimes here. Or like someone was playing the flute.
My eyelids closed over my disoriented eyes. Traveling across dimensions gave me severe whiplash that I usually was able to ignore until it got quiet…or until my body decided it was fun to annoy me. I was tired, my head hurt, and I wanted to sleep so badly, as Caliburn was now (I could hear him faintly snoring. A sword, snoring! What a strange world!), to be able to relent from my burdens…and relax.
"Urrgh!" I whined in impatience, falling into the tree. "There's no way I'll survive this!"
"I merely think Merlina was trying to scare thee, young knight." Nimue, the Lady of the Lake herself, came to greet me. She resembled Amy, which caused a nagging homesickness in the pit of my being.
"I wanna go home…" I muttered. Despite not wanting to mention it…I'd been meaning to eat that second chilidog.
"Do not be discouraged, young knight. You can do anything. I have foreseen it." Her long blue dress, along with the white lace tracing the outer edges, made it seem as if she had a tail instead of feet at times. I chanced a glance at her. I watched her eyes flash from deep green to dark blue.
"Did you foresee King Arthur turning into the Black Knight?" I retorted sarcastically.
Nimue's face darkened and she turned to look the other way. "I-I could not. I mean, yes, I doubted. But I figured he would overcome the darkness inside his heart, and gain the ability to manage the temptations that followed…"
"All right! Hey. You're giving me a headache." I informed her, chuckling as I cradled my head in the palm of my hand.
"My apologies."
"No prob." I glanced at her. "You say I can do this, huh? How so?! I mean, I can't handle being a villain! I-" I was starting to sound like Amy, going on a girlish rant. Ew…I'd been hanging around her too much.
Yet, this "rant" was what I was feeling. How could I, a hero, survive as a villain.
"Merlina, I believe," the Lady of the Lake delicately leaned her cheek into her gloved hand. I noted again the golden bracelets that looked so much like power rings. "had no intention of discouraging you. I do not think she foresaw that, because she warned you. She is quite a pessimist, I daresay." Nimue shrugged easily, diving back into the water a moment, only to resurface with an oyster-like creature in one hand and a rock in the other. She continued to try and open this shelled creature by tapping on its covering with the rock. "Ever since the King changed."
I thought about that for a moment. Merlina, a pessimist? Then why did she summon me instead of letting her world fall? There were no legends about me to fall back on…were there? "Nimue, is there anything about me in legend?"
The Lady paused in her work, a thoughtful frown borrowing her lips. "I do not think so. But," she added, her eyes sparkling, "you should not doubt yourself. You have the wind on your side. And the wind is a powerful ally."
"Wind?" I sat up a little, curiously looking at Nimue.
"Yes of course." She tossed her hand carelessly. "The Knight of the Wind. And you are strong, anyway, so you will handle the pressures of being hated, which I do not think will last long. You are worthy, otherwise the sword would never have picked you, truth Caliburn?"
"Oh, what? Pardon, Miss Nimue, I was taking a gentleman's sleep." The sword beside me woke up and stood at attention. He was really well-behaved…when Nimue was around.
"Cat nap." I muttered to irk him, smirking to myself.
"Quiet, knave!" Hissed Caliburn, turning to Nimue. "Now, what was that, Miss Nimue?"
The Lady of the Lake climbed out of the water, her clothes and hair dry as if she'd never touched it, and sat on the bank of the lake, putting aside her work for the moment. "Caliburn, the young knight was just doubting himself, and I was saying that he is strong, otherwise you would not have picked him, truth?"
"In faith, yes." Caliburn answered in a business-like manner. "I sensed strength that you yourself did not know about. I just did not expect you to be such a knave!"
I made a face at the smart-ass sword, but it seemed Caliburn had no eyes for me at the moment. Nimue was back to trying to open the oyster thing.
I stood and walked over to the bank. Resting on my knees, I held out my hand. "Here, let me."
Nimue gave it to me and I cracked the creature's body in half. To my surprise, Nimue wasn't looking for a snack; the inside of it was empty. Instead, all that fell out was a pink pearl. Nimue took it from me and looked up. Finding my confused face, she laughed.
"These are called Wish Pearls." She told me. "Only those with a deep desire or wish can open it. As you could, though your method was cruel." I flushed at this, turning away. Surprisingly, her fingers rested under my chin, pulling my eyes back to her again. "And you see, you are strong, stronger than you think. Young knight, you will be great. Greater than you know." Nimue's eyes sparkled like a little girl's. "You will defeat King Arthur and the world will live in peace once again."
My eyes were wide like pools of water. I couldn't even fathom the deep meaning of her words. They all escaped me, like birds flying out a window. Yet, at the same time, I felt that my soul knew what she meant. They were comforting words that spoke of peace.
A peace hard won in this world, and in my own world, a peace I was still valiantly fighting for. Determined, I stood and took Caliburn up in my hands.
"I promise this land will be peaceful again, or my name isn't Sonic the Hedgehog!" I declared loud enough for all to hear.
The last thing I heard before setting off on this powerful adventure was Nimue's laughter, settling on the breeze of this perfect Arthurian English day.