Eckhart sat on the tree branch of a large tree near the lake, staring at the sky slowly turning from blue to orange. The surprise party was probably over, he thought to himself. He regretted for not going to the party and also speaking rudely to the friend who was with him since he was into the dark business of the world. "Remember, the shadow is your home and the light is your greatest enemy," he muttered to himself, remembering the words he heard from the nightmare he had.
The nightmare bugged him a lot. He may have devoted himself to the Empress of Ereve to be the Knight of Darkness because none other suited him other than the darkness itself, but the dark past of his continued clinging onto him recently, as if to haunt him not to get comfortable on becoming a light. It was an irony for someone like him, who lived in the lower part of the world, where cruelty and killing was his second nature, had suddenly became the light, serving under the queen, having other young knights who learn their skills from him, respect him, and admire him.
This all happened because of the Empress's kindheartedness to accept a person like him, no matter how rotten he already was in the core. She, too, had accepted Hawkeye, who was a liar that could make people trust him easily. In the time where he provides his service to the Queen, Eckhart noticed the major changes in Hawkeye. He slowly got out from the habit of lying to people and opened up to others. It was easy for him as he was always the one that interacts to the victims before luring them to Eckhart. He, on the other hand, who barely opened his mouth to others, found it extremely hard to socialize to the others. He usually never mutters more than a word.
It was uncomfortable at first, but Hawkeye made it easy for him to get comfortable with the other knights. He was grateful to him, but deep inside he felt that his friend was getting more distant as the days passed. He had slowly become a light that he, no, they both once hated. The light is blinding and warm, and they were more than he could take. It was too bright for someone who lived so long under the darkness. It hurts. Yet he was somehow attracted to it as the time passed while serving the young empress that stretched out her hand to him when he was on the verge of death.
Eckhart, never leave the darkness. It is the only thing you could rely on.
The sun slowly sunk to the ground. Its shed of light felt uncomfortable to Eckhart's eye and he raised his hand to block it.
"I still can't get use to it…" he whispered.
Suddenly, he heard someone stepping onto dry leaves. It was already that season, after all. He scanned around the area on alert, ready to strike. Was he already been found? None other than Hawkeye knows that he likes to spend his time around the lake.
Even though he was hiding, Eckhart quickly saw him behind the tree at the other side of the lake. The blue cape of his had given his location out. As if Hawkeye knew it, the blue cloth was quickly pulled out of sight. Eckhart lowered down his guard and let out a sigh.
Suddenly he had realized what he had first thought of the sound.
He was ready to kill, just like old times.
Fear went down to his spine. He was afraid of himself. He was afraid of the demonic shadow of his past self. He looked down at his palms, which were facing upwards. He could feel the warm blood that had tainted his hands at his younger times.
This is your life now, Eckhart. Just accept it and live on.
He remembered the words of the man that recruited him to be an assassin. That was from when he was ordered to kill a man. He was afraid at first, but did it at the end. He remembered his younger self was shivering in fear at the first sight of excessive blood on the lifeless body and on his hands.
Suddenly, he pictured the Knights of Cygnus, the strategist and the empress- everyone's bodies were covered with blood. He didn't want that to happen. Quickly he went down the trees and ran away from the area. He didn't want to hurt anyone else.
"Eckhart!" Hawkeye yelled his name, but he ignored it.
He ran as fast as he could, as far as his legs would bring him. He stopped after a while and looked at his surroundings. He was back at the Chamber of Knights, where they all would linger around at the Empress's Road.
"Eckhart?" a voice behind him startled him. He quickly turned around and saw the empress standing behind him. Her eyes gleamed in happiness, but to him, it felt like a blinding light – something he should be avoiding. It was suffocating. He was about to make an attempt to run away from her when she reached out and grabbed his wrist.
"Eckhart," she repeated his name, this time with a soft tone that somewhat soothed him. He looked at her, feeling less panicked than before. "Are you okay? Hawkeye told me that you were sick."
He knew Hawkeye was lying again and decided to follow up to his lies. "Yeah…" he muttered and faked a cough, avoiding eye contact with her, fearing that he would, one day, betray her from the excessive light that was given out from this place and the other knights, but most of all, from her.
"You're lying, aren't you?" she said. He fixed his gaze at the tree to his right, not saying a word. "Are you still feeling uncomfortable in here?" she continued. "Are you still remembering about the past?"
His eyes widened for a little while, shocked because she knew what was happening, and tried to conceal his expressions.
"Was it my fault that you couldn't face me right now?" Cygnus asked in sad tone. She believed it was her fault that her knight wouldn't even look her in the eye.
"No!" he quickly looked at her, horrified at her misunderstanding. She looked at him in the eye and he tensed. He quickly looked away. Cygnus released her grip on him. "No… that's not it…" she could hear him mutter.
They stood in silence for a moment before Eckhart took a deep breath in, faced the empress and asked her a question, "Your Highness, have you regretted on taking me as one of your knights?"
Cygnus was taken aback from his question. She looked at the ground for a while to think of a proper reply. "I have never once doubted your loyalty to me, Eckhart," she said. "I don't know why you were deliberately avoiding me for the past few days, but I felt that it was related to your past. When I take you in years ago, do you remember what I said to you?"
He stayed silent. "I told you I did not care of your origins or the actions you have made during the past, and I merely picked you to become one of my knights based on your skills," she continued when he didn't say a word. "I have never regretted my actions on recruiting you when you and Hawkeye pledged your loyalty to me."
In that instance, Eckhart felt stupid for doubting her actions. He nodded and got down on one knee, his eyes fixed at the ground. Cygnus was about to open her mouth to tell him to get up, but he took her hand and kissed it. "I swear my loyalty to the Empress of Ereve," he said, repeating the words he had once said several years ago, when he had decided to rebirth anew, neglecting his past. Cygnus was shocked by his actions, but at the end she smiled.
When he got up, Irena had found them when she was looking for the empress. "Whoa," she said when she saw them together. "Well, uh, am I disturbing anything?"
Eckhart blinked at her, for a moment he wasn't sure what she had meant, and when Cygnus looked awkward, he quickly shook his head, alarmed. Irena grinned. "Well, since you're here, why don't we celebrate the Empress's birthday?"
"Huh? But you've just celebrated it earlier…" Cygnus frowned at her.
"Well, now he's here, so we all can celebrate your birthday together without that sad look, right?" Irena turned around. "You better come, Eckhart, to the rose garden. Mihile and Hawkeye will never forgive you if you're absent for one more time!" Then, she ran into the forest.
Cygnus's face flushed. Eckhart noticed it but took no heed of it. "Shall we go, Your Highness?" he looked at her. She snapped out of her thought, looked at him in shock, and then nodded with an embarrass smile. Eckhart never knew what she was thinking at that moment, nor was he curious about it. He took her hand and they both walked towards the rose garden.
When they both arrived, everyone pulled their party poppers at them. Eckhart shook his head away while letting her hand go. "Happy birthday, Empress Cygnus!" everyone said once again. She turned to look at Eckhart.
"Happy birthday, Your Highness," he smiled. Hawkeye went behind him and lifted the edges of his mouth with his fingers.
"Smile more, Eckhart!" he grinned. Eckhart glared at him and attempted to hit him with his elbow. Hawkeye quickly moved away before he could do so and laughed. Oz laughed when Eckhart chased after him to land a blow.
"Well, all's well ends well," Nineheart said, shaking his head at all the fuss made just at Eckhart's absence earlier. He looked at the empress's expression. She was smiling more than before, and this time, more genuinely. The cooks of Ereve had prepared a feast and everyone in Ereve was invited to dine in. One by one, the citizens of Ereve shook hands with Cygnus and said their blessings.
It was a fun evening for Cygnus. She was escorted back to the castle by Nineheart and Mihile after the party. Oz was drunk and spouted all of her complains regarding the absence of Eckhart earlier. "If you had come earlier, the party during the afternoon wouldn't be so tense!" she complained to Eckhart. He merely nodded at her. Irena placed her palm to her forehead. Hawkeye was sleeping on the ground, drunk from losing the poker game to Nineheart.
Eckhart silently left the brightly-lit garden and went back to the cabin. He climbed up the tree near the cabin and stared at the dark sky filled with stars. After asking the question to Cygnus, he can't help feeling that the burden in his heart had been lifted up. He was glad that she didn't get angry of him for being absent to her party earlier. Remembering the event earlier, he can't help but smile.
Sometime later, he saw Hawkeye dragging his feet back to the cabin. Remembering of the incident earlier, he got down from the tree and chased after Hawkeye, who was heading towards his room. "Hawkeye," he called out to him. Hawkeye turned around and raised his eyebrow. "Sorry about today."
"It's alright," Hawkeye grinned. "The lady's happy, so it doesn't matter anymore."
"No, not about that; I'm talking about that time where I snapped at you and ignored you when you called my name at the lake. Sorry about that."
Hawkeye blinked. "Oh, about that?" he chuckled. "It's okay, so don't get it to you. We're partners, remember?"
Eckhart forced a smile. Hawkeye raised his hand to him and turned back to open the door to his room. Eckhart suddenly remembered something else and stopped him. "Wait."
"What now?"
"Were you the one who called the Empress to wait at the stairs of the Chamber of Knights, knowing that I would bump into her there?"
Hawkeye looked at him over his shoulders. Grinning, he replied, "Well, who knows?" Then, he entered his room and shut the door behind him. Eckhart stared at the door to his room and let out a laugh.
"What a liar," he said under his breath, then walked towards his own room.
That night, Eckhart dreamt of everyone reaching out their hands to him with impeccable smiles on their faces. It was the first time he had woken up with a smile on his face.
Because he knew that the light he had once hated is now his new home.