Chapter 28: A Knight's Confession
We stood off, panting and gasping for air. The crowd of knights around us had fallen into a small silence, with some whispering about what was to come. Nobody could hardly believe that before, the knight who Shield Knight had disposed of so easily, now had her on the edge of defeat. A true tale of redemption had been played out before their eyes, and all it needed was one more finishing strike to end the story. Shield Knight had no weapons on her, her final trick had failed and she had no choice but to advance into the path of my shovel.
But Shield Knight did not advance. She stood, looking defeated and deflated, trying to think her way past me. But even she knew that there was very little hope of collection her great shield from me. He small shield was nowhere to be seen.
Through the pain, I stood firm. The calm had allowed me to regain some of my feelings. The poison was felt burning once more, but I could now overcome it with ease. I thought deeply about what was to come next.
"Shield Knight…I know you won't surrender" I spoke to her, telling her the words directly form my heart. "But please, I don't want to do this to you. I don't want to strike you down so heartlessly"
"Fool!" Shield Knight replied, her face filling with frustration and anger. "I will defeat you! I don't care how…ah!"
Shield Knight buckled, holding her chest where I had kicked her earlier. It was clear that it wasn't only me who was feeling the pain of the fight. Steadying herself, she tried to speak again, but even I knew she was facing a losing battle.
"Please Shield Knight!" I begged to her. "Forget what these fools have taught you…there's no shame in surrender"
"No!" she protested amidst gasps from the crowd. But her protestations seemed weaker than before. "No…" she repeated, but her desperation seemed clearer than ever.
I knew she wanted to give up. She didn't want to put herself through this, and yet her duty forced her too. The result was unimaginably painful for Shield knight to bear, and it was all on display. I tried to calm her down.
"Shield Knight, I don't want you to be hurt anymore" I called across to her. "…Do you want to know why?"
"W-what?" Shield Knight panted. "What are you talking about?"
"Do you want to know why I dropped my shovel to you on that day?" I said to her. My nerves were reaching a state were they could not be controlled much longer, but I held firm. At this moment, nothing much else mattered. We'd been through enough together; if she knew this, then maybe she would do the right thing.
"Shield Knight, I did it because…"
Stop!" Shield Knight spat. "I don't want to hear you try and protest me out of this! I must…I must win…"
I had to tell her.
"…Shield Knight, the reason I dropped my shovel to you was because I couldn't bear to hurt you. I'm in love with you, Shield Knight"
Shield Knight's face contorted from one of anger to one of confusion.
"Y-you…what?" she yelled.
"I don't know why" I continued. "But what I feel in my heart matters to me. I can't bear to hurt you, and today it hurts to know that I've caused you pain. But I know your mind is set…"
I readied my shovel for the final blow.
"I'm in love with you…" I repeated, in disbelief that I was revealing such a fact out loud. My voice was reducing to a quivering whisper, in disbelief of myself. "I just hope that no matter what happens after this, we can still be friends"
Shield Knight yelled and started towards me. She made a run for her shield, and I raised my shovel.
She failed to reach her shield.
As my shovel struck her chest, she fell back, her balance completely lost.
She landed on her back. The crowd fell completely silent.
I had won the fight.
As soon as she fell, I felt my emotions bubble out of me. My shovel fell out of my hand and I fell to my knees, trying to hold back my tears. I held my head, in some silly attempt to stop it from whirling. I couldn't believe what I had done; I had earned my freedom, but at such a painful, forced price. I watched as Shield Knight struggled onto her feet. As she did, she wiped the tears from her own eyes. She threw a glance at me, her face twisted in bitterness and grief.
As she managed to carry her suddenly heavy frame beneath her weary feet, Shield Knight begun to walk away slowly, limping through the shocked crowd of knights who had just witnessed their star fighter fall to the 'traitor'. I also watched, my heart painfully beating, as she walked in defeat out of the circle and back to the dressing rooms of the castle. The last I saw of her was her lowly hung head.
She had no reason to feel shame. Only the people around her deserved the shame for placing her in this position to begin with. And for placing me here as well…I wanted them all to pay so, so much. They all stared, like children at a carnival.
It was pathetic.
I got to my feet and turned to both Polar Knight and Garuda. Polar Knight remained expressionless, his head turned to where Shield Knight had walked away. Garuda's face was one of shock. I stepped up to the two of them, knowing that I had proved them wrong.
"H-how?" Garuda muttered as I approached him. "My best knight…beaten so decisively!"
Polar Knight noticed my approach and turned to me as I stopped.
"S-Shovel Knight…" he stuttered; even he was somewhat shocked at the outcome. "…Congratulations on your victory. You have earned your place back in the Order of the Shovel…should you wish to keep it, of course" He knew that I had the option to throw him and the Order into the dust if I so wished.
But I wouldn't. Despite it all, I'd known from the start that I couldn't leave something I had dedicated so much of my life to. The Order of the Shovel was my life, after all.
I just hoped that now, I had proved an essential point about our way of life.
"…I accept to stay" I said quietly. "But your friend's little gambit didn't pay off; I think you need to turn your investigation into my assassination attempt elsewhere" Meanwhile, I gestured to Garuda, clearly communicating the hint. Garuda looked incredibly shocked and displeased at my insinuation and protested immediately. Another round of gasps made their way around the knights.
"What!" he yelled. "Have you lost your mind?"
"Shovel Knight!" Polar Knight responded, also shocked at my accusation. "You don't mean to say that Garuda…"
"Make of it what you will" I spoke firmly, knowing that I was in the position of power now. I turned to Garuda. "I just want you to know that you disgust me, Garuda. You treated me like scum and you treated Shield Knight as a pawn in your pathetic little game. And you could have secured your future here, had you only used a little decency. Instead, you try to wipe me out of sight and out of mind. Awful. I hope you hang, Garuda"
I turned my back to the two of them.
"I begin my duties again once I have fully healed" I instructed as I started to walk away. "And just remember the lesson you've all learned today: there is more to a knight than their duty. Their dignity is just as important"
And with that, I left them all behind and walked back into the castle, a new dawn rising over my life as a knight.
