As the snow had fallen all around Valerie's home as winter arrived those past three days. Valerie was wearing a makeshift helmet, a wooden shield in one hand and a stick in the other. She sat on her horse as she aimed for her cousin Tucker, as he was wearing makeshift armour over his chest out of wood and a helmet. Like Valerie, he had a shield, but no stick and he was sitting on a piece of log instead of a horse.

"I don't understand why I have to be the practice dummy Valerie." Tucker complained. "Couldn't we just use snow?"

Angela and her husband Maurice watched them by the house and chuckled at the two.

"Tucker. Quit complaining! I need to practice. You're wearing armour." Valerie pointed out and before Tucker could complain once more, she charged and hit him right in the chest of his armour, knocking him flat to the ground.

"OW!" Tucker yelped as he fell.

Valerie giggled in response. They all suddenly heard the sound of horses and looked ahead to see several horses approaching over the hill.

"Father's back!" Valerie cheered in joy and immediately began to run over there.

At first, all of them smiled, but Maurice could see that all the knights seemed very quiet and after looking closer, he could see Fright Knight riding behind them on his own horse. Not only that, when Damian usually returned home, he would shout so they could all hear. But Damian's voice could not be heard.

"Maurice?" Angela asked, noticing her husband's expression.

"Something's wrong." Maurice said. "I can feel it."

As Valerie stood there, all the other Knights passed by her. Some of them looked at her solemnly and sympathy. Valerie was confused and continued to look for her father amongst the knights. However, when she finally saw him, her smile dropped as she saw his lifeless body, being carried on a wagon being pulled by a bull.

"No!" Valerie gasped as she realised, her father was dead.

An hour later, they had buried Damian's body in a stone tomb, right next to his wife in front of a hedge stone on one of the tallest hills on their land. Maurice comforted his wife as she cried for the loss of her brother. Tucker stood by Valerie and cried beside her, for the loss of her father and his uncle.

Fright Knight handed Maurice Damian's shield and said to Angela, "Your brother died saving my life and saving Camelot from Vlad. Lady Angela, the gates of Camelot will always be opened to you and your family."

"Thank you your Majesty." Angela said and continued to cry in her husband's arms.

Fright Knight looked at Valerie and knelt down in front of her. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and said, "I'm so sorry about your father dear one. Your father was, one of the bravest men I've ever known."

Valerie wiped her eyes and nodded. Fright Knight stood back up and addressed them all, "Sir Damian Grey was my most trusted knight and also my dear friend. We will always remember how he upheld the ideals of Camelot. May his spirit live forever in all of us."

They all raised their swords to honour Damian. Valerie walked up to her father's tomb and gently placed her hand on top of it. More tears fell from her eyes as she whispered, "Goodbye father."

She walked away from the tomb. Tucker gave her another tight hug, which she returned, before kneeling down and looking down at herself in the water as more tears fell.

VALERIE

If you were with me now
I'd find myself in you
If you were with me now
You're the only one who knew
All the things we planned to do

Ten years had passed since that mournful day. It was now spring and Valerie had grown into a strong young woman of 20 years old. She kept her curly hair flowing back but kept her fringe held back with an orange headband. She wore a red tunic with a black long-sleeved undershirt, grey pants, and brown boots. She was now more determined than ever to become a knight like her father and continued to practice every day, after finishing her chores on the land.

As she sat down on the beach, memories of her playing with her father came to her mind.

I want to live my life
The way you said I would
With courage as my light
Fighting for what's right
Like you made me believe I could

And I will fly on my father's wings
To places, I have never been

She smiled as she jumped across the large rocks and stood on the middle one, feeling the fresh ocean breeze around her as she continued to remember her father. She also thought about what it would be like to become a knight and to have many adventures out in the world.

There is so much I've never seen
And I can feel his heartbeat still
And I will do great things
On my father's wings

When she returned from the beach, Maurice handed her a bucket full of scraps for the pigs. She threw the bucket in the pen, but completely missed and instead, spread the food all over the pigs. Her mind was focused more on her plans to one day leave her home, go to Camelot and become a Knight of the Round Table.

This world I'll never see
My dreams that just won't be
This horse's stride
With one days ride
Will have covered more
Distance than me

She grabbed a pitchfork and used it to first leap right over the pigpen, landed on the edge of the fence after spooking the skeleton parrot and jumped onto the back of her horse.

But I will fly on my father's wings
To places, I have never been
There is so much I've never seen

She rode her horse straight to the barn where a target was drawn on a bundle of hay. Aiming carefully, she threw the spear straight at it, which then hit a rope, bounced against some armour hanging on a pole and dead on the center of the target.

And I can feel his heartbeat still
And I will do great things
On my father's wings

She hopped off her horse and lifted a huge amount of hay and gave it to the cows. She then placed a bucket of feed in front of her horse and gave it a pat. As she opened the windows of the barn, she smiled as she could feel her father's spirit inside of her, watching over and guiding her to hopefully fulfil her dream someday.

Someday with his spirit to guide me
And his memory beside me
I will be free

To fly on my father's wings
To places, I have never been

She jumped straight out of the window, landed on a platform that was balanced on a barrel which sent the skeleton parrot shooting straight up into the sky before landing in another barrel full of water.

Valerie grabbed a lid and wooden sword and threw one to Tucker and practiced some sword fighting with him, before throwing both of them away.

There is so much I've never seen
And I can feel his heartbeat still
And I will do great things

She ran up to the top of the hill beside her house and just stood there as the sun began to set, feeling the breeze blow all around her as if, it was her father's spirit flying all over her.

On my father's wings
On my father's wings

Maurice and Angela stood outside the house and smiled up at Valerie with pride as she began walking back down towards the house. They were happy to see her grow up into a strong young woman.

Valerie joined her aunt and uncle as Tucker came along. All of them then went inside for dinner, unaware that something horrible was about to happen in Camelot.