The Maiden Of Dawn

The sky was blue and without a trace of clouds to gloom and the hour was noon. No fowl dared to disturb the silence but for the rustling of the leaves of a Tamarind tree underneath which a Knight sat with his back leaned against its trunk. His bloodstained breastplate was still being worn but his helmet was placed next to his hips, his right leg folded while his left leg laid on the ground. He sat there cleaning his claymore which seems to have been stained with blood just as much his breastplate was. The noble armored steed stood beside him in glory. After he had cleaned the sword, he gently sheathed it and laid it beside him, close to his helmet. Now, his head rested on the trunk, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He sat with no gesture made, deep in thought as though he is remembering someone dear to him. After being still and motionless for a while, he opened his eyes and looked upon the meadow, then smiled and muttered, "Now that is a sight a man finds comfort in, ah, the blood and lives I've taken, I am rid of the guilt." He rose to his feet, put his helmet back on, gathered his belongings and climbed on the steed and galloped away.

When the evening came, the king called a feast to celebrate the victory of the Knight and his men in driving away from a horde of barbaric invaders even though they were greatly outnumbered. The Knight sat with the king at the supper table and they made a toast to the victory. The king spoke high of the Knight, and of his bravery and heroism and his loyalty to the kingdom. Despite the festivities, the Knight sat thoughtful and silent as if he only waits for the feast to end and he could resign to his quarter.

The scene of the gore of the battlefield haunted the Knight and he could not find comfort in the bed he laid on. Therefore, he went to the balcony of his chamber to enjoy the moonlit sky with stars scattered and placed beautifully. He looked at the cottages surrounding the palace and thought, "I fight to protect my people, I kill to keep them safe." And the thought provided him with comfort his bed failed to. Gazing upto the sky, he saw the sight he saw at the meadow in the afternoon. He recalled opening his eyes and seeing the maiden he loves. He could still see her in his mind's eye. The breeze played with her hair which shone like strains of gold under the afternoon sun and how the grass caressed her sitting. The maiden was the only person the Knight held dear to his heart for he grew up as an orphan. He wished he could tell her of the love he had for her but he thought his sins were too heavy and the lives he had taken were too many, that his sword and breastplate could never be washed clean, that his love would only taint the beautiful creation she is, so pure and so full of life. He thought on for hours and when the cock crowed to announce dawn, he realised time had passed and so he went back to his chamber and on to his bed. As he laid down to rest, he heard the church bell ring thrice and thought, "Odd time for it to ring, maybe some naughty children escaped the laps of their mother and did the mischief." And so he was lulled to sleep by the fatigue.

When he woke, the sun had already started moving toward the west and so the Knight made haste and ate whatever bread he could find and rushed to the meadow where he knew the maiden would be for it was in her habit to bask in the afternoon sun. Upon reaching the meadow, he did not see the maiden but instead saw a stone standing on a fresh patch of dirt. He went closer to inspect and when he was close enough to see what it was he fell to his knees and crawled to the spot with tears falling from his eyes. He laid there helplessly crying until it was Twilight, then he finally thrusted his claymore through his chest and end his life.

He clutched on to a piece of paper on his left hand and on the paper was written as the following;

"Life is cruel and fate cannot be defied but destiny can be altered.

The church bell that lulled me to temporary slumber announced the permanent slumber of my love, the dawn took her life, She is the Maiden of Dawn.

To see a tombstone in place of the most beautiful creation that ever lived, to find that God had plucked the prettiest flower from the garden, those that lives by the light she emits simply cannot survive. So where she goes, I shall follow.

So, I, the Knight of Twilight, shall forever sleep next to the Maiden of Dawn."