Knight of Passion
Alone in her tower, Princess Mariella could hear the sounds of battle coming from below. Out of her window, she could see down into the courtyard of her prison, the tall stone spire that had confined her for close to five years now. Far below, the cobblestones were streaked with scorch marks, long black lines of soot that crisscrossed the ground and spread up the walls. She felt tears welling in her eyes. The poor knight.
He wasn't the first person who'd come to rescue her. She wasn't sure if she hoped he'd be the last. Many had tried, especially in the first few months, but none had been a match for the dragon that guarded her. Their bodies still dotted the castle, nothing but bones and disfigured armour, turned to ashes by the heat of the dragon's breath. As she watched, the huge beast thundered past the window, the beating of its wings shaking the glass. She took a step back, afraid.
She heard a deafening roar as the creature circled around, turning down towards the courtyard and unleashing a giant bout of flame, white-hot and blindingly bright even in the mid-morning light. Shielding her eyes, Mariella couldn't bear to watch, even after the fire was gone. She didn't want to see the body of her would be rescuer, now nothing but charred remains like so many others.
Trying not to cry, she waited for the beast to return, flying back up to its roost triumphantly. It slept above her, curled around the roof of the tower, always alert for intruders. As she made her way back to her bed, falling down heavily onto the edge, her shoulders slumped as she sat in a fit of melancholy. She felt the hot sting of tears rolling down her cheek and didn't try to stop them. Every time it was the same. Every time someone came to save her, they died, and she was left alone, still trapped.
Quietly, she began to weep, holding her face in her hands as her body shook with wracking sobs. Oh gods, why her? All she wanted was to be free, to be able to walk around outside again, to see her family, her friends. Anything but these four walls. She missed her parents so badly. She was only eighteen when she'd been kidnapped, whisked away from the royal castle in the middle of the night, and locked up here, in the middle of gods know where. She still didn't know who had taken her; One of her father's enemies, she imagined, but which one? As the king of Treimara, he had plenty of them; rivals for the throne, foreign powers, and even a few magical beings as well.
But if they were holding her to ransom, why was she still here five years later?
No matter what they asked, she knew her parents wouldn't leave her to die. No amount of money was worth more to them than her, their only child, and not even in her darkest nightmares did she think for a moment that they'd abandoned her to her fate. But then, what other reason could someone have to kidnap her?
In all the time she'd been confined in the tower, not a single person had come to speak with her. In fact, the only people she'd seen at all were the knights who came to rescue her, and of course the terrifying dragon that lurked amidst the crumbling ruin of the rest of the castle. Her food appeared as if by magic, along with whatever else she needed to survive, but she had no idea how. It was as though whoever had taken her had done so for no other reason than to keep her locked away because they could.
She felt like a trophy.
Her only solace was the single window looking out over the world below. She'd spent so many hours, sometimes even whole days, just sitting on the windowsill, staring out and dreaming of the day she could finally leave. She watched the waves lapping against the walls of the castle, perched as it was on a small island in the centre of a vast lake. Beyond that, across the single stone bridge, she could see a great forest, stretching on and on for miles, before giving way to wild, flat grasslands, that continued all the way to the horizon. It was a beautiful sight.
Sometimes birds would come to her window, sitting outside and chirping their happy songs before darting away again. She'd always been afraid that the dragon would appear and snatch them from the air, but it never did. It didn't seem to mind anything other than potential rescuers. The thought of the creature sent another wave of helplessness crashing down over the young woman. She felt her tears coming back with renewed vigour and threw herself back onto the sheets.
At least the furnishings were nice; whoever had imprisoned her here hadn't wanted her to be uncomfortable. As small as the room felt, the decor was surprisingly pleasant, more than fit for a princess, and she never wanted for things to do. A tall bookshelf, lined with all manner of books, had been a constant companion and source of escape, and by the end of her first year, she'd read them all cover to cover. Even now, with few other activities to fill the time, she often found herself thumbing through the familiar pages.
Looking up through her tears, she gazed at the sky out of the window. She just wanted to fly away. As she whimpered, a sudden sight jolted her back to reality. Rushing past the window, black scales streaked with red, the dragon flew up towards its roost. But instead of the slow, triumphant swoop she was used to, the creature looked panicked. Circling back around, roaring in fury, she saw that one of the horns that flanked its head had been cut away, leaving a cracked and jagged stump, and thick red blood marred a black hole where it's eye had once been.
Leaping to her feet, she rushed back to the window, a sudden hope filling her body. Down in the courtyard, she saw the knight, still standing, with his sword and shield in his hands. Under his armour, his purple tabard looked frayed and scorched, but he still stood tall, preparing himself for the dragon's return. Mariella couldn't believe it. He was still alive!
Quickly her elation turned to dread as from the heavens the creature descended. Rushing towards the ground, fanged mouth split in a roar of anger, the dragon folded its wings back, diving straight for the knight. In response, he simply raised his shield, bracing himself as a sudden, blinding explosion erupted from the dragon, enveloping him completely in fire. But from within the swirling mass of orange and yellow, the princess could see a purple light. As the fire died away, she saw the knight, shield still raised, surrounded by a gleaming wall of force. As it dissipated, the knight lowered his shield, preparing his sword arm to strike.
Still plummeting downward, the beast roared once more, preparing its talons to strike. Mariella couldn't tear her eyes away as in a sudden clash the two collided, the dragon charging straight into the knight, who didn't even flinch until the last second, throwing himself to the ground as the dragon careened over his head, crashing into the cobbles like a comet falling from heaven. Leaping to his feet, the man rushed towards the fallen beast, as it struggled to pick itself back up.
Before it had time to do so, however, the knight was upon it, his sword streaking left and right across its hard scales. Avoiding the beast's snapping jaws and swiping talons, he carved away at the creature again and again. In the face of such a vicious onslaught, the dragon roared, firing a jet of flame across the courtyard, narrowly missing the knight, whose keen reflexes kept them out of the line of fire. Skillfully, he dodged right, rolling around the side of the creature's head, out of the way.
Dropping his shield, he took up his sword with both hands. The beast had only a second to react to what was happening, and the princess saw the fury burning in it's one remaining eye before the knight brought his sword down. In one swing, his blade severed the head clean from the dragon's body, and as it fell to the ground it went limp, slumping down onto the cobbles with a crash. Mariella couldn't believe it. The dragon was dead!
The knight fell to his knees, visibly panting as he caught his breath. Mariella watched from her window, feeling the tears start to flow again. But this time, they were tears of joy. She was free. She was finally free!
--------------------
It took a while for the knight to find her. Even with the dragon dead, the ruined castle was a labyrinth of fallen walls, missing floors, and deadly traps. Waiting patiently, the princess sat on her bed, her heart pounding in her chest as she awaited her saviour's arrival. Every now and then, she'd walk back over to the window to look down at the body of the dragon, just to remind herself that she wasn't dreaming. She could hardly believe this was happening, after so many years of being locked away, she was finally free!
After almost an hour and a half, she heard the sound of metal boots on stone, and felt her heart leap into her throat. This was it. She stood up, straightening out her dress as she heard him approaching the door. Glancing over one last time at the mirror on the wall, she checked her hair to make sure it was perfect, before turning back towards the door, hands clasped together in front of her. She'd been imagining this day for the past five years. She wanted to look her best.
From beyond the heavy wooden door, she heard the footsteps stop. For a moment, all she could hear was her own pulse, thundering in her ears, before the brass handle turned. As the door swung inwards, she took a sharp breath as the figure of the knight appeared in the gap. He was around six foot, broad and muscular. This close, she could see the sword emblazoned on the front of his purple tabard, the edges of which were now badly frayed, and not a little singed. His face was still covered by his helmet, a simple bucket without the flashy embellishments some knights wore. No wings, no lion's mane. Just a simple metal cylinder, tapered at the top, with two holes for the eyes. His armour was the same; simple and functional. At his hip, his sword lay in its scabbard, but there was no sign of his shield.
For a moment, the two stood in silence. Mariella could hardly breathe, her whole body rigid with the adrenaline in her system. After what felt like an eternity, he spoke.
"Princess Mariella Coulthurst?"
Mariella nodded. His voice was higher than she'd expected, not as deep and gravely as the knights who'd accompanied her father. As she nodded, he dropped to his knee, tilting his head forward in a sign of respect. In a shaky voice, she replied.
"Arise, sir." Doing as he was bidden, the knight stood back up. The princess took a moment to steady her nerves. "What is your name?"
