The Tarnished Knight - Revelations

Though the sunrises He had seen, since The Angel had left His side, had been but a numbered few, The Knight's hollow soul had taken Him through what felt like an eternity of sorrow.

Each struggle He had come to know since, had taken more than flesh and steel to overcome. His muscles ached now in ways they never had before. Each blow to His armor tore away more and more, leaving His beleaguered self more exposed each day.

The Knight had always questioned the worth of battle, and often felt that His role in the world was one without value, without honor. But, standing now, a gaping maw in His chest where His heart once belonged, His doubts and fears raged against Him, stronger and more insurmountable than He ever believed they could become.

He once again had found a suitable steed to carry Him onward, but the weight of His battered patchwork armor, shoddy leather sitting where sterling metal once existed, burdened Him terribly.

Yet, He claimed himself to be a Knight, and that meager oath held enough power to pull Him forward each day, to stand as a warrior against the evils of this land....

As His mount came to rest one day, for a few hours rest before the next test of his might arose, The Knight's eyes glanced across the field around Him, and the image before Him brought Him to His knees...

Around His feet, lay the aftermath of a fierce and epic conflict. The broken bodies of many demons, many enemies, were strewn across the scene, the work of a truly mighty Champion. The Knight's thoughts raced back to the days, when His own might, His own will, would have readily faced a challenge of this scope, and would have been all He needed to win the day...

But... That was His past. He was broken now, emptied and crippled by His sorrows, His weakness, and His longing. His days as a warrior of this calibre were long buried. He was now, but a lone vagabond, drawing His steel against far less powerful foes, far lest ghastly monsters.

It was then, that He saw it... Felt it carried on the breeze... That feeling, That aura.... That Grace...

She had been here... The Angel He once had dared to call His own... He would never forget that presence... The presence that had once stood by His side, lending Him strength without limits... She was ingrained into His soul...

And with this revelation, The Knight wept...

... For He knew, She had found another, one truly worthy of Her... A Champion strong enough to face each day with courage and honor... Not fear and despair, as were The Knight's only ways...

...... And through those tears, The Knight prayed... Praying to the Heavens he had long ago turned away from... He prayed, for Her... And for this new Champion...

.........He prayed that She would fill The Champion with the same faith, and strength, She had given to The Knight... And that The Champion would do what The Knight never could... Heal Her scars...

........... And with a simple Amen... The Knight lifted his flask to his lips... Let the harsh taste of warm ale wash over his tongue... Laid his head to the ground... And drifted away...

.............. For though, He now wished only to slip away, fading to the shadows forever...

................... He had sworn an oath the always be.... Her Knight.

- A Piece by Kenny G.