Bloodless Knights (35 page)

“Lugina!”
I yelled, as the speedy cat looked to the stone then charged toward it. I knew
there was no way for Vivian to know what had just happened, but I hoped and
prayed that Jadorion giving up his life would be worth the great cost.

I
stared in horror as Lugina continued running past the screaming crowd. Aelfgyva
came forward and sang. The giant dragon went to the stone, where a dead and
shriveled horse laid next to my nearly dead and shriveling Jadorion. It didn’t
matter to me who was watching; let them judge! I closed my eyes and let the
sobs overcome me.

A
great roar resounded as my eyes opened in time to see the gigantic dragon stand
on the rock. He looked over the horse, then Jadorion. Deciding to feast on the
living; he picked up Jadorion. I shut my eyes again, grinding my teeth. I heard
bones breaking as I held down sobs, not wanting to distract the dragon’s
attention.

Suddenly
Vivian’s upset voice sounded in my ear, “What in blazes has happened?” She
growled.

I
turned, looking at her with pursed lips and tears. Her anger ceased when she
saw my face. Her arms immediately enclosed me; a comforting feeling that
offered no solace.

The
dragon finished what I desperately hoped was his last meal. He seemed to smile
as he flew from the stone toward the bay.

Vivian
held me tight, brushing her hand against my cheek.

“I
couldn’t stop him!” I let out all the breath I had been holding.

We
turned to watch the dragon fly. The disinterested Fallen turned to go home. As
the dragon turned slightly toward the mountain, he seemed to be descending,
instead of continuing upward. We continued to watch. It seemed he was returning
to us.

The
Fallen somehow sensed something was off, and stopped to look back. We watched
the dragon, as he swerved and seemed to flail and veer through the air.

“It’s
working…” Vivian whispered with relief.

My
heart pounded in my chest. I wiped my tears for a better look at what I wanted
to happen.

In
mid-air, Weeches fell from the dragon, one-after-the-other, into the water. The
dragon’s wings stopped fluttering. His big, heavy body twisted and twirled
through the air as it gained speed and headed to the ground.

“Aye!
Aye! Aye!” I shouted, perhaps too soon, but the hurling dragon made me feel
like I had already won.

The
dragon’s body hit the ground with a deafening thud. He didn’t get up. At the
exact same time the dragon fell, a loud “pop” sounded from behind us. We turned
to look at the castle. The light around it dimmed, and then completely
disappeared.

The
people in front of us cheered. Someone said, “Now we can go to the pond!”

As
soon as the “pop” sounded through the valley, the snow melted rapidly. The
waterfall roared down the mountain. Pink flower blossoms bloomed instantly on
the trees. The air warmed and the clouds cleared from the sky. Birds appeared
overhead. It seemed they had been held behind an invisible wall that had been
crushed. The chill in my bones seemed to disappear faster than the snow had.

As
the Fallen people walked away, a tall and lanky boy with brown curls followed
behind the pack. I ran to him, standing in front of him to look at his face.

“Jadorion.”
I yelled at my squire as he walked forward.

The
boy glanced at me with a smirk, “My Lord, doncha worry ‘bout me now. I’m gonna
find Elex and all will be well.”

Holding
back tears, I smiled at the young man. “Grammarcy, Jadorion. Thou art a fine
hero.” I saluted him.

He
continued smirking, nodding as he kept pace with the Fallen.

Vivian
caught up to me, grabbing my hand. An odd look crossed her face, like she heard
something distant.

“Horses.
They’re coming from both directions.” The lady’s face seemed worried.

“Both
directions?” I asked, just in time to see Patrious and Kristoff leading our
mass army from the direction of the castle. I was thrilled seeing, what
appeared to be, most of the men.

Charging
from the direction where the dragon fell, another army approached. I recognized
immediately, the horned crest of my family.

“Not
now!” I groaned, gently guiding Vivian toward a dense grove of trees.

Vivian
and I hid behind some rocks, watching through the oaks. I turned to her, “I
knoweth not what to do. I don’t have a horse. I can’t just run out there like a
fool, but I have to stand-up to my father.”

Vivian’s
worried eyes stroked my face. “Tristen, just sit here and let things happen for
a moment. Thou dost not always have to be in the middle of everything.”

Hooves
got louder, then deafening clanging of metal-on-metal crashed through our ears.
I turned back to see that the soldiers had made contact. Patrious had known
there was no “talk about it” in this situation. Blades had to clash.

I
sighed loudly, watching my brothers and my friends destroy each other; over
what? The whole entire nightmare of the last little while was completely
foolish and unnecessary!

“Vivian,
my father must die. And it must be at my hands.” I sadly declared.

Vivian
nodded her agreement. “Indeed. However, I don’t agree that more death is the
right choice, but it seems to be the only way to end this once and for all.”

I
clenched my teeth together, remembering my mother’s face and my brother’s
words. There was only one choice now, and it was ugly, no matter which angle I
viewed it.

“I
need a horse.” I didn’t see another way, but Vivian did.

She
shook her head and kissed my cheek. “No, thou dost not need a horse – thou hast
me. Hold on tight!”

Vivian
curled up a bit, transforming into Lugina, the tiger. She stretched her paws
forward, making access to her back easier. I climbed on, wrapping my arms
around her neck, careful not to choke her.

Lugina
charged from the trees, finding her way through the fighting knights. The power
in the tigers back nearly threw me to the ground. Knowing the cat had the scent
of my father burned in her brain; it was only a matter of moments before we
found him.

When
Lugina spotted Ladislas, I had to hold tighter when she hurled herself through
the air at the man; knocking him from his high horse. When she landed, I rolled
from her back and drew my swords, catching the old man off guard. I stood over
him; two sword tips at his throat.

 I
stared at my father in his uniform, lying with his back on the hard ground,
staring back at me with total fear in his eyes. I knew my father hadn’t seen a
battle for a long time, invoking a sense of mercy toward the pitiful creature.
That is, until he spoke.

“Useless
maggot!” He screamed at me. “How could thou destroy my plans? How could thee
ruin our family?”

His
words cut through me, deeper than any blade ever would. I didn’t understand if
he really believed what he said, or if he purposely tore at me.

Lugina
stood nearby, gritting her teeth with a guttural growl. My father stared at her
then tried to slide away. I slammed a blade into the ground at his side,
preventing further movement.

“What
is that thing that seems to follow thee around?” He exclaimed.

I
smiled at him, “It’s
my
secret weapon father! She’ll eat thee if I tell
her to.”

“Now
why would ye tell her to, Tristen? Is it because thou dost not have the guts to
kill me thyself?” My father put his arms across his forehead, shielding his
eyes from the sun while he stared up at me. Yelling and sword fighting
continued behind me.

Anger
welled-up through my chest, and my face grew hot. I wanted to take his head off
right then but I knew that he was right; I could not do it.

“Aye,
father. Thou art correct. I can’t kill my kin. I’m not thee! Thou art a
despicable human being and ye deserve to die. But I’ll feel better knowing that
ye are a coward. Thou art going to tell thy soldiers to turn and flee. Thou art
going to leave this place and never going to return! Dost thou understand?” I
yelled at him, leaning forward to be sure he could see my eyes.

Lugina
growled again, this time at me, voicing her disagreement. I shot a look toward
the tiger, warning her to be quiet. She continued a low growl.

“Get
up on that stone and yell at thy men! Tell them they are to cower away and
leave this place!” With my words, Lugina leapt at my father’s throat. I thought
she would tear it out, but instead she grabbed the collar of his cloak, pulling
him toward the stone.

My
father stood, staring at Lugina with fear in his beady eyes. She roared loudly,
causing the soldiers to stop their fighting to see the king ascend his new
throne; a stone tab that had been a table for the evil beast he brought into
our lives. We stepped around the dead horse, reminding me of Jadorion. I
grimaced, using my booted foot to push my father to the edge of the rock.

I
followed my father with my sword at his back. Every soldier had turned their
attention to what was unfolding. I brought my lips close to my father’s ear and
spat, “Tell everyone that thou art a coward and that thou art running away! Say
it, or thou art dead.”

The
pained look on my father’s face indicated he knew he was beaten. He held his
arms in the air, shaking them he shouted, “My son has bested me! I’m so proud
of him that I have decided to return to my kingdom and let him live his life
freely! He thinks I’m a coward, and I will let him, but I just want peace!” It
didn’t surprise me that my father made it seem that he had “let” me win.

The
knights stared at the king as his remaining soldiers stopped fighting and
searched for their horses. Kristoff’s men yelled in celebration, preparing to
leave the battle as well. Victory was theirs. Smiles adorned every face.

Looking
over the corpse-littered ground of Hereford, I turned to my father and
disgustedly asked, “Was it worth it?”

Ladislas
threw an evil grin at me, pulling his cloak tightly around him. “I’m still
alive,” he gloated. I wanted to run my sword through him as he sauntered away
back to his horse, instead I shouted, “Leave, before I kill thee!”

 He
slowly mounted the mare, and then waved at me. With a sneering smirk, he rode
away, his pathetic crew following behind him.

Patrious
and Kristoff walked toward me. I descended the stone slab to pet Lugina’s
pointed ears. She purred with a strange, throaty hum. The men standoffishly
approached, not taking their eyes from the tiger.

Lugina
sniffed Patrious and he reached his hand toward her, slowly. She stopped and
let him pet her.

“Tis
a fine animal that really has saved us.” Patrious whispered. With his words,
Lugina ran to the field to feast on a horse that had fallen in battle.

Patrious
continued, “I’m going back to the cottage to gather Liza and Elena. Will thou
join me?”

I
nodded then turned to Kristoff, “Grammarcy for helping us rid the land of evil.
Will ye return home?”

“Aye.
My men and I shall wait for Tendril to bring a ship this way. Otherwise, we
will make home in the city. I must say that I’m surprised thou let thy father
go, after all this. But it laid in stone, for me, what kind of a man ye are,
Lord Tristen. We are friends for life.” Kristoff offered his hand. I shook it
vigorously and excused myself from his presence.

I
walked toward Lugina, who was enjoying a mass feast. I leaned toward her furry
ear, whispering, “We are going back to the cottage, my dear. Bring back my
Vivian.”

The
tiger turned to me, a giant pink tongue licking blood from her face. I would
have to forget this side of the woman I loved.

Patrious
sneaked behind me, “By the way, Sir, where is my daughter?”

I
laughed inside, thinking of telling him that he was looking at her, but instead
I said, “She’s around here somewhere, your majesty.”

King
Winnow’s face searched over mine. After a moment, he stared oddly at Lugina,
shaking his head, as if dismissing a thought, and turned to his horse.

“I’m
going to find Vivian, Patrious. I will meet thee at the cottage.” I watched
Lugina sniff at the ground then disappear behind the stone slab.

Patrious
nodded, “I will have other men with me. Anyway, I daresay there no serious
threats right now.”

“Aya.
I will take care of thy beautiful daughter.” I grinned and turned to look for a
horse.

Patrious
called after me, “Of that, I have no doubt!”

#
# #

As
soon at Patrious disappeared, Vivian appeared from behind the stone.

“Shall
we go back to the cottage? I would say we’ve earned a rest.” She smiled coyly.

I
nodded, “First, I have a question. What cat were you when the dragon chased
you?”

Vivian
walked next to me, her armor clanging gently. “It’s called a Cheetah. One of
the fastest cat’s I can be. There was no way that dragon was going to catch
me.”