Friday, March 4, 2011

Of the Golden Earth and the Silver Skies

Chapter 2- The Horse-Maiden and The Fox Knight



Morning came with all its glory. The still wet grass shines with colours of the rainbow as sunshine strikes upon them.

“Pawaka!!!”

  The knight glances towards the voice. “Mega?!” The maiden was racing across the meadows and is coming towards him at full speed. Upon reaching the knight, she leaps into his arms. He caught her and almost stumbled on his feet.

  “Pawaka,” she whined. “The others bullied me again last night. And it’s just because you weren’t there.”

  He puts Mega to the grassy ground. She gave him a pitiful look, expecting sympathy from the fox demi-mortal. He sighed. “Are you somehow injured, Mega?” The maiden showed him her arm. It was reddened with a few bite marks and bruises.

  She whimpered and winced with pain when the knight lays his left hand on the marks, while his right hand lies on the hilt of his blade. He closes his eyes. His hand glowed- and the blade turns into a brush. He opened his eyes and said, “Close your eyes, Mega.”

  He lifts the brush. Ink flows out as the brush touches the maiden’s arm. “There. All better.” Mega opened her eyes. The marks and bruises were gone. Her arm is as good as before.

“Thanks, Pawaka!” She wrapped her arms around the knight tightly.

  “Fine. Good .It’s my duty to watch over you. Now would you release me from your embrace?” he asked queasily. Mega giggled.

“What did you do last night?”

  The knight’s eyes brightened when he heard the question. “The King lent me a book! I’m going to finish it today!” Mega however did not share his enthusiasm. How boring, she thought. As if his life is like a huge schedule. Protect people, reading books - that is all he does.

  Pawaka was already settled down under a tree, reading the book with undivided attention. The maiden saunters around him, peeking at any chance. She flips the pages even before he managed to finish them, testing his patience, irking him till he grew bored of the book and fell asleep upon it instead.

  Soon, the horse maiden saw no response from the knight, and realised that he was slumbering peacefully. His face was of serenity and bliss. A rare occurrence for this knight, whose life was dedicated for others- and not much of his own.

  There had been too much in his mind lately. He had been fretting over his loved one’s safety; he had been playing espionage games upon the princess, fearing for the King’s wellbeing. That is, due to the fact that his suspicion of the princess bearing a sinister plan.

  “I seek too much…”  Mega looked over at the slumbering knight. Talking in his sleep…he must be badly troubled, she thought. He mumbled a few more words, but they were beyond her comprehension.

  She shook her head, then leaned over and whispered to his ears, “You help people. You help me. And that is all that matters.” Poor Pawaka. The thought echoes in her head. He stirred.

  “Hmm…ah…hey…I fell asleep? Mega, what time is it now? Have I been aslumber for long?” 

The knight sounds panicked.

“Calm down. What’s the need to rush? It’s only almost noon.”

  Pawaka grabbed the maiden’s hand and said, “We need to see the King at noon! We mustn’t be late!”

“I understand. I’ll change.”

  The wind swirled around her and covers her. Blinding white light flashed and the sound of flapping wings can be heard. The wind dies. And in place of Mega was a winged steed- pearl white, with mane, tail and wingtip of the lightest shade of green.

  Pawaka mounted the steed carefully. The steed galloped, slowly at first then gaining speed –faster and faster until they set off, with the wind whistling in their ears.
   
The emerald forest was like a speck of green in these heights. The flight was swift and short. They landed in a clearing just beyond the castle. Pawaka jumped down from the steed. He took a few steps forward, and then glanced behind.

 “Come on, Mega. We’ll go together. Come!”

  She looked down. Meekly she said, “It’ll be better for the both of us if I go in this way.”

“No.”

  The steed gazed upon Pawaka. She sees determination burning in his light green eyes.

“Why?” she asks.

  “I see you as no mere flying steed. I see you as a companion. And I want to enter that castle with you – not in your horse form,” he explains.

 She changes, and the maiden reappeared with a smile on her face.

“Let’s go, then.”

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