Knighted

I kneel on the dusty battlefield, my eye catches a glint of the tarnished sword. The glint blinds me, my mind fills itself with memories from long before. I, a young boy, am riding on a youthful pony. My body trembles with this new wonder, as the pony’s smooth gait prompts me to kick its sides, increasing speed… Next, I, the adolescent esquire, follow my mentor loyally into this new, brutal land where bloodshed is common, beyond the shelter of the castle…the battlefield. The sight of men at other’s mercy chills me. Arrows pierce the ill willed, as they fall like salty tears onto the blood-stained earth. Yet I know my duty is to serve another, older and wiser than I. This harsh land haunts me as I refill my mentor’s quiver of arrows and adjust the gleaming helmet upon his head. My visions of the past clear like a herd of untamed horses, my eyes beseech my mentor. His worn gaze tells of the many battles he has fought, but wisdom shines in his eyes. The sword taps my shoulder, like the touch of a seraph of heaven. He claps my shoulder, as if to remind me of the dark times ahead. “You, young man, are my equal,” said he, “upon this field your courage has proved your worthiness-a noble knight you shall be.” The coward in my heart screams for redemption, yet this new being-the knight-in my spirit raises me to my feet and takes me back to the castle, where good times-along with brutal-await.