The Knight's Errant
James pulls his horse up and wipes his forehead as he looks at the position of the sun. He's been riding most of the day and still he hasn't found anything to do that would mark him as a man of worth. His horse is getting tired and he can do with a nap himself.
He's been on the quest to prove to the queen that she did right in knighting him for days now, and still nothing that he's done feels like it's something he can say will set him apart from the rest. He looks around him, searching for a comfortable place to rest when he spots a tree in the distance that looks large enough to offer him some shade.
After a while's riding he draws closer to the tree, and as he does he hears faint whimpering. He looks around confused, trying to gauge where the sound comes from, until he realizes it's coming from the tree. He dismounts and walks around the wide base. To his surprise a woman is tied to the tree. She hangs limply in the ropes that hold her upright against the tree, and her cheeks are wet with tears. Her eyes are closed.
At once he retrieves his sword and cuts the woman loose, catching her as she crumple to the ground. She's very pale, with all color drained from her cheeks, and when he shakes her gently, there's no response. A wave of concern washes over him, but quickly its followed by the thrill that he's finally found something that will set him apart as a knight worthy of his status. A damsel in distress is exactly what he needs behind his name.
He sets her against the tree and goes back to his horse, finding his water satchel and pouring some into her mouth. To his relief she swallows, even though she doesn't respond. He washes her face with the clear liquid as well. This woman is beautiful, more beautiful than any woman he's ever seen. He decides to take it upon him to bring her back to the kingdom and take care of her until he can present her to the queen in good health as the maiden he has saved.
After some time under the tree she finally opens her eyes. At first she's racked with fear and bewilderment, and it takes him a long time of speaking softly to her and reassuring her of her safety before she wild look in her eye disappears and she starts to calm down. She smiles weakly at him, and by nightfall he feels he'll be able to take her back in the morning. She's still very weak, but he'll take it slow, he's sure he can take care of her.
When morning comes they prepare to leave. She sits on the saddle in front of him sometimes, other times he walks next to the horse so she has more space in the saddle. They start talking, and he tells her of his life as a knight, and how he's always aspired to be the kind of man that saves people. She shares bits of her interest with him, revealing that she knows a lot about the healing virtues of plants and he decides that she must be some sort of healer. At first they have to stop and rest often, but as time goes on she gains in strength. He tells her he wants to take her to the queen and present her as the maiden he saved. She agrees hesitantly.
Toward the end of their journey they're on a confidential basis of friendship, and she confides in him that she's not just an ordinary woman, but instead she's a fairy of the forest. James stills as he realizes what he has on his hands. He now knows why she was tied up. He knows full well about how they use fairies to lure vampires from their lairs to slay them, because vampires use the fairies' powers to be able to walk in daylight. His adrenaline rush of being a hero quickly drains away as he realizes that instead of saving a maiden he's freed a fairy, something that can be frowned upon as a crime. His dreams of being honored by the queen start fading into the distance.
He takes some time to think everything over, and finally decides that instead of presenting the woman as someone he's saved, he'll present her as the fairy she is and give her up for the guards to use again. It will gain him the same kind of honor. He doesn't tell the fairy that this is what he is going to do, instead he reassures her that she's safe with him.
When they arrive he takes her straight to the queen and requests an audience in which he betrays the fairy and hands her over the guards. The pain in her eyes as she looks at him, realizing his betrayal, strikes a nerve with him that he didn't realize he had, and he feels remorse as well as the strangest feeling of longing when she is taken away from him, suddenly coming to the conclusion that what he felt for her was not just friendship but something much more.
He receives the honor he's been waiting for, for so long, but he doesn't feel as happy as he'd imagined, and he can't get the look of pain she gave him out of his mind, nor can he forget the sound of her laughter and her beauty when the morning sun lights up her golden hair.
By nightfall the guilt is too heavy to bear, and he can't seem to accept the longing for her that's lodged itself deep inside his being. He decides that he'll set out to find her, and after a night of searching he finally finds her again, tied to a tree like when they met. He frees her again, telling her he's made a mistake and begging her forgiveness. She gives it to him, but she won't accept him. He returns to the kingdom, feeling at least he's done the right thing, and able to retain his honor, even though he's lost a love that he will never be able to win back.
Chapter 1
James is a knight in the royal court and he goes on an errant to prove his worth to the queen. He does many deeds but none of them make him feel like he's done something honorable and he feels unfulfilled.
Chapter 2
One day he comes across a beautiful woman tied to a tree, in quite a state of illness because she's been there for some time. He frees her, feeling for the first time that he's done something of worth, and decides to take her back to the kingdom to present to the queen.
Chapter 3
The journey is long and slow going, with him nursing her back to health and without knowing forms an attachment to her. Almost towards the end of their journey he finds out that she's a fairy, and that she was captured and tied to a tree to lure vampires out to slay them, because they hunt the fairies and use their powers to survive in daylight. He's torn between whether he did something right, or something wrong.
Chapter 4
When they reach the Kingdom he changes his story from having done something good by releasing her to having done something good by capturing her. He is more touched by the hurt in her eyes as she realizes his betrayal, and when night comes he can't deal with the guilt and pain anymore.
Chapter 5
He sets out to find her again, and after searching for most of the night he finds her, tied to a tree again, and he frees her. His reputation means more to him than his realized love for her so he refuses to be with her or see her again, but he sends her away with his love and apologies, and goes back to the life he's created for himself, the honor bears, feeling it's now justified.
Characters:
James - an upright and confident knight, black hair and brown eyes, fit and strong, good fighting skills. On a quest to prove himself worthy of his status. Unsure of the line between wrong and right.
Clara - Fairy in the form of a normal woman, very beautiful, fair hair and skin, pale blue eyes, rosy pink lips. Possesses magical powers but doesn't use them unless she has to for fear of being discovered. Gentle nature.