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Richard can agree that the meeting was late.
The moon is hidden away by the misshapen clouds which seem to slowly degrade into a darker hue, a tell-tale sign that the night will be accompanied with heavy rain which will linger until the sun rises. A shame, Richard knew how much the rest would complain over the muddy roads towards the castle but their discomfort mattered little to them, as long as they got what they needed in the end. The moaning of the rest of the knights will be worth it in the end. The night was quiet if you ignored the rustle of the wildlife perching on top of the tree branches, the night wind was absent leaving the night to be as serene as possible. It was a perfect night for meetings, Richard had been careful in their planning. Too windy and their fellow knight would’ve hid away within the dungeon. Too loud and the knight would’ve been unsettled and possibly flee leaving them one knight short for the adventure ahead. To Richard, this was the perfect night to meet their ivory knight.
The Ivory Knight, or the Elven Knight, was a lady who Richard had met by chance. Her bright appearance makes her stand out against the dark hues of the forest below. To Richard, her pale eyes against her even more pale complexion had stirred intrigue in the knight, Many they had met had kept their clothing to conceal them within the darkness. But the elven knight had been brighter than a shooting star rushing through the night, her cloak and shirt loose and flapping against the wind as she stood with the posture that was not befitting of someone with the title of knight and the knightly armour that was purchased at the elf’s shoulder blades. And as Richard studied the ladies' complexion opposite them, they had noticed the sharp ears facing downwards as a sign of distress. Although studying her face Richard could see the furrowed brows and the rapid paced movement of the ladies eyes as they squinted to peer at Richard.
And maybe Richard using fake pleasantries and smiling with nothing but self indulgent interest in the knight in front of them can be considered selfish and rude but they know what she needs to get ahead of the rest. Unfortunately, the lady in front of her has the key to what she needs. Strapped in the knight’s belt was a vial of pure water. The last known to the surrounding kingdoms, Holy in its ways of purging the darkness and restoring life into what it had touched. What had shocked Richard was the knight’s lack of emblem on her cape, this elven knight roamed freely with something that was so well sought after that her head may be taken for even thinking about keeping it to her lonesome self. Lending a hand out to the mysterious pure lady in front of her, they waited, breathing stilled as the elf’s hand trembled at her side. Shock seemed to have contoured the knights face as their lips quivered and the grip on their swords hilt began to tighten turning her pale knuckles a pinkish hue.
Sure, their first meeting didn’t go so well. And yes, it had taken months to allow the elf to trust her. It was ridiculous how many nights Richard had snuck out to meet with the holy knight. Unwilling to admit that the time spent with the knight had allowed her to grow fond of the elf’s quirks of hiding her smile behind her bony hands, the crooked teeth and split lip torn open to let out a hearty laugh at one of Richard's jokes. Richard will never admit to the fact that they felt their cheeks and body heat and swell at the sound of the others laughter and that yes their smile was coldly calculated and not on instinct. Learning of the holy knight's name left an impression on Richard, no longer was she the pure knight which could be used for Richard's inevitable success but a person like herself, the name changed how Richard saw the holy knight so she swore to forget the name despite how the name Andrew stuck in the knights head. Night after night the two met up to grow close. Time spent across the open space turned to times where the two held hands and secrets and pondering thoughts were shared between hushed whispers with lips to ears. And as the final days approached, Richard made the same offer on the first night. Extending her hand out to the holy lady in front of her only to let out a soft whisper, one that may have been a plea for the holy one to join her side and to be by her for the rest of time.
A loud unsettling groan could be heard a few steps behind Richard who turned around rapidly to see who their night guest was. She was sure that the rest were sleeping, waiting for tomorrow to be a part of their ‘Knightly freedom’. A shame, so many knights that could’ve never reached their full potential but to Richard they were pawns for her own success. Looking behind her she noticed the intruder had the same pale complexion and twitchy ears as the woman she had fallen for the last couple of months. Her nervous composure had fallen off her as a shaky sigh left the dry lips of the woman opposite her. The sword and cape left behind especially the hat, which Richard had to remind the elven knight to leave when within the confines of the others home. This had not taken long as the elf listened to everything the knight had to say. Whispers of trust and love for Richard had been on the holy knight's lips for days echoing in the other's head at night causing restless sleep.
“I heard you wanted me?”, whispered the elven knight, afraid of the walls and the inhabitants inside who may be listening in. Richard knew however this was not the case, the others had been told stories of things that lurk within the castle and why they should not leave their rooms while it was hard to convince them Richard knew that it was for a necessary means. The holy knight has taken to twisting the fabric of her shirt as the silence between them grew and the birds began to chirp louder at the presence of the pure knight. Richard had observed the pure lady the last couple of months and had learned how far the pure water had affected her. Firstly, dirt seems to wipe off the ivory shirt with ease leaving no stain behind. Surprisingly, animals seem to become placid when the elven knight comes close to them, it disgusted Richard to see how close the animals got to her pure lady but the caring attitude she had warmed Richard's heart unfortunately. Her princess-esque behaviour wasn’t unnoticed by the fellow knights. They noticed Richard's fondness for the lady as well which was another problem in itself. To be compared to the lovesick knight and her pet is a crime and truly sickening to her.
“I have called you”, said Richard matter of factly, “It’s to discuss about the mission ahead,” she began to trail off in thought walking back and forth in front of the elven knight. “The task will involve a perilous journey through the woods we first met through to reach a neighbouring kingdom.” Richard punctuated as she turned sharply towards the pure lady ahead of her. Andrew stared at her in confusion, their time together they have never mentioned to the pure lady what they wanted from her but the insinuation from the topic of the woods meant that Richard was asking for the holy knight’s pure water. She had tugged her lips between her teeth tearing at the skin allowing crimson blood to peek through as the knight began to be deep in thought contemplating the offer that was in front of her.
Richard approached the pure lady as she stood where she had one hand on her shirt, the other loose at her sides, unaware of the blood dripping down slowly towards her chin. She took the elf knight’s chin in her left hand, grazing her jaw with her nail. She wiped away the blood from her lips with her sharpened nails catching in the cut. The pure lady’s voice hitched at the sudden action snapping her out of the daze she was in, seeing how close Richard was the elven knight stumbled backwards tripping on the uneven stones landing on her backside. Wheezing from the fall and the suddency of the air leaving her lungs she did not register the extra weight that planted themself on top of her lap. Looking up dazed Richard leaned down to ear height and whispered slowly and low.
“You’ll lend us your pure water? Won't you dear?”
“!"
Andrew squawked out a sound that was vaguely human, flustered beyond belief the tips of her ears redder than the clothing Richard wore tonight. Making undignified noises of disbelief she stared at Richard awaiting an explanation for this recent behaviour. However, Richard stared back at her with a similar look of confusion awaiting the answer to the question asked prior, stroking the pure lady’s tangled locks of hair to coax the answer out of the lady below her. Staring deep into the pure lady’s pale blue eyes until she let out a heavy sigh and stood up from the elf’s lap. Huffing in annoyance at the lack of answer which leaves the knight to scramble up and to form a sentence, an answer to the unanswered question.
“Well- I really- my love you have to understand!”, stuttering and stumbling over her words as she searched and wracked through her mind for a simple explanation, “ You must understand! Please this is my life purpose- to protect this vial of water!-” Squawking out an answer until a rose was placed against her lips, faltering until she was only sputtering. Confused as Richard’s face held no emotion, a plain canvas with nothing behind the empty but fiery red eyes as if the embers had burnt out long ago. Sighing as she watched the roses colour return to a pale white hue, a colour similar to bone. Taking the delicate but healthy flower between the two lips, Richard placed a quiet but plain kiss between the petals. Slight pressure can be felt on the elven knight's end, the ghost of a kiss that will never reach her.
“Now, you know how dangerous those forests are, you spent months telling me to only go as far as you went so why let us travel through it alone?” Richard had coaxed and questioned Andrew at every turn. Patience running thin as the night continued to progress as she made no progress in gaining the pure water that laid in front of her.
“My knight! You cannot expect me to give you my whole and utter purpose” Andrew continued to sputter, to plead towards her bright hearth that stood above her, hands wrung in a prayer as she begged for her love’s forgiveness, and even the lords. She knew that with her knee’s buried into the rough stones below that neither would forgive her for either choice. Her loyalty to the lord has lasted decades but the touch of her knight’s soft hands are a far better salvation and taste of happiness than what the lord could’ve given a monster like her.
“Am I not also your purpose? Because of my human form, am I less to you than the vial of bastardly water? If this is true then we can cut what we have and be our separate ways.” Richard spat venom, ignoring the wrung hands and the weariness in the holy lady’s voice, knowing if she turned towards her she would crumble as if she was the kingdom of a pharaoh lost to time. Her weakness to her holy being, her reason for being, had begun to develop, taking control of what she had yearned for her entire being. Praying to the fates that her elven knight will crumble before she did.
“Please” “Please my knight understand me-” Andrew had now crumbled to the floor, tears racked her body, wailing in the night to no one but her cruel lover who stands above her taking no notice of what she thinks, of what she has to lose. She knows that the love of the lord is just as cruel and unforgiving when they are not remembered and the holy lady can do nothing but whisper the lord's prayer between waves of tears that decorate the floor below.
“How may I understand you when you simply wish for my demise” Snarking back down as she walked off to ignore the continuous sobbing. Richard saw the moon set lower and knew that despite how dirty the tricks she was pulling were she had spent her days planning for this moment, and if her quivering lips bruised and bloody and the quiet whimpers from the tears which leave her soft eyes stop her she wouldn't go through with the plan, she couldn't.
“Fine! You have put me in a position where I can give you a drop and you may go through the forest with no problem!” Andrew bawled, distressed and exhausted from the tears shed over this decision. Standing up shakily, her knees threatening to collapse then and there. Holding onto the wall she glared at the back of Richard. Taking in her composed posture, the straight back and calmed breaths, the elf’s trust had been shattered and stepped on. She has blindly trusted the one person who she should’ve been weary of. However, her love and heartbreak had been her weakness still giving her life’s purpose to keep her hearth safe and alive.
“Thank you, Andrew, I shall cherish this gift. Now my pure lady, here.” Turning around in relief, Richard finally let out a shaky sigh to give her pure lady one final gift before the rest had awoken. Turning to see the hatred that had formed in such a short time cover her elf’s face discouraged her slightly, causing her to pause her eccentricities. The rose fell from her grasp and fell to where the tears were on the floor. “Oh my knight.” Richard whispered, seeing the state of her elf had caused a deep ache in her heart, “Oh, my knight” Richard stumbled towards Andrew enveloping her in a tight embrace holding her tightly towards her chest.
Richard had crumbled at the sight of her pure knight’s state. Her resolve broke like a rushing river at the sight of the broken state that her elf was in. Battered and bruised emotionally while a visual wreck to remind them both of the night that they had. Richard mused for a while and came to the conclusion that while the idea of being the perfect knight was quite nice. Maybe having a lover to share that title with is better, her love for Andrew wasn’t truly pure but it was something that she cherished and adored.