Chapter Text
In the golden age, when the world was still young and magic ran freely through its veins, a pact was forged between humankind and the creatures that roamed beyond the constructed city walls.
A pact not born from good will, but from necessity.
Kingdoms, vast and prosperous with riches in soil and people, sought to secure the future, to ensure that their heirs would rule with strength, wisdom and a heart uncorrupted by greed.
And so they created the Trial of the Knight.
Princesses of royal blood were given over to the guardianship of powerful magical beings like dragons in the dry lands, krakens and leviathans at the deep ocean side, griffins in the temples high above the clouds, and other powerful creatures beyond the blue horizon.
All of them served to guard the princess with their life, keeping her safe from harm and from those who were not worthy.
In return the creatures were granted a small piece of land, riches in gold and most importantly, a binding codex.
A promise.
As long as the terms of the Trial were upheld, no creature within this contract could be mindlessly hunted, overpowered and slain by armies or angry mobs. A relatively safe life not taken by surprise or by numbers and fear, but only by the worth of one single person in a fair fight.
The trial itself was never meant to be a mere test of only strength and brute force.
Knights were set out on dangerous journeys that tested their skill in combat but also their wit, their restraint and the truth of their character. Those who endured would stand, before they faced the guardian of the Princess at last.
Three rules defined the sacred end of a Knight’s quest:
To face the creature alone, blade in hand, for the Trial is one of strength and cleverness.
To begin the battle in clarity, with no ambush and no deceit, for it is a test of honor and respect.
And, if victorious, to return the Princess safely to her homeland and swear to protect her, for it is a test of love and devotion.
Only those who proved themselves worthy in all these things, would earn the Princess hand and with it the future of the kingdom.
For a long time, this agreement worked and the balance was kept through the contract.
But time, as it often does, wore away the foundation of what once was sacred.
War came, a slow and grinding one that reshaped borders and hardened hearts. Where there has once been respect, fear and hunger now took root and with it something much, much darker.
The Trial remained but its meaning began to fracture.
Knights still came and went on the journey, faced the beast and challenged it in a fight, but not all of them sought worthiness or the hand of the Princess.
Some came for glory, others for sport, and the creatures, once guardians, were reduced to mere trophies.
Feathers were torn from griffins, blood taken from dragons, claws, scales and bones displayed as proof of conquest, while the magic within them was carved out and twisted into tools, poisons, charms and weapons to overpower the will of others.
The codex was not broken, but it had been bent and each year the world of magic grew a bit smaller, quieter, dimmer.
Yet even in a fading world there are those who remember, those who still see wonders in the smallest things and those, against all reason, who choose kindness over greed and fear.
And so, the story continues.