A Knight in Shining Armour

CRASH!

The sound shook Valerie violently as it traveled up her spine but she hardly noticed. All she could see was the glare of the sun that flashed off of the sword and shield that clashed together before her and the buckling of the blue knight’s knees.

Time seemed to slow as Valerie watched the blue knight fall to his knees with a thud. She watched in horror, her eyes wide, as the knight dressed in yellow advanced and pulled back his arm for another blow.

“NO!”

Valerie didn’t realize until afterwards that she had made the cry. She slapped her hand across her mouth and tried to swallow but her throat was too dry. Why did it matter so much? Why did she feel so connected to the knight in blue? She had no idea who he was, no one did, as his face was hidden under his helmet and his armour, colours and chainmail covered anything else that might identify him.

The yellow knight’s next stroke began to descend and Valerie’s heart beat in her throat. The blue knight had barely raised his shield and she knew that it would not be enough to protect him when the yellow knight’s sword fell.

Valerie couldn’t bear to see the last stroke of the sword and was about to shut her eyes against the image when the blue knight spun and her eyes widened again.

A second crash resounded in the arena as the knight in yellow fell to the ground. The blue knight had managed to knock the yellow knight off balance with a desperate kick to his knee before and delivering a blow to the yellow knight’s back. The tide had turned.

Valerie watched in admiration for the next few minutes as the blue knight took control of the battle. There was something in the way he moved, she thought, that she recognized. It wasn’t his fighting style, although she did know the names of the different strikes and blocks, but something in the fluidity of his movement and the set of the knight’s broad shoulders that her eyes caught and followed.

In a few moments the battle was complete and the blue knight raised his sword in victory; he had won the tournament. Valerie’s spirits were as high as the tip of the blade and, somehow, just as dependent on the knight’s movements.

The King had descended from his throne on the opposite side of the arena and made his way to the middle of the battlefield. As the blue knight approached him, the King declared:

“Victory is rarely achieved by those who act alone and is most certainly never celebrated alone. Therefore, before you receive your reward, choose for yourself a consort from amongst those gathered to share in your triumph.”

The blue knight turned and began to approach the spectators. The knight’s helmet and visor were still in place but even so several of the audience sensed his eyes searching among them. Those closest could make out the flash of emerald from his eyes as he surveyed the crowd.

After a few moments of searching, the knight’s attention abruptly fixed on one amid the crowd and he began to climb the steps into the audience. Within a few steps he stood before his chosen, a young woman with her dark hair swept back into a ponytail and her blue eyes wide with shock.

Valerie’s breath caught in her throat.

It can’t be me, she thought. He can’t have picked me…

But there he was, waiting patiently with his hand extended for her to take and his green eyes burning into her with their intensity.

Valerie wasn’t sure how it happened but her hand made its way into the knight’s where it was received with gentle pressure. Valerie found herself being led down into the arena with a loud chorus of cheers, blatantly jealous looks and applause.

When Valerie’s foot first hit the soft earth of the battlefield her mind flashed briefly to how odd this scene must look to the audience – a knight in full armour and colours hand in hand with a girl dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. This thought did not possess her for long, however, and her mind was soon back to its previous focus; the rhythm of the knight’s steps, the gentle pressure of his hand in hers and the warmth that seemed to radiate from his palm.

In what seemed like no time the pair was in front of the King. The knight bowed and Valerie started to bow before realizing that some kind of an improvised curtsey was probably expected and attempting to change her movement mid-bow.

Most of the time Valerie may be more coordinated than other people but in the middle of a battlefield, standing in front of a King and attempting to curtsy was not most of the time.

Fortunately for Valerie, she was standing next to a knight. The blue knight wrapped his left arm around her waist to stop her from falling before anyone else had even noticed that she was off balance.

Valerie was about to thank the knight for saving her from falling when the King’s voice rang out across the arena.

“Remove your helmet Sir Crawford.”

Crawford? No! It couldn’t be! Valerie thought frantically.

As the knight removed his helmet, however, it proved to be true. Valerie’s knight in shining armour was none other than Jay Crawford. After handing his helmet to a waiting page, Jay turned to look at Valerie, his dark hair mussed from being under his helmet, his green eyes slightly unsure as they met hers but his lips curled into a crooked smile at the sight of her surprised face.

“Hi there,” Jay said before the King interrupted him.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I present your champion, Sir Jay Crawford!”

With that the crowd went wild as Jay picked up the offered champion’s sword and raised it high in victory. The arm that had been around Valerie’s waist slid to once again capture her hand as the pair turned to present the sword to the audience.

At least, presenting the sword to the audience was the gesture. To the pair in the middle of the battlefield, however, there was only the other person; the rhythm of their steps together, the warmth of their joined hands and heat in their locked gaze.