Knight Of The Silver

The knights had been fighting for days, and there were no signs of the battle was giving up. The soldiers from various towns across the kingdom continued attempting to stop the Great Witch's army, but none stood a chance. They were outnumbered at least five to one, yet they fought desperately as if they would win even if their numbers were reduced to nothing. Some of the warriors were dying left right and centre, but most of them managed to find a way to survive. Even though the enemy was overwhelming them, the knights remained defiant.

They couldn't allow the monsters to take any more lives. Not if it meant the lives of their families. No matter how many times they were defeated or killed in battle, the knights kept their spirits high. They continued their endless war against the Great Witch. Every day, the same routine continued until the last man was dead or captured. Each victory felt like a victory in itself as if they were fighting for something more than their survival.

Although victory brings great sacrifices, each soldier knew that their deaths weren't worth sacrificing the lives of their loved ones. And for the sake of the Kingdom, they sacrificed everything to ensure the defeat of the enemy. So that the kingdom could live peacefully once more.

At night, the knights sat around fires and shared stories and tales. Stories of old glory. Tales of bravery and sacrifice. Stories of friendship and loyalty. Tales about loss and grief. Tales about hope and redemption. All they needed was to see someone smiling and laughing and cheering for them to know that maybe they wouldn't die alone.

There were times when the knights found themselves thinking that they were lucky to have survived. That despite the odds, they managed to hold onto some sort of faith in the kingdom despite their current situation. Despite being surrounded by enemies who wanted their heads on a pike. After all, they were still alive and still standing, fighting for what was worth living for. They were not completely helpless. They still possessed their courage and pride. Even though they knew the battle was hopeless, they continued to fight anyway. They continued believing that everything would be okay one day. Because they had to believe, otherwise they might forget about the light within themselves that they were searching for. Because they knew that without that light, they would surely be lost forever. Because they knew that death would come. For all of them. And so they carried on regardless of whether it was hopeless or possible. Because they had no choice. Because they believed in a cause bigger than themselves. To keep the world safe from evil forces. And they believed that someday, things would change. And that changed everything.

As the days and weeks passed, the knights grew steadily weaker and their spirits lowered until at last, they collapsed under the weight of exhaustion. Their wounds were bleeding profusely, and their bodies were covered in blood and dirt and dust. The smell of smoke invaded their nostrils whenever they breathed. Their minds became clouded with fatigue. Most of the men in their unit had given up and were now laying on the ground motionlessly like corpses, unable to keep on walking. It was getting harder to breathe as they struggled to keep their consciousness as the darkness began to encroach upon them.

Then, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed throughout their ears and brought them back to reality. They looked over to see an army coming them. And as they got closer, the sounds of weapons clashing rang through the air.

The Knights looked in the direction of the sound, only to see more than 5,000 troops rushing towards them. The knights were surrounded.

"This is the end," one of the knights thought to himself.

However, instead of despair taking over them, something else took place. A spark of hope ignited within every knight's soul. A light that was not extinguished during their darkest days, even when nothing was left but death and destruction.

The Knight Commander ordered everyone to charge. As a unit, the entire army charged forwards at full force, determined to fight to their dying breaths.

The men of the Knight of Steel rose to their feet. Their faces hardened in determination and they charged at their enemies like never before.

The battle raged on.

***

"You're here, Your Highness." His voice echoes throughout the throne room of the castle.

His steps are quick and purposeful as he enters the throne room. The king has already noticed his presence, knowing exactly who the person approaching him is without having to look in his direction. He turns around on his throne and greets him as he enters.

"So, you've returned." That is all the king says.

The young man replies, "Yes, You're Highness." Before he approaches the King with an eager smile. "Have you received my report?"

King Willet lets out a heavy sigh. "Unfortunately, yes. I have."

"The Knight of Steel has failed. I have also heard of the tragedy that occurred on the battlefield." The king goes on, not bothering to mask his disdain for the failure of his Knights.

"It is my understanding that the knights did their best to defend our borders and stop the attack. In the end, their efforts proved futile, however, because the Great Witch's forces overpowered them in a matter of minutes. We have suffered a significant loss of life, Your Majesty. More losses will likely occur if this war continues." The young man informs him sadly.

The King doesn't respond immediately, choosing to stare silently at the floor instead. He finally looks up to look at him.

"Do we still stand a chance?" The king asks after several moments.

"Of course we do." The young man answers with a confident tone.

The king sighs and stares into the young man's eyes intensely.

"I trust your judgement on this matter." He utters solemnly.

The young man is a war commander and therefore, is well-experienced in command. And as such, he has the authority to make those decisions.

After another silence passes, the king speaks again. "What news from our allies in the North? Are they doing alright?"

He pauses for a moment. "Actually... I've made an important discovery, Your Highness."

The king sits forward slightly. "Oh? What happened to them?"

"I'm afraid, that half of the northern armies were annihilated at the border of the Kingdom." He reports gravely.

King Willet narrows his eyes slightly, and his jaw clenches. Then he lets out a quiet growl, shaking his head slowly.

"That must have been a very serious loss." He comments.

The young man nods in response. "Yes."

"How many dead knights are in your service?"

"In total, approximately five hundred knights." The young man replies.

King Willet shakes his head once again. "I'll send out orders to gather all available knights in the Kingdom, including retired knights, to the north."

The young man bows down to his king respectfully. "I'll inform the commanders accordingly and leave right away!"

The king then stands up straight again and turns around. "Good. Make sure everyone knows the consequences if anyone refuses to obey my orders, understood?"

The young man bows once again. "Understood!"

With that said, the king leaves the throne room with a deep scowl on his face and a heavy heart.

***

It seemed as if nothing could stop the tide of battle. It wasn't long until the remnant of the Knight of Silver was forced into retreat. With their numbers depleted, they realised that their victory was short-lived. They had lost a lot of their forces and supplies in a single battle against the enemy, unlike anything the soldiers of the Knights of Steel had faced since the day the war started. There was no longer enough food and water for the people. They barely even had enough to get by. They didn't have any idea where to go next. The only thing they knew was that they couldn't give up just yet. They had come too far. But as much as they wanted to continue the battle, they were tired and worn out. All they could do was rest and recuperate.

"How many are left?" A knight asked as he rested against the wall. His body felt drained and exhausted beyond belief.

"A few knights, maybe less than fifty." An answer was given to him.

The knight looked at the ground sadly. "They don't deserve this."

No one responded. No one felt inclined to talk anymore. Everyone was too tired to move, think, or even breathe properly. It hurt to walk, and breathing required so much energy and effort that each breath was agonising. There was only so much pain and suffering they could take in one lifetime. Every ounce of strength they could muster was gone and soon, they would all fall to the ground.

"What do you expect us to do now?" One of the knights asked.

"What can we possibly do now?" Another knight added.

No one said anything. The silence spoke volumes. The silence spoke of hopelessness. The silence spoke of how their lives might have ended sooner or later anyways. They weren't able to win the war, they weren't able to save the lives of the civilians, and worst of all, and their people had paid the price for their sins.

But what had been done was done, and there was no point in dwelling on the past. They needed to focus on what lay ahead for them to survive. They needed to fight the inevitable war, whatever it was going to bring, and they needed to fight for the good of the country. But most importantly, they needed to fight for themselves. And for that, they needed to stay strong. For that, they needed to believe in themselves, in the power and courage of their hearts, in their abilities and skills, and in themselves to overcome their obstacles. Because they couldn't lose themselves to defeat; they couldn't surrender to the Great Witch. They had to keep fighting, even if that meant losing everything.

"Are you finished, knights? You're squandering your time by sitting around." Their thoughts are interrupted by a voice.

The knights turn around to see a girl, dressed in a beautiful white dress. She walks towards them without a single hint of emotion. Her cold grey eyes stare into their souls and she stops directly in front of them, staring them down with a piercing gaze. The knights could feel her intense gaze burning into them, making it hard for them to breathe. The knights were intimidated.

"You have no strength within yourselves. Even if you try to resist it, your weakness will still be discovered. How pathetic." She says mockingly.

Her words hit them harder than any blow. The knights lower their heads ashamed. But some of them are still holding onto their pride, unwilling to let her intimidate them, no matter how harsh she sounded.

"I don't care about your pride nor your weaknesses." She states firmly.

She takes a step closer to the knights, watching them as her dark hair cascades down her shoulders gracefully.

"Join me." She commands in a deep, husky voice.

At first, nobody moves, shocked by her sudden offer and uncertain about following her.

"Why should we listen to you?" One knight asks boldly.

She raises her brows at the insolent response. Her expression reveals none of her thoughts, her eyes remain unmoving.

"Because," The girl starts. "If you join me, your suffering will be over in a heartbeat."

The knights glance at each other nervously and fear flashes across their eyes. The girl smirks triumphantly when she sees the uneasiness of her proposal on their faces. She wants to hear their reaction. She needs to hear their voices, their fear, and their indecision.

One of the knights begins speaking. "We can't follow you."

"Your loyalty is not in question." She asserts. "However, if you refuse to serve me, then I shall punish you."

There is hesitation in the knight's voice as he speaks. "Punish us? We can't allow you to-"

The girl's gaze becomes more intense, and she chops off his head before he finishes with a single swift motion of her hand, letting the head roll to the ground in pieces.

Silence reigns among the remaining knights who gape at the girl in shock.

"Monster! You're a monster!"

Another knight shouts suddenly.

"Kill her!"

"Kill her, kill her!!"

"Don't give her mercy!"

"We'll kill her!!"

"Kill her!!"

"Kill!!"

"Kill!!!!"

The men begin shouting in unison and charge at her at full speed. However, before the first one can reach her, the girl raises her hand swiftly, causing him to explode into blood and flesh.

"You should never have challenged my authority. It seems like I'll need to use drastic measures." She utters in a calm, deadly voice before raising her arm.

As soon as the last word falls out of her lips, one after another, the knights' bodies burst apart, disintegrating into bits of flesh and blood splattered all over the place. Only their heads remain intact.

"You really shouldn't have done that..." The girl states calmly.

"You'll pay for that..." The remaining knight responds coldly, raising his sword.

The girl raises her hand once again, and a large ball of fire materializes between her fingers.

"Fire magic?" How?!" One of the knights muffles his voice.

The flaming orb begins approaching the charging knight, he runs forward toward the girl with all his might. The fireball flies rapidly toward him, but he doesn't stop moving. The flame collides with his body in an instant, engulfing his whole body in flames and igniting his body instantly. The screams that are heard are horrendous. They sound almost inhuman.

The remaining Knights of Silver raise their sword, aiming their weapon at the girl to finish her off. Just as they raise the sword, the flaming orb strikes, killing them instantly. In their final moments, the knights fall to the ground lifeless.

The girl lowers her right arm gently before placing both hands together and pressing them against her chest in a gesture of prayer.

"Flame spirits, grant these fallen soldiers' soul peace."

The blazing orb vanishes slowly from the air, vanishing into thin air.

The girl stares at the dead bodies before turning around and walking away, leaving behind the smouldering remains of the Knights of Silver.

"That's right. If only you could know the suffering we endured because of the lies of others, you'd understand."