Lasia's Fate

The bottom of the dress stuck to her leg like some discarded seaweed. A bridal gown was not meant to get wet and this pure white elegant costume threatened to drag her under as she slowly edged deeper into the lake. Despite it being noon, and the sun high in the sky, goose pimples cover what was exposed of her arms. She shook, she shivered, she was scared but she would do her duty, she was a Princess after all. She hoped her sacrifice would appease him and the younger ones would be spared. Her footfall faltered as she looked for any ripples on the surface that may tell her of where he might lay. She steadied herself, breathed deeply and paused to compose her thoughts. She needed to stop herself turning, fleeing the situation and putting her father’s city in more peril.

She had blocked out all sounds, missing the noise of hooves approaching. The glint of sun off of highly polished armour, however, caught her eye and she turned quickly. Standing a few metres away on the rocky shore was a Knight on a steed of the purest white she had ever seen. Plate armour covered all extremities, over which he wore a brilliant white tunic to match the horse. Emblazoned upon this was a red cross. A small triangular flag with the same design, a red cross on a white background, sat limp against the spear the Knight held upright.

Before she could tell him to turn away he had dismounted, placed the spear between some rocks and was walking towards her, removing his helm with both hands. “Pray fine lady,” he spoke in dulcet tones as if an angel from heaven, “why is one as beautiful as you walking in a lake on what is clearly your wedding day?”

She was mesmerised for a few moments, barely sixteen she was still considered a child by some and prone to teenage fantasy. She felt a strong connection as if this was the man she was to spend the rest of her life with, destiny sent to relieve her of her duty and present a new future instead. ‘Duty,’ she thought, ‘yes duty is why I am here, I will spend the rest of my life with him but it will be a short life.’ This thought snapped her out of the trance that had descended, the almost aura like glow her mind had placed around the figure dissipated. Though she wanted to shout and scream, tell him to run and never return, her status as a Princess meant decorum ran through every vain. Calmly she replied, “I am not to be wed today and this situation is not of my making, neither is it your destiny to interfere. Pray gentle Knight,” she stated in a slightly mocking tone, “leave me to my fate and never think of me again.” It seemed strange to talk in this way, she had just met this man and, although slightly in jest, she felt like she was losing a friend, nay a lover, that she had known for years.

The Knight had stopped by the shore, looking on as she now stood almost waste deep. Noticing her tone he replied, dropping the more archaic note in his voice, “am I to come in there and risk damage to my armour? Surely it will clean it up but rust cannot simply be polished out and I paid a good price for this.”

This made her chuckle, she blushed, head towards the surface of the lake but eyes never releasing their gaze from this creature. In truth it was not the creature she had expected to see that day and now all thought of what lurked in lake was gone from her mind. She raised her head again, “I shall not be coming out if that is what you ask.” This was no longer because of her fate; this was now a game of love, of courtship. The rules never changed, you never let a man straight into your heart, he had to work to even hold your hand.

The Knight placed his helm next to the lake and as he started to enter uttered, “I see, but a maiden in distress is more valuable that all the armour in the world.”

“What makes you think I am maiden in…no, come no further,” the realisation hit again.

He did not heed her words and continued on his errand to in some way rescue her. “Something is troubling you but I know not what. Until you tell me I will not leave.”