Knightess

14

Cosette ties Winter Night's reins to the trunk of a tree and I do the same to mine. Nervousness grasps my heart and won't let go as I look at the iron gate. A thick fog as settled over the area, making what lies beyond the gate obscure.

Cosette walks up to the gate and puts a hand against it. "It's locked," I say. "How are we going to—"

I'm cut off when the gate begins to vibrate and squeaks open. I look at her, amazed. "The gate only opens for Knightesses," Cosette explains as we go in. "This is the Knightess Cemetery."

I feel my eyes widen as I look at her. Cosette abruptly stops and grabs my arm, causing me to stop. "Be careful," she says and I look down to see why.

A gravestone lies in the middle of my way. It's crumbling and so old the words printed on it have faded away. I nod at her in thanks. After that I cautiously dodge gravestones as Cosette leads me to a certain one. It's near a tree with spiraling tree limbs and a wide trunk. She brushes the snow off of the gravestone and lays a hand on it. I crouch down to read the words printed on it:

Our dear Knightess,
Palma Moona
The bravest of us all
R.I.P

My breath comes out shaky as I look up at Cosette with watering eyes. "Why did you bring me here?" I ask her, my voice barely a whisper.

"I don't know," she finally admits. "When I saw you read the words on the Silver Sword I felt as if I had to bring you here. To show you your mother."

I look down at the muddy and snowy ground. Tears slowly roll off my cheeks onto the ground. I've imagined what it would be like to finally see my mother's grave. I imagined that it would be sad yet uplifting because I finally get to see my mother's resting place. This is like I imagined, only it's freezing cold and Jackin is not here.

I rest my knees on the ground and begin to cry. I cry for a lot of things: Jackin and Grandmother, being forced to be a Knightess, my mother's death, and the fact that the kingdom and the gods are now in a civil war because of me. I don't know how long I cry. Five minutes? An hour? A day? I don't care anymore, I just want to be left alone.

I sob into my hands until they are completely wet. I take my hands away and rest my forehead against the gravestone. It's cool and takes the heat in my face away. Tears run like rivers down my cheeks, but I'm not crying as bad as before. I feel a hand gently touch my shoulder and squeeze comfortingly. I look up and see Cosette. "Let's go," she whispers.

She helps me up to my feet. "Are you going to tell what happened with the Silver Sword?" I ask her, sniffling.

She shakes her head. "No, they'll figure it out soon enough."

I turn back to the gravestone. "Forgive me, Mother," I whisper to it.

I turn back to Cosette, who is walking back towards the gate. "You brought me here because of what's going to happen to the Knightesses now. Because of what's going to happen to you."

She stops dead in her tracks. I walk up to her and see tears slide down her face from behind the hood. She gives a solemn nod. "I don't want to die," she whispers to me.

Tears flood down my face again and I grasp her hand in mine. We stand there, silent for a long time. We don't need to say anything, do anything, hear anything. Althea, what have you done? I ask myself as Cosette finally pulls away and goes to her horse.

The ride back to the stables is quiet and sleepy. I lay my head on Livia's neck the whole way back and sleep. Cosette nudges me awake when we arrive in the stables and I grudgingly put Livia back in her stable. "Thank you, girl," I whisper to her.