AMACon 3: Oikos, a 30 day drabble challenge

Day 17: Kingdom come

If you want you can read the drabble Day 18: Caveat Emptor first before reading this.  Because I wrote that one to fit in between battle no. 48 and battle no. 193 of this story.

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He is Alden, the white knight of the kingdom.

He was born to a family of defenders sworn to protect and under oath to uphold the values of their order. He is a Paladin, a warrior devoted to ridding this world of evil.

She is Nicomaine, a powerful Sorceress knowledgable in both black and white magic.

No one knows where she comes from, only that her loyalty lies with their kingdom.

The two made an unlikely pair but they were thrown together at the behest of the King. They were to lead his army against the evil of the Darkness. The Darkness threatened to take over the land and it would take everything in their power to overcome it.

From the the first time Alden laid eyes on her, he was smitten. A Paladin in love with a Sorceress was unheard of in their world. He didn't care. Her long flowing hair and dark eyes drew him in. And the first time she saved him, he fell even further for her.

Nicomaine however, did not share his feelings. She merely saw him as a partner. An ally in the battle against evil. Yes, she found him attractive. The armor he wore only served to make him look more heroic, if that was possible. But her heart refused to give in to him.

They were standing in a field, forty miles from the castle, recuperating after the triumph of their forty eighth battle together. The Darkness unleashed a horde of wraiths to conquer them. Their army had fought valiantly but a third had perished. It would have been less, but Alden had broken rank to save Nicomaine.

"You shouldn't have done what you did." Nicomaine glowered at him. "You sacrificed a third of our men."

Alden calmly looked at her, "I would sacrifice all of them, if it meant saving you."

"Those are not the words of a Paladin! Remember what you are here for." she warned him.

He shook his head, "I may be bound to liberate this kingdom but not at the expense of sacrificing you. I care for everyone and everything in this land But it is you that I love.This mission may have taken my soul but it is you who has my heart. If this means I fall from grace and lose my powers.Then so be it."

"Your sentiments sound lovely, but they are wasted on me. This duty takes up everything I have. Romance only serves to cloud things." she said as she walked away from him.

He called out to her, "Your words do not deter me. I will not give up that easily. Know that as long as there is breath in me, I will keep you safe. As long as my heart remains beating, it belongs to you."

----

Their one hundred and ninety third battle saw them finally facing the Darkness. It took the form of an enormous two headed dragon with sharp metal wings. The Darkness was proving almost impossible to defeat. But as their soldiers dwindled down in numbers, they finally found its weakness. A circle glowed within its chest. It lay unprotected every time it reared up to spread its wings. If they could hit that area, victory was surely theirs.

A plan was put into action. They waited, and as the dragon rose up to attack, Nicomaine conjured up a whirlwind that carried Alden up towards it's thorax. As he neared the spot, Alden leaped and plunged his sword deep into the glowing sphere.

With one final cry, the dragon unleashed a rain of steel razors from its wings before dropping dead on the ground.

The two exhausted warriors looked up and saw the razors falling towards them. Before Nicomaine could react, Alden pushed her to the ground and shielded her body with his. She closed her eyes and waited for the impact.

One by one the blades drove themselves into the ground on either side of them. She opened her eyes the same moment one of the knives pierced through Alden's armor straight into his heart.

She heard him whisper, "I love you." before his eyes closed and the full weight of him crashed on her.

Nicomaine rolled him over, laying him down facing the sky. Everything was still, so very still. 

"My savior." she whispered, her hand trembling as she caressed his face. Tears ran down her cheeks, a silent acknowledgment over her decision. She took hold of the blade impaled in him and pulled it out. Inhaling deeply, she gathered her courage before sticking the knife into her chest.

She cut her heart out and replaced his with it. "You gave me your heart. Now I give you mine."

Using her last remaining power, she brought him back to the land of the living. "Live and know that I will live with you."

And with those words, her last breath escapes her. Just as his eyes slowly open.