The Girl, the Goddess, and the Knight

The Knight heaved, his breath curling before him against the dark night sky as the chaos of the battlefield finally came to a halt. Silence pressed in around him as he turned his face to the stars, his eyes latching onto the largest one as he felt his legs give way. He crashed to the ground, his eyes never leaving the sky as his sword and shield clattered beside him.

“Everything you know, and love, is gone.” A voice whispered to the Knight. “All that remains is your grief.”

The voice was right. He had been the only one to survive the battle and his family had all been lost from the harsh winter. The memories of his fellows’ broken bodies sticking out unnaturally from beneath clumps of rubble still haunted his mind whenever he blinked. He felt his body shudder as he began to sob, his eyes brimming with tears as he let his head fall forward, the tears falling like a waterfall from his cheeks.

“There’s nothing you could’ve done.” The voice whispered, a weight pressing on the Knight’s shoulder as a warm and gentle hand gripped it.

“What do I do?” The Knight asked, his voice barely audible through his sobs. “He will just continue to destroy until there’s nothing left on this plane. He is a man who only seeks power, who has been corrupted by his pursuit and left to haunt the kingdom with his dying breath.”

A hand gripped the Knight’s chin, lifting it gently as the Knight came face to face with a woman made of starlight and sunbeams. The Knight’s eyes widened as a shuddering breath filled his lungs, his hand immediately resting against his chest as a sign of respect.

“You fulfil your oath,” The Goddess whispered, her stardust-coloured eyes glittering with sadness as she smiled softly at the Knight. “You defend the innocent.”

The Knight gazed at the Goddess, warmth spreading through his chest as they watched one another, his grief receding as his courage returned. With a determined nod the Knight rose, his hand gripping his sword and shield once more.

“I will face him.” The knight said with another determined nod. “I swore an oath.”

“You will lose everything over and over again.” The goddess warned, her voice soft as she eyed her champion.

“If it will keep the darkness at bay, and protect the kingdom,” The Knight answered with a reassuring smile. “I’ll do it.”

“We owe you a great debt, noble knight” The Goddess replied sadly. “Now, kneel.”

The Knight knelt, presenting his sword to the Goddess as he bowed his head respectfully. The Goddess took the sword tapping it gently on each of the Knight’s armoured shoulders before presenting it to the Knight again. As the knight gripped the hilt, the Goddess’s form flickered as the Knight was bathed in starlight, his silver armour turning a brilliant white.

“Wait!” A voice called. “Please, don’t do this!”

The Goddess looked behind the Knight as the Knight’s head whipped around, his eyes wide with recognition at the sound of the voice. Behind them was a small girl, her fingers bloody and bruised as she gripped tightly to the Knight’s shoulder.

“Sister?” The Knight called, his brow furrowing as he looked at the girl. “How…?”

“Please,” The Girl blurted, addressing the Goddess. “There has to be another way!”

“I’m sorry my child.” The Goddess replied. “There is no other way.”

“He doesn’t have to,” The Girl begged. “You can choose a different champion!”

“My dear sister,” The Knight interrupted, taking her hands gently in his own and pressing them against his lips. “Someone has to.”

“But why you?” The Girl replied, tears welling in her eyes as she spoke making them appear a deep icy blue. “Why not someone else?”

The Knight gripped his sister’s hands tighter, squeezing them gently as he gazed fondly at her, his memories of her washing over him. This was his sweet innocent sister, a girl who had died so easily from the cold, leaving him alone in the world with only despair to keep him company. She had been another life he could not save, and he knew that he would do anything to have let her live a normal life.

“Who else?” He answered with a loving smile.

“Please.” She sobbed, tears raining from her eyes. “I can’t lose you again.”

“I’m sorry my child.” The Goddess murmured as the Knight rose once more.

The Goddess reached out, her hand turning as sharp as a dagger before pushing it quickly into the Knight’s chest. He cried out in pain, the Goddess pulling her hand back as blood exploded from his body and his existence shattered into nothing. The Girl sunk to her knees with a soft thud, her eyes glued to the place the Knight had been just a few moments ago.

“I… I want to join him.” She whispered blinking back tears as she turned to the Goddess. “Let me aid him.”

The Goddess looked at the Girl, her eyes flickering with iridescent colours before kneeling before the Girl.

“Are you sure little one?” The Goddess asked as she placed the Girl’s hands in her own. “Your brother has lived many lives and done many things. But you, my child, have only lived one life. Are you sure you want to spend eternity as a ghost?”

“Please,” The Girl answered. “It’s what I want.”

“As you wish.” The Goddess said squeezing the Girl’s hands reassuringly. “You will be his guide, aiding him on his journey and showing him the path he needs to take.”

“I will be leading him to his death.” The girl replied with a shudder.

“Yes.” The Goddess answered sadly. “But you will be his light, you can soften the darkness.”

The Girl blinked up at the Goddess, her bloodied fingers staining the deity’s celestial skin as the Goddess rubbed the Girl’s hand with her thumb. The Girl’s jaw hardened as her brow furrowed slightly.

“Bind me to him.” The Girl said softly.

The Goddess nodded, her hands placing the Girl’s hands back in her own lap as the Goddess gripped the Girl’s cheeks. She planted a soft kiss on the Girl’s forehead and gave the Girl’s shoulders a tight squeeze as the Girl’s frame began to fade as if she were smoke being blown away.

“Good luck.” The Goddess whispered as the remnants of the Girl’s image finally disappeared, the silence of her realm flooding around her as she whispered once more, this time to the stars. “Please protect them.”