A long, long time ago in a kingdom far, far away lived a fair maiden and her handsome knight. They loved each other very much and planned to marry, vowing to spend the rest of their days together.
Now their country was very beautiful with wooded hills and flowering fields. And a strong wall surrounded their town. The young lady was very loyal to her homeland and had always felt quite safe. But alas, her beloved was a noble knight bound by duty to protect the neighboring countryside and villages as well. He was gone traveling a lot of the time and so they had to console themselves with the fleeting moments they were able to find to be alone. Those were precious times and they drew closer together in spirit.
One particularly fine spring day the knight was due to return from a mission. His Lady Love eagerly awaited him and carefully planned their days ahead. She dressed in a light, flowing gown, her hair freshly washed and flowers adorning her golden mane. She walked outside the town gate, wanting to be the first to spot the returning brave band of knights. And so they appeared on the horizon, as a cloud of dust at first from the pounding of their horse’s hooves. Closer and closer they came into view until she was able to spot the one to whom her heart belonged. She followed them back into the town square, anticipating the warm embrace of her loved one. But he had disappointing news for her.
“We’ve only come back for more supplies,” he told her. “There is an approaching enemy a few villages over and we must return to protect them.”
“No, you cannot leave again so soon!” she pleaded, to no avail. For she knew her knight would not shirk his duties.
“I have a short while for the horses to be fed and watered,” he told her. “Let’s take a walk down by the river. I must leave my armor on though, so I will be ready to go again quickly.”
“Okay” she agreed reluctantly. A short time was better than nothing.
They strolled off together in the warm sunshine, the birds singing and their hearts happy at the sight of each other. The knight absentmindedly picked some flowers along the way, gathering them into a bouquet to present to his betrothed. They talked of the future and their hopes and dreams. As they drew near to the riverbank they could see the current was swift and strong. But there were some especially beautiful flowers reaching over the edge that the knight felt would make his presentation all the more lovely. As he leaned over to pick them he felt himself lose his footing and he started to slip down the embankment. In he toppled with a loud SPLASH! His armor weighed him down and he was pulled under the cold water. He struggled with all his might, but realized this was the one battle he could not win. He would not make it out. He used his last strength to get above the surface and toss the flowers to the distraught one left standing on the shore. “Forget-me-not” he called as he went under for the final time.
Prompt: forget-me-not April 26, 2008
