Sweet Dreams of Knighthood

Chapter 2

I've known you before ,

Those eyes; in another life?

I will never know.

His father had banned him from returning to the forest in the evening, but never in the morning. George found his usual spot around the tickling green grass. He had been sitting there for so long that there was now a little flattened spot of green grass where he usually sat. A bit hesitant, he swung his sack over his shoulder and leaned against his usual tree.

Searching his sack quickly, he found an old book, worn down with love. It was his journal, bound with leather and wrinkled pages. Unconsciously, George smiled. Yellowed pages that smelled deeply of smoky wood and pine; wrinkled leather that was soothing to the touch when George ran his fingers down the cover. He knew every crack, he could count it without hesitation from pure muscle memory. No matter what, George would always treasure this book as deeply as his soul.

There was hardly a difference, anyway.

George whipped out his feather and his ink as well. He held it in thought as he marveled at the forest around him.

He glanced at the words in his journal. They formed a shape of a poem and were scribbled messily from being written so late at night. George grimaced as he thought of the consequences if his parents found out he still wrote the journal last night... just after everyone went to sleep.

George had carefully litten the oil lamp to write in the glimmer of candlelight.

"To my dearest,

My absolute best,

My gaze has set only

on the finest dove,

a representation of our love-"   

George paused reading it out loud. Something didn't feel right. The poem, however beautiful, felt empty. And he couldn't stop himself from cringing when he read it. What an embarrassment! He grew hot just looking at the poem and sighed with frustration. This was meant to be a gag gift but even then this was too outrageous. Rubbing his forehead, George knew he would need to fix it before he gave it to Elle.

"Writing to your sweetheart?"