The Shadow Knight

Chapter 34

My body was aching with fatigue as I continuously tried to keep up with Westen. He was moving fast through the forest, weaving in and around trees and brush. I could hear him panting ahead of me, though I knew he would never slow down. Our home meant just as much to him as it did to me.

We raced through the forest, breezing through it as fast as we can. That's when I saw it. A beautiful stallion gazed back at us as we exited the forest. It was no regular horse. It was a vibrant white, to the point at which it glowed in the sun. It had deep, black hooves, surrounded by fur. The mane of the horse was a long grey, along with it's tail.

The horse shifted moderately as it looked at me it's grey eyes piercing into me. I smiled as I looked at it, it's beauty was beyond compare. Then, I looked up.

Sitting atop the horse was a strong knight. This knight was also the picture of beauty. He wore a deep white armour, with his helmet covering his face, and on the top of his helmet he held the emblem of our home. He nodded to us both, then gestured to the cart that was attached to the horse.

I immediately realized I was standing and staring at them, so I bowed and said "We are forever at your service, thank you for your graciousness. Please take us home as fast as your beautiful steed can"

The knight nodded and as soon as we reached the cart, we took off. The horse ran as fast as it could, the knight guiding it. It moved remarkably fast, and I found it hard to catch my breath. The knight sat atop the horse with such grace and confidence, it was mesmerizing.

We reached our home in a matter of minutes, though as soon as we stopped, Westen and I had to run to the forest and throw up. The ride was a little more than we could handle.

When we got our bearings, we hopped back into the cart and continued, the horse carrying us straight towards the castle. How the knight knew where he was going was a mystery to me, though I was in his debt and didn't have any right to judge him right now.

I gasped as I watched house after house being destroyed by this malicious cloud in the sky. Next to me I noticed Westen cowering in fear, unsure of what to do. That made me grin just a bit. Westen has always been the one that was strong and secure. Nothing scared him. A part of me was relieved that he wasn't the steel giant I thought he was.

Before we could even reach the castle, I felt ourselves lifting. I looked down and saw that below us was a part of this cloud, slowly lifting us upwards to the top of the castle. When we reached the top, my heart stopped.

There standing right in front of me was Elizabeth, her hand intertwined with another man's. Along her finger rested a miraculous ring. She glared right at me, an ice cold stare. She has changed now. Gone was her young, happy, carefree look. Now she was truly a villain, draped in black and her face the centre of all that is bad in this world.

As we were dragged towards them, the two turned to each other, nodded, and then looked back at us, both with a smirk on their faces.

"We've been waiting for you" Elizabeth purrs, her once soft voice now made of ice.