Lovers of Hyer

The Knight and the Guardian I

"It's the third adventurer this week," said the king.

The poor lad had barely been able to stand on his own two feet when he had reported that he had failed the mission. He, at least, had remained polite about it. The king allowed the insults they hurled at him in this instance. He knew he asked a lot of them.

"Should we raise the reward?" asked the captain of the guards.

"Again?" The king sighed. "If this goes on, I'll have to promise the hand of my daughter to whoever brings it back."

"Father, please," she cried.

"I know, and I don't want to do it any more than you do." The king rubbed his greying temples with the tip of his fingers. "But we have no choice. Either we find a way to get the legendary sword back... or we will all perish."

"Is the situation really this dire?" asked the princess. She was young, barely old enough to marry – her body was, at least. The same thing couldn't be said about her mind, and it tore her father's heart to think that it might come to that.

"The sword wields immense power. If we manage to get it back, we will be considered an actual threat for the Dothisian, and if that happens... they might reconsider invading."

"Keyword, might," said the prime minister. "We only know that they are preparing an invasion, we don't actually know why. They could have motives that make them bypass all precaution."

"Even then, the sword can help save countless lives," answered the king. "The Wielder was reborn. It is a sign that the time has come for it to leave the crypts."

"But the guardian..." said the captain of the guards.

"The guardian," the king said in agreement.

The guardian was a whole problem on his own. He had been guarding the sword ever since it had been sealed, which was a very long time ago. Legend said that he had once been a knight but, imbued by the crypt and the sword's power, he had... changed. The latest reposts talked about a tall, armoured beast that struck incredibly fast, never slept and never ate. His battle technique was unmatched among the knights of the kingdom, something the king knew after having sent the best ones at him. Even the Wielder had come back gravely hurt. It was a blessing that the guardian didn't kill, but fighting him had nothing of a sparring match. In fact, the only reason why he could afford being so magnanimous was that he danced circles around every single one of his challengers.

"What should we do, your majesty?" asked the prime minister.

"I'll go again," said the Wielder.

His name was Karn, and he was a youth of twenty years of age. He was recognizable from the birthmark on his face, a birthmark that resembled the scar of the First Wielder. Tall, blond, chaste and noble of heart, he had everything to make the ladies swoon, even if he didn't seem to care about their affections beyond that. He had a good heart and a courage that was yet to be defeated.

Although it was clear that he wasn't at the top of his condition at the moment. One would have to be blind to miss his limp and the stiff way he moved. The foot soldiers that had followed him in the crypt had had to drag him away from his fight against the guardian before he killed himself.

"It is out of the question that should go," said the king. "You are in no condition to fight."

"We have no other choice," Karn replied. "If it's trying again or death, then I would rather try again. I will go alone, and this time I will not fail you."

"This is pure folly!" cried the prime minister. "You are running to your death when we need you most."

"Without the sword, I am nothing but another knight, and that's not what this country needs at the moment. Forgive me, but there is something I must try before I give up, something that no one has ever done before."