The knight's destiny
Episode 5's
The clattering of chains, the moist air and the unpleasant aroma woke Lithia up. This red-haired woman found herself confined in a narrow, dark room. Floors of rows of sandy stones and mossy brick walls. Not far from where he had awakened, he saw a thick iron line running across.
“P ... p .. p. .. prison?”
Lithia immediately retreated quickly towards the wall and continued to shift into a corner. His wrists were handcuffed and fitted with iron chains that had been rusted. Lithia bent her legs and curled up while hugging her knees.
His body trembled in fear, the same fear before he met Luragorn.
“Please me, Lura.”
***
+15 year ago in Midia+ kingdom
The chirping of birds hummed on the vast flower garden that spread. Several royal warriors stood firmly in their respective posts. In the garden, there was a knight in silver armour with his head open without protection. Beside him a little girl in a red dress seemed to cheer happily like winning something.
“Yeay! I won,” shouted Lithia who was wearing a small pink dress that matched her body.
Lithia was only as tall as the thighs of the soldiers, her petite body looking cute as a cheerful little boy. His innocent smile warmed some staring soldiers.
“Princess Lithia, are you willing to come with me? I have something I want to show you,” said a knight with a slightly tapered chin and long black hair unraveling.
“What is it?” ask Lithia with her luminosity.
“Declaration, want to see?”
“Umh! Lithia want to see.”
“Then ...”
The silver knight lifted Lithia on his shoulders. Lithia sat behind the knight's neck, her legs straight forward while swaying and her hands clinging to the knight's head.
“Come princess, we go for a walk.”
“Uhm!”
***
The large, walled, wood-floored space is illuminated by the twilight sun. The bookshelf covered almost the entire wall and there was a study table complete with wooden chairs. The books are neat and clean. From the common to the special ones lined up along the shelves.
A woman in a blue dress sat on Lithia who was wearing a white dress. Luna Luxorn is Lithia's mother.
Ayu's face without makeup but the light of the twilight sun reflected Luna's beauty. Almond-shaped eyes with corneas and irises blue as the color of the sky, closely examining a book he read with Lithia. His white skin and silver hair color look very suitable with the dress he wears.
“That's how Lithia is, do you want to try it?” ask Luna to Lithia.
“Uhm!”
Lithia came down from her mother's lap and tried to cast a spell while advancing her hand forward. A small magic circle appeared in front of Lithia and let out a small blaze.
Lithia's eyes were round wide and her mouth was open in admiration. Excited by her magic experiment, this little girl jumped up the fun while looking at her smiling mother.
“What magic can this be useful?” asked Lithia with her innocent face.
“Certainly useful, but if used for evil then it will harm others.”
“But, Lithia is not evil.”
“Of course the daughter of the mother is not evil,” Said Luna stroking Lithia's head slowly.
***
The clangs of swords clashed against each other, breaking the calm air in the morning. Lithia who was wearing a blue dress ran towards the training ground of the knights. Peering over from behind a large pole, he saw some knights belonging to Lithia's father were practicing. Many training tools from puppet scarecrows to moving obstacles. Some knights practiced alone and some fought each other to improve their abilities.
Among those knights, Lithia saw her father. Just carrying a sword without armor and armor. It is 178 cm tall and quite muscular. Her hair and eyes were the same as Lithia's, which was fiery red. His somewhat stout hair and round eyes that stared at the entire knight, looked very ready to do the match practice.
Despite not wearing any armor, not a single knight was brave enough to be a rival to Lubra, Lithia's father. A stiff face with a scratch wound on his right eye, giving the impression of intimidation to anyone who looked at him.
***
A large white room with a high ceiling, filled with several soldiers standing guard and two people sitting on the king's seat. Rugborth, Lithia's grandfather holds Lithia in a red dress.
A golden armour and a red coat covered Rugborth's body, his large body with a height of 186 cm made Lithia look like a dwarf. His face that was filled with wrinkles and folds did not make others think of him as an ordinary king. The bright red faded to white, revealing how old Rugborth was from the hair indication. His slightly narrow eyes and whiskers and long red beard add to the impression of Rugborth's old age.
Even so, old age does not become a barrier to play with his only grandson, Lithia. Lithia seemed very happy to be on Rugborth's lap and listened to the fairy tales from her grandfather.
“Great grandfather yes?” ask Lithia.
“Ya, of course great grandfather,” replied Rugborth.
“But grandpa is old.”
“Haha .... Grandpa is old.”
“Why old grandpa?”
“Why yes? Grandpa doesn't know either. Haha ...”
“Grandpa laughs on. Grandpa happy?”
“Ya ...,” replied Rugborth with a faint smile while rubbing Lithia's small head, “Grandfather was very happy.”
***
Lithia with her mother and father and several soldiers walked in the residential area. Some people were on the streets in terrible conditions. The housing is dilapidated, the soil dries and breaks down and the heat stings through the skin.
There are residents who suffer from skin diseases, there are residents who look very thin and there are also residents who daydream to look at the sky as if their souls are no longer in the body.
Lithia saw a little boy who tried to wake her dead brother and was mobbed by crows. This red-haired girl walked towards the little boy while offering him food.
“Do you want?”
Lithia's hand was immediately pushed aside quickly and greeted with an expression of anger from the little boy.
“Go! Damn damned! Get out of this kingdom!” maki the little boy.
Lithia did not understand what was happening. He intended to give help but was instead met with such a refusal. Lithia returned to her mother's side and asked with a worried face.
“Mother, Mother, Mother, Mother. There was a little boy I wanted to give this bread to, but he called me damned. Is that damned, Mother?” ask Lithia.
Luna pulled Lithia and clasped her daughter's hand tightly. There was no answer from Lithia's mother other than a sad look holding her pale lips trembling. Lithia could feel her mother's hand shivering as if frightened.
“Mother?” ask Lithia.
***
A quiet night in a large room. A large mattress and luxurious interior, occupied by a little girl who fell asleep quietly. A nightgown that looked like a small white smock and a thick blanket covered Lithia's sleeping body. There was no lighting to illuminate and neither was any sound heard.
“Princess!”
“Princess! Gawat, we have to go! Let's wake!” firmly the knight woke Lithia up.
Lithia woke up half-conscious and head stumbled. Although it was a bit faint, Lithia could hear the commotion outside her room.
“What's up, Uncle Morgan?” lithia asked with half-open eyes.
“There is no time to explain. Come Princess! Come with me now!” sternly Morgan pulled Lithia down from her padded mattress.
Lithia and Morgan reached the stairs leading downstairs, but what greeted them was a blaze and some soldiers whose armor was stained with blood. Morgan pulled Lithia to hide behind him as the soldiers stared at Morgan and Lithia.
Morgan held his rapier tightly while Lithia hugged Morgan's legs which were lined with cuisse and grave.
Not long after, Luna came and lifted Lithia into her arms. Lithia almost cried and immediately hugged her mother fearfully.
“Morgan, thank you for taking care of Lithia. Can you hold them?” asked Luna worriedly.
“Just calm princess Luna. A bunch of lowly warriors like them would not be able to match up to me. What about Lord Lubra and King Rugborth?” Ask Morgan with worry.
“Dad and Lubra are fighting in the training room. The soldier who came did not seem to be an ordinary hired soldier.”
“Is that? Then be careful.”
“Please hold them for a few minutes, I count on you.”
Luna immediately ran towards the other room while holding a frightened Lithia.
“Who let you run?!”
Shouted the soldiers who flocked up to the top floor where Morgan had been waiting for them. Axes, swords, hammers, and chains swung toward Morgan.
Morgan bent his knees and sidelined his body while pulling the rapier backwards. The defenseless piercing pose was installed by Morgan. His breathing blew long in as he pointed the tip of his rapier forward.
“Mati!” shouted the soldiers who jumped towards Morgan while swinging their respective weapons.
*TZUK! TZUK! TZUK!
The soldiers heading towards Morgan suddenly crashed with a bloody hole in their chests. Drifting through the air with streams of blood spraying out of the hollowed-out armor, showering the other soldiers with a thick red liquid on their faces.
Morgan stood firm while lifting his rapier in front of his chest. His cold and sharp eyes pierced the soldiers standing under the stairs.
“Who allowed you to speak rudely to Princess Luna?” ask Morgan in a flat tone.
***
The hallway was dark and long, flames blazing outside the castle and cries of protest accompanied Luna's footsteps. Luna walked quickly towards the reading room filled with books. Luna watched carefully the arrangement of the shelves and pulled a book out of place.
A hole of two square meters suddenly opened on the old wooden floor, leaving Lithia shocked and amazed. Luna approached the hole and stepped inside. The stairs that spiral down with small torches along the side walls become their escape route.
Luna rushed down and pulled out a torch with a dragon carving on the handle. The entrance closed when Luna pulled the torch and made the torch as lighting that accompanied her down.
“Where are we going? Why weren't Dad and Grandpa invited? Uncle Morgan's not coming either. Why?” lithia asked as she looked at her mother who was sweating coldly.
***
A warm room with wood and earth walls. Entrance made of dense foliage. There was no lighting other than the flint shining in the dark. A red-colored magic stone glowing the size of a human head became the light for an empty room of four square meters.
In the room, there are two women who are Lithia and Luna. Lithia lay down with a blanket made of tree tendrils that had been woven in such a way.
“Mother, why are we sleeping here? Father will be angry,” asked Lithia with her plain explanation.
“Sleep, tomorrow we will return home,” replied Luna.
“Appointment?”
“Mother Promise.”
Lithia closed her eyes then fell into a deep sleep with a smile on her face. Luna looked towards the entrance when she heard the noise as well as the many footsteps of the horses. Luna is aware that she is being followed but she does not want her escape to end up in vain. Eventually Luna decided to go out and try to distract from the soldiers who were combing the area.
***
The rising sun changed the night to morning, so did Lithia who woke up from the dream realm to the real world. Lithia wakes up feeling happy, but is dashed after finding out there was no one but her the moment she awakens.
A dagger belonging to Lithia's father and a jewel necklace belonging to Lithia's mother. Only those two things greeted him in the morning. Lithia bagged the necklace and carried her father's dagger in hand.
“I have to return this to Father and Mother,” said Lithia who came out of that place.
Lithia got up and started walking out to look for her father and mother. After a while, his stomach began to rumble and he found a village. Lithia ran towards the village and hoped to meet her parents there.
“Mother! Dad!” lithia shouted with a joyful face imagining the faces of her parents.
When Lithia had just arrived, she saw a soldier riding on a horse. Lithia could not help her excitement and thought the soldier could drive her back home.
“Uncle, Uncle, Uncle, can Uncle take me home?” lithia asked with bright sparkling eyes.
Lithia impatiently told him that she found the belongings of her parents, hoping to get praise and rewards for her actions.
“Uncle, I–”
*WHUSH!
Lithia was silent for a moment before she finished speaking, right after feeling a gust of wind pass through her head. His eyes widened when several strands of his hair were cut. Not just a gust, but a missed swing of the sword.
“Why? Lithia is not naughty. Lithia is not naughty,” said Lithia retreating slowly with a body that trembled in fear.
“Ck, missed. I think I drank too much earlier. Yes ... It's okay, by carrying the head of the damned princess, I can get a lot of rewards,” said the soldier who rode the horse.
“Why? What is Uncle talking about? Did Uncle want to kill me? Wh why? Lithia is not evil. Why?” ask Lithia confused.
“Death to the bottom of the damned Princess!”
A powerful swing was launched towards Lithia, fortunately Lithia managed to dodge and run away.
“Why? Wh why? Why?” lithia's inner self with glazed eyes.
Lithia ran, but what was the power of her small steps was not comparable to the combat-ready footsteps of a horse. Lithia was cornered and the soldier grinned looking at Lithia. Lithia throws her father's dagger and stabs the front leg of the horse. The horse was surprised then raised both front legs high, making the soldier fall from his mount.
Lithia ran with all her might towards the forest area and hid inside one of the dead trees. There were some caterpillars and insects crawling beside him, but the fear of the little creature was nothing less than the sound of the footsteps of the horse boots that had just passed through it. Several cavalrymen searched and went back and forth where Lithia was hiding.
Lithia shut her mouth and held back her tears as she tried to suppress the fear of the soldiers who kept checking the area.
“Where are you?! Fucking boy!” shouted one of the soldiers.
Lithia just curled up and remained silent without a sound, trying as quietly as possible to keep it unknown.
“Mother? Daddy's? Uncle Morgan? Grandpa? Where're you? I was afraid,” Inner Lithia with her trembling body.
“I'm afraid, I want to go home.”
