No Will to Protect...
Step by heavy step she carried herself forward, finally falling to her knees in the ankle deep, inky black water stretching out in every direction around her. Her armor was worn, rusted. Each piece bore signs of battle. Her shield was in tatters, her sword broken and dulled.
Piece by piece, it fell to the water, sinking away and disappearing from sight.
In the distance, she could hear the thrashing beast. The very same that had grown alongside her. Alongside them both. The creature had started so small, so innocent, so pure. A pure need. Pure instinct.
But it had grown. It had begun to devour. It ate more and more, until it reached a point where it couldn’t be sated. It had taken medicinal methods to truly calm the beast. To tame it, back to a manageable point.
Most days, it was docile. Fine. But on days like today it swelled. It fought against its constraints. It shrieked and trashed and flapped its wings, slamming hard from wall to wall.
And as always…
She was expected to fight.
Her liege had tried to stand against it. To fight. But what was she here for, if not to step in? If not to ensure that she didn’t have to fight alone?
A knight was sworn, after all, to endlessly protect.
But more and more lately, she had run. She had turned away. The beast would swell, its body would shift and change, filling up the confines of its cage and it would shriek in rage. And when it did…she would simply walk away.
Worse than that, she would lash out.
Grab her liege by the scruff, shove her into the line of fire.
“Why me?! Why don’t you ever fucking fight?! Why must it always be on me?”
Her liege would give a weak, understanding smile. “I know. I know…you’re right.” And she would rise to her feet, picking up the knight’s fallen arms, and trudge slowly into battle.
Today, however, there was no shoving to be done. No fights to be had, with or for her liege. She remained on her knees, shoulders and head hung, hands holding herself up in that cold, inky black lake. Tears dripped down her face.
She had failed. She had changed. She was a protector with no will to protect. What came next?