The squire who became a Knight & Paladin-in-training
Once upon a time, there was once a humble & quiet squire who equipped himself with nothing but a short sword, a bow & cloth armour. Even though his status was not that of a knight in shining armour, he was grateful he can serve his king, queen, kingdom & family, especially his widow mother, with what he already have as his resources. All he ever need to do was to protect citizens from harm, help those in need, strive for peace, & of course, defend his family with all his life.
One day, he & a few fellow squires were scouting a forest that was not explored for quite some time in the village he lived in when he saw a beautiful princess, with the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. It seems the forest was a fruit grove where the king & queen’s daughter always went to pick & taste her favourite fruits. Unlike his boisterous friends who went to greet the princess, he was timid & followed them from behind. As many days passed by & whenever they came back to the forest, the princess was always there, enjoying herself while strolling around in the forest. But the squire was always shy, not knowing what to talk or ask anything about her besides listening to his friends do the talking. Many days passed till the squires’ job was done, that was exploring the whole forest. The timid squire always ought to see the princess again… but he never expected what was to come.
It was quite unusual that the squire & his friends were given a special mission to escort the princess to a fountain where she was keen on knowing as there were legends told to her about it. One of the squires was a know-it-all fella & he never failed to talk & understand people. The princess had probably shared the story to him, gained his & our trust, & has entrusted all of us to bring her to the fountain. The princess was a brilliant, smart, cheerful & innocent young girl, but was never naive, as she knows what she wants & what is good for her. Through this journey, the squire & his friends got closer to the princess, knowing each other better along the way. However, the fountain they discovered was just an ordinary source of pure drinking water. Although it was not a successful discovery, the journey meant a lot to the timid squire…
Many days passed, & although he was just a friend to the princess & always just occasionally got to know the princess even more through pigeon letters, there was never any special moment for the princess about him. The squire had always loved the princess quietly, but he never told her his feelings, because he knows what is best for the princess, & the best for her, is not him. He had already accepted the fact they cannot be together. Maybe it is about fate after all. He was depressed & he thought he could not do anything about it. But he realized during his recovery period that he could do many things, not only for himself, but for everyone around him. He believed that the princess can be the very best of friends with him, & he never gave up on that. Although they continued to contact each other through pigeon letters, as time passed slowly, citizens, the princess’ friends & other princesses had been observing both of them, but the squire already knows a lot of things before that, & he was fully confident that he can handle whatever things that will happen in the near future… What the squire never expected though, yet again, that he was about to face the greastest challenge of his life… He is about to face his own fears… He is going to face the ‘dragon’ of his life…
Each year the princess celebrated a ’special’ day, & this time the king & queen allowed her to have a small banquet in a castle for some princes, princesses, her friends, some citizens & of course, the squire himself & his friends. The squire did not expect to be invited though… Was he that close to the princess? Or is it just because the squire group was invited & he happened to be in that group? No matter, the squire had nothing to be worried about, & was just savouring the moment to go to a wonderful banquet. On that day though, he kept a low profile in front of everyone, including the king & queen & talked a while with the princess, but he knew there was some kind of danger… his scouting skills was one of his strengths… he felt uneasy, & the sky soon turned as dark as night. As he was figuring out what the danger was, a mighty dragon plunged down from the sky, releasing a fierce roar that truly terrified everyone at the banquet. The squire was not only filled with terror, he was petrified because the dragon was looking at him straight in the eyes, ready to release a destructive fireball towards him. His inner fear was developing, but from his heart, he reminded himself what he had told himself before… that he can handle whatever things that will happen in the near future… Brimming with fire of confidence in his eyes, he takes out his sword that was enlightened with a bright white light. As the dragon breathed a massive fireball in the squire’s direction, the fireball was dispelled as it approached him… The dragon was undeterred, & it gazed upon the princess, ready to release another fireball towards her. The squire immediately took out his bow, sudden;y being enchanted with a magical arrow, & aimed at the dragon… As the arrow hit the dragon, the mighty figure vanished into a cloud of smoke & soon the dark sky was clear again… What had happened? Was it a prank or set-up made by a wizard who was experimenting his spells? Or was it just an illusion due to the squire’s fear? Whatever it was, it really happened & there was no doubt that everyone at the banquet saw what happened, but it probably did not matter to everyone except the squire, for he had overcame the ‘dragon’ in his heart that was haunting him all along…
Soon after the princess’ banquet, the news had spread on what the squire did, with citizens asking the questions " How did he do it?", " Did he do it for the princess?", or " What will he do next?"… The squire was still shell-shocked by what happened at the banquet, but it all soon became clear to him. He knew that problems will soon arise if things were to continue as it is… & what he knew was justified when the princess stopped replying & accepting the pigeon letters. He was already prepared for the truth a long time ago, but he did not want their friendship to be affected because of all these problems, so he went to find the princess in the fruit grove again, this time only the two of them. All the squire wanted to know was whether the princess was alright & not affected by all that had happened, & he was given the answer by the princess herself… He really hopes he & the princess can be really good friends always, & no matter what the princess will go through in the future, if no one is there for her, the squire will always be there if she needs him. Although he really wanted to, the squire did not tell his feelings at all to the princess, & did not ask the main question he wanted to ask, as he already knew the answer to it. He already knew that although he will always love her all his life, he knows the princess never had any feelings for him…
The squire, no matter how noble or how stupid he can be, he knows what he was doing… & he had always thought what is best for others, & for the princess. He will carry on with life stronger than ever, confidently do what he wants to do, & will not succumb to any pressure or distress, & although he was knighted in a special ceremony later on in life, he chose to develop all the skills he have & does not have, to train himself to be a true Knight & Paladin.
