The Silverman Knight

  There was nothing in front of me except a dirt path and trees. My horse became restless with every howl of the wind. This place was creepy and dark, for I could barely see the sun over the thick tree tops, its light struggling to get past all the leaves and twigs. There was nothing else to do but to keep moving, a village was in need of my help. I am a Silverman knight, a man who travels to help those in need without concern for myself. Some say I am a warrior of God, while others say I am a plague. Like all humans, I have had my success and failures.
    The quest I vowed my life to I find to be different from the rest. I ride to fight something I have never seen before, a creature that you can only enjoy for a bedtime story, a beast so rare that none would believe it actually existed. However, I can recall many rumours and tales that would describe such horrors, yet i have never faced one. Am I crazy to stand up to such a thing if it was real? I rest my spear on my armoured shoulder as the ugly demons around me dance and tease me. One carries a minute glass, constantly reminding me that my time is almost up. Do I ride to my doom?
    The village opened their large and thick doors to allow me to come in. All the villagers were all crowded to get a better look at me. They made a single path to the very centre where their leader stayed. I was a one man parade. Women flew flowers and blew kisses while the men cheered and performed tricks. Their elderly chief greeted me with a hug and offered me a drink with a hot meal. I gladly took it from a miserable week of traveling. As I was eating, a group of men approached me. They were the officers of the town’s watch. The majority of them looked like they had been burnt badly. “This is no ordinary beast like a bear or a wolf,” they explained. “She rests in the mountainside gnawing on the bones of our villagers. At least once a week, she swoops down on us and takes as many as she desires.”
    “What exactly am I dealing with?” I asked, leaning back on my chair and placing the spoon in the half empty bowl of chicken broth.
    “A dragon sir, one made of fire and rock,” replied the chief.
      I could not help but laugh at such silliness, a dragon made of fire and rock? "I have heard of such a beast, however most stories that describe such unworldly creatures are not true."
      “I did not expect you to believe us, I don’t blame you for I was the exact same way,” the chief said taking a seat across from me. “I had two daughters when I first came here, now I am only the father of one because of this demon. I killed the demon’s mother, I would have done the same to the baby, but I was unaware until a few months ago when it started attacking.”
      “I will take your word, but i do not expect to face a dragon. I expect this to be some kind of oversized bird, an eagle or something. Although, there is a part of me that does believe you and wonder how you killed the mother.”
      “I used a spear that has the power to freeze anything. It is the only one of its kind. It is still as good as it was twenty years ago when I used it against the demon’s mother.”
      “I shall ride at first light with this spear you speak of.”
      “Thank you kind sir, please save my villagers, and kill the dragon if you can,” the chief said before ordering his servants to escort me to my room when i was finished my meal.
      It took me all morning to get my armour on. My whole body was shaking with fear for the first time since I was young. The chief handed my spear after I climbed on top of my horse. With a final good bye and good luck from the villagers I set off for my journey.
      My personal demons followed me again. The minute glass was closer to my face and a second demon was riding a horse beside me. They followed me all the way to the mountain and up to the entrance to the cave. They said “go in and face destiny.”
      The cave was hot and moist. A gruesome smell of burnt flesh filled the air. I walked slowly and quietly, with my ice spear at the ready. There was a roar, then a great burst of amber light down the tunnel. I began to sweat inside my stifling armour and my hands trembled. Never had I been so scared of death but then again, I have been on the edge for my whole life, trained not to fear it, but to embrace it. The heat became more intense as I entered into a large chamber where I could hear faint voices. They must be the captured villagers. I moved in for a closer look and found about a dozen of them locked in a cage made of large bones.
I crept up to the cage quietly and told the prisoners to be quiet. They obeyed. A large bone, perhaps part of a leg from a beast was used as a lock. I slid it off and freed the villagers. I ordered them to stay in the shadows and keep as low and as quiet as possible. The dragon roared again, however the noise was faint and it seemed more like a yawn rather a roar.
        In the darkness beside the cages, I discovered another tunnel leading deeper into the mountain and i prowled through it, seeking my prey. At the end, there was a second chamber that had a very large pool of lava. There was something odd about it. A large lump was in the middle and it looked like it was breathing. The face of the dragon was barley visible in the hot liquid rock and it looked to be asleep. I hid behind a pile of rocks that provided enough protection for me to get close to the dragon and spear it.
        When I got in range, I climbed to the top of the rock pile to take aim. Just as I was throwing, I slipped and fell down the rocks. I may as well have just blasted a horn while charging in on my horse for my armour clanked on the stone and echoed across the entire chamber which was enough to wake the dragon. It shook its fiery head and spotted me. Immedietly the dragon stood up on its hind legs. Her body cooled down and created a thick skin of rock. Fiery gaps in between the rock-skin made her vulnerable. Now i stood in shame for not believing the chief and readied myself for thr fight of my life. I aimed for the biggest gap I could find which happened to be in her mouth.
      She charged at me, knocking me forward with her head into a wall with great force. My shoulder was in pain and my armour damaged badly. She breathed fire where I lay in pain, but I quickly rolled out of the way. I picked up the spear and tried to throw it, but once again I was thrown across the room. My mouth began to bleed as I got up, challenging the dragon before me. I charged and went for her feet. She swung at me but barely missed. Then I stabbed her foot which did absolutely nothing but make her more angry. Now what do I do? The spear was not helping at all, not even freezing the ground or the dragon’s foot. It did not even feel cold. A voice started talking in my head, it was the chief. “Open the spear and you will benefit from its powers,” the chief said and faded away.
      Now I was really confused, why can’t he just tell me how? I jumped behind the pile of rocks to inspect the spear as the dragon went airborne. Pushing and pressing every part of the spear did nothing and made no sounds. The dragon seemed to have lost me and was carefully watching every part of the room. After struggling with the spear, I managed to open it by stretching it and releasing a blue glow. I jumped out from behind the rocks when the dragon nose dived at me and I jumped out of the way. The dragon smashed into the low cieling that she did not see and was dazed from the hit. This was my chance to slay her, but she kept swaying where she stood. I took my chance and threw the spear and it clipped her arm, freezing it instantly.
      The dragon yelped trying to move her arm. I ran as quickly as I could to retrieve the spear that fortunately fell to the ground. The spear lay just by the dragon’s feet and as I got closer, she tried to stomp me into jelly. With great agility and determination, I grabbed the spear just as the dragon’s foot came smashing down. I froze her foot in place and she yelped in pain from the cold sensation. Now she was furious and opened her mouth to shoot fire at me. Now was the time to get her so I threw the spear true and clean into her mouth and it froze her entire head, killing her brain instantly. She fell into a clump and I walked away in victory. The villagers slapped me on the back and carried me out to my horse.
    We arrived back at the village and celebrated with a grand feast with dancers and musicians. The chief was forever in my debt and was in deep gratitude. “You can stay anytime you like, good luck my friend and thank you for everything,” he said.
      After a long week of celebration, I mounted onto my horse once again and waved good-bye to the village. The sun was rising in the distance and I rode into the dark forest to embark on new quests and new adventures that I will never forget.