Knight Value and the Fog of Darkness

Many years ago in the Kingdom of Mihole lived a young knight named Value. Mihole was a beautiful Kingdom. It consisted of three main villages, Tirips, Nos, and Apap. Apap was the capitol and housed the castle as well as the large marketplace. Everything in Apap was fairly priced and no one was ever caught cheating or stealing, it was truly a wonderful place to live. Value grew up in Tirips. It was only a day’s journey from Apap, smaller but still as friendly. Value’s father was a nobleman of the town and had been a knight for the king when he was younger. Value grew up hearing the stories about the battles his father had fought for the king, and why he was given the name “value.”

“Son,” Value’s father would say, “your mother and I gave you that name so you can remember how precious you are. Everyone is of value. I learned that when I served the king. He gave each of us knights special armor. And reminded us that we had value, that we are no more important than he. That when we fight in his name we are being given his authority. Because we are his.”

Value married when he came of age to a woman named Eunice, and they soon had a son named Troy. Value was never so happy, until word came that he was to be a knight. It was the position he had wanted. Fortunately, being of noble birth gave him the chance to do so. But that was another interesting thing about Mihole which separated it from other countries. Most countries only allowed nobles and dukes in certain positions, and they have tremendous populations of poor. Mihole didn’t. There were no poor persons in Mihole because everyone was of some sort of noble birth, either true or adopted. Years ago when Mihole was first built there were dozens of nobles and a growing number of poor who needed the basic things. The king sent his son to the poor who asked the son for help and the son simply adopted all the poor into the royal bloodline.

Value was thrilled to become a knight. He trained hard and was honored by the King when he was given his armor and sword. The armor was a staple in the Kingdom of Mihole. Every knight was fitted perfectly for their armor so that it would fit snug during battle. It was a beautiful piece to wear. And the sword Value was given, he couldn’t imagine another quite like it. It was one foot high, thick and yet light as a feather. The sword also had a unique quality, it could glow at night which made it a great battle piece. For when the enemy attacked, one would never be without their sword.

About a year after he became a knight, a war ensued between the Kingdom of Mihole and the Kingdom of Wraith. The King and the Prince called all their knights to battle, and Value had to kiss his wife Eunice goodbye and his two year old son Troy. He would miss them, but the Kingdom of Wraith had to be stopped. And so, he went off to war with all the other knights. Each wearing their armor and carrying their sword. Within a few days, the war that had threatened the Kingdom of Mihole was over and all the knights returned without a scratch. The King and his Prince were so pleased that they immediately sent all their knights to return home to their loved ones.

So, Value, looking forward to seeing his wife and child again took off his armor and left it with his sword in the castle barracks and headed towards the village of Tirirps. He couldn’t wait to see Eunice and Troy again. The few weeks he had spent away had felt much longer. “I love them,” he whispered to himself. “So very much.”

On the road home a thick, black fog crept up around Value. At first he was able to press through it but soon it had surrounded him. Before he knew it, he was in despair. He wanted to get home and doubted that he would be able to with this fog. Then he thought about the time he had spent away from his wife and child. He started criticizing himself for being away for so long. “How dare I work for the King so much,” he thought. “My wife and child need me too. Maybe I have behaved foolishly and stupidly!”

While he thought these things, the fog built itself into a wall and it blocked Value’s way. He tried to walk through it, but it repelled him. He saw a rock laying on the rock beside the road and picked it up, throwing hard at the fog. Unfortunately it didn’t penetrate the fog at all. The rock bounced off and it Value in the head, leaving a nasty bruise. As Value rubbed the bruise, he began to cry. “I am a knight! And yet I can’t even get home because of a fog! I must be worthless!”

Not knowing what else to do, Value headed back towards the castle. He asked for an audience with the Prince and was granted it almost immediately. Upon entering the Throne Room, Value told the Prince everything that was going on. Smiling, the Prince looked at Value and said to him, “My son, why didn’t you wear the armor my Father the King made for you? Take the armor, and especially the sword. God back to the fog. It will protect you.”

Listening to the Prince, Value did just that. He went back to the castle barracks and put his armor on. Then, he took the sword and headed back out on the road home. The fog had become an even larger wall by now, and was thicker. Value picked up another rock and hurled it at the wall, and this rock bounced almost three kilometers behind him. As the rock bounced backwards, Value had an idea. What if he lunged at the wall with the sword? Taking the sword from its sheath, Value thrust it into the blackness and was amazed to find that the sword went all the way through. He slashed at it again, and then again. Each time, the sword made tiny cuts in the wall and light had begun to shine through those cuts.

Standing back, Value had only one more idea. He would command the wall to disappear in the King’s name and throw the sword at it. Taking a deep breath, he shouted, “In the King’s name I command you to go!”

At the same time he said this, Value threw the sword into the center of the fog. The black wall suddenly shook and then vanished. Picking up his sword, Value put it back in its sheath and continued his journey home. He had learned an important lesson: Never be without your armor, and always carry the sword. Its truth will guide your path.