A gothic renaissance Knight in the true sense of the words, he longed to find a damsel to protect, dragons to slay and monsters to destroy for the honor and love of his Lady. He was born to the wrong time, his heart showed he was meant to wear a suit of armor and wield a sword of the truest steel. They watched from afar as he fought internal demons, pillaging and plundering his way through life. Torn asunder by those he loved and chose to give his love to, he shut the world out, built enormous walls around his heart and gave up on his dream. It just wasn't meant to be, what was a dark knight doing in this time?
He knew not that his mirror soul lay tormented, lost and alone, a short distance from him. He searched far and wide for his princess, having given up long ago on the common wenches and dark witches surrounding him. Late nights spent teasing and taunting, doing the dance of lust with so many and finding so few worthy of his pledge to honor and love. Blindly fumbling through the eternal darkness surrounding him, feeling a brief ray of hope with each caress only to find too soon that the soul he touched was tainted by darkness itself. Years of longing turned to loathing and the walls surrounding the warrior's heart grew higher. He turned to carnal delights alone and turned his heart away, shutting it down, feeling nothing, allowing only physical pleasure as he lay with common wenches and shying from the witches. Offering his sword and shield to a very select few friends, he gave up on his personal quest, deciding to only help others.
Solitude became his constant companion, ale and Absinthe to numb the pain when he felt someone trying to break down his walls, if they came too close, he would leave, simply disappear. He walked alone. He watched as those he has sworn his protection to threw themselves on the proverbial sword, then he picked them up, sheltering them when they fell. Healing them with is own dark essence but never taking anyone for his own.
In her own private Hell she withered and shriveled to nothing. Wrapping herself in an untouchable shell, she felt nothing. Feeling nothing was better than pain and her desire to help and love had brought her nothing more than a kick to the face time and time again. She too shut herself down, only she did to the entire world. She felt nothing, was nothing, did her best to become invisible – 'you can't hurt what you can't see' became her motto. She gave up entirely, feeling that her dream was nothing more than just that – a dream. In her dreams a dark knight stood before her, sword drawn, taking on all that dared to harm her. In reality, her world was filled with charlatans and conmen. Telling her that they could see who she really was then using their limited knowledge to dominate her and crush her will. From her pain she lost touch with the ability to communicate, becoming nothing more than a wraith. Still, there were those in her world who needed her show of strength, it would destroy them to see her weak, so she wandered the darkness crying tears only the moon saw and wailing screams for only the trees to hear. By dawn each morning she had plastered the façade of helpfulness across her face and pushed the raw ache that had become her constant reminder that she still was considered among the living down deep again.
Wandering the darkness one night, she found a cemetery of lovers, a place where love goes to die. Many souls lingered here as very few are truly willing to leave the world when love forsakes them and many long to lay down with another, if only to feel the illusion of love for a short time. She hung on the edges of this place studying those she saw, searching their eyes for the light she knew she would never find. She glimpsed a darkness that stirred something deep inside her. Frightened by what she saw, darkest vapors swirling around blood soaked armor, she quickly turned away. But she did not turn quick enough, for he saw her as well, saw what she truly was. He saw the dried blood on her back from where her wings had been ripped, saw the bruises she was covered in.
Before she knew what was happening, he was there before her on bended knee, his sword firmly planted in the ground next to him and his head bowed. Terrified and no longer in control of her mind or heart she reached out to him, lightly touched the shoulder of his armor and brought him to his feet. The breath was stolen from her chest as she looked into his haunted eyes and felt the pain that he held deep within. Tentatively and never breaking eye contact, they raised their hands and touched palms. They both felt an almost physical pain as walls they had so carefully constructed were forcibly pulled down by a simple touch. As their hands clasped, a blinding light exploded around them and his darkness engulfed them both. They became a bright beacon surrounded by constantly swirling dark clouds to those around them. Souls pulled away from them, frightened by what the two had become.
Inside the cocoon surrounding them, the dark Knight and his fallen Angel spoke lifetimes through their eyes and felt eternities with their fingertips. They quickly found that they need not speak for they knew what was meant before the words were spoken. When the final walls came down and their hearts touched, they found that the scars and holes each heart had, mirrored the others and when brought together they formed one perfect heart, a perfect love. Upon touching, their hearts were welded together, cauterized by white hot flame, no longer to continually bleed as they had for lifetimes. Their wounded souls fused to become one perfect soul and they became one.
As the beacon faded and they stood before all, still staring into each other's eyes, hands still clasped, the souls of darkness surrounding them bit and lashed out at them as envy tried to pull them apart again. Finding themselves a target of anger and envy, they rushed for a place to hide. Quiet moments stolen in caves and forest glades were all they had in the beginning. Apart they were weak to the barbs and taunts of others, only when together did the light they created shine bright and chase the demons away. The demons grew more and more insistent causing an almost constant pain forcing them apart.
The Knight had spent his life under the protection of a fierce dragon and this dragon loathed all that the Angel stood for. The dragon felt that protection equaled power and the more people she protected, the more power she had. Over the years she had become power hungry and had lost sight of her first true desire, to protect those under her care. The dragon demanded that the Knight give up his Angel, walk away from her and keep the dragon's protection. The dragon showed the Knight great wealth that he could have and reminded him of all the times her protection had been given. But the Knight refused to give up his Angel, the one with whom he was complete and finally set out to defeat the dragon that had held control over him to this point, knowing in his heart that if he could defeat this creature the two could be together. The Knight and his Angel made plans of how to defeat the dragon quietly. He would take the frontal assault himself he told her, as he had vowed his protection of her the moment they met.
Unbeknownst to the pair, the dragon had decided when to strike and as the Angel fled from her Knight one dark night, the dragon struck, forcing the Knight to choose once and for all; his Angel or the protection that the dragon had given him for years. A vicious battle ensued and when The Knight called upon his Angel to return to him, she found him bloodied and torn emotionally, the haunted look that she had seen in his eyes that first night had returned along with a new pain. She asked no questions but took him to her castle and mended his wounds as he slept next to her. He awoke refreshed and renewed but knowing in his heart that the dragon was not defeated and would continue to battle him as long as she held power over him.
When the Angel returned from her daily duties she found the Knight resting in the castle, a new light in his eyes. Gone was the haunted look. Retiring to her chambers they spoke of life, love and vowed never to let anyone tear their love asunder, he swore an oath never to forsake her, never to leave her side and to protect her with his dying breath. In return she promised to protect him from harm as she could and heal him with her love when she could not protect him. In flickering candlelight they danced and as dawn broke over a new day and morning's dew kissed the flowers outside their window, the Angel gave her Knight the keys to her kingdom and as they touched, the key to her heart.
