I combined both chapters into one

Chapter 7 Defeat, Desolation and Hope

The gray clouds prepared the world for rain. A person who had come into Utofamia that day would have never believed that the day before was a hot and sunny one, with not a cloud in the sky.

Maria had traveled all the previous day, stopping only to eat and sleep. She believed that she was around halfway to the Plains of Musglove.

"Die Knight!"

Maria turned to where the voice had come from. Standing behind her was a knight in black armor.

Michael had been traveling fast. Something told him that this was the knight who attacked Joseph. He knew easily he could have thrust his sword through this knight's back. Yet, that was the coward's way of fighting. He was no coward.

"Are you the wretched knight who attacked Joseph? If you are not, you can come back with me as prisoner. I will not harm you. However, if you are, we shall fight until one is defeated."

"I am the knight. You shall have to fight me. Even if I was not the knight, I still would have fought you. I would not be your prisoner."

"Well then, meet your unfortunate death. I am Michael the slayer of knights. I am the best!"

"Well Michael, you have not fought against me yet. I am a gift from Rem, sent to destroy people like you."

"Gift from Rem, indeed! If you succeed in defeating me, which I extremely doubt, then why don't you go and destroy Melisande?"

"That I shall."

"How shall we fight, Gift of Rem?" Michael asked with sarcasm.

"On horses."

At that, the two knights walked in opposite directions. Maria got her spear ready, while Michael got his. At one hundred meters, they turned their horses around so that they were facing each other. The two knights stared at each other before charging, aiming their spears, hoping to fell the opponent...
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"Joseph! The Red Knights have been seen coming in this direction. Ten of our knights have been slain and many more wounded. We must retreat before any more of us get killed. They will be here any minute."

"Do not be a fool, Nils. We have to protect the King's home from the enemy. Even if we do retreat, the Red Knights could track us. Do not act like the leader and tell me what must be done. We are going to prepare for the assault from the Red Knights."

A Kingsbane came limping forward. He collapsed in ftont of Joseph and Nils, with blood running out of a gash in his leg.

"Bartlette!" Nils exclaimed. "I thought you were killed."

"No. The arrow did not pierce me. I got here as fast as I could. The Red Knights are here. There are too many of them."

"Get him out of here and fix his leg up," Joseph instructed Nils. "When you are done with that, I want both of you fighting." To the other knights he shouted, "Prepare for battle, for the Red Knights are here!"

Just then the Red Knights came rushing upon them. There was a panic because the attack was sudden. The battle was essentially over in a matter of minutes.

Realizing that it was useless to fight the Red Knights and seeing how many were slain. they retreated, one by one, knowing it was foolish to fight such a large group of knight.

"Wait!" yelled Joseph, who was still fighting. "I am your leader! You must listen to me! You must not retreat! I will get you for insubordination!"

"You keep on fighting," said Nils while he helped Bartlette onto a horse and he, himself, getting on another. "You go ahead and die if you want. The knights who want to, will retreat and survive, while the others will fight and die."

At this Nils and Bartlette rode off on their horses. .

Joseph returned to the fighting, yelling out commands. Unfortunately, with too many Red Knights, many of the Black Knights were slain. Finding that he had too many knights against him, Joseph knew that it was too late to retreat and regretted not having done so before. He felt an intensive pain in his chest. A long lack spear was thrust through his chest, covered with his own blood. Giving a cry of dismay, Joseph fell from his horse, the last thing he seeing was King Christoph's castle in flames.
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Maria and Michael, after crashing against each other, had almost fallen from their horses.

"You are pretty good with that spear, but not good enough to defeat me," Michale said after receiving a shocking blow from Maria's spear.

"Do not speak until you have won the battle, for you may lose."

The two knights separated again and walked their horses in opposite directions. Again they turned their horses and charged at each other.

Again they crashed into each other, this time each dislodging the other from their horses.

Maria, not used to such falls, had the wind knocked out of her, while Michael was unaffected. She slowly got to her feet.

"You must be a new knight," Michael said. "We must fight of foot now. The horses have run off. Get your sword."

Maria got her sword. She was slowly recovering from the fall, but her head was spinning.

She faced Michael. With her vision blurring, she did not catch Michael's sword as he swung. She barely blocked it. She struck back, but there was no strength in the blow.

"Ha, you think you can defeat me now? You need more training. Alas, you are in your last battle."

Michael swung his sword again. Maria backed away, trying to reserve her strength. Unfortunately, Maria stumbled on an unseen stone and lost her balance. Even though this stumble was slight, her sword was not on target. As a result, Michael managed to thrust his spear into Maria's armor, piercing her left side. The force of the blow sent her falling to the ground.

Maria got back on her feet quickly. Blood was running from her wound. She got her sword and rushed at Michael. The two knights swung more blows at each other.

Maria fell to the ground, exhausted, her wound having become worse. Michael looked at the knight as she tried to get on to her feet.

"Alas," said Maria. "You have defeated me. Now I must die. I have failed in my mission."

"Mission?"

"I wanted to help Utofamia. I fear it is too late now."

"Were you serious about killing Melisande?"

"It can be done. I failed, but maybe you can help. You have to get your knights to join King Alexander's. You have to fight against the Red Knights. They are the true enemy," Maria finished weakly. Because of the loss of blood, Maria passed out.

"I should kill this knight. However, something tells me I would regret it if I did. I feel like I would be killing a friend. Well, I will see what this fool knight looks like." Michael waited a moment before pulling the helmet off.

However, instead of seeing a man, he saw that the knight was a young girl. Tears filled Michael's eyes, for he was a person who would never think of doing a damsel any harm.

"I have killed a young girl," thought Michael sadly. "I shall never forgive myself for what I have done."

It started to rain. Michael heard something that sounded like thunder. However, he realized that this sound had not died away and, to his terror, recognized the sound of horses hooves beating on the ground. Quickly he pulled Maria away from the forest road into high grass. It was not a moment too soon, for just then knights clad in red armor galloped by.
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The desolation was great. What had once been a field with knights fighting with full fury, had no life within a couple of miles from where the battle had taken place, save for one lone Black Knight. He was weeping for the death of his comrades.

"Dead! They are all dead! What am I to do? I will not be able to survive alone."

The knight shook his fist towards the part of the forest where the retreating Black Knights had gone.

"Those damn traitors! They left us to die! Damn Jim! Damn Nils! Damn all of those traitors! Because of those cowards, all the brave noble knights are dead; all that is except for me.

"I shall have to be cautious with every step I take. One wrong move and I will find myself at the mercy of the Red Knights. Lo to the cowardly Black Knights. They will be at my mercy."

The knight quickly looked around him to see if anyone was watching him. Then, like a slinking fox, he slipped into the forest.
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The rain was pouring now, wetting everything in sight. Michael led his horse, with Maria across its back. He walked until he found what he was looking for, a place to keep both him and the young knight warm. It was a small cave in the side of a hill. He went in it and saw that his horse could easily follow along. He gently removed Maria from the horse's back and laid her down.

A whinny of a horse was heard. Michael looked and saw the girl's horse, searching for her. Michael went to get the horse into the cave. Chilowna, seeing Michael, started rearing, wanting to strike him with his hooves..

"No, do not go, horse. I did not mean to harm your master. If I had known your master was a girl, I would not have fought her. She is in the cave, alive but not conscious. She will be fine. Come into the cave, so you can dry off a bit." As if understanding Michael, Chilowna calmed down and followed him into the cave.

On entering the cave, Michael saw that Maria was beginning to regain consciousness. He quickly put his wet cloak around her head and waited with hope to see what would happen.
***************
The knights ran through the forest. They were being followed by the Red Knights. Luckily, the Knights of King Christoph knew the forest much better than the Red Knights. The enemy, after losing sign of them, rode back to finish the battle.

When they knew that the chase was over for the time being, the remaining Black Knights gathered in a small group.

One knight said with a sneer, "Some ruler Joseph turned out to be. If he was a good leader, he would have called a retreat long before the Red Knights showed up. Michael had said that Joseph 'will help win many battles.' That is the biggest bull story that I have ever heard. If Joseph was here right now, I would kill him."

"It is too late to kill him, Paul."

"What do you mean Jim."

"Joseph was killed in the battle. I was one of the last ones to leave. I saw him fall."

"Deserves him right. I wish Michael was here. He left to find that White Knights. He had no idea the Red Knights were back. If he met an unfortunate end, who will be our leader?"

Another knight spoke up, "Nils is good enough to be our leader. He cares a great deal for our well-being."

"That is true, Sam. However, I have no idea of where he is at. As far as I know, he could be one of those unfortunate ones killed in the battle."

"No Paul. Nils did escape. He was helping the wounded Kingsbane, Bartlette."

"Did he make it?"

"I do not know."

"What do we do now? Many of the Black Knights have been slain."

"There is no way we can defeat the Red Knights by ourselves. We need the help of the Knights of King Alexander. Word is if there is ever a need for both our knights to combine forces, we must meet at a neutral place. This place is the Plains of Musglove. We must ride there.
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Maria opened her eyes, sat up and looked around. She was wondering where she was, last remembering the fight with the Black Knight. She seemed to be in some sort of a cave. A handsome man was sitting not too far from her. Was this the knight she had fought?" Maria tried to stand up, but failed at the attempt.

Michael rushed over to her.

"Do not tire yourself. You have lost a lot of blood. Is there a lot of pain?"

"Yes. However, I think I will be fine.

"Soon your pain will be gone. I have a herb that will heal you. It is called Conchiva. It is a rare plant in the world. It can easily be identified by it orange color and spicy aroma. If the sap is rubbed on a wound or if someone eats the plant, the wound shall be healed. The Conchiva takes a while before it is effective, depending on the size of the wound. Eat some of this herb and rest. Then you can tell me why you are a knight."

Maria took the Conchiva and chewed it, finding that the herb had a pleasant taste to it. Almost immediately, she felt a tingling sensation down her spine. Soon the feeling was gone, but so was the pain.

"How do you feel now?" Michael asked, looking at her with concern.

"The pain has gone. I do believe that the Conchiva has worked."

"That is good to hear. At first I thought I had killed you. If I did, I never would have forgiven myself. Why, may I ask, are you a knight? It is a very dangerous business for a girl like you."

"Why is it such a shock to see a female warrior?"

"I sometimes forgot that King Alexander allows females to join the groups of Knights and Kingsbane. When I became the overall leader of my knights, I forbade females to be in the fighting army. The next leader may or may not do the same thing, but my law is followed for now."

"Why do you forbid them to fight?"

"I am not saying that females are weaker fighters than males; in fact they are faster and more clever. I use them in my army to act as spies, gather information and to get food and supplies. They reasons why I will not allow them to fight are personal."

"I understand."

For the next hour Maia told her story. She told everything that had happened to her, except for being from a different world. she told him about the fight with Joseph.

"Joseph," stated Michael, "is such a damn fool. I was only told part of the story-that Joseph was attacked for no reason. However, I believe you. I am surprised though that a small damsel, so fragile, could defeat a knight like him. He is one of the best knights I have. I believe that if you had a bit more experience, you may have defeated me as well." He was silent for a second, his eyes starting to tear up. "Thankfully, I did not hurt you more than I did. I honestly do not think I could have lived with myself."

Maria reached out and held his hand. "If I had defeated you, I would have regretted it. I never would have been given the chance to know how nice and caring a person you are. I think this mishap may have made us become friends." She smiled at him.

He smiled and wiped his eyes. "It is too bad that we belong to two groups of knights that are sworn enemies to each other."

"I believe with the Red Knights back in Utofamia, the White and Black Knights should be reunited once again. The Red Knights are very dangerous. The Knights of King Alexander are meeting at the Plains of Musglove. We are gathering there to prepare for a battle if there is an attack. We need as many men as possible. Will you join us?"

"Yes. I will go with you. We need not travel by the road. I know the forest well and will be able to cut the distance in half."

"Do you want to leave now?"

"No. Let's wait the storm out." Michael pointer to Maria's book. "I see you are interested in Utofamia's History."

"Yes I am. I like reading about what this world was like them."

"I like hearing the stories. Would you mind reading one?"

No, not at all," Maria said opening the book. "Here is one. It is a short story-only a few pages long." Maria started to laugh.

"What is so funny."

"Would you believe that this is about the discovery of Conchiva."

"This is a coincidence," Michael agreed laughing. "Please read it."

Maria began:

"Chapter 4

"Of the Discovery of Conchiva

"It came to pass shortly after he was made King, Valerius was riding his horse through the forest. He was still a young lad and did not realize how foolish he was by riding alone. He had no idea that his enemies were watching him day be day.

"King Valerius came to a field and saw some peasants in the distance. He rode towards them to see how they were doing and to wish them a good day. Little did he know that they were the Knights of King LeRoy in disguise. These knights had been watching the new king since the death of his father. King LeRoy told these knights that they would be highly rewarded if they could dispose of Valerius. However, if they were unsuccessful the penalty would be death. King LeRoy felt that if Valerius was dead, there would be no one to rule his knights since he had no children yet.

"King Valerius approached these "peasants. When he was close enough, they turned on him and threw poisoned darts. The foolish king was not wearing any armor, so his skin was pierced. He fell from his horse. He lay still on the ground and barely breathed. The "peasants" left, satisfied that the mission was accomplished.

"King Valerius was close to death. Through his half-closed eyes he saw a shadow of some creature.

"Bellerophon stood over the body of the King. 'Alas, such useless killing,' he said to himself. 'Yet Valerius still breathes. Something may yet be done.'

"Bellerophon lifted his head to the sky. He said, 'May there be a herb for healing wounds.'

"A leaf fell from the sky and landed at his feet. He picked it up and looked at it. It was orange in color and had a spicy smell.

"Bellerophon bent down and removed the darts from Valerius's body. Then he rubbed the leaves over the wounds. He felt the healing power as the poison disappeared. The King went into a deep sleep.

"Bellerophon said, 'Let this herb be called Conchiva. Let it be able to heal all wounds, as long as the person still breathes.'

"Then Bellerophon waited until King Valerius was awake and on his way back to the castle. Then he went to visit King LeRoy.

"Word had been returned to King LeRoy that Valerius was alive. He summoned the three knights assigned to assassinate him. He informed them of their guilt and sentenced them to die.

"A chopping block was placed in front of the. The first knight was kneeling down waiting for the blow from King LeRoy's upraised sword. However, it never came. The knights looked up at the King. LeRoy stood frozen in place. Bellerophon appeared. 'He shall be punished for what he has done to Valerius.'

"The three knights saw him and recognized him. They lowered their heads and refused to look him in his eyes. They did not want to disrespect him.

"'Are we not to be punished also, sir?'

"'No. You are forgiven. You only did what King LeRoy told you to do out of fear. He has done enough damage; he will be taken from you.'

"'Who will be the new King?" He son is just an infant.'

"Bellerophon thought for a moment. Then he asked, 'What are your names?'

"'Mirko.'

"'Kyle.'

"'Nicolas.'

"'The three of you will accept responsibility as King until his son is old enough to rule. Appoint one knight to be in charge. If the King is absent from the castle or is killed, the other knight will assume the responsibility.'

"The knights departed.

"Bellerophon waved his arm at King LeRoy. He recovered.

"'What happened?'

"'You are to be punished for what you have done. I have healed King Valerius with a herb called Conchiva. You are to assist me in growing it.'

"'I refuse,' said King LeRoy angrily.

"'Then you shall be made into a statue for eternity. There will be no chance for you to enter my realm.'

"'Wait! Forgive me! I will do anything you wish!'

"'I told you what I want to do. When I feel you have worked hard enough, you shall be allowed in my realm. However, if at any time you refuse to obey me, you will only come into my kingdom as a decoration for my doorstep.'

"'I will obey you.'

"'The two men departed. Soon the healing plant grew.'"
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"That is a good story, Michael said. "The plant has saved many lives.'

"Why is conchiva so hard to find now?"

"Maybe Bellerophon decided King LeRoy had served his punishment. Usually, it is harder to find during times of peace. Maybe we can read another story later on. We must get going now the rain has stopped. Let's prepare the horses."
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Two knights-wet with rain, perspiration and blood-broke through the forest trees into a small meadow. The two knights were Nils and Bartlette. For the last hour they had been chased through the forest by a few Red Knights. During the chase, Bartlette's horse had been slain and Nils throw from his onto a bit of ragged surface. Bartlette had trouble running because of his leg. When he got thrown from his horse, Nils had been cut on the face by a piece of sharp rock. He did not have long to think about the pain throbbing in his right cheek, a large gash with blood running out-just shy of his eye-for the Red Knights were after him again. However, Nils and Bartlette had managed to esccape. Right now there were no signs of the Red Knights, fortunately for them, for they were so exhausted that they were ready to drop.

"Nils!" Bartlette gasped. "Go on without me. I am only hindering you. I will hold back the Red Knights if they should come by us."

"No! I will not desert you!" Rest a bit. Then we will move on."

An hour later, the two warriors were moving again. This time they moved at a relaxed pace. The Red Knights must have given up the chase. Soon the two knights came across a forest road. Nils held up his hand.

"Careful now. Someone rides down the road."

They remained hidden within the trees and watched.

"Several of King Alexander's Knights," Bartlette said. "Shall I kill them?"

"No! We must warn them about the Red Knights." Nils jumped into the road. The knights saw him and drew their swords.

"Do not kill me. We are warning you about the Red Knights."

"They have been around here?"

"Yes. Many of our men have been killed." Nils quickly told the White Knights what had happened.

The knight turned to the Kingsbane. "Geoffrey, take these two to the Plains of Musglove. We will search for any remaining knights."

"Yes, Sir Peter."

Sir Peter turned to Nils and Bartlette. "You will be taken to safety and get treated for you injuries. We need to be well prepared for battle if we are attacked by the Red Knights. We will need all the knights we can get. The White and Black Knights are allies now. We will ensure your safety."

With luck, two riderless horses were quickly found. With a little trouble, Bartlette mounted onto one. Then they along with Geoffrey began riding towards the Plains of Musglove.

As they were riding, no one noticed a far-off look in Geoffrey's eyes. He kept thinking to himself over and over again: "I hope she is all right. Of course she is. Shariene told me. Well, I just wish I knew how close she is to the Plains of Musglove."

 

Chapters 7 and 8 were a little difficult to write because both events happened at the same time. I might combine both chapters into one and flip back and forth between Michael and Maria and The Black Knights. In the orginal I had Michael searching for Maria with his knowledge of the Red Knights in Utofamia. Then I got to thinking "What type of Leader would do that?" No good leader would even think about doing that, Michael is a good leader. So I changed the story where he had no knowledge of the invasion.

Hey! I am close to half way done! I am working on Chapter 10 which is the first battle. Once I am done with that then the remaining missing pages are about 30 at the end. However, the ending is totally different and this may be actually 20-30 pages longer than the original.

Enough of my bantering.
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"Nils!" Bartlette gasped. "Go on without me. I am only hindering you. I will hold back the Red Knights if they should come by us."

"No! I will not desert you!" Rest a bit. Then we will move on."

An hour later, the two warriors were moving again. This time they moved at a relaxed pace. The Red Knights must have given up the chase. Soon the two knights came across a forest road. Nils held up his hand.

"Careful now. Someone rides down the road."

They remained hidden within the trees and watched.

"Several od King Alexander's Knights," Bartlette said. "Shall I kill them?"

"No! We must warn them about the Red Knights." Nils jumped into the road. The knights saw him and drew their swords.

"Do not kill me. We are warning you about the Red Knights."

"They have been around here?"

"Yes. Many of our men have been killed." Nils quickly told the White Knights what had happened.

The knight turned to the Kingsbane. "Geoffrey, take these two to the Plains of Musglove. We will search for any remaining knights."

"Yes, Sir Peter."

Sir Peter turned to Nils and Bartlette. "You will be taken to safety and get treated for you injuries. We need to be well prepared for battle if we are attacked by the Red Knights. We will need all the knights we can get. The White and Black Knights are allies now. We will ensure your safety."

With luck, two riderless horses were quickly found. With a little trouble, Bartlette mounted onto one. Then they along with Geoffrey began riding towards the Plains of Musglove.

As they were riding, no one noticed a far-off look in Geoffrey's eyes. He kept thinking to himself over and over again: "I hope she is all right. Of course she is. Shariene told me. Well, I just wish I knew how close she is to the Plains of Musglove.

 

I posted this yesterday but it didn't post. Must be I hit the wrong button.

The knights ran through the forest. They were being followed by the Red Knights. Luckily, the Knights of King Christoph knew the forest much better than the Red Knights. The enemy, after losing sign of them, rode back to finish the battle.

When they knew that the chase was over for the time being, the remaining Black Knights gathered in a small group.

One knight said with a sneer, "Some ruler Joseph turned out to be. If he was a good leader, he would have called a retreat long before the Red Knigths showed up. Michael had said that Joseph 'will help win many battles.' That is the biggest bulshit story that I have ever heard. If Joseph was here right now, I would kill him."

"It is too late to kill him, Paul."

"What do you mean Jim."

"Joseph was killed in the battle. I was one of the last ones to leave. I saw him fall."

"Deserves him right. I wish Michael was here. He left to find that White Knights. He had no idea the Red Knights were back. If he met an unfortunate end, who will be our leader?"

Another knight spoke up, "Nils is good enough to be our leader. He cares a great deal for our well-being."

"That is true, Sam. However, I have no idea of where he is at. As far as I know, he could be one of those unfortunate ones killed in the battle."

"No Paul. Nils did escape. He was helping the wounded Kingsbane, Bartlette."

"Did he make it?"

"I do not know."

"What do we do now? Many of the Black Knights have been slain."

"There is no way we can defeat the Red Knights by ourselves. We need the help of the Knights of King Alexander. Word is if there is ever a need for both our knights to combine forces, we must meet at a neutral place. This place is the Plains of Musglove. We must ride there.
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Two knights-wet with rain, perspiration and blood-broke through the forest trees into a small meadow. The two knights were Nils and Bartlette. For the last hour they had been chased through the forest by a few Red Knights. During the chase, Bartlette's horse had been slain and Nils throw from his onto a bit of ragged surface. Bartlette had trouble running because of his leg. When he got thrown from his horse, Nils had been cut on the face by a piece of sharp rock. He did not have long to think about the pain throbbing in his right cheek, a large gash with blood running out-just shy of his eye-for the Red Knights were after him again. However, Nils and Bartlette had managed to esccape. Right now there were no signs of the Red Knights, fortunately for them, for they were so exhausted that they were ready to drop.
 

"Joseph! THe Red Knights have been seen coming in this direction. Ten of our knights have been slain and many more wounded. We must retreat before any more of us get killed. They will be here any minute."

"Do not be a fool, Nils. We have to protect the King's home from the enemy. Even if we do retreat, the Red Knights could track us. Do not act like the leader and tell me what must be done. We are going to prepare for the assault from the Red Knights."

A Kingsbane came limping forward. He collapsed in ftont of Joseph and Nils, with blood running out of a gash in his leg.

"Bartlette!" Nils exclaimed. "I thought you were killed."

"No. The arrow did not pierce me. I got here as fast as I could. The Red Knights are here. There are too many of them."

"Get him out of here and fix his leg up," Joseph instructed Nils. "When you are done with that, I want both of you fighting." To the other knights he shouted, "Prepare for battle, for the Red Knights are here!"

Just then the Red Knights came rushing upon them. There was a panic because the attack was sudden. The battle ws essentially over in a manner of minutes.

Realizing that it was useless to fight the Red Knights and seeing how many were slain. they retreated, one by one, knowing it was foolish to fight such a large group of knight.

"Wait!" yelled Joseph, who was still fighting. "I am your leader! You must listen to me! You must not retreat! I will get you for insubordinatin!"

"You keep on fighting," said Nils while he helped Bartlette onto a horse and he, himself, getting on another. "You go ahead and die if you want. The knights who want to, will retreat and survive, while the others will fight and die."

At this Nils and Bartlette rode off on their horses. .

Joseph returned to the fighting, yelling out commands. Unfortunately, with too many Red Knights, many of the Black Knights were slain. Finding that her had too amny knights against him, Joseph knew that it was too late to retreat and regretted not having done so before. He felt an intensive pain in his chest. A long lack spear was thrust through his chest, covered with his own blood. Giving a cry of dismay, Joseph fell from his horse, the last thing he seeing was King Christoph's castle in flames.
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The desolation was great. What had once been a field with knights fighting with full fury, had no life within a couple of miles from where the battle had taken place, sve for one lone Black Knight. He was weeping for the death of his comrades.

"Dead! They are all dead! What am I to do? I will not be able to survive alone."

The knight shook his fist towards the part of the forest where the retreating Black Knights had gone.

"Those damn traitors! They left us to die! Damn Jim! Damn Nils! Damn all of those traitors! Because of those cowards, all the brave noble knights are dead; all that is except for me.

"I shall have to be cautious with every step I take. One wrong move and I will find myself at the mercy of the Red Knights. Lo to the cowardly Black Knights. They will be at my mercy."

The knight quickly looked around him to see if anyone was watching him. Then, like a slinking fox, he slipped into the forest.
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The gray clouds prepared the world for rain. A person who had come into Utofamia that day would have never believed that the day before was a hot and sunny one, with not a cloud in the sky.

Maria had traveled all the previous day, stopping only to eat and sleep. She believed that she was around halfway to the Plains of Musglove.

"Die Knight!"

Maria turned to where the voice had come from. Standing behind her was a knight in black armor.

Michael had been traveling fast. Something told him that this was the knight who attacked Joseph. He knew easily he could have thrust his sword through this knight's back. Yet, that was the coward's way of fighting. He was no coward.

"Are you the wretched knight who attacked Joseph? If you are not, you can come back with me as prisoner. I will not harm you. However, if you are, we shall fight until one is defeated."

"I am the knight. You shall have to fight me. Even if I was not the knight, I still would have fought you. I would not be your prisoner."

"Well then, meet your unfortunate death. I am Michael the slayer of knights. I am the best!"

"Well Michael, you have not fought against me yet. I am a gift from Rem, sent to destroy people like you."

"Gift from Rem, indeed! If you succeed in defeating me, which I extremely doubt, then why don't you go and destroy Melisande?"

"That I shall."

"How shall we fight, Gift of Rem?" Michael asked with sarcasm.

"On horses."

At that, the two knights walked in opposite directions. Maria got her spear ready, while Michael got his. At one hundred meters, they turned their horses around so that they were facing each other. The two knights stared at each other before charging, aiming their spears, hoping to fell the opponent.

Maria and Michael, after crashing against each other, had almost fallen from their horses.

"You are pretty good with that spear, but not good enough to defeat me," Michale said after receiving a shocking blow from Maria's spear.

"Do not speak until you have won the battle, for you may lose."

The two knights separated again and walked their horses in opposite directions. Again they turned their horses and charged at each other.

Again they crashed into each other, this time each dislodging the other from their horses.

Maria, not used to such falls, had the wind knocked out of her, while Michael was unaffected. She slowly got to her feet.

"You must be a new knight," Michael said. "We must fight of foot now. The horses have run off. Get your sword."

Maria got her sword. She was slowly recovering from the fall, but her head was spinning.

She faced Michael. With her vision blurring, she did not catch Michael's sword as he swung. She barely blocked it. She struck back, but there was no strength in the blow.

"Ha, you think you can defeat me now? You need more training. Alas, you are in your last battle."

Michael swung his sword again. Maria backed away, trying to reserve her strength. Unfortunately, Maria stumbled on an unseen stone and lost her balance. Even though this stumble was slight, her sword was not on target. As a result, Michael managed to thrust his spear into Maria's armor, piercing her left side. The force of the blow sent her falling to the ground.

Maria got back on her feet quickly. Blood was running from her wound. She got her sword and rushed at Michael. The two knights swung more blows at each other.

Maria fell to the ground, exhausted, her wound having become worse. Michael looked at the knight as she tried to get on to her feet.

"Alas," said Maria. "You have defeated me. Now I must die. I have failed in my mission."

"Mission?"

"I wanted to help Utofamia. I fear it is too late now."

"Were you serious about killing Melisande?"

"It can be done. I failed, but maybe you can help. You have to get your knights to join King Alexander's. You have to fight against the Red Knights. They are the true enemy," Maria finished weakly. Because of the loss of blood, Maria passed out.

"I should kill this knight. However, something tells me I would regret it if I did. I feel like I would be killing a friend. Well, I will see what this fool knight looks like." Michael waited a moment before pulling the helmet off.

However, instead of seeing a man, he saw that the knight was a young girl. Tears filled Michael's eyes, for he was a person who would never think of doing a damsel any harm.

"I have killed a young girl," thought Michael sadly. "I shall never forgive myself for what I have done."

It started to rain. Michael heard something that sounded like thunder. However, he realized that this sound had not died away and, to his terror, recognized the sound of horses hooves beating on the ground. Quickly he pulled Maria away from the forest road into high grass. It was not a moment too soon, for just then knights clad in red armor galloped by.
**********************
The rain was pouring now, wetting everything in sight. Michael led his horse, with Maria across its back. He walked until he found what he was looking for, a place to keep both him and the young knight warm. It was a small cave in the side of a hill. He went in it and saw that his horse could easily follow along. He gently removed Maria from the horse's back and laid her down.

A whinny of a horse was heard. Michael looked and saw the girl's horse, searching for her. Michael went to get the horse into the cave. Chilowna, seeing Michael, started rearing, wanting to strike him with his hooves..

"No, do not go, horse. I did not mean to harm your master. If I had known your master was a girl, I would not have fought her. She is in the cave, alive but not conscious. She will be fine. Come into the cave, so you can dry off a bit." As if understanding Michael, Chilowna calmed down and followed him into the cave.

On entering the cave, Michael saw that Maria was beginning to regain consciousness. He quickly put his wet cloak around her head and waited with hope to see what would happen.
***************
Maria opened her eyes, sat up and looked around. She was wondering where she was, last remembering the fight with the Black Knight. She seemed to be in some sort of a cave. A handsome man was sitting not too far from her. Was this the knight she had fought?" Maria tried to stand up, but failed at the attempt.

Michael rushed over to her.

"Do not tire yourself. You have lost a lot of blood. Is there a lot of pain?"

"Yes. However, I think I will be fine.

"Soon your pain will be gone. I have a herb that will heal you. It is called Conchiva. It is a rare plant in the world. It can easily be identified by it orange color and spicy aroma. If the sap is rubbed on a wound or if someone eats the plant, the wound shall be healed. The Conchiva takes a while before it is effective, depending on the size of the wound. Eat some of this herb and rest. Then you can tell me why you are a knight."

Maria took the Conchiva and chewed it, finding that the herb had a pleasant taste to it. Almost immediately, she felt a tingling sensation down her spine. Soon the feeling was gone, but so was the pain.

"How do you feel now?" Michael asked, looking at her with concern.

"The pain has gone. I do believe that the Conchiva has worked."

"That is good to hear. At first I thought I had killed you. If I did, I never would have forgiven myself. Why, may I ask, are you a knight? It is a very dangerous business for a girl like you."

"Why is it such a shock to see a female warrior?"

"I sometimes forgot that King Alexander allows females to join the groups of Knights and Kingsbane. When I became the overall leader of my knights, I forbade females to be in the fighting army. The next leader may or may not do the same thing, but my law is followed for now."

"Why do you forbid them to fight?"

"I am not saying that females are weaker fighters than males; in fact they are faster and more clever. I use them in my army to act as spies, gather information and to get food and supplies. They reasons why I will not allow them to fight are personal."

"I understand."

For the next hour Maia told her story. She told everything that had happened to her, except for being from a different world. she told him about the fight with Joseph.

"Joseph," stated Michael, "is such a damn fool. I was only told part of the story-that Joseph was attacked for no reason. However, I believe you. I am surprised though that a small damsel, so fragile, could defeat a knight like him. He is one of the best knights I have. I believe that if you had a bit more experience, you may have defeated me as well." He was silent for a second, his eyes starting to tear up. "Thankfully, I did not hurt you more than I did. I honestly do not think I could have lived with myself."

Maria reached out and held his hand. "If I had defeated you, I would have regretted it. I never would have been given the chance to know how nice and caring a person you are. I think this mishap may have made us become friends." She smiled at him.

He smiled and wiped his eyes. "It is too bad that we belong to two groups of knights that are sworn enemies to each other."

"I believe with the Red Knights back in Utofamia, the White and Black Knights should be reunited once again. The Red Knights are very dangerous. The Knights of King Alexander are meeting at the Plains of Musglove. We are gathering there to prepare for a battle if there is an attack. We need as many men as possible. Will you join us?"

"Yes. I will go with you. We need not travel by the road. I know the forest well and will be able to cut the distance in half."

"Do you want to leave now?"

"No. Let's wait the storm out." Michael pointer to Maria's book. "I see you are interested in Utofamia's History."

"Yes I am. I like reading about what this world was like them."

"I like hearing the stories. Would you mind reading one?"

No, not at all," Maria said opening the book. "Here is one. It is a short story-only a few pages long." Maria started to laugh.

"What is so funny."

"Would you believe that this is about the discovery of Conchiva."

"This is a coincidence," Michael agreed laughing. "Please read it."

Maria began:

"Chapter 4

"Of the Discovery of Conchiva

"It came to pass shortly after he was made King, Valerius was riding his horse through the forest. He was still a young lad and did not realize how foolish he was by riding alone. He had no idea that his enemies were watching him day be day.

"King Valerius came to a field and saw some peasants in the distance. He rode towards them to see how they were doing and to wish them a good day. Little did he know that they were the Knights of King LeRoy in disguise. These knights had been watching the new king since the death of his father. King LeRoy told these knights that they would be highly rewarded if they could dispose of Valerius. However, if they were unsuccessful the penalty would be death. King LeRoy felt that if Valerius was dead, there would be no one to rule his knights since he had no children yet.

"King Valerius approached these "peasants. When he was close enough, they turned on him and threw poisoned darts. The foolish king was not wearing any armor, so his skin was pierced. He fell from his horse. He lay still on the ground and barely breathed. The "peasants" left, satisfied that the mission was accomplished.

"King Valerius was close to death. Through his half-closed eyes he saw a shadow of some creature.

"Bellerophon stood over the body of the King. 'Alas, such useless killing,' he said to himself. 'Yet Valerius still breathes. Something may yet be done.'

"Bellerophon lifted his head to the sky. He said, 'May there be a herb for healing wounds.'

"A leaf fell from the sky and landed at his feet. He picked it up and looked at it. It was orange in color and had a spicy smell.

"Bellerophon bent down and removed the darts from Valerius's body. Then he rubbed the leaves over the wounds. He felt the healing power as the poison disappeared. The King went into a deep sleep.

"Bellerophon said, 'Let this herb be called Conchiva. Let it be able to heal all wounds, as long as the person still breathes.'

"Then Bellerophon waited until King Valerius was awake and on his way back to the castle. Then he went to visit King LeRoy.

"Word had been returned to King LeRoy that Valerius was alive. He summoned the three knights assigned to assassinate him. He informed them of their guilt and sentenced them to die.

"A chopping block was placed in front of the. The first knight was kneeling down waiting for the blow from King LeRoy's upraised sword. However, it never came. The knights looked up at the King. LeRoy stood frozen in place. Bellerophon appeared. 'He shall be punished for what he has done to Valerius.'

"The three knights saw him and recognized him. They lowered their heads and refused to look him in his eyes. They did not want to disrespect him.

"'Are we not to be punished also, sir?'

"'No. You are forgiven. You only did what King LeRoy told you to do out of fear. He has done enough damage; he will be taken from you.'

"'Who will be the new King?" He son is just an infant.'

"Bellerophon thought for a moment. Then he asked, 'What are your names?'

"'Mirko.'

"'Kyle.'

"'Nicolas.'

"'The three of you will accept responsibility as King until his son is old enough to rule. Appoint one knight to be in charge. If the King is absent from the castle or is killed, the other knight will assume the responsibility.'

"The knights departed.

"Bellerophon waved his arm at King LeRoy. He recovered.

"'What happened?'

"'You are to be punished for what you have done. I have healed King Valerius with a herb called Conchiva. You are to assist me in growing it.'

"'I refuse,' said King LeRoy angrily.

"'Then you shall be made into a statue for eternity. There will be no chance for you to enter my realm.'

"'Wait! Forgive me! I will do anything you wish!'

"'I told you what I want to do. When I feel you have worked hard enough, you shall be allowed in my realm. However, if at any time you refuse to obey me, you will only come into my kingdom as a decoration for my doorstep.'

"'I will obey you.'

"'The two men departed. Soon the healing plant grew.'"
*****************************

"That is a good story, Michael said. "The plant has saved many lives.'

"Why is conchiva so hard to find now?"

"Maybe Bellerophon decided King LeRoy had served his punishment. Usually, it is harder to find during times of peace. Maybe we can read another story later on. We must get going now the rain has stopped. Let's prepare the horses."

 

"King Valerius was close to death. Through his half-closed eyes he saw a shadow of some creature.

"Bellerophon stood over the body of the King. 'Alas, such useless killing,' he said to himself. 'Yet Valerius still breathes. Something may yet be done.'

"Bellerophon lifted his head to the sky. He said, 'May there be a herb for healing wounds.'

"A leaf fell from the sky and landed at his feet. He picked it up and looked at it. It was orange in colour and had a spicy smell.

"Bellerophon bent down and removed the darts from Valerius's body. Then he rubbed the leaves over the wounds. He felt the healing power as the poison disappeared. The King went into a deep sleep.

"Bellerophon said, 'Let this herb be called Conchiva. Let it be able to heal all wounds, as long as the person still breathes.'

"Then Bellerophon waited until King Valerius was awake and on his way back to the castle. Then he went to visit King LeRoy.

"Word had been returned to King LeRoy that Valerius was alive. He summoned the three knights assigned to assassinate him. He informed them of their guilt and sentenced them to die.

"A chopping block was placed in front of the. The first knight was kneeling down waiting for the blow from King LeRoy's upraised sword. However, it never came. The knights looked up at the King. LeRoy stood frozen in place. Bellerophon appeared. 'He shall be punished for what he has done to Valerius.'

"The three knights saw him and recognized him. They lowered their heads and refused to look him in his eyes. They did not want to disrespect him.

"'Are we not to be punished also, sir?'

"'No. You are forgiven. You only did what King LeRoy told you to do out of fear. He has done enough damage; he will be taken from you.'

"'Who will be the new King?" He son is just an infant.'

"Bellerophon thought for a moment. Then he asked, 'What are your names?'

"'Mirko.'

"'Kyle.'

"'Nicolas.'

"'The three of you will accept responsibility as King until his son is old enough to rule. Appoint one knight to be in charge. If the King is absent from the castle or is killed, the other knight will assume the responsibility.'

"The knights departed.

"Bellerophon waved his arm at King LeRoy. He recovered.

"'What happened?'

"'You are to be punished for what you have done. I have healed King Valerius with a herb called Conchiva. You are to assist me in growing it.'

"'I refuse,' said King LeRoy angrily.

"'Then you shall be made into a statue for eternity. There will be no chance for you to enter my realm.'

"'Wait! Forgive me! I will do anything you wish!'

"'I told you what I want to do. When I feel you have worked hard enough, you shall be allowed in my realm. However, if at any time you refuse to obey me, you will only come into my kingdom as a decoration for my doorstep.'

"'I will obey you.'

"'The two men departed. Soon afterwards the healing plant grew.'"
*****************************

"That is a good story, Michael said. "The plant has saved many lives.'

"Why is conchiva so hard to find now?"

"Maybe Bellerophon decided King LeRoy had served his punishment. Usually, it is harder to find during times of peace. Maybe we can read another story later on. We must get going now the rain has stopped. Let's prepare the horses."

 

"Joseph," stated Michael, "is such a damn fool. I was only told part of the story-that Joseph was attacked for no reason. However, I believe you. I am surprised though that a small damsel, so fragile, could defeat a knight like him. He is one of the best knights I have. I believe that if you had a bit more experience, you may have defeated me as well." He was silent for a second, his eyes starting to tear up. "Thankfully, I did not hurt you more than I did. I honestly do not think I could have lived with myself."

Maria reached out and held his hand. "If I had defeated you, I would have regretted it. I never would have been given the chance to know how nice and caring a person you are. I think this mishap may have made us become friends." She smiled at him.

He smiled and wiped his eyes. "It is too bad that we belong to two groups of knights that are sworn enemies to each other."

"I believe with the Red Knights back in Utofamia, the White and Black Knights should be reunited once again. The Red Knights are very dangerous. The Knights of King Alexander are meeting at the Plains of Musglove. We are gathering there to prepare for a battle if there is an attack. We need as many men as possible. Will you join us?"

"Yes. I will go with you. We need not travel by the road. I know the forest well and will be able to cut the distance in half."

"Do you want to leave now?"

"No. Let's wait the storm out." Michael pointer to Maria's book. "I see you are interested in Utofamia's History."

"Yes I am. I like reading about what this world was like them."

"I like hearing the stories. Would you mind reading one?"

No, not at all," Maria said opening the book. "Here is one. It is a short story-only a few pages long." Maria started to laugh.

"What is so funny."

"Would you believe that this is about the discovery of Conchiva."

"This is a coincidence," Michael agreed laughing. "Please read it."

Maria began:

"Chapter 4

"Of the Discovery of Conchiva

"It came to pass shortly after he was made King, Valerius was riding his horse through the forest. He was still a young lad and did not realize how foolish he was by riding alone. He had no idea that his enemies were watching him day be day.

"King Valerius came to a field and saw some peasants in the distance. He rode towards them to see how they were doing and to wish them a good day. Little did he know that they were the Knights of King LeRoy in disguise. These knights had been watching the new king since the death of his father. King LeRoy told these knights that they would be highly rewarded if they could dispose of Valerius. However, if they were unsuccessful the penalty would be death. King LeRoy felt that if Valerius was dead, there would be no one to rule his knights since he had no children yet.

"King Valerius approached these "peasants. When he was close enough, they turned on him and threw poisoned darts. The foolish king was not wearing any armour, so his skin was pierced. He fell from his horse. He lay still on the ground and barely breathed. The "peasants" left, satisfied that the mission was accomplished.


 

***************
Maria opened her eyes, sat up and looked around. She was wondering where she was, last remembering the fight witht he Black Knight. She seemed to be in some sort of a cave. A handsome man was sitting not too far from her. Was this the knight she had fought?" Maria tried to stand up, but failed at the attempt.

Michael rushed over to her.

"Do not tire yourself. You have lost a lot of blood. Is there a lot of pain?"

"Yes. However, I think I will be fine.

"Soon your pain will be gone. I have a herb that will heal you. It is called onchiva. It is a rare plant in the world. It can easily be identified by it orange color and spicy aroma. If the sap is rubbed on a wound or if someone eats the plant, the wound shall be healed. The Conchiva takes a while before it is effective, depending on the size of the wound. Eat some of this herb and rest. Then you can tell me why you are a knight."

Maria took the Conchiva and chewed it, finding that the herb had a pleasant taste to it. Almost immediately, she felt a tingling sensation down her spine. Soon the feeling was gone, but so was the pain.

"How do you feel now?" Michael asked, looking at her with concern.

"The pain has gone. I do believe that the Conchiva has worked."

"That is good to hear. At first I thought I had killed you. If I did, I never would have forgiven myself. Why, may I ask, are you a knight? It is a very dangerous business for a girl like you."

"Why is it such a shock to see a female warrior?"

"I sometimes forgot that King Alexander allows females to join the groups of Knights and Kingsbane. When I became the overall leader of my knights, I forbade females to be in the fighting army. The next leader may or may not do the same thing, but my law is followed for now."

"Why do you forbid them to fight?"

"I am not saying that females are weaker fighters than males; in fact they are faster and more clever. I use them in my army to act as spies, gather information and to get food and supplies. They reasons why I will not allow them to fight are personal."

"I understand."

For the next hour Maia told her story. She told everything that had happened to her, except for being from a different world. she told him about the fight with Joseph.

 

Michael swung his sword again. Maria backed away, trying to reserve her strength. Unfortunately, Maria stumbled on an unseen stone and lost her balance. Even though this stumble was slight, her sword was not on target. As a result, Michael managed to thrust his spear into's Maria's armour, piercing her left side. The force of the blow sent her falling to the ground.

Maria got back on her feet quickly. Blood was running from her wound. She got her sword and rushed at Michael. The two knights swung more blows at each other.

Maria fell to the ground, exhausted, her wound having becore worse. Michael looked at the knight as she tried to get on to her feet.

"Alas," said Maria. "You have defeated me. Now I must die. I have failed in my mission."

"Mission?"

"I wanted to help Utofamia. I fear it is too late now."

"Were you serious about killing Melisande?"

"It can be done. I failed, but maybe you can help. You have to get your knights to join King Alexander's. You have to fight against the Red Knights. They are the true enemy," Maria finished weakly. Because of the loss of blood, Maria passed out.

"I should kill this knight. However, something tells me I would regret it if I did. I feel like I would be killing a friend. Well, I will see what this fool knight looks like." Michael waited a moment before pulling the helmet off.

However, instead of seeing a man, he saw that the knight was a young girl. Tears filled Michael's eyes, for he was a person who would never think of doing a damsel any harm.

"I have killed a young girl," thought Michael sadly. "I shall never forgive myself for what I have done."

It started to rain. Michael heard something that sounded like thunder. However, he realized that this sound had not died away and, to his terrot, recognized the sound of horses' hooves beating on the ground. Quickly he pulled Maria away from the forest road into high grass. It was not a moment too soon, for just then knights clad in red armour galloped by.
**********************
The rain was pouring now, wetting everything in sight. Michael led his horse, with Maria across its back. He walked until he found what he was looking for, a place to keep both him and the young knight warm. It was a small cave in the side of a hill. He went in it and saw that his horse could easily follow along. He gently removed Maria from the horse's back and laid her down.

A whinny of a horse was heard. Michael looked and saw the girl's horse, searching for her. Michael went to get the horse into the cave. Chilowna, seeing Michael, started rearing, wanting to strike him with his hooves..

"No, do not go, horse. I did not mean to harm your master. If I had known your master was a girl, I would not have fought her. She is in the cave, alive but not conscious. She will be fine. Come into the cave, so you can dry off a bit." As if understanding Michael, Chilowna calmed down and followed him into the cave.

On entering the cave, Michael saw that Maria was beginning to regain consciousness. He quickly put his wet cloak around her head and waited with hope to see what would happen.
 

The gray clouds prepared the world for rain. A person who had come into Utofamia that day would have never believed that the day before was a hot and sunny one, with not a cloud in the sky.

Maria had traveled all the previous day, stopping only to eat and sleep. She believed that she was around halfway to the Plains of Musglove.

"Die Knight!"

Maria turned to where the voice had come from. Standing behind her was a knight in black armour.

Michael had been traveling fast. Something told him that this was the knight who attacked Joseph. He knew easily he could have thrust his sword through this knight's back. Yet, that was the coward's way of fighting. He was no coward.

"Are you the wretched knight who attacked Joseph? If you are not, you can come back with me as prisoner. I will not harm you. However, if you are, we shall fight until one is defeated."

"I am the knight. You shall have to fight me. Even if I was not the knight, I still would have fought you. I would not be your prisoner."

"Well then, meet your unfortunate death. I am Michael the slayer of knights. I am the best!"

"Well Michael, you have not fought against me yet. I am a gift from Rem, sent to destroy people like you."

"Gift from Rem, indeed! If you succeed in defeating me, which I extremely doubt, then why don't you go and destroy Melisande?"

"That I shall."

"How shall we fight, Gift of Rem?" michael asked with sarcasm.

"On horses."

At that, the two nights walked in opposite directions. Maria got her spear ready, while Michael got his. At one hundred meters, they turned their horses around so that they were facing each other. The two knights stared at each other before charging, aiming their spears, hoping to fell the opponent.

Maria and Michael, after crashing against each other, had almost fallen from their horses.

"You are pretty good with that spear, but not good enough to defeat me," Michale said after receiving a shocking blow from Maria's spear.

"Do not speak until you have won the battle, for you may lose."

The two knights separated again and walked their horses in opposite directions. Again they turned their horses and charged at each other.

Again they crashed into each other, this time each dislodging the other from their horses.

Maria, not used to such falls, had the wind knocked out of her, while Michael was unaffected. She slowly got to her feet.

"You must be a new knight," Michael said. "We must fight of foot now. The horses have run off. Get your sword."

Maria got her sword. She was slowly recovering from the fall, but her head was spinning.

She faced Michael. With her vision blurring, she did not catch Michael's sword as he swung. She barely blocked it. She struck back, but there was no strength in the blow.

"Ha, you think you can defeat me now? You need more training. Alas, you are in your last battle."
 

The sun, climbing upwards to the highest point of the sky, revealed that it was nearing noon of that eighty-five degree day, with not a cloud in the sky, those blown away shortly after dawn. Maria was riding along the trees, going presumably towards the direction of King Alexander's castle. She was trying to retrace the route she had taken while being chased. However, she kept getting more lost.

The noon sun made Maria hot. Thinking that she would only be gone for a short time when she left the castle earlier that morning, she did not bother to refill her water flasks. Knowing that she should be drinking water every ten to fifteen minutes, the standard rule of the army of knights and Kingsbane, to prevent dehydration, her water supply was quickly consumed. She found a small stream and and refilled her flasks and led Chilowna to it so he could refresh himself. She decided to rest in some shaded portion and wait for the day to get cooler before trying to find her way again. The group of trees around there would protect her from sight of any knights who might be still looking for her. Maria took off her helmet, letting her long hair waive in the breeze. Deciding to read, Maria took the book from the saddlebag and opened to the next chapter.

Chapter 3

Of King Daniel and King Leroy and Their Knights

When Rem created the worlds, he created Bellerophon to be the ruler of one. When Bellerophon created Utofamia, he created the eastern and western hemispheres. On each hemisphere, he had a king to rule over each land.

King Daniel was the ruler of the Eastern Hemisphere. Under the law of Bellerophon, his people had to train to be warriors. The King agreed to do this, because he felt it was necessary to defend oneself against invaders.

King LeRoy was the ruler of the Western Hemisphere. It was also mandatory for his people to train. He also felt that it was necessary to defend.

Bellerophon was not satisfied in the results of the training. He got the two kings together and spoke to them.

"Your training is not enough. You let your people get too old before teaching them the trade of being a warrior. You need to begin them at an earlier age. When the child reaches his eighth year, he shall begin his military training."

"That is too young!" the two kings protested.

"That is too young!" the two kings protested.

"It shall be done. I will let you decide how to train them at that age. It can be more training in speed and physical conditioning than in combat. However, if I am not pleased in what I see, you will be the first to know.

"Second thing, we do not need to have weak warriors. Of the ones who are sick, inexperienced or unskilled, you will kill off."

"No! That will not be done!"

"It will be. If you dare to defy me, it will cost you.

"The final thing I have to say is the knights will be given some protection from the sword's bite. It is a metal called armor. King Daniel of the Eastern Hemisphere, your knights will wear white armor. King LeRoy of the Western Hemisphere, your knights will wear black armor.

"Instead of having your kingdoms such a great distance from each other, you castles and homes will be twenty miles apart from each other. When you two depart and return to your kingdoms, you will forget your friendship with each other. You will become sworn enemies as will your sons and so forth. Your knights will rage wars against each other. Only the most fit shall survive. If the Red Knights do invade Utofamia, both your knights will become allies and join forces to defeat this enemy."

Bellerophon finished talking. The two kings departed. Upon reaching their kingdoms, they set out to do, against their will, what Bellerophon commanded them to do. Many people were killed. A hatred built up within the two groups of knights and violent wars were raged between them.

Some time later, Bellerophon visited King Daniel. The king noticed how sad he looked.

"I made a terrible mistake. These people do not have to be knights if they do not want to be. Many lives have been lost. From now on, the military is voluntary. No one shall be killed if they are weak or unskilled."

Then Bellerophon went and told the same to King LeRoy.

At the same time, the Red Knights invaded Utofamia. King LeRoy saw the damage that was being brought upon them by the enemy. He sent a message to King Daniel, telling him to have him and his knights meet at the Plains of Musglove. This was done and the two knights came to an agreement. They would become allies and defend themselves against this enemy.

Then a battle between these knight and the Red Knights began. It was a long and bloody war. Many lives were lost. The combined group of knights refused to give up. This was their land and they loved it. They decided to fight to the last man in defending the land.

Then the Red Knights were gone. They were nowhere to be found.

King Daniel said to King LeRoy, "The enemy has been defeated. Because of them, there has not been celebrating for a long time. Tonight there will be a celebration. Every year, at this time, this holiday will be celebrated. It will be called Victoria Day. It will tell the story of the Battle between good and evil."

This was done. People were happy once again. Different songs of the battle were orated. People ate good food and got drunk on the wine. The two knights ate and drake together and once again became friends.

For some time the two groups of knights remained allies. More people became knights to replace the ones lost in the War. The numbers were greater than before.

Then one day a drought struck the Eastern Hemisphere. Food was scarce. King Daniel went to King LeRoy for aid, but he was refused.

"What is this?" King Daniel asked. "Here I am starving and you refuse to aid my people."

"I have my people to worry about."

"You are nothing but a greedy bastard. You care about nothing except yourself."

"Are you accusing me of something?" asked King LeRoy angrily.

"Yes! You have been waiting for the opportunity to be the dominating army. This drought, which has ruined my land, has given you the chance. Enjoy the opportunity while it lasts."

King Daniel turned to leave. However, he did not get far. King Leroy drew his sword and thrust it into King Daniel's back. He died before hitting the ground.

King Daniel's servant saw what had happened. He quickly got on his horse and rode away. Upon reaching the King's knights, he told them what had happened. The two groups of knights became enemies once again. Prince Valerius became King.

Bellerophon had seen the fate of King Daniel and was saddened. He made up for the loss by ending the drought and making the land beautiful again, with abundant food.
*********************************

A sound came from behind Maria. She jumped up and was about to draw her sword, not sure what had made the noise. She was surprised at what she saw.

Standing in front of Maria was a creature that had all of the features of a lion, all except that this one was the size of a cat. The lion was ot a cub either. It was fully developed, or at least it looked it.

The miniature lion inquired, "Are you the White Knight called Maria?"

"Yes, I am. How may I ask, do you know about me? Also, you are you only the size of a cat?"

"We should then sit down, for I am afraid it shall be a long story. I am called Shariene. I belong to a group of animals calls the Taslians, which are animals that can talk. We have been in this world since the beginning. Bellerophon has given us the gift of speech. We shall keep this gift until we die, unless if the gift is taken away from us. All of the Taslians are gentle to other animals and people. some have lost their speech because they have turned to the evil side. However, not all gentle animals have been given the gift of speech.

"I had once been a normal sized lion, which you have probably seen before. There had been many lions roaming all over Utofamia a long time ago. However, they were killed off by Melisande. Now there are only a few lions living in Utofamia now.

"Years ago, I was captured by Melisande, the evil one, and was made to be a slave. For over a year she treated me with cruelty, until I escaped. While I was a slave, I watched her do evil spells to help her conquer Utofamia. A few days before I escaped, Melisande was going to cast a spell on mt to transform me into an evil lion. However, I would not be a traitor to Utofamia. I was able to escape and get far away from her. Alas, she had cast a spell on me in that my size would reduce to the size of a cat if I were to attempt to escape.

"Because of my size, I must be cautious looking out for Melisande and other dangers. I only hunted animals for food. Yet those that I hunted, now hunt me. I have been trying to find a way to break the spell, but have not been successful yet.

"Now I will tell you why I am here. Sir Peter sent me to find you. They noticed you missing from your room. They were not sure what could have happened to you.

"These days are grim. The Red Knights are in Utofamia again. Melisande may be with them. I have been sent to find you. You are not to return to the castle. You will meet the knights at the Plains of Musglove. I will show you the forest road that will lead you there."

While walking, Maria told Shariene all that had happened to her since she came into Utofamia and what had happened that day.

"You see," stated Shariene, when Maria told him about her unexpected meeting with the Red Knights. Sir Peter must know that the days ahead look bad. You must get to the Plains as quick as you can.

A few minutes later they found the forest road and Shariene instructed Maria on what to do.

"You ride in a westerly direction on this road. It will lead you out of this forest in one to two days ride. In the far distance there is another forest. The land between this forest and that is known as the Plains of Musglove.

"Be careful while you are riding there, for you might meet some Red or Black Knights."

"If I meet people on the way, I will have them pass word on to others. The Black Knights need to know. We have to become allies with each other. I think that will be the only way to defeat the Red Knights."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No. Get back to Sir Peter. Tell him what has happened to me and I will meet with him and the other knights at the plains. I do not want him to think that I became cowardly and ran off during the night."

"I will do that," Shariene said and ran off.
 

Chapter six is almost done. Wow! I am making headway on this. Each chapter is at least 8 pages long. In the original the White Knights was 99 chapters. But I think this version it will be closer to twenty-five. I personally would like to type more than 500 words a day. But I have other things I must get done, such as eating, sleeping and cleaning house. Once I finish with the White Knights, I have to figure out what next to write about.

"Because of my size, I must be cautious looking out for Melisande and other dangers. I only hunted animals for food. Yet those that I hunted, now hunt me. I have been trying to find a way to break the spell, but have not been successful yet.

"Now I will tell you why I am here. Sir Peter sent me to find you. They noticed you missing from your room. They were not sure what could have happened to you.

"These days are grim. The Red Knights are in Utofamia again. Melisande may be with them. I have been sent to find you. You are not to return to the castle. You will meet the knights at the Plains of Musglove. I will show you the forest road that will lead you there."

While walking, Maria told Shariene all that had happened to her since she came into Utofamia and what had happened that day.

"You see," stated Shariene, when Maria told him about her unexpected meeting with the Red Knights. Sir Peter must know that the days ahead look bad. You must get to the Plains as quick as you can.

A few minutes later they found the forest road and Shariene instructed Maria on what to do.

"You ride in a westerly direction on this road. It will lead you out of this forest in one to two days ride. In the far distance there is another forest. The land between this forest and that is known as the Plains of Musglove.

"Be careful while you are riding there, for you might meet some Red or Black Knights."

"If I meet people on the way, I will have them pass word on to others. The Black Knights need to know. We have to become allies with each other. I think that will be the only way to defeat the Red Knights."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No. Get back to Sir Peter. Tell him what has happened to me and I will meet with him and the other knights at the plains. I do not want him to think that I became cowardly and ran off during the night."

"I will do that," Shariene said and ran off.

 

Then one day a drought struck the Eastern Hemisphere. Food was scarce. King Daniel went to King LeRoy for aid, but he was refused.

"What is this?" King Daniel asked. "Here I am starving and you refuse to aid my people."

"I have my people to worry about."

"You are nothing but a greedy bastard. You care about nothing except yourself."

"Are you accusing me of something?" asked King LeRoy angrily.

"Yes! You have been waiting for the opportunity to be the dominating army. This drought, which has ruined my land, has given you the chance. Enjoy the opportunity while it lasts."

King Daniel turned to leave. However, he did not get far. King Leroy drew his sword and thrust it into King Daniel's back. He died before hitting the groung.

King Daniel's servant saw what had happened. He quickly got on his horse and rode away. Upon reaching the King's knights, he told them what had happened. The two groups of knights became enemies once again. Prince Valerius became King.

Bellerophon had seen the fate of King Daniel and was saddened. He made up for the loss by ending the drought and making the land beautiful again, with abundant food.
*********************************

A sound came from behind Maria. She jumped up and was about to draw her sword, not sure what had made the noise. She was surpriesed at what she saw.

Standing in front of Maria was a creature that had all of the features of a lion, all except that this one was the size of a cat. The lion was ot a cub either. It was fully developed, or at least it looked it.

The miniture lion inquired, "Are you the White Knight called Maria?"

"Yes, I am. How may I ask, do you know about me? Also, you are you only the size of a cat?"

"We should then sit down, for I am afraid it shall be a long story. I am called Shariene. I belong to a group of animals calls the taslians, which are animals that can talk. We have been in this world since the beginning. Bellerophon has given us the gift of speech. We shall keep this gift until we die, unless if the gift is taken away from us. All of the Taslians are gentle to other animals and people. some have lost their speech because they have turned to the evil side. However, not all gentle animals have been given the gift of speech.

"I had once been a normal sized lion, which you have probably seen before. There had been many lions roaming all over Utofamia a long time ago. However, they were killed off by Melisande. Now there are only a few lions living in Utofamia now.

"Years ago, I was captured by Melisande, the evil one, and was made to be a slave. For over a year she treated me with cruelty, until I escaped. While I was a slave, I watched her do evil spells to help her conquer Utofamia. A few days before I escaped, melisande was going to cast a spell on mt to transform me into an evil lion. However, I would not be a traitor to Utofamia. I was able to escape and get far away from her. Alas, she had cast a spell on me in that my size would reduce to the size of a cat if I were to attempt to escape.
 

"Instead of having your kingdoms such a great distance from each other, you castles and homes will be twenty miles apart from each other. When you two depart and return to your kingdoms, you will forget your friendship with each other. You will become sworn enemies as will your sons and so forth. Your knights will rage wars against each other. Only the most fit shall survive. If the Red Knights do invade Utofamia, both your knights will become allies and join forces to defeat this enemy."

Bellerophon finished talking. The two kings departed. Upon reaching their kingdoms, they set out to do, against their will, what Bellerophon comanded them to do. Many people were killed. A hatred built up within the two groups of knights and violent wars were raged between them.

Some time later, Bellerophon visited King Daniel. The king noticed how sad he looked.

"I made a terrible mistake. These people do not have to be knights if they do not want to be. Many lives have been lost. From now on, the military is voluntary. No one shall be killed if they are weak or unskilled."

Then Bellerophon went and told the same to King LeRoy.

At the same time, the Red Knights invaded Utofamia. King LeRoy saw the damage that was being brought upon them by the enemy. He sent a message to King daniel, telling him to have him and his knights meet at the Plains of Musglove. This was done and the two knights came to an agreement. They would become allies and defend themselves against this enemy.

Then a battle between these knight and the Red Knights began. It was a long and bloody war. Many lives were lost. The combined group of knights refused to give up. This was their land and they loved it. They decided to fight to the last man in defending the land.

Then the Red Knights were gone. They were nowhere to be found.

King Daniel said to King LeRoy, "The enemy has been defeated. Because of them, there has not been celebrating for a long time. Tonight there will be a celebration. Every year, at this time, this holiday will be celebrated. It will be called Victoria Day. It will tell the story of the Battle between good and evil."

This was done. People were happy once again. Different songs of the battle were orated. People ate good food and got drunk on the wine. The two knights ate and drake together and once again became friends.
For some time the two groups of knights remained allies. More people became knights to replace the ones lost in the War. The numbers were greater than before.

 

The sun, climbing upwards to the highest point of the sky, revealed that it was nearing noon of that eighty-five degree day, with not a cloud in the sky, those blown away shortly after dawn. Maria was riding along the trees, gpoing presumably towards the direction of King Alexander's castle. She was trying to retrace the route she had taken while being chased. However, she kept getting more lost.

The noon sun made Maria hot. She decided to rest in some shaded portion and wait for the day to get cooler before trying to find her way again. She got off Chilowna and led him towards a small stream. The group of trees around there would protect her from sight of any knights who might be still looking for her. Maria took off her helmet, letting her long hair waive in the wind. Deciding to read, Maria took the book from the saddlebad and opened to the next chapter.

Chapter 3

Of King Daniel and King Leroy and Their Knights

When Rem created the worlds, he created Bellerophon to be the ruler of one. When Bellerophon created Utofamia, he created the eastern and western hemispheres. On each hemisphere, he had a king to rule over each land.

King Daniel was the ruler of the Eastern Hemisphere. Under the law of Bellerophon, his people had to train to be warriors. The King agreed to do this, because he felt it was necessary to defend oneself against invaders.

King LeRoy was the ruler of the Western Hemisphere. It was also mandatory for his people to train. He also felt that it was necessary to defend.

Bellerophon was not satisfied in the results of the training. he got the two kings together and spoke to them.

"Your training is not enough. You let your people get too old before teaching them the trade of being a warrior. You need to begin them at an earlier age. When the child reaches his eightth year, he shall begin his military training."

"That is too young!" the two kings protested.

"That is too young!" the two kings protested.

"It shall be done. I will let you decide how to train them at that age. It can be more training in speed and physical conditioning than in combat. However, if I am not pleased in what I see, you will be the first to know.

"Second thing, we do not need to have weak warriors. Of the ones who are sick, inexperienced or unskilled, you will kill off."

"No! That will not be done!"

"It will be. If you dare to defy me, it will cost you.

"The final thing I have to say is the knights will be given some protection from the sword's bite. It is a metal called armour. King Daniel of the Eastern Hemisphere, your knights will wear white armour. King LeRoy of the Western Hemisphere, your knights will wear black armour.
 

Chapter 5-The Red Death Returns

It was not until when Maria reached the castle, when reality reached her.

"Oh my God," Maria thought to herself. "I just fought an actual knight."

"What is wrong, Maria?"

Maria jumped at the voice. She turned to the person who had spoken. It was Geoffrey.

"Geoffrey, I just had a fight with a Black Knight."

The thought of the fight, made Maria weak. Geoffrey saw her reaction and led her over to the shade of a tree and had her sit down.

He handed her a flask of ydnarb. "Drink this. It will make you feel better."

"No, I am fine. I guess this is a major adrenaline rush. Wow, my first fight. And I feel great! Well maybe a little shaken up," she added with a laugh.

"I understand how you feel. My first fight was the same. Then it gets routine. Tell me what happened."

Maria narrated the fight as she remembered it.

"I do not understand several things. First of all, that knight was near the castle. How did he get so close without being detected? Also why are the Black Knights even here?"

"It is possible if he was by himself, or with two or three other knights. Small numbers are less noticeable. They make less noise. He probably did not even know he was near King Alexander's castle. It seems he was more intent on catching the lad. Some knights are so greedy that they can not stand when a young beggar steals a little bit of money."

"Well what are we to do now? Before you said there were no threats from these Black Knights. Are we to go to war with them now?

"I am not sure yet. I am certain that he will return to the group and let the other knights know that he has been "attacked" by a White Knight. Knowing him, he will make himself look like a victim. For the next few days, stay around the castle. Do not venture far from it in case there are any more of the enemy lurking about."

"I have read that the Knights of the Eastern and Western Hemispheres combined forces when the Red Knights attacked. If this is so, why are they not comrades now?"

"These men love the land. They know it would be destroyed while the Red Knights dominate. So, they combined forces against this enemy. When the Red Knights were gone, they remained peaceful to each other for a while. However, what causes them to break up into their own kingdoms, I do not remember well. It has been a while since I read that story. I believe it had something to do with accusations or power. The story is in on of the volumes. Read it if you get a chance."

A look of horror appeared on Maria's face. However, Geoffrey did not see it. "Remember, be careful for the next few days."

He departed.

"The book!" Maria said to herself. "I left it by that brook. I do not want them to think I am irresponsible. I must go back there and get it. It is too late to do anything about it today. I will get it early tomorrow morning. I will not even be missed."
**************************************

The sun had set when the Black Knight reached the Castle of King Christoph. He, upon arriving, went to find the king. He found him talking to Sir Michael. Sir Michael was a courageous leader and an excellent fighter. He was known to be one of the greatest knights in Utofamia. On the battlefield he was known as the "Slaughterer."

When the knight approached, the two men stopped talking. The king said, "Joseph, what happened? You are hurt."

"I was just attacked by one of King Alexander's knights. Just for no reason, he jumped me and attacked me."

"When did this happen? Do you know which knight did this?"

Joseph proceeded on with the story of the battle.

"This happened about three hours ago at the edge of King Alexander's hunting grounds. I was chasing a spy and got too close to their land. I did not recognize the knight, a helmet concealed most of his face. However, he must have been an experienced fighter. He was stronger than me."

King Christoph turned to Sir Michael. "I will leave this up to you. Joseph was attacked for no cause."

The king left.

Michael turned to Joseph. "The only thing I have to say is we must find out the plans of King Alexander's knights. We must know when they will be organized in a large army and in small groups. When we know such things, we can carry out plans. We can send people to the hunting grounds and search for small groups of knights and kill them, the same way you would have been if you did not escape. We must now tell the other knights about this little hunt.

Michael picked up a hunting horn. He brought it to his mouth and blew.

When the other knights heard the horn, they knew that Sir Michael wanted to see them. It took around five minutes for the knights to gather around their leader.

When all was quiet, Michael began, "Joseph has been attacked by one of King Alexander's knights."

At this there were sounds of surprise and anger.

Michael waited patiently until all was silent again before getting Joseph to tell what had happened. The knights listened until he was done. Then Michael told their plans to seek and destroy the White Knights.

A cheer went through the group of knights, the swords being thrust in the air.

One knight shouted, "When we get through with these knights, there will be nothing left of them!"

Laughing, the knights separated, wishing they were already searching for the knights, everyone too excited to sleep...
****************************
Darkness still covered the land. The first streaks of dawn were not to be seen for at least another hour.

Sir Peter was awake despite the early time. He paced around the room. Something was amiss in the air.

A voice came shouting from the night. "Lower the drawbridge! There is need!"

Peter looked out of the window. It was Leonard, one of his Kingsbane. Standing next to him was a girl, who he thought was Maria at first. Bit, after getting a closer look, he realized that she was too tall.

The drawbridge was lowered for the two people.

Peter went to meet them.

"What goes on at this hour of day?"

The girl looked towards the Kingsbane, who urged her to speak. She looked back towards Sir Peter.

"Sir. I have been traveling for many days, with little sleep. I am afraid that the gray days have fallen back on us."

"What do you mean?"

The girl thought for a moment, exhaustion from travel was seen on her face. She continued, "Twice before the Red Knights have invaded Utofamia and brought dismay and destruction to the land. Twice before, they left. The second time the Red Knights invaded Utofamia, one hundred years ago, Melisande was not with them. We were able to evade their evil ways. Then they were gone. We thought this was the last time we had seen them. Alas, they are here again and Melisande is with them.

"I saw them with my own eyes. I saw my parents get slain without mercy. The Red Death is already beginning to harm the land for the third time. I decided to warn you of them. I had to be cautious to avoid them."

She stopped talking.

"This is very serious," Sir Peter said. "We must get the Knights and the Kingsbane together and work out a plan."

Leonard spoke, "What about the Knights of King Christoph? Shouldn't we try to get them to join us?"

"Good point. We must have a council. Wake Maria up."

A few minutes passed, then Leonard returned. "Sir! The girl is gone!"

"What?!!"

"She is not in her room. Where can she have gone?"
*********************************
The pink clouds represented the beginning of a new dawn. Maria, rode towards where she had the fight with the Black Knight. It was not too hard to get out of the castle without being seen. She had left her chain mail and weapons in Chilowna's stalls. When she was ready to leave, the drawbridge was up. However, being a good swimmer, she swam across the moat. Then quickly changing, she was riding away on Chilowna. Why she just did not admit that she left the book, she did not know. Maybe she felt that she could not be trusted. It was like that in the foster homes she lived in; she could do nothing right.

Maria had left the castle grounds just minutes before the girl delivered the message. Through experience, she knew where the Kingsbane were and was able to avoid them. After some searching, she found the book. Sighing in relief, Maria examined it. It did not appear to be damaged. She wrapped it up in her shirt and put it in the saddlebag on Chilowna's back. She was about to remount and ride back to the castle, when several figures stepped out from the trees. These people were like the Kingsbane, except they were clothed in black.

"Do not think of running. We are the Kingsbane. We..."

"I know. I know," Maria interrupted. "We never fail in shooting."

"That is correct. We belong to the knights of King Christoph. You must come with us. There is no use in resisting."

Maria knew she had no choice. "Sir Peter will know something has happened to me," Maria thought to herself as she remounted Chilowna and followed the Kingsbane.

Maria questioned the Kingsbane as they rode along. However, they remained mute to her. Finally, after several miles, she asked, "I demand to know where you are taking me?"

"You attacked Joseph. You will pay dearly, yon evil knight. We are being bought back with us and the other Black Knights will decide what punishment is fit for you."

"If you want to punish me, then do so. However, I will not be taken easily."

Maria quickly kicked Chilowna and galloped away from her captors. She put good distance between her and the enemy before they reacted. She rode into the forest and the trees; close together as they were, they gave her protection from the arrows. When the Kingsbane used up their arrows, they chased Maria throughout the forest. Maria pushed Chilowna to go faster. She began to pull away when, all of a sudden, she reached a chasm. It was too steep to get down. She faced the Kingsbane as they approached.

They got closer to them. Then a Kingsbane fell with a cry. An arrow was jutting from his chest.

"Death!" shouted a Kingsbane. "Red Death! Retrait before the Red Death gets anymore of us!" At this the Kingsbane quickly turned their horses around and rushed away in the direction that they had come from.

Maria, wondering who had shot the arrow, looked across the ravine. She noticed several knights clad in red armor galloping away. She looked over to the Kingsbane. She noticed that it was the one who had taken her weapons. Upon retrieving them, she looked at him and noticed that he was alive. She went over to him.

"How is it that you are still alive?"

"I am not pierced. The armor protected me. I was just stunned."

He sat up and Maria helped him remove the arrow.

"There is no need for us to needlessly kill each other. We need to defeat these Red Knights. We must depart quickly, since they may return. Warn your knights and I will also warn mine."

"I agree. Whenever the Red Knights invaded this world, the Black and White Knights became allies. We will deal with you later when the Red Knights are gone."

The Kingsbane got on his horse and rode off. Maria did the same.
 

Maria had left the castle grounds just minutes before the girl delivered the message. Through experience, she knew where the Kingsbane were and was able to avoid them. After some searching, she found the book. Sighing in relief, Maria examined it. It did not appear to be damaged. She wrapped it up in her shirt and put it in the saddlebag on Chilowna's back. She was about to remount and ride back to the castle, when several figures stepped out from the trees. hese people were like the Kingsbane, except they were clothed in black.

"Do not think of running. We are the Kingsbane. We..."

"I know. I know," Maria interrupted. "We never fail in shooting."

"That is correct. We belong to the knights og King Christoph. You must come with us. There is no use in resisting."
Maria knew she had no choice. "Sir Peter will know something has happened to me," Maria thought to herself as she remounted Chilowna and followed the Kingsbane.

Maria questioned the Kingsbane as they rode along. However, they remained mute to her. Finally, after several miles, she asked, "I demand to know where you are taking me?"

"You attacked Joseph. You will pay dearly, yon evil knight. We are being bought back with us and the other Black Knights will decide what punishment is fit for you."

"If you want to punish me, then do so. However, I will not be taken easily."

Maria quickly kicked Chilowna and galloped away from her captors. She put good distance between her and the enemy before they reacted. She rode into the forest and the trees; close together as they were, they gave her protection from the arrows. When the Kingsbane used up their arrows, they chased Maria throughout the forest. Maria pushed Chilowna to go faster. She began to pull away when, all of a sudden, she reached a chasm. It was too steep to get down. She faced the Kingsbane as they approached.

They got closer to them. Then a Kingsbane fell with a cry. An arrow was jutting from his chest.

"Death!" shouted a Kinsbane. "Red Death! Retrait before the Red Death gets anymore of us!" At this the Kingsbane quickly turned their horses around and rushed away in the direction that they had come from.

Maria, wondering who had shot the arrow, looked across the ravine. She noticed several knights clad in red armour galloping away. She looked over to the Kingsbane. She noticed that it was the one who had taken her weapons. Upon retrieving them, she looked at him and noticed that he was still alive. She went over to him.

"How is it that you are still alive?"

"I am not pierced. The armour protected me. I was just stunned."

He sat up and Maria helped him remove the arrow.

"There is no need for us to needlessly kill each other. We need to defeat these Red Knights. We must depart quickly, since they may return. Warn your knights and I will also warn mine."

"I agree. Whenever the Red Knights invaded this world, the Black and White Knights became allies. We will deal with you later when the Red Knights are gone."

The Kingsbane got on his horse and rode off. Maria did the same.

 

I am in the middle of chapter 5. In the original this would have been chapter 10. I had done each different instance as a chapter and some of those chapters were one to two pages. Maybe easy to read but could be annoying. As long as the chapters have a fairly good flow. Well here goes:

Darkness stil covered the land. The first streaks of dawn were not to be seen for at least another hour.

Sir Peter was awake despite the early time. He paced around the room. Something was amiss in the air.

A voice came shouting from the night. "Lower the drawbridge! There is need!"

Peter looked out of the window. It was Leonard, one of his Kingsbane. Standing next to him was a girl, who he thought was Maria at first. Bit, after getting a closer look, he realized that she was too tall.

The drawbridge was lowered for the two people.

Peter went to meet them.

"What goes on at this hour of day?"

The girl looked towards the Kingsbane, who urged her to speak. She looked back towards Sir Peter.

"Sir. I have been traveling for many days, with little sleep. I am afraid that the gray days have fallen back on us."

"What do you mean?"

The girl thought for a moment, exhaustion from travel was seen on her face. She continued, "Twice before the Red Knights have invaded Utofamia and brought dismay and destruction to the land. Twice before, they left. The second time the Red Knights invaded Utofamia, five hundred years ago, Melisande was not with them. We were able to evade their evil ways. Then they weere gone. We thought this was the last time we had seen them. Alas, they are here again and Melisande is with them.

"I saw them with my own eyes. I saw my parents get slain without mercy. The Red Death is already beginning to harm the land for the third time. I decided to warn you of them. I had to be cautious to avoid them."

She stopped talking.

"This is very serious," Sir Peter said. "We must get the Knights and the Kingsbane together and work out a plan."

Leonard spoke, "What about the Knights of King Christoph? Shouldn't we try to get them to join us?"

"Good point. We must have a council. Wake Maria up."

A few minutes passed, then Leonard returned. "Sir! The girl is gone!"

"What?!!"

"She is not in her room. Where can she have gone?"
*********************************
The pink clouds represented the beginning of a new dawn. Maria, rode towards where she had the fight with the Black Knight. It was not too hard to get out of the castle without being seen. She had left her chain mail and weapons in Chilowna's stalls. When she was ready to leave, the drawbridge was up. However, being a good swimmer, she swam across the moat. Then quickly changing, she was riding away on Chilowna. Why she just did not admit that she left the book, she did not know. Maybe she felt that she could not be trusted. It was like that in the foster homes she lived in; she could do nothing right.
 

I am only counting 400 since yesterdays entry was 600. I usually keep the entries to 500, but since I was almost done with the chapter I decided to say what the hey. Well, actually when I get done typing this paragraph my word count will be 500.

The sun had set when the Black Knight reached the Castle of King Christoph. He, upon arriving, went to find the king. He found him talking to Sir Michael. Sir Michael was a courageous leader and an excellent fighter. He was known to be one of the greatest knights in Utofamia. On the battlefield he was known as the "Slaughterer."

When the knight approached, the two men stopped talking. The king said, "Joseph, what happened? You are hurt."

"I was just attacked by one of King Alexander's knights. Just for no reason, he jumped me and attacked me."

"When did this happen? Do you know which knight did this?"

Joseph proceeded on with the story of the battle.

"This happened about three hours ago at the edge of King Alexander's hunting grounds. I was chasing a spy and got too close to their land. I did not recognize the knight, a helmet concealed most of his face. However, he must have been an experienced fighter. He was stronger than me."

King Christoph turned to Sir Michael. "I will leave this up to you. Joseph was attacked for no cause."

The king left.

Michael turned to Joseph. "The only thing I have to say is we must find out the plans of King Alexanders' knights. We must know when they will be organized in a large army and in small groups. When we know such things, we can carry out plans. We can send people to the hunting grounds and search for small groups of knights and kill them, the same way you would have been if you did not escape. We must now tell the other knights about this little hunt.

Michael picked up a hunting horn. He brought it to his mouth and blew.

When the other knights heard the horn, they knew that Sir Michael wanted to see them. It took around five minutes for the knights to gather around their leader.

When all was quiet, Michael began, "Joseph has been attacked by one of King Alexanders' knights."

At this there were sounds of surprise and anger.

Michael waited patiently until all was silent again before getting Joseph to tell what had happened. The knights listened until he was done. Then Michael told their plans to seek and destroy the White Knights.

A cheer went through the group of knights, the swords being thrust in the air.

One knight shouted, "When we get through with these knights, there will be nothing left of them!"

Laughing, the knights separated, wishing they were already searching for the knights, everyone too excited to sleep...

 

For the next few months, Maria continued her training as a warrior. Just as Geoffrey said, things got easier for her. While she took many falls and blows at first, these decreased as time went on. With the help of Sir Peter, Osandria and Geoffrey, Maria was made into a good knight.

At the end of her training, Maria was given white chain mail and a good sword, shield and spear. Upon receiving these, Maria said to Geoffrey, "I hardly deserve these. I would just be happy if I had the armor and equipment that I used while I was being trained. These are so beautiful." Maria pulled the sword from the scabbard and looked at it in admiration.

"Do not be a fool," Geoffrey said. "You earned all that we have given you. You learned quickly. Maria Fancher, I know you will be the one to help all of Utofamia. I have given you all you need, except for one thing."

Geoffrey led Maria to the stables. He went to one and pointed to a midnight colored horse. Maria had seen many horses before, but this was the most beautiful and, except for Sir Peter's, was the biggest. As the horse stood in front of Maria, she noticed a look of fierceness in its eyes.

"This horse is six years old. Since he was a wild horse, it took almost a year to train him. Now he is as gentle as he can be; the only wildness left in him are in his eyes. He has been in many battles and has shown bravery in them.

"We have been saving him for a special knight. His name is Chilowna, which means the Wild One."

"Are we going to be fighting?" Maria asked nervously.

"The land is peaceful right now. There have been no threats from the Black Knights. There might not be any fighting for many days. In the mornings, the hunting grounds are scouted for any enemies. In the evenings, the Kingsbane stand watch. We have good night vision. Therefore, it is a rare chance that anybody reaches the castle without our knowing.

"If by any chance, you are away from the castle when there is a need for knights, a messenger will be sent to look for you.

"Also, as a word of warning, keep your identity concealed. If the wrong people know that you are from a different world, they may try to stop you."

Maria looked at Geoffrey. "I do not know what to say except that it has been a pleasure training with you. There were several times I almost gave up. However, both you and Sir Peter and even Osandria believed in me and help me along."
***************************
Maria rode on Chilowna until they came to a shaded area by a stream.

"This looks like a good place," she said to herself as she got off her horse. It had been several weeks since Maria was made into a knight. So far, in that part of Utofamia, there was peace. There was no news of the Knights of King Christoph of any kind at all. Because of this, the knights decided to train in the mornings. During the early afternoon, they were free to go anywhere they wanted. If some need should arise, they would be notified.

Maria reached into her saddlebag and pulled out the first volume of The History of Utofamia. She was going to use up this free time to catch up on her reading. While she had been reading through the history, this was the first time in a while since she had read on the beginnings. The large amount of training prevented her from doing so before.

Maria found a good dry spot in the shade of the trees. She opened the book and looked where she had left off.

For a while Maria was afraid to take the books out of the library. The reason for this was that there was only one copy of each volume. If a book ended up getting badly damaged, there would be trouble. She expressed this fear to Sir Peter. In response, he took a worn volume and threw it into the fire. A brand new copy appeared on the bookshelf. Sir Peter said that these volumes were magical so that damaged books could be burned and they would appear in good condition. However, not all fires worked this way. Only the wood from certain trees held this magic.

Maria opened the book. It had been a while since she had read. She found the place where she had left off.

Chapter Two

Of Melisande and the Red Knights

Bellerophon ran until he could run no further. A cliff overlooking a sea prevented him from going on. He sat down and sobbed for his wife. He sat there for a long time. Finally, he could not take it any longer. He jumped and plunged over the cliff.

He fell and fell. He waited in anticipation for the impact. It never came. He opened his eyes and looked around. He noticed that he was not falling but more like flying. He glanced over at his arms. To his surprise they were replace by wings. He got a closer look at himself and realized that his body had taken the form of a bird. Bellerophon pointed himself upwards and flew to the top of the cliff. He changed back into a man. He sat and thought for a long time.

"I was not meant to end my life like this. Things are unfinished."

He departed the cliff and went to look for Melisande. She found her at her evil ways.

She stood at thee edge of a forest. She stood there holding onto a staff, the horrid color of dried blood. On the staff were carvings of demons.

Melisande stood at the forest and cried, "Come forth Red Death!"

At first nothing happened. Then there was a flash of light and the forest was consumed with flames. As soon as they came, the flames disappeared. However, of the forest, all that remained were ashes. Amid these ashes stood countless numbers of knights clad in red armor.

Melisande looked at these knights and laughed. She spoke to them. "The land you see before you is yours. The people and creatures are for you to destroy."

The knights departed and started ravaging the land. The Knights of the Eastern and Western halves of Utofamia decided to cooperate with each other and combine their forces. They fought against the Red Knights, but were not effective. Many lives were lost. People lived in fear, both of death and treason-of the people not killed by this enemy, they were forced to join this evil band.

Bellerophon saw this and was angry. He went up to Melisande and slapped her across the face.

Melisande raked her fingernails across his face. Blood dripped from the small cuts. "How dare you to hit me like that!"

"Who, by the name of Rem, do you think you are? Destryying my world like this? It took years of patience, loving and hard work from both myself and my wife to get it to where it was."

"Your wife? Don't you realize that you are talking to your wife right now?"

"No! You are not my wife! Romana Marlena is. You, Melisande, are possessing my wife's body as we speak. Once you are destroyed, I will have my wife with me once again."

Melisande laughed harshly, but there was no enjoyment in her eyes. "You do not realize that I will never be destroyed! There is no way to kill me! You will never be with your wife again!"

Melisande ran off.

Bellerophon stood with his head bowed. Then he looked up towards the sky with tears in his eyes. "Rem, please stop this madness. Give me back Romana Marlena. As for the rest of Utofamia, I will make it what it was like before, no more."

A voice came behind Bellerophon. "It will not be that easy."

Bellerophon spun around and was facing three odd looking men. He walked toward them.

"Why are you so different from the rest of my people? Your skin is so frail looking and wrinkled. And your hair is so white and disheveled."

"We are known as the Wise Ones. We have been sent by Rem to help you. Why we are different from your people is because we are wizened with our knowledge."

"If you were sent by Rem, help me by telling me how to get Melisande out of my wife's body."

"That is impossible to do. We must wait for that individual from the different world. That person will be the only one to destroy Melisande. We still do not know how to do so; we are looking for the answers ourselves. We must depart now."

"Where are you going?"

"We are going to our residences in the Great Desert of Utofamia. That place will provide us with the best protection, because not many people dare venture there. There are not many people chosen as Wise Ones now, but as the years increase so will be the number."

"But how is this visitor to come here if he is not from one of Rem's worlds?"

"This will be the doing of a Wise One."

The three men departed.

************************************************

Rem looked down on Utofamia and saw how quickly the land became devastated. He was shamed that all his anger caused this damage. He raised his hands to strike down Melisande and the Red Knights. Then he shook his head.

"No. I can not make it easy for Bellerophon. He has to learn his lesson. However, I cannot allow for this land to go to waste. He spent a lot of time creatig this beauty."

He thought for a while.

Then he said, "Let Melisande and her Red Knights depart Utofamia for some time. Bellerophon needs time to repair the land and to build up the people's morale. He needs also to build up the strength of the two armies of knights."

The Rem glanced down on Utofamia to see what was happening.
******************************
Melisande leered in satisfaction at the damage done to Utofamia. Then she had the Red Knights gather around her.

"Let us depart from this forsaken land. We have no more use as of now. Let them build up their strength. When they believe we are gone for good, we shall strike."

At this Melisande and the Red Knights disappeared from Utofamia and appeared in the Void. Melisande choose a hole and went down it. However, there were several holes close together and the Red Knights could not decide which one she went down. So they made a choice and went down one. However, they made the wrong choice and the Red Knights and Melisande were in different worlds.
********************
Rem saw what happened and laughed.

"These Red Knights are not too bright," he said to himself. Then he thought some more. "This land called The Void is too easy to get to. From now on this land will appear to be nothing, with the entrance ways to the other worlds hidden.

"Anyone can visit the other worlds. From now on a few selected people will be given magical powers to get to the Void. These people can bring others with them. Only the good people have the right to this power. Melisande will be the only exception. However, it will take a long time for her and the Red Knights to be reunited."

Meanwhile, Bellerophon saw that Melisande was gone. He set about restoring the land. In the place destroyed by Melisande, he grew a new and more beautiful one.

"This shall be called Ash Forest," Bellerophon said.

Of the other one, he called Old Forest, because it was the only one left intact during the Red Knights tumult.

Then Bellerophon said, "My human form takes too much time for traveling. Let me have the power to take the form of any bird, fish, repitle or animal to make traveling quicker."

This was done and Bellerophon took the form of hawk and flew. He visited the people and convinced them that the enemy was gone. People became happy once again and began celebrating.

********************************

Maria looked up quickly and closed her book. Some noise startled her out of reading. She listened more carefully. It was a moment before she heard horses' hooves beating on the ground coming towards her. Maria led Chilowna into the tree line and waited.

The first person she saw was a young lad in rags, riding a pony. He had a look of terror on his face and was trying to get the old pony to move faster. Right after she saw the lad, Maria saw what he was running from. It was a Black Knight. With a look of cruelty on his face and in his eyes, he chased the boy and brandished his sword.

When she saw that, Maria felt very angry. She quickly mounted Chilowna and rode at a fast clip over the brook, and chased after the knight.

Up ahead of her, Maria saw that the boy had fallen from his pony and that the knight was getting ready for the kill.

"I will teach you to steal from me you little thief," the knight said as he raised his sword.

Maria knew that she had to act fast. She gave Chilowna a couple extra kicks to make him go faster and got between the knight and the boy.

"In order to get to the boy, you will have to fight me first," Maria said, drawing her sword out of its scabbard.

The knight grinned, a grin of malice. "You will regret it, knight. I will cut through you in the first seconds of the fight. Since you are challenging me, I chose to fight standing on the ground."

Maria got off her horse and led him to the side. She secured her sword. For a few seconds, Maria and the knight stood and stared at each other. Then the knight charged.

Maria saw him coming at her and managed to get out of the way. The knight went right past her and fell to the ground.

Even though Maria could have ran up to the fallen knight and stabbed him in the back with her sword, she had to wait. It was not noble of a knight to slay another while he is down.

Maria waited until the knight was on his feet and ready to fight again.

The knight stood a few feet from Maria. "This is a fight to the death. Even if you fall, I shall kill you without waiting for you to rise. If you beg me to spare your life, I still will kill you, making a much worse death than you were going to get."

The knight again rushed towards Maria and swung his sword. However, she caught his sword with hers. A tingling went through Maria's hands, but she remained standing. Just then the Black Knight twisted his arm, trying to get at Maria. He succeeded with only hitting her on the shoulder with he side of the blade, sending her sprawling to the ground.

"Now I am going to slay you, yon foolish knight," he said with a sneer.

As he was saying this, Maria got up from the ground, carefully eying the knight, and protecting herself with her sword.

Maria was finally standing and fighting with full strength. She noticed that the knight was beginning to tire. Finally, Maria hit the knight's sword with a lot of force, so that his hand-the one holding the sword-swung backwards. The sword went flying into the woods. Before he could do anything, Maria rushed up and placed the tip of his sword against his throat.

"I am not like you. I am giving you a chance. Get your horse and your sword and go."

The knight, slowly backed away from Maria. He was going to get his sword and rush at her again. However, this knight was much too strong for him.

"We will meet again, knight. You will regret this."

He found his sword, got on his horse and rode away.

Maria went to check on the lad. However, he was not anywhere to be seen, for he had run off while the two knights were battling.