From a faraway kingdom rising with the sun, Sir Valiant approached the land of the hundred shadows, where the beautiful princess Rosabell was said to be imprisoned. She, A most precious creature, was kept in the highest tower of a raven black castle, on a cliff, guarded by a dangerous dragon, hidden inside the magic forest. No other man was known to have reached the castle and returned to tell the story.
Sir Valiant intended to be the first. He was brave, fearless and honorable, the best knight of his kingdom. The magic in the forest couldn't trick him, nor did the elves and nymphs seduce him. His loyal horse Legend guided the way. His sword Majestic reduced all his enemies to shreds.
And as the night came and darkness overtook the sky, he reached the giant doors of wood and steel that would take him to his destiny.So he stormed into the castle, sword in hand, prepared for any battle. Yet, he found nothing, but silence.
The little cabins inside were closed, nothing moved, not even a bird sang. But in the distance, a strange noise wanted to be heard.
Then, as he turned left on the highest tower, he saw an enormous dragon. It lay on its belly and snored loudly. Valiant saw his opportunity. He was too honorable to kill the beast in its sleep. After all, dragons were almost extinct and, as terrifying as this one was, he could still see the beauty in it.
Of course, he couldn't leave it untouched. If the animal awoke, it would surely attack him, or the princess. So he searched for a long chain, and as silently as possible he trapped the dragon with it. And finally, to see if his efforts would work, he took his sword and made a little cut on the dragon's wing.Suddenly, the creature awoke, howling and breathing fire. It tried to get up and fly, but it was trapped by the chains.
Happy with the results, courageous Sir Valiant climbed the steps of the tower looking for his true love. The last door he found was closed. So he broke in.
Finally, he saw her. Princess Rosabell lay on a bed with hundreds of pillows and petals of roses. Her long blond hair fell perfectly, her white nightdress was as pure as snow. Even the noises that came from her cherry red lips sounded like music to him.
And as he knew the stories, he reached to The Sleeping Beauty and gently kissed her on the lips.But, nothing happened. So he tried a second time and a third one... And as he was approaching for the fourth kiss, the princess opened her eyes and screamed.
The knight stepped back and fell to the ground from the shock.
"What is happening here? Who are you?" She asked in shock.He stood up as best he could and tried to save his lost dignity.
"My name is Sir Valiant, fair princess, and I have rescued you from your prison." He proclaimed."What?"
She looked confused, so he neared her and reached for her hand.
"You don't have to fear anymore, my love, for I have slayed the dragon that guarded you."
"You did what?"
Now she looked terrorized and, as he tried to calm her, the door opened and a beautiful maiden entered the room. Tears fell down her cheeks while she held her wounded hand next to her body."Rosabell, someone has hurt me," she cried. When she saw the knight, she recognized him and, recoiling in terror, pointed at him with her finger.
"You! Why did you hurt me? What wrong have I done to you?"
Sir Valiant was shocked. How could anyone accuse him of such vile behavior?"I have never put my hand or my sword on a woman, nor shall I ever do so."
Rosabell approached the girl with a worried look and ordered her to show her the wound.
"Don't worry, Sabine, I can cure this in a second."
The knight, noticing no one was paying attention, repeated:
"I didn't wound her."The princess glared at him without amusement. If looks could kill, Valiant would have been thrice stabbed and burned by then.
"Oh, yes, you did. You said it yourself: you slayed the dragon. Well, guess what? She was the dragon."
Sabine nodded with an angry look."What?" He questioned, confused. It could not be. And if it was, he was certainly blameless.
"Well, it's not my fault;" the maiden said. "I was cursed as a child. As the night rises, I transform into a creature of fire, but with the first ray of sunlight I come back to my true self. That's not a reason to hurt me anyway, I was simply sleeping! I didn't do anything to deserve it. Why does every man who arrives with a white horse around here do the same?"
Sir Valiant stood there with an open mouth and tried to find a way to apologize.
"I'm really sorry, I just wanted to save her."
"Save me from what? " Asked the princess, bewildered.
"From your confinement, of course."
"Why?"
"Well, because I love you, of course."Now both women looked at him as if he had turned mad.
"But you don't even know her."
"I saw a picture of her and I loved her ever since. It was love at first sight."
Sabine turned to Rosabell and whispered: "I think the man is nuts."She nodded, but then smiled as gently as she could to the chevalier.
"I'm gratefully honored, but I can't return your feelings, Sir."Now Valiant was completely lost.
"Why not, my love? I am attractive and strong and brave. What more could you wish for in a man?"
"A woman," she answered without a moment's hesitation.
"What?"
"Don't you get it already? She's engaged to me" answered Sabine, pretty pissed off at this point.
"Honey, there is no need to be so rude. The man had good intentions."They both looked at the knight, who stood wordless for five exact minutes before his voice returned.
"Two women together? That's impossible... That's not right... That's witchcraft! You should both confront the inquisition for this."
"Can I be rude now, Rosabell?"
"I suppose so."
Sabine smiled, approached the man and punched him in the face, while the princess called for the guards.
ESTÁS LEYENDO
The princess in the tower
FantasyA short story about the noble Sir Valiant and his quest.