Knight of Another Realm

Gwen wasn’t quite sure what happened. One minute she’d been home, helping the girls decorate the Birthday cake for Mark, the next, she was here. To make matters worse she had absolutely no idea where here was.

She ran a hand through her short, blond hair— it was just starting to grow back evenly enough to style— and tried to think. Maybe she was just confused. She pushed a little too hard this week and she was tired, that’s all. She just forgot where they were.

Making a Birthday cake for Mark must have been a dream. After all, Rachel had been talking about Mark’s Birthday nonstop. This was a big year. She decided what to get him all by herself, and then she ended up picking out Daddy’s present all by herself too… Gwen had been too sick, and Mark, of course, couldn’t be present for the buying of his own present. At the sweet young age of seven, Rachel went into the Brooksides store all by herself and used two weeks of chore money to buy a pen (the really good kind, with a button for different colors and a fancy wooden case.) Such an adult thing for such a young child.

The pen was a joke, very mature for such a young kid, but Rachel had always been quick-witted like her father. Lately Rachel’s favorite movie was Sword in the Stone, and Mark teased her relentlessly for it, (in the loving way only a father could, of course). Every time Rachel victoriously pulled the silver wrapping paper tube from between the couch cushions, Mark would say, “You know, the pen is mightier than the sword!”

Rachel would roll her eyes at her father and he would burst into laughter. Inevitably she would turn her head to Gwen and, in a mock-whine voice say, “mo-om! Dad is making fun of me!”

It never failed.

And each time, Gwen would remind her, “He’s right, you know. The sword gave King Arthur the right to rule, but the laws he wrote were what really mattered.”

When Rachel departed on her quest for the Sacred Pen Gwen had wept with pride at her initiative. She’d also wept for the reasons Rachel was growing up so fast. No longer a baby, she was the big sister—looking after Maddy and doing many of the things Gwen hadn’t been strong enough for. She was such a light—they both were. Her girls. The lights of her life.

When Mark drove Rachel, Gwen had stayed home with Maddy, who was just barely getting the hang of the potty anyway, so it worked out. (Or that’s what Mark said anyway, since he hated seeing her get so wrecked up about these sorts of things.) Gwen consoled herself by vowing that, upon Rachel’s return from her quest, they would embark on another to bake a Holy Cake. The name was a stretch, but the fantasy delighted everyone.

That was just the weekend, so it was fresh in her mind. That was why she dreamed they were making the cake. They must have gone somewhere, and Gwen got confused. All she had to do was figure out where she was and get back to her family. She’d probably hear Maddy’s tiny, demanding voice calling for her any second.

The problem was, she didn’t recognize anything around her.

“Maddy? Rachel? Girls?” She called out in an uncertain voice.

She was in what looked like a deep canyon, with steep stone walls. It must have been dusk because the light was fading. Fiery oranges faded into purples that were already greying in the shadows. Gwen imagined there was a beautiful sunset at the top of the canyon, given the coloring where she stood. She could almost picture the light diffracting and scattering as the stars twinkled to life in a clear, dark sky…

Down here she couldn’t see the stars. In fact, from the bottom of the canyon the sky almost didn’t look real. It as more like a dark canvas. There should have been clouds, a moon, the blink of distant satellites—anything! But there was just a gradient of color growing darker by the minute. It made it difficult for Gwen to figure out which direction she was headed, but she decided that she ought to move forward. That was, after all, the direction she’d been headed before the moment she arrived… no, she’d been there… it was the direction she was headed before the moment she got confused and disoriented. Forward had to be the answer.

She proceeded into the canyon where the tall stone walls swallowed her.

~ ~ ~

The orange was gone from the sky. Gwen had been walking for some time now, but she couldn’t remember where she was going anymore. It was something about a pen? Rachel would know…

But where was Rachel? Hadn’t she just been by her side?

No. She must not have been. Rachel knew better than to run off into the dark. She was a good girl—the big sister. The responsible one. She must have decided last minute to stay behind and watch Maddy.

Maddy, whose short blond hair was just getting long enough to style… or was it red? It was hard to remember. She’d been gone for so long.

Ahead, the steep walls narrowed, forcing her to the right. In the dark the towering rock looked like solid grey sheets, but she had sworn they’d been striped with a multitude of color in the light—layered earth that marked the centuries of accumulation before the land was torn apart.

That’s what she’d expect, anyway, but that’s not how it looked. Before the kids—before she got sick—she’d been a geologist for NASA. She was an expert on land formation and erosion. She knew the Earth like Rachel knew every one of Aurthur’s lines in the movie. She used that knowledge to stare into the star-streaked sky and discern the history of far away planets.

This felt like a far away planet… The way the rock narrowed at the top of the canyon instead of the bottom was opposite what she’d expect from glacial erosion.

Or could she be wrong about that? What was her dissertation on?

“Something about a stone,” she mumbled to herself.

Mark would know.

~ ~ ~

Above her the canyon was closing in. What she could only describe as stalactites grew toward each other in an utter defiance of gravity. They came together like the fangs of a closing maw and Gwen had the sinking sensation she was being consumed.

Where was she supposed to find that pen, anyway?

“No, it was a sword,” she reminded herself.

In the distance she heard the rush of falling water. It echoed along the canyon walls, distorting sound until she lost her way again. It was so dark. Gwen didn’t usually venture out alone in the dark, but this was important. She had to complete her mission.

Mission didn’t sound right. It must have been something else. Quest. Yes, Gwen was a woman on a quest. It was her sworn duty to complete it.

She looked down to find she was gripping the long, silver blade in her dominant hand. It surprised her to see it there. She hadn’t remembered carrying it this whole way.

“Of course I need a sword,” she said, realizing she would do anything to protect them.

Gwen adjusted her grip on the hilt, surprised at just how natural the sword felt in her hand. It was so light. No wonder she hadn’t noticed she’d been carrying it this whole time.

Gwen had an eerie sensation that she was forgetting something—that something was hiding in the shadows just out of sight, out of her reach. A quiet dread filled her as she moved deeper into the dark labyrinth. With each step she lost a little more. With each step, the shadows grew and the things hiding within them began to move.

~ ~ ~

The water fell from somewhere above, cascading down the slick, canyon walls in thin sheets and hitting the ground in a chorus of splashes that echoed a thousand times. She was transfixed by the water—the way it seemed to shine in the absence of moonlight. It glistened a bright silver, like the edge of her blade, making her search for the light it reflected.

But there was no light. Only the strange reflection of something that should be there but wasn’t.

The sight of the water held her, pulling her in as though wrapping her in silvery tendrils. She stepped toward it, noting her feet made no sound. She peered down to see they were clad in leather boots. She could feel the cold seeping up from the wet ground, sinking into her bones, making her ache.

“Leather boots and a sword,” she mused. Such a strange combination.

Gwen didn’t remember donning the leather boots any more than she remembered picking up the sword, but there they were, clear as the day that left this land. Certainly, her quest demanded these things, but what was her quest? And who was she, to be walking around in such a dark place with such strange things?

She didn’t know. The realization came upon her so suddenly that it was as if her identity had been torn away from her by a burst of wind. She could feel the rush of air as it pulled the beads of sweat collecting on her brow, chilling her.

“How can I not know who I am?”

Of course she knew herself. She’d just gotten confused, that’s all. It was this place, unlike any place she’d ever been. Like another planet. No. That wasn’t right, there was only this world. She looked up into the sky, searching for the stars but not finding them. Her world had stars. Her world had light. Without those things she was lost. That was her quest, to find the missing lights.

The thought had a slice of familiarity, so she clung to it. If she could find the light, things would make sense again. All she had to do was find the light.

Her eyes fixated on the falling water. The silvery sheets glinted reflection of the missing light. As she watched, the water shifted, as if, for a moment, it began to fall up instead of down.

“A trick of the light,” she said.

Or maybe it wasn’t. There was something about this place, about the water, that made it disconcerting. It wasn’t natural. It was like another realm.

~ ~ ~

Gwen, who had lost that name only moments before, stepped toward the edge of the pool, her heart aching with loneliness. She had been traveling for so long that she’d forgotten who she was. The darkness had stolen it from her. All she had was her sword and her boots. It wasn’t enough to protect her from losing more, and she didn’t want to lose what was most precious to her.

“The light?” She hesitated at the thought. It had to be the light. That’s what she was here for, but there was something else. She could feel it inside of her. Though it was a nebulous thing, her love was still there, dancing around and swelling up so that it filled her. It had a name, this thing that she loved, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. It had something to do with the sword.

She looked at the sword again, trying to find the answer. Trying to find the name.

“I was making a cake,” she said. Only, that didn’t sound right at all. Why would she make a cake? This was a sword, not a knife. And she wasn’t wandering this mysterious realm because of a cake. She was on a quest.

She turned to look down the path she’d been traveling. Deep footprints marked her progress toward the water’s edge. For the briefest moment she considered retracing her steps. A part of her yearned to head back. That part told her that there was something there waiting for her.

“Rachel.” She said the word as though she were trying on something new. Why was that name familiar?

In the darkness, something rumbled, causing her to stiffen and lift her sword. She would need more than a sword to protect herself.

“I need a shield,” She concluded.

As soon as she’d said the word she noticed the cool metal against her arm. Gwen looked at the shield with wonder. Across the surface she could just make out the intricate design—light. Stars, a flame, the sunrise. Though it was none of those things in design, it was also somehow all of them at once.

She decided right in that moment that she couldn’t go back. She had to find the light, no matter the cost.

It was her quest to do so, her sword duty, and Gwen took her oath seriously. She turned back to the water and was again transfixed by the mysterious shimmer. She wanted to see her reflection in the water. She was sure that if she did, she would understand what she was doing there.

All notions of heading back were abandoned as Gwen approached the water’s edge.

~ ~ ~

It was difficult to peer into the water through her helmet. The slits in the metal grate were too narrow, and the visor wouldn’t stay up. Against her better judgment, Gwen abandoned the sword and shield on the damp ground. She put a hand on either side of her helmet and lifted. The gesture, which started out feeling clunky and awkward, finished as though it were the most natural thing she’d ever done. It was as though a lifetime passed in the taking off of the helmet.

Gwen grasped it at her side, then leaned forward to peer at her reflection.

For the briefest moment green eyes stared back at her under a matted mess of dirty, blond hair. The woman staring back at her was familiar. She could almost remember her name.

A menacing growl ripped her away from the reflection. She spun on her heals just in time to face a dark beast. She caught a glimpse of fang and fur before the creature lunged.

She fell back into the water, the beast on top of her, claws digging in and ripping her flesh. Silvery water swelled around her mouth and nose and obscuring the shape of the creature that intended to end her. Gwen could feel her end approach, drowning in water as the beast tore her apart. It was somehow familiar, as though she’d done it before.

It occurred to her that she had done this before. Through the shimmers of water she thought that perhaps she recognized the creature that intended to ravage her. She remembered the darkness and the way it sucked away at her life force, making her weak and tired.

Looks like you’ve won this time, she thought as the life faded from her.

Then, as she gazed up at the empty sky above her, above the thing that would end her, a star appeared. She turned her head to see it more clearly and her cheek brushed against the helmet she’d been wearing the moment before the creature attacked.

If I could reach it…

She strained with all her might to wrap her free hand around the comb and pull it toward her. After all, what was a knight without her helmet?

When the creature realized what she was doing, it snarled and bore its fangs, intent to sink them into her vulnerable flesh. But it was too late. Gwen donned the helmet with one swift motion. In that same instant, as though by some form of magic, another star twinkled into light and the shield manifested in her hands.

She rammed the shield into the monster’s side, knocking it prone. As it scrambled, she found her feet. The sword was somewhere on the shore. She would need it if she were going to win this battle.

If I could only see it.

The second the thought passed across her consciousness the first star shone, as if by her bidding, onto the slick stone where the sword lay. In the water, the creature thrashed, finding its footing and readying the attack.

She raced to the sword. There would only be one opportunity.

Sword in hand she turned and thrust at the beast, who fell onto the blade under its own weight. With a mighty scream she threw the creature aside.

It fell under the twinkling light of the stars above. In that moment she knew who she was and why she was there. She gazed into the lights and cried out, “My name is Gwendolyn, knight of the order of light. It is my sworn duty to protect the light and return to its realm. I will not rest until I have done so.”

With those words she turned away from the beast that lay in the silvery waters. She pointed herself toward the lights and resumed her quest.