The Lost Knight

Jal springs awake, jumps to his feet and yells, “Back you fowl beast!” Striking a stone Lyon across its neck, knocking its head clean off. 

“Hey!” Yells the shop keeper, running at Jal broom in hand. 

Jal readies himself sword poised for strike, stunned that this man is brave enough to come at him with a piece of wood. 

He slashes the broomstick in half with one swoop, sending the shop keeper fleeing in the opposite direction. 

Sheathing his sword, he takes a look around and furrows his brow, confused. 

Not only is this not where he had been standing a minute ago, the beast he’d slain was not the one he’d been fighting. 

And what are these tall… structures? 

Surely he had just been inside a torch lit cave fighting along side his men. 

Where are his men?

Jal sets off, clanking in his chainmail armor as he walks the streets of this new strange land. 

People are staring at him, probably in awe of how handsome he is with his dazzling armor and killer smile. 

Just then, a police officer spots him and approaches, confused but mostly eyeing that very realistic sword. This kid has to be what? 15? 16? Where did he get a real sword?

“Hey kid, what uh.. Whatcha doing?”

Jal is offended, kid? How dare he. 

Just as Jal went to open his mouth in retaliation, an orange haired boy came up, grabbing Jals arm and whisking him away. 

“The cosplay convention is this way billy, how many times do I have to tell you to wait until we get there to dress up”

The cop dismisses both boys, he’s got better things to do. 

Once around the corner, Jal shakes this filthy peasant off of him, and turns to face him. 

“How dare you remove me, I was about to show that scum what a ‘kid’ can really do to someone like..”

He stops abruptly because this orange haired boy is laughing at him. How dare he. 

Jal placed his hand on his sword hilt, but before he can draw the boy speaks. 

“Dude, I just saved you. What are you doing walking around looking like that? And with a fake sword? You’re just asking for trouble”

In one swift flick, Jal draws his sword, cuts a lock the boys hair, and sheaths his weapon all before the boy can get another word in

The boys jaw drops, in shock and awe of what’s just happened. But mostly he’s impressed, the sword was real. 

Why is this kid dressed like a knight and carrying a real sword around town. 

“My names Archer, what’s yours.” Archer extends his hand for a shake. 

“Surely you are not an archer, you’re far too scrawny. I am Jal.”

Jal reaches out, grabbing Archers entire forearm in an embrace. 

Archer starts to laugh again, this guy really is playing the part. And Jal? What kind of name is that. 

“Well Jal, you really shouldn’t be carrying a sword around. I’m pretty sure that’s all kind of illegal and you’re lucky that officer didn’t check it out before I came along” 

But Jal wasn’t listening, he’d walked off examining his surroundings further.  

How did he get here? 

Where were his men? 

What is ‘Mc-don-ald-s’?

“Where am I, Bowman?”

“Not bowman, Archer. If Jal is a name, Archer is a name. You’re in Times Square, New York City. Possibly on the way to some costume contest by the looks of you” 

That can’t be right, I was just in Doltrim, fighting. 

A plane flies by overhead, and Jal assumes his battle stance

“Aha! You’ve come back for more sky beast!”

Archer is holding back tears, this kid is hilarious. 

“That’s a plane, yanno, big metal contraptions people fly in.”

People fly? Has this land trained their dragons? Hes heard tales but never thought it possible. 

Archer makes his way over to a shops stoop, and takes a seat. Jal follows his lead. 

“So why are you dressed like a knight on a Tuesday afternoon?”

Tuesday? Afternoon? What are these strange words the Archer is using. 

“I was in battle with my men, Fighting the mighty Baku. The eater of dreams. Legend has said that one strike by his claw rips your soul from your body.

During battle there was a sudden flash, knocking me off my feet. 

I awoke in a strange alley, faced by a stone foe and a man armed with a wooden stick. Then you came along.”

Archer just stared at Jal, not knowing if he should entertain him with this fantasy or call back that officer. 

“Well,” Archer begins. Not really knowing how to approach this situation. 

“Good news is, there are no dragons here. Or anywhere, because it’s 2022. If dragons ever did exist they’re long gone by now.”

Did the Archer just say 2022?

“Did you just say it’s 2022?”

Jal laughs at this, surely the Archer is joking. 

“The year is 1450, boy. Stop waisting my time.”

Jal stands and starts to walk away, surely he had better things to do than to talk to this deranged boy.

Archer follows him, partially because he’s curious about this strange boy, and partially because he’s worried if he doesn’t this kid is going to be arrested. 

“1450? You’re really taking this to the next level. Boy? You’re probably the same age as me. Where are you going?”

“To find my men, they need me and we must defeat Baku.”

Archer snatched the back of Jals suit, who is seconds away from being blindsided by a speeding suv. 

“Dude! Have you heard of crosswalks?”

Jal notices the metal beasts in the streets now. What are they? How are they moving so fast?

“Archer, what are those?”

Now Archers not sure if he’s joking, the look of pure confusion on Jals face is incredibly convincing.

“A car? Tell me you’ve seen a car”

Jal is walking toward a shining green corvette, just as the owner is getting in. Looking confused at the mess of a human walking toward his expensive vehicle. 

Archer redirects him, saying “let’s not touch that one” and leads him to a broken looking Honda a few feet away. 

Archer pulls out his phone, curious, and googles Jal. Including words like knight and Baku. A photo comes up, a painting. Well I’ll be darned, that sure does look like Jal. 

No way, that’s impossible. 

They have the same scar above their left eyebrow, either Jal is amazing at Cosplay, this is his long lost relative or he’s telling the truth. 

Jal sees archers phone and grabs it, curious

“Hey!” Archer yells in surprise 

“What is this contraption?”

Archer snatched his phone back, affronted. 

“It’s a cellphone, Jal. Now shut up while I read. Go touch that red shiny metal thing over there. Also known as a fire hydrant”

While Jal examines the hydrant, archer reads. 

Jal the knight faught valiantly in the battle vs Baku, water of dreams. 

That was the last day any one saw brave Jal. 

Okay, he’s dressed as a knight. He’s confused about cars and fire hydrants, he has an actual sword for Pete’s sake. I’m starting to think this is legit. 

“Okay Jal, say I believe you. You're from the year 1450 and somehow ended up here. How do you go back?”

Jal looks deep in thought. He’s never heard of time travel, how did he end up here to begin with? 

He shrugs, and looks at Archer in defeat. 

“I have no idea, Bowman”

Ignoring his incorrect name usage, Archer sets off down the street.

“Come on, we have some reasearch to do.”

•••

Back at Archers house, they hit the web in search for answers. 

They meaning Archer searches for answers, Jal is busy touching everything. 

“What is this?” He asks, holding up a tangle of what appears to be vines. 

“Headphones” Archer replies 

“And this?” Jal has a wooden object with what appears to be wheels attached. 

 Archer glances over his shoulder, “skateboard”

“What about these,” Jal is holding what he knows to be fabric on the tip of his sword, but he can’t tell what it is exactly

Archer snatches his underwear from Jal, game over. 

“Come over here and stop touching everything” 

Jal stands next to Archer, who’s looking at a strange picture box he’s deemed a ‘computer,’ whatever that is. 

“So, according to Google,” 

Google? Jal thinks, but he doesn’t ask out loud. 

“You went missing in battle. They searched for days, but no one could find you or evidence you had even been there. The only reason you’re even mentioned is because your friends went back to your village and told your tale, swearing they’d never forget you. 

It says here, ‘known for his swift sword skills and lazy eye.’”

Jal strikes the computer, furious they dare mention his one weakness. As far as he was concerned, he was the fairest of them all. 

Archer, eyes wide, looks to Jal speechless. Not his computer. 

“Jal! Do you know how much that costs!?”

Jal reaches in his satchel, until now Archer hadn’t noticed he was even wearing one, and throws him a strange coin. 

“That should cover it.” 

Archer reaches in his pocket and pulls out a twenty dollar bill to show Jal. 

“Times have changed my guy.”

The knight examines the strange paper, then rips it in half. 

“Fragile.” He observes 

Archer doesn’t even know what to do with himself at this point, this swordsman is going to cost him an arm and a leg if he keeps him around any longer. 

He pulls out his phone to continue researching, starting with Baku. 

Five minutes in Archer finds a passage about Baku and all his abilities, along with dream eating and the ability to rip your soul from your body. (terrifying) 

It says here he also has the power to send people through time.

“Aha!” Archer scouts, throwing jal off guard, making him drop the snow globe he has been examining. 

Ignoring the broken glass and water now on his carpet, Archer reads out loud to Jal. 

“The mighty Baku had one secret power not known to many, except those unlucky enough to have succumbed to it. Using the gem imbedded in his forehead, Baku could send anyone through time with a single touch.”

“I struck his forehead!” Jal exclaimed. 

“Then there was a flash and I woke up here, I must have hit it”

Archer was both fascinated by the prospect that he was a part of this completely insane ordeal, and in disbelief that all of this was making sense. Magic wasn’t supposed to be real. Heck, dragons weren’t supposed to be real. But here Jal was, all knight in shining armor. A puzzle that’s pieces were coming together. 

He continued reading, trying to see if there was any clue that would help return this knight to his time. 

He read, “ when the dragon finally passed, and his body decayed into the earth. His gem was left behind, known as ‘Baku’s amulet,’ it is now on display at a Museum in New York City.”

Archer knew the exact place, he’d seen the amulet on a school trip last year. 

Turning his phone off, he stood, grabbed the yo-yo Jal had be trying and failing to use, and said, 

“Let’s go.”

“Where?” Jal asked, reaching for the yo-yo. 

“We’re gonna find a way to get you home.”

•••

Before leaving the house, Archer insisted Jal Change his clothes. He didn’t want them to stick out and clanking armor is a dead giveaway. 

Leaving the sword behind was a struggle to say the least, but eventually Archer convinced Jal that there’s no way they’d get into the museum if he was carrying a deadly weapon. 

Dressed in black skinny jeans, and a Guns an’ Roses T-Shirt, the long haired knight was blending in excellently. 

Entering the museum was a nightmare, Jal wanted to look at and touch everything in his path. 

Archers seen Back to the Future, he couldn’t help but think Jal being here now, learning about how things will be could affect how things are supposed to play out. 

So he tried his best to divert his attention whenever he got too curious. 

When they entered the Medieval section of the museum, they immediately saw it. 

Above the display of Baku’s Amulet, was a sign reading; 

‘Today only! Take a photo with Baku’s Amulet!”

It’s like they knew Jal and Archer were on their way. 

Archer grabbed Jal, who was already walking right towards the amulet. 

“We can’t just walk over there and take it, people will see” 

Looking around, Archer spots the gift shop. 

“Come with me.”

Five minutes later they both walk out holding their very own Baku’s amulet replicas.

“Perfect.” Archer said, watching Jal stare at his trying to figure out how they’ve duplicated the gem so perfectly. 

They get in line for photos, as they get up to the photo area they both take their amulets off, prepared to put the real one on. 

The employee, who clearly looks bored and ready to go home, hands him the amulet. 

Archer turns around, bumps Jal, and they drop both fake amulets and the real one. Just as they’d planned. 

“Oops.” Archer says, faking a shy smile. 

“Such a klutz.” He says, picking up alll three amulets. 

He pretends to weigh them in his hand, the fakes are pretty similar but there’s a clear difference between them and the real deal. 

He puts the real amulet in his pocket, places the fake one on his neck and poses for a photo with Jal. 

They thank the bored employee, who doesn’t seem phased by anything that’s just happened, and walk off swiftly before anyone notices the switch. 

Ducking into a stairwell, they examine the amulet. 

Archer doesn’t know what he expected, some kind of hint for getting Jal back. But nothing. 

He’s about to throw the stupid thing, when Jal takes it from him. 

Immediately it starts to glow, and words appear in its center. 

To return to your life,

You must be brave and take flight. 

With this gem in your hand,

Spread your wings, you will land. 

In a place you call home, 

I have shown all I know. 

Archer, still trying to find meaning in this riddle, hardly noticed Jal take off up the stairs. 

“Wait for me!” 

By the time they make it to the top, Archer can barely breathe. Meanwhile Jal, fit as a fiddle, is bursting through the roof doors and already at its ledge. 

“What are you doing Jal?!”

Surely he’s not about to jump, Archer thinks.  

But there he is, on the ledge, looking down at the cars racing by and pedestrians. 

“You read the words, it said ‘take flight’ and ‘you will land’ there’s no way it doesn’t mean jump”

Archer can’t find a valid argument, but he’s thinks they should at least take a minute to asses the situation. 

Jal is stubborn though, he wants to jump. 

“You have been a great friend to me Archer, I will tell tales of how you’ve helped me. When I am gone, look me up on your ‘google’”

Archer can’t help but picture his new friend splattered across that pavement below, but who’s he kidding. He can’t stop Jal from jumping if that’s what he really wants. 

He feels tears running down his face, is it fear? Is he happy his friend may be able to go home?

Definitely fear, a glowing rock is not enough evidence for him to allow Jal to jump without weighing more options. 

But before Archer can say anything else, Jals jumped. 

Archer runs to the center edge of the building, screaming Jals name. 

But he’s gone. 

No splat, not even the gem. He’s just… gone 

Immediately Archer pulls his phone out and searches for Jal. 

At first nothing comes up, not even the original article he had found. 

Panic begins to slowly creep in, but then he sees it. 

‘Jal the Mighty, slays Baku and is Named a Hero’

More tears, Archer has had a stressful day. 

He reads the story of how Jal slayed Baku without a weapon by shattering his gem, I guess the only way to do it was by returning from wherever Baku sends people. 

He’s named a hero, and leader of his village. 

He got married, and had a son. 

Named Archer, after the ‘Brilliant hero who saved me long ago in a far off land.’

Archers balling now, his friend is safe, and he got to live his Happily Ever After.