Week 13 Story: A Knight and Her Maiden
“It’s her.”
These were the
simple words going through Britomart’s mind as she gazed at the fair maiden
before her.
The wicked Enchanter
turned and raised his staff to deliver a death blow to his prisoner, the maiden
who stood bound to a pillar by magic rope. Britomart lunged between them in the
nick of time, raising her sword and mortally wounding the Enchanter with a
fierce blow. As he fell to the ground and life slipped away from him, the ropes
around the maiden went limp and slipped off her frail body. Her skin had turned
blue where the tight bonds dug into her skin.
“Noble knight! You
have freed me from a life of misery in this vile place. How can I ever repay
your kindness?”
Britomart heard these
words, but could not comprehend them as she stood gazing at the maiden through
the metal plate surrounding her eyes; she had seen this face before.
Many months prior,
Britomart’s father, the King, had given her the gift of a magic mirror, which
he had gotten from the Magician Merlin. Although the King did not tell
Britomart of its magic abilities, it was rumored that when a woman gazed into
it, she would see the face of the person she was to fall in love with. The King
had decided it was time for Britomart to find a husband, and he gave her the mirror
with the hope that it would pique her interest in the topic of marriage.
One night as
Britomart was getting ready for a royal dinner, she pulled out the mirror. When
she looked into it, two shining blue eyes met her own. The face staring back at
her was surrounded by a halo of golden curls, a creature of rare beauty; Britomart
had never seen a woman so fair. She sat gazing at the reflection for a long
while.
That night at
dinner, Britomart’s father revealed to her the power of the mirror and asked if
she had looked into it. Britomart said she had, and pretended to have seen Sir
Artegall, a knight well known in their kingdom. She feigned a description of a
handsome knight with kind brown eyes, all the while remembering the sparking
blue ones she had actually seen.
Realizing that Britomart
was not truly listening to her, the maiden moved closer and said, “Good knight,
I don’t mean to be brash, but I have been cooped up in this place for what seems
like an eternity. I had lost hope that I would ever again feel the sun on my
face or walk beneath the sky. I long to travel and see the world beside one so
noble as you. Would you take me for your wife?”
Britomart’s heart
fluttered. She slowly lifted her helmet, her own tresses falling around the
gleaming shoulder plates of her armor. “If you will stand by me as my wife, the
world shall be yours.” And together they rode off into the distance.
Author’s Note:
This story is based
on the adventures of Britomart, a princess who disguises herself as a knight. I
have combined two of her tales into one for this story. The first is the tale
of when she gazes into the magic mirror (and in the original she does in fact
see Sir Artegall). The second is the tale of her rescuing a maiden from a
wicked Enchanter. In the original, however, Britomart delivers the maiden to a
knight who had been her suitor prior to her capture, rather than falling in
love with her. I decided to have some fun to see how I could write a story
where two brave women form the power couple, without need for men to save them.
A
mighty knight.Source: goodfreephotos
Bibliography:
Macleod, Mary. (1916) How
Britomart Rescued a Fair Lady from a Wicked Enchanter. In Stories From
the Faerie Queene. Web
Source
Joni,
ReplyDeleteI love this story so much! I think you did an incredible job joining the two stories together. It made me smile to know the knight was disguised as a woman. I like that you have changed this story to give women more power over their story. It seems that men always take that role. The magic mirror was a great touch and I love that she saw this woman in the mirror and was able to be her rescuer. This was a really fun read. I was definitely entranced by it. Thanks for the great tale.
Hi Joni!
ReplyDeleteI think that you did a fantastic job of combining these two stories! I really enjoyed reading this story because it did not have the "traditional" ending that most stories have. Typically, it is always the knight in shinning armor saving the princess. Additionally, I like how the knight remained true to herself (and her gut), as opposed to doing something just to get the approval of others. This story was a nice change and kept me entertained. Good job!
Hi Joni!
ReplyDeleteGreat job with these stories. We are now at the end of the semester so I looked at all of your stories, not just these. You are a great writer, I never know quite where your stories are going but am always satisfied with their ending and twists. That includes these two stories. You did a great job this semester and I hope you continue to write even after you have completed the tasks in this class.
Hello Joni!
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting story! I love how you chose to recreate an older story with your personal spin on it. The ending was definitely not expected. Some of your other stories were full of these twist and turn endings as well and I would just like to commend you on a great story yet again.