“I know, but I’m a complicated guy.”
“Hmm…so terrible.”
Anna’s knight went back to reading. The pair spent the rest of the day like this. At some point Anna must have dozed off. When she woke up, it was late into the evening, and they were the only ones left at the tea shop. Her knight had put away his book and was ready to go. She stretched her arms out and stood up. They walked back to the Main Street outside the school. Bill had also fallen asleep, but he was awake and in the seat in no time.
“So, you two kids have fun?”
“Yeah, we really did,” Anna said, her head falling onto her chest.
Outside the carriage, Anna’s knight said, “She’s a sleepy camper.”
Bill chuckled. “You sure do go well together.”
Her knight peeked in on the sleeping princess. “If only in small doses.”
Chapter 19
Anna was left alone with her knight on the sixth day of the festival as well. Bart had gone home to rest. Shel was probably still upset with her. So, the stall remained closed. Anna and her knight were left to browse the selection of shops, though nothing quite caught their eyes. In the end, they decided to visit Ko and have some more of his tea.
They were greeted by pretty girls from his grade and given the same seats as before. Everything in the teashop was similar to last time. Only now there were pamphlets that said something about fireworks that night. Anna waved down Ko to ask him about it. He came over, a smile on his face.
“Would you care for more tea, Princess?”
“Please, call me Anna. I was actually going to ask about the fireworks show you’re putting on.”
“Ah, yes. My uncle Chao sent over some of his leftover stock, and I was thinking—”
“Chao? You mean the guy who pretty much invented modern fireworks?” Anna’s knight asked.
Ko sighed. “Yes, but please don’t go telling anyone. Everyone would be coming to me, asking if I could get him to do their event.”
“Well, how can we not tell?” Anna’s knight said.
“Hush.” Anna turned to Ko. “We won’t say a word.”
“Thank you. Were you planning on attending?”
“Knowing what we know, I’d absolutely love to go,” Anna said with a soft smile.
“Perfect, I needed a date anyhow.”
“Date?” Anna asked.
“Yes, what kind of man would I be if I didn’t come with a date?”
Anna blushed faintly. “Truly, I’m flattered.”
“No, you’re not going,” her knight cut in.
“Don’t you dare start this again.”
“You’re not going.”
“Why not? It can’t be because he’s too old like with Phillip. So why not?”
“I don’t need a reason,” Anna’s knight growled.
“If I may,” Ko said, placing a hand on the knight’s shoulder.
“No.” He threw the hand off.
“Why are you acting like this?” Anna said, her voice raising just a bit.
“Because as your knight I can’t let you just throw yourself at whatever man makes a pass at you.”
“Are you saying I’m a tramp?”
“I’m not not saying it.”
Anna was about to burst when Ko said, “I didn’t mean to get you two fighting.”
“It’s not your fault.” Anna stood up. “He’s just a jerk.”
Before the men could say anything more, Anna left the teashop. Her knight followed after but stayed a good distance away. She was furious with him. After such a pleasant day, he had to go and ruin it all. It was like he just couldn’t help but be an awful person. Anna didn’t want to be with him at the moment. So, using her small height, she lost him in the crowds.
Anna didn’t know where to go, so she sat in an unused classroom. The young princess felt like crying, but really just wanted to scream her frustrations. She clamped her hands over her ears to shut out the noise of the festival. Anna wanted to go home, but that would have meant dealing with her knight. The door clicked open, and she prepared for the long silence between her and her knight.
“Princess, what are you doing in here?”
“Ko?”
The big red demon stepped inside and gently closed the door behind him. Anna noticed his knuckles were bandaged. They weren’t just a bit ago. Also, they were bleeding still. Anna thought he must have just come from a fight. But with who?
“Ah, my hands. Don’t worry. It’s nothing serious.” He sat down next to her.
“What happened?” Anna grabbed his hand to look it over.
“Nothing, nothing. It’s just after I saw how your knight treated you, I lost my temper and punched a wall.”
“Really?”
“It’s not the first time. If I ever get below an A plus, I’ll lose my temper and punch a wall. Oh, how much money I’ve spent on repairs and compensations.”
Anna smiled despite herself. “So, what they say about demons is true then.”
“Unfortunately, it is. Our hot heads get us into many fights. Not that we ever lose them,” Ko said, smiling.
“Do you still need a date to the fireworks?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.”
“Until then, what do we do?”
“Hmm…I heard some third years got a landscaping company to transform a classroom. Would you care to see?”
“Of course.”
Ko took Anna’s hand and smiled. They left for the landscaped classroom, making sure to avoid any sign of her knight. Along the way, Ko stopped them and bought Anna a freshly baked pretzel. A little embarrassed, she ate it nonetheless. A few salty bites later, Ko had purchased her a blueberry snow cone. She thanked him and ate it.
Anna felt a little weird walking next to him. He was almost triple her size and intimidating to boot. Those who knew him said hello and smiled as he passed. Those who didn’t kept their heads low, trying to avoid eye contact. Anna heard a few whispered comments about why she was with him. She didn’t let it bother her.
Finally, they made it to the classroom. Stepping inside, Ko and Anna were blown away at what a little magic could do. The seats and tables had been removed. In their place was a small hill. In their path was a creek, gurgling along as if it had always been there. A wooden bridge led them over it. Anna could smell the flowers around them. The sweetness of the different flora melded together into one beautiful scent. Anna and Ko sat on the hill, a blanket having already been laid out.
“This place is wonderful.”
“Indeed it is,” Ko replied.
“I wish I had a book.”
“Why don’t I tell you a story?”
“Would you?”
Ko cleared his throat. He started a story about two rivers. For as long as time had been around, these two rivers flowed next to each other. The male fish lived in the left river, the female in the right. Every time it was time to mate, the males would leap over the land between the rivers and find their partners for life. However, the male could not be in the female’s river for long, or else he would die. Still, he stayed with her with as long as he could, until he hadn’t the strength to jump back to his own river. Even after he passed along, the male’s children lived on in the two rivers, his partner never taking another.
“That story is kind of sad.”
“To my people, it is a happy tale.”
“But he dies in the end.”
“Yes, but he lived and died with honor. To take care of and stay with the person you love, despite the fact it might mean your demise, that is a happy thing.”
“Well, I liked your story either way.”
“Your knight is like that.”
“No, he’s not.”
“Death is not always a physical thing. You can be very much alive, yet st
ill be dead to someone.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Your knight is willing to receive your scorn, your tears, even your pain, as long as he can take care of you. He does not care what you think about him. That man is honorable in my eyes.”
“He’s the cause of most of that!”
“I know, but it’s the ones closest and best to us who can do the most damage.”
“That doesn’t even make sense. Stupid eastern philosophies.”
“You’ll understand one day.” Ko stood up. “Now, why don’t we go see those fireworks?”
“That’d be nice.”
Ko held Anna’s hand as he pulled her to his side. The pair left the classroom-turned-garden. Then they went back down to the second floor. The fireworks were to happen during the contest as the final act. Ko got Anna a great seat at the far end of the second floor, looking directly at the stage. There they waited until it was time for the magic to begin.
The same girls from the teashop came on stage and began setting up the fireworks. When they were done, the girls started counting down. Soon the crowd joined in. The seconds ticked away. A streak of fire shot into the air. Kaboom! Bright red sparks covered the sky like twinkling stars. Soon more explosions happened, greens, yellows, blues, even pinks. They were perfectly timed too, so much that an actual picture would appear in the sky. Deep blue oceans, setting suns, even a flamingo were burned into the memories of the people watching.
“I hear something.”
“What, Ko?”
His answer was cut short by a metal foot to the gut. Anna was about to start yelling, thinking it was her own knight. However, she saw it wasn’t him, and her next thought was that it was her sister’s knight. This thing, though, may have looked like Coraline’s knight, but its body was malformed. What used to be its sword and dagger was now twisted into a horrifying shape. The faux knight advanced on her, but it was stopped in its tracks by a red fist.
“I’d suggest you stay down.”
The thing, now with an even more smashed face, got up to face the demon. Its lanky movements were fast. The short sword sliced through air to get at Ko. By now, the others had run away, which left him with plenty of room to dodge the faux knight’s attacks. The creature wouldn’t let up, and soon Ko was up against a wall.
The faux knight went for Ko’s head. The giant demon didn’t dodge it either. Anna turned away so as not to see the bloodshed. That’s when she heard metal being scraped. Looking back, she saw the enemy’s weapons in her friend’s mouth. With one chomp, the swords shattered. Ko even went as far as to swallow the broken pieces with a smile.
Ko grabbed the faux knight by the torso and said, “You little piece of trash.”
The demon smashed him into the ground.
“How…”
Smash.
“Dare…”
Smash.
“You…”
Smash.
“Tried to hurt…”
Smash.
“Such a sweet, innocent little girl!” Ko smashed away as he said this.
“Ko!”
He wasn’t listening, though. Ko pounded away at the thing. His fists pummeled the faux knight so much the floor fell through. The fighters landed, Ko’s anger finally spent. Anna hurried down there to see if he was okay. Besides a little rawness on his hands, Ko seemed to be fine. Anna almost sighed with relief. However, that’s when her knight showed up.
“You…you horrid little brat!”
Ko turned on her knight. “She almost got hurt, and that’s how you treat her.”
“Ko, please…” Anna started.
Her knight grabbed her arm, nearly breaking it as he said, “We’re leaving, now.”
“You’re hurting me.”
“You better let go of her now,” Ko said, getting riled up again.
The two men looked ready to kill each other. Anna didn’t know what to do. It was hard to think with her arm being crushed. She knew it wouldn’t end well, though. What was she supposed to do? Anna teared up from the pain. Ko advanced on her knight. If someone didn’t do something, one of them was likely to be killed, and Anna wasn’t about to bet on Ko.
“Screw off. She’s my responsibility, and I’ll treat her however I want.”
“I thought you were better than this, that you were an honorable man.”
“You thought wrong.”
“Ko, just leave it be,” Anna pleaded.
“Yeah, leave it be,” her knight said.
Ko was choked up with anger but backed off. Anna’s knight grunted and dragged her away. He didn’t say a word as they left the school. By the time they got to Bill, she was bawling her eyes out. The carriage driver tried saying something, but he was pushed back into his seat by the knight. Even though she was no longer being held by his iron grip, Anna kept on crying. When they got back home, Anna’s knight tore her from the carriage.
“Please, I’m sorry!”
“Shut up. If that fat, red tomato hadn’t been there, you would’ve died.”
He got Anna into her room and locked the door. Then he dropped the princess on her bed. Anna curled up under her blankets and cried for the rest of the night. The knight stood by the window, silent.
Chapter 20
“So, are you coming or not?” Bart asked Anna.
Anna looked to her knight. He still wasn’t looking at her. For conversation all she got were one-word answers. Bart and Shel had come over after hearing what had happened. They were more than a little worried at her puffy eyes and interactions with her knight.
“No.” She sniffled as she spoke, “I’ll just stay home today.”
“Come on. Why are you letting him act like this?” Shel asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re the master; he’s the servant. He should do what you say, not the other way around. You need to take back control.”
“But…”
Shel marched up to Anna’s knight. “Listen here, you empty-headed jerk.”
He looked into her eyes and said, “What?”
Shel took a step back. “Uh…you need to…”
He took a step toward her. “What do I need to do?”
Shel’s knight came to back her up as she said, “You need to stop acting all high and mighty and…and treat her with a little more respect.”
Anna’s knight was silent for a moment, and finally he said, “Anna.”
“Yes…”
He walked over to her. It looked like he was going to put his hand on Anna. However, she shrank back from him. His hand pulled away, and he crossed his arms again. Her knight went back to the window, looking out at the blue sky. When next he spoke, Anna noticed there was something different to his voice. It almost sounded as if, as unbelievable as it was, he were crying.
“You go to the festival. I’ll stay here.”
“Aren’t you always supposed to be with me?” Anna was surprised by this sudden change in attitude.
“I think…we need to spend some time apart.”
Bart stepped forward and said, “But that’s not allowed.”
“No.” Everyone looked at Anna. “I think it’s for the best. Both of us to need to do some thinking.”
Anna got up and left the room before the others could stop her. When she was halfway to the carriage, Anna looked back to see Bart, Shel, and both their knights following her. Her own companion was nowhere to be seen. Getting into the carriage, the three friends were silent. On their way to the festival, Shel used some magic to clean up Anna. Nothing that would cause the magic user any harm. It was just a simple spell nobles used in case they had some place to be the morning after a raucous party. The small charm couldn’t compare to the power of a real bath, but it was nice in a pinch.
“Anna, are you okay?” Bart asked once the
carriage stopped.
“I’m fine.”
“But…”
“I’m fine.”
Bart gave up and got out. Shel followed him, as did Anna. The three of them hurried to the stall. When they got there, Bart and Shel tried to cheer her up with some of their usual banter. Only they didn’t have the heart for it. Anna just sat at the counter, mulling over her thoughts. It scared her to think that her knight would get violent with her. Then again, he did have the right to be angry with her.
“Princess Anna,” a familiar voice said.
“Phillip?”
The young man was sweating and out of breath. “I need to tell you something, a message from your brother.”
“What does Romulus want now?” Anna said, exasperated.
“Not that brother, Princess.” Phillip looked pale as death when he said this.
“You mean Cornelius? Is my sister with him? Are they okay?”
“I wouldn’t worry about them.”
Shel slapped Phillip and said, “Spit out the message, you fool!”
“They’ve taken your knight.”
“What?” Anna gasped.
“This morning, right after you left. They were looking for you, but only found him, so they took your knight.”
“But…why would they do that?”
“I don’t know, but your brother clearly wasn’t happy about it. His message said that if you didn’t show up to the family mausoleum…well, it kind of just started rambling on about experiments…”
Anna didn’t say anything. The others began talking about getting the guard together. Phillip said they were too busy with the festival. Bart exclaimed he’d go there and save her knight. Shel bonked him on the head and said he was stupid. The two started arguing, Phillip just shuffling on his feet. Anna still didn’t say anything. A part of her wanted to save him. Another part, though, had a mixture of fear and hate for the knight. Perhaps she could just leave him there…
“He’ll be fine on his own.” Anna finally said.
“Wh-what?” Phillip asked.
“He’ll be fine on his own. Let’s just enjoy the festival.”
A Knight of Contradictions Page 13