by Amber "V" oonstone

The forest was a lonely place for the Knight. He traveled many miles to reach his love's kingdom. There were dragons to slay, wild weather to brave and enemy country men to defeat. All energy spent, in the name of love and honor. The Knight dressed in Blackened armor, strength of a lion and the beauty of Adonis proudly  rode upon his magnificent trusting white horse. Such a contrast as if they were night and day.

The Knight longed for his love to be at his side this very moment. As he daydreamed, of the beautiful "Princess" with long ebony flowing hair, he was caught off guard and ambushed by the King's men. There were at least 20 soldiers that overtook the Knight. He had no chance of escape! Dragging the beautiful white horse and Black Knight, the soldiers laughed at the swiftness of the capture. The Knight decided to play it cool, and did not even fight to escape. He figured he would have a better chance getting even, once they reached the King's homeland.

He spotted the Castle off in the distance, just beyond the river's edge. He knew that was his "Princess's" home. What a trick this was going to be on these soldiers. They thought that they had a prize for their King. Little did they know, The Knight was in good favor with the King, and was to be given permission to marry the Princess.

He lusted after this Princess for five years, and finally he would have his way with her. Thinking about their wedding night, he could hardly hold back the erotic anticipation. He would be gentle with her the first time and then be the beast he knows he is. A Lion's heart beneath a loving face; but never a coward when it comes to making love.

Nightfall was approaching and the castle doors were straight ahead. The soldiers dismounted and gathered at the door to announce their arrival. The doors opened and they led the Black Knight on his magnificent white horse directly into the courtyard. The King was asleep but the Princess was awaiting their arrival. As she came out onto the balcony, she was frozen at her post. Why was her love, tied and being led toward the castle entryway? Did they not know that it was her Knight in Blackened Armor? Where they completely oblivious to this fact? She must awaken her father, The King, immediately!

As the shouting and bantering was heard down below, the Princess desperately tried to wake up her father.
"Father, Sir, you must come quickly, see what your soldier have done". He jumped up out of bed and grabbed a robe and raced out onto the balcony. His vision was a bit blurry, but he was able to figure out what he saw. He pointed his finger at The Black Knight and said,
"You, you there, who goes there?"
The Black Knight yelled upward, "Your Majesty, Sir, It is I, your daughter's husband to be".
The King laughed, and said, "Not even over my dead body, you have been accused of the worse crime ever!"

The Black Knight began to panic a bit, trying to think of what he could possibly mean. He shouted upward again, "You must have me mistaken with another Knight, I have done nothing, Sire, nothing against your laws."

The King laughed, and shouted to his soldiers, "Take him away, put him in the cell in the dungeon, Now, off with all of you, I need my sleep!"

The Princess was in shock, not knowing what to think, or do for that matter. She got her composure and approached her father.
"Father, What has he done?, Please tell me what has My love done?" "Daughter, it is not a concern to you, he has broken my law, and he must be banished immediately!"
"But, Sir, surely you must be mistaken, he loves me and only me, please Father I beg of you, do not do this, please do not do this".
"You must go to your chambers, get some sleep and we will discuss this in the morning..Do you hear me? I want you to go to bed, NOW!"

This was the very first time he had raised his voice to her since her mother's death five years ago. The Princess was completely confused and forlorn. She had to find out what her  Knight's crime was, so that she could figure out a way to have her father pardon him. A few hours crept by, and the Princess climbed out of her bed and ran down to the lower chambers where her love was held. As she came into view of the cell, she could hear him crying and calling her name. Her heart just about broke in two. She silently walked over to the Knight, and touched his head ever so gently. He looked up at her and cried like a baby.
"Oh My love, why are thou accused of such a crime against my father? Tell me what have you done? Please tell me".
"My beautiful flower, I know nothing of what I could have done. I am innocent of anything, I do not know what is happening here."
He grabbed her in his arms and held her ever so close, they could hear their hearts beating as one.
"There must be mistaken Identity going on here, I have not done anything wrong, except ask to marry you and take care of you for the rest of my life."
"I have to go back to my chambers before the sun comes up, if I am found here, I will be with you in this cell as a prisoner myself. I will get to the bottom of this, I promise, please try to be patient I will return as soon as I can. I love you Black Knight, I love you with all my heart."

Then she ran off back to her room. The morning sun rose, as it did everyday, peaked its head into the softness of The Princess's bed. She woke with a smile on her face, for in her dreams, she had her wedding passion with her Knight! As surely as the smile left her lips, she cried with the knowledge that her love was held prisoner by her very own father. What was she to do? She had to begin a plan to make her father release this ridiculous captivity! She bathed, put on her very finest gown, and proceeded to have morning meal with her father. She approached the dining hall with confidence and love.

"Good Morn, Father, Sir"
"Good Morn, Lovely daughter, I see you rested well, you will need it today, we have much to speak about."
"Oh dear, Father, please, let us enjoy our meal, and then we will speak."
Silently they enjoyed their food, and glances to one another every few minutes. She knew that her father loved her more than his own life, but still, there was something very different, very distant in his look. As their meal drew to an end, the Princess excused herself before they were to talk. Upon finishing, she kissed her father on his forehead, and promised to return in an hour. As she walked away her father shouted at her,
"Ye, Better not be joining that prisoner down there!"
She turned and gave him the most saddened look a father could imagine. His face grew softer and he said,
"My child, it is for your own well being, please trust me on this, please I know more than you can imagine, hurry back to the parlor and we will talk of this matter..now be gone to freshen up and I will see you in an hour's time."

She nodded and left the room. The King was shaken with all that has transpired, just within the last 48 hours. His heart has been ripped out of his body, his soul cannot endure what he must tell his daughter in just an hour's time.
He yelled for his servant, "Come hence, bring me my finest ale!!"

The Princess was so forlorn, she could barely make it to her chambers. As she reached the doorway she ran and fell onto her bed with tears pouring from her soul. She could not bear to lose her true love. What could her father tell her that could be so horrible? What has her Knight done? Oh, Goddess please help me in my hour of need, bring me strength and light so that I can make it through this horrible day. The hour passed and she knew she must face her father's news. Walking very slowly toward the parlor, she felt a strange but lovely sensation entering her body. The smell of gardenias filled her nostrils, and she knew that her mother's spirit was surrounding her for protection and joy. She smiled, and knew that her energy co-mingled with her mother's would be very powerful indeed! The King was sitting on his chair, with his head in his hands. Was he weeping? The Princess decided to ignore this, and just rushed into the room demanding to know what was going on!
The King looked up as if to see a ghost, his wife.
"Oh my sweet Queen, you have come back to me. Please tell me if this is the truth? Can this be possible? Please, help me to save our daughter's honor".
"Father, it is I, your daughter, not your Queen, what is wrong with you?" "No, my Queen, you could not have betrayed me in such a way, I am beside myself with sadness, please tell me it isn't so!"
"My King, My Love, what is this sadness? What have I done to betray you?, I loved you with all my heart, my soul is yours for eternity, tell me, what is your burden?"
"Queen, You have betrayed my honor and your daughter's! Do not come before me with lies, come speak your truth, let the facts be known."
"My Love, there is not an ounce of betrayal in my body or my soul. Please tell me what this is about?"
"You really need this to be spelled out? All right then, I will tell you what I have discovered, but first I must find our daughter and she must hear this, for I cannot repeat this tale".
"Father, I am here, please go on, speak of this tale, we want to know what is troubling you."
"Oh, daughter, I am so sorry, I must tell you before you make a grave error!  Five years to this day, your mother passed on to the other world. She took with her a secret that I only found out about just a few days ago. She had bore a child before I married her. That child was not mine. I banished that child, and took your mother away from her horrid life. She was of a very poor family, but honorable peasant people. That child still lives, and he is down in our dungeon being held captive until I know what to do with him."

The Princess became weak and fell to the floor. The King summoned the servants to carry the Princess to her chambers. The King was beside himself, pacing to and fro, praying that his daughter will awaken. Hours passed and she was still asleep. As he entered her bed chamber he could hear his Queen's voice coming from the Princess. "My Husband, My Lover, My life, I know of what you speak, now. I did not know that he was your brother. I discovered this truth right before I died, before I was able to tell our daughter. My son, looks exactly like his father. Your brother that was banished from the Kingdom as a young boy. I am sorry, I was not able to tell you before I died, but our daughter is in love with him so. Please guide her gently, she may not recover from this shock".

"Oh my Queen, I will bring him up to her bed chamber, and I will let them be for a wee bit." The King summoned the prisoner to his chambers.

As the Black Knight approached the King, he bowed with respect and honor.
"My King, I humbly beseech you, please Sir, tell me of my crime."

The King spoke gently of this tale, and upon finishing he gave the Knight a still glass of Ale! The Knight was astounded at such news, he was weakened in the knees and could hardly speak.
"So Sir, I am of royal blood? Your nephew? This is unbelievable, unthinkable, what am I to tell the Princess, my love of my life?"
He began to deeply weep right in front of the King. The King's heart began to melt, and he reached out for his nephew.
"Nephew, I am sorry for your plight, I cannot, however, allow you to marry your cousin/half-sister. This is against all laws of our Kingdom. If you were not born of the same mother, I could accept you as a husband for my daughter. You must go see her now, and explain to her that you are leaving and will never return."
"Yes, Sire, I will go hence and salvage her honor with my departure. I must go see her one last time."

Upon entering the Princess's chamber, The Black Knight began to weep so deeply, he could not stand any longer. He knelt beside the bed and held the Princess's hand. As he opened his tear-filled eyes, he saw a vision of a beautiful angel.

"My beautiful son, I am truly sorry for the fate you have come into, please know that I have always loved you from afar. I will continue to protect you from harm, but now you must also obey the King he knows whats best for all of you.  I shall walk with you on your journey toward your home, and protect you from evil offenses. Go Now, my child, go with peace and love and I will be your light for the rest of your life."

"Mother? Angel of Protection, I have seen you many times, amidst battles and personal turmoil. You have never spoken to me before now, I knew you were a special being, but never dreamed you were my mother. Oh mother please help the Princess to awaken from her shock induced sleep. Send your light to shine inside of her again. Bring her peace, and happiness once more. I shall leave with a kiss upon her cheek."

He bestowed such a kiss, mounted his beautiful trusty White Horse and left the castle forever.