The Knight On Duty

Short Fantasy Narrative

~1000 Words

He is screaming again. One lone knight stands posted outside of his bedroom. All the others are far too scared to come to this part of the castle anymore, not since the rumors began. The knight stands frozen, not from fear, but because, it's how he was taught to stand; back straight and eyes facing slightly upward as not to accidentally make eye contact with anyone above his station. It was the first thing he was taught.

He is screaming again. The knight must not flinch. On his way here, he remembers how he sneezed. When he looked around, he saw how the whole place was gradually becoming coated in a fine layer of dust. Every time he feels he must sneeze, he holds his breath. He is to stand there silently guarding. He wishes his partner had abandon him to this task alone.

Ever since his original partner quit, he's been practically guarding this door on his own. Replacement after replacement, would beg to be taken off this duty. They claimed being there made them feel ill and gave them nothing but nightmares. They felt nothing but dread standing guard in this hallway. He's the only knight who's never experienced anything odd. He honestly can't say he's ever felt the same unease as the other knights. A little uncomfortable, but never so unnerved that he felt the need to abandon his post.

He is screaming again. But this time, there are words mixed into his suffering. The Knight now stands frozen and it is from fear.

“Gunther! I know you're there! I know it's you! Gunther, say something!”

Gunther had always planned to be a loyal knight to his Prince, since the beginning of his knighthood. It was said that Prince Victor used to be a sweet, innocent child. Before Gunther was assigned to him, there had been some kind of incident.

The Prince had slipped away from his nannies. When he was found again, he was passed out next to the gate at the far back of the property that runs up against the forest. They could not wake him for days after that. That was when Gunther was assigned to him.

Gunther was there when the Prince first woke up. He was placed on the inside of the door to the Prince's bedroom, to make sure no one or no thing came through the windows. His partner was placed on the outside of the door. Gunther was the only person in that room when Prince Victor woke up.

They had made eye contact because Gunther was completely caught off guard. One moment the child was sleeping and, in the blink of an eye, he was sitting up staring straight at Gunther. Gunther thought he was the last person to see Prince Victor as who he should have been, even if only for a second.

After the Prince woke, Gunther and his partner were relocated and new nannies were assigned to the Prince. Nobody talks about it, but, one by one, the nannies went missing. The last two were said to have only survived because they stayed together.

Prince Victor would have them fired, claiming that they would not listen to him. When he would try to send one off on a task, they would refuse to leave or they would both insist on going together. The Queen and King didn't want to hear the nonsense that the nannies were spewing, that the ones that came before them didn't run away. It had something to do with the Prince.

“Gunther, please. I know you're out there. I know you can hear me. I need you to come inside. You're the only one who I trust to do this. Please, Gunther, come to me.”

The knight is frozen. He does not remember giving the Prince his name and he doesn't understand why anyone else would. All the old nannies were gone and none of the replacements ever knew his name. He can't believe the Prince would ask for it, that anyone would know it to able to tell the Prince without asking Gunther directly. He stands there, quietly.

Prince Victor returns to screaming. Gunther doesn't know what's in there. Gunther has been guarding the door since the Prince was first locked away. He remembers the few times having to move aside. Physicians had been sent for. Magic folk had been sent for. One after the other, they would open the door, peek inside, and their faces twisted into a horrified madness Gunther could not better describe any other way. They would slam the door and flee. Gunther glances back at the door.

Gunther thinks back to the time when an old priest came by and he had drew these sigils on the door without even opening it. He had told the Queen and King something or another that led to the windows of the Prince's room being boarded closed with more magical symbols drawn on top.

He remembers that day as being one of those days where you could faintly hear the Prince snoring. They had waited to make sure the Prince was asleep. Or, more likely, that old priest cast a spell to put the Prince asleep. How else would he have slept through all that hammering.

It's gotten quiet. Gunther can see the flakes of dust in the air. The lock on the door rattles. Gunther does his best to stay still like he was taught, but he's shaking. He wants to blame it on a draft. Knights aren't supposed to get terrified. To be afraid is one thing, but Gunther was terrified.

“Gunther,” the voice comes from the other side of the door. It's quiet, but Gunther is sure the Prince is standing right on the other side of the door. He's never done that before.

“What do you need, My Liege?” Gunther's voice rattles as badly as the door is. He was given instruct not, under any circumstances, to interact with the Prince. But, in his terrified state, he slips up.

“Gunther, we do not have time. It is either me or it is all of you.”

“What do you mean, My Liege?” Gunther's terrified state starts to morph into a perplexed one.

“Come inside and I'll show you. But, before you enter, draw your sword.”

Prince Victor is screaming again. Gunther places his hand on the hilt of his sword. He sneezes from the dust, wondering if he should open the door now or wait for the Prince to become lucid again.