My name is Xavier. I gave it to myself because I don’t like my real name. It’s ‘savior’ with a X. Cool right?
Arthur and Lance are laughing, but never mind.
Together, the three of us are the Knights of the Eternal Fountain. If you’re wondering why that’s our name, you’ll find out one day I guess. We’re sworn to protect the people of the land from monsters and evil, and if we fail our duties, well, Father would kill us. Literally. His rules aren’t there for nothing.
We’re a free trio, and we definitely don’t serve anyone. We’re always on the go, helping whoever’s in need. It gets really tiring and annoying sometimes, but the adventure and thanks are always worth it. Or at least Father said so. I personally didn't remember what was so good about helping people, but that's just me.
We set off on our crusade when I was twelve. I’m telling you, it was not fun. Can you imagine a skinny weak twelve year old boy facing monsters triple his height and width? It sometimes made me wish I was a girl. Father would never have let me do such things.
Of course, I’ve improved a bit in the past three years. I can defeat a horde of goblins on my own now with some help, but at least I can use both magic and swords. It gives me some self-esteem, since magic itself is an extremely rare skill to have, an even more difficult strength to master.
But enough with the intro. The real problem I'd been facing these past few days was what was happening now, not in the past. After years of experience and hardships, I, an in-training young knight, was now being faced with a new danger. A quest from no other than the king and queen.
Personally, I didn’t want anything to do with it. Royalty was always annoying to deal with, their insolent selves oozing with haughtiness from head to toe, but since Lance read the request first, there really wasn't another choice.
I would’ve much preferred staying in the abbey of the Hills. We saved the monks living there from religion hating slimes, so they offered us a place to live for the past month. It wasn't a fancy place or anything, but I'd made a few good friends with the monks until the abbey felt like the closest place to what I could call home.
The monks held a small good-bye party in our honor. There wasn’t much pomp and ceremony, but that wasn’t why I sulked around the abbey most of the time, refusing to show up. It was just depressing that we had to leave, again, for some stupid dangerous quest. I liked the peace and quiet they offered, the white ancient buildings and the lush spacious gardens, the sound sleep I could get without having to worry about the next day’s troubles. Why did we have to leave such a great place? Arthur refused to answer. He just told me to finish packing.
We left for the palace the next morning at the crack of dawn. My horse, Pluto, was anxious to set off. I understood that he hadn’t gone anywhere in a long time, but it didn’t help my mood.
“Seriously, it’s bad enough to have Lance excited, but you too, buddy?” I growled.
Pluto just gave a snort and started stamping his feet, staring at me as if to say, “Who cares?”
I snorted back and reluctantly started saddling him up. Pluto nudged me, probably looking for candy. I sighed and tossed him a chocolate bar. He’s a picky horse.
I threw a carrot each for Aragon and Hans. They snorted as if whining about why they didn’t get chocolate while grudgingly eating their meal. I ignored them and saddled them up too. That was why being the youngest sucked. I had to do all the hard work.
“Nice job, brother, but don’t waste all your sweets on your little pet,” Lance said from behind me.
I spun around to find him lazily leaning on the stable door, a cattail dangling from his mouth. I growled back, “Yeah, nice that you could show up.”
“Hey, now who was the one who refused to come out yesterday? What were you doing, crying in your bed?”
Something snapped inside of me, and I charged at Lance. He stumbled backwards in surprise as I pounced on him again, but my element of surprise didn’t last long. Recovering, he sent me flying into the stable wall with a heavy push. I gritted my teeth and lunged back. We wrestled on the stable floor as the horses skittered out of the way.
Minutes felt like hours as I tried to overcome my brother. I was sweating already and was struggling to pin him down. Lance was doing to the same, and we were stuck in a mutual struggle. Finally, I felt him loosen his grip for a moment and took my chance. Using a skill I’d learned from one of the monks, I flipped him over and jammed Lance’s face into a pile of hay.
Suddenly, I felt myself being lifted up into the air. Struggling, I watched Lance jump up to give me blow and freeze when he looked my way. I continued to struggle against my captor, shouting, “Let me go, Arthur!”
My brother dropped me onto the floor. I immediately lunged for Lance, only to have Arthur grab my collar again. He only let go when I started choking. I fell to the floor on my knees, gasping for breath.
“That’s why I have to keep watch over you, Xave,” Arthur said. “You can’t control yourself.”
I glared at Arthur. I whined, “Couldn’t you have at least let me beat Lance?”
He gave me a stern look and replied, “No. It’s a quick journey, but we must be in our best shapes. I can’t have the two of you arriving at the capital exhausted because of your childish behavior. Now, make up with each other.”
I grudgingly shook Lance’s hand as an apology. Before I knew it, I was already saddled on Pluto and off to the capital.
I turned just in time to see the peak of the abbey disappear from view. I slumped down on Pluto’s back. I suddenly wished I had appeared at the party last night. Who knew when I would be able to see the monks again?
I buried my face into Pluto’s long black mane, feeling the tears trickling down my face. I let them flow. Arthur and Lance were in front, talking, so they wouldn’t be able to see anyways.
Pluto slowed to a trot. I looked up to see what was wrong and found Pluto staring at me with as much sincerity as his empty black eyes could show. He gave a small neigh as if asking, “Should we turn back?”
I smiled. “Thanks buddy, but you know we can’t do that.” I looked back one last time in the direction where the abbey had disappeared. I rubbed away my tears and hugged Pluto’s neck.
“Fly time, Pluto,” I whispered into his ear.
Pluto immediately broke into a gallop, speeding past Arthur and Lance. They shouted something that was lost in the wind.
Goodbye, home of the past, I thought, it was an honor knowing you. I shut my eyes tight, pushing away every thought of the abbey. When most of the memories faded from thought, I reopened my eyes and fixed them on the path ahead.
Suddenly, I was no longer the boy hoping to hide in the safety of the abbey, where the looming shadows could swallow my fears and anxieties. I was one of the Knights of the Eternal Fountain, off to my next adventure, ready to face anything that stood in my way, ready to see the world with my own two eyes.
I let out a wild laugh, high-pitched and free, echoing down the forest path. I faintly heard my brothers trying to catch up, a strong wind blowing in my face. Refreshed, I grinned and leaned forward as Pluto ran faster and faster towards the capital.
I, Galahad Fathom, was more than prepared for our next adventure. I was born for adventures. Nothing stood between us, and I’d see to it that every quest was mine for the taking.
“Bring it on!” I shouted, scattering birds. I laughed. This was going to be great fun.
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