We find our Knight asleep, sitting in the middle of the table, the warm summer rain washes his soul...

As he sleeps, the little fairy princess moves closer to see if he is asleep or just so depressed that he does not move. She moves very slowly as she transforms herself into human size and uses her beautiful translucent wings to cover our knight. As the slow, warm raindrops light on her wings, they give off hues of rainbows, her wings stop the warm rain. Our knight is asleep, his hair hangs wet and long over his face, his leather is soaked to the skin and on his face she can see the pain he feels.

The Fairy Princess touches our Knight's head with her lips and sees what he is dreaming. He sees himself as he now believes others see him: his leather is just the rags of a peasant, his breastplate is nothing more than an old hub cap,dented and scarred from years of neglect, his shield is a trash can lid that was discarded after someone ran it over one too many times, and his sword is nothing more than two pieces of wood carelessly taped together, dried and cracked, his mount a swaybacked nag........       

But that is not all the princess sees......

She sees the hurt the mistress has so carelessly placed on our Knight accusing HIM of being dangerous and unstable. And that she is going back to her old castle, in a land where she is not allowed to be who she is. The Knight believes all is lost that he can care for........

The princess comforts our knight with words he will not hear, for his slumber is deep. She reminds the Knight of his worth and the foolish way the mistress threw him away. For our Knight is dressed in fine leather made from the finest animals the gnomes could capture and skin, custom fit to the letter of the word. His breastplate is made of the finest tungsten steel and has been blessed by the Goddess herself to protect his lovers heart. His shield is made of the strongest transparent material known to man or demon. And, his gold trimmed and silver tipped sword is made from materials so rare, so strong only the Goddess knows for sure. His hair is long and full and his eyes are the color of the sky at times and the color of the grass that grows so thick in the forest at others. His mount is the most loyal and beautiful of black stallions. He is a true work of art, tall and lean with the look of a prince in his own right. He is, after all, a Knight of a Lost Realm.....

As he starts to waken from his slumber, the fairy princess retreats to her crystal ball and moves back out of view. For she is a bit ashamed to have invaded his dream. 

A long lost brother is calling his name now, as our Knight sits fully erect "Rekcor", he calls..... our Knight answers, "Sel? Is that you?" "Yes",he says, and as they talk, Sel tells him yet another story of woe. Sel has lost his wife of 23 years and is also heart broken. After a while Sel must part and as he rides away, he tells Rekcor he is lucky to have loved so many times for he has those memories to keep him company, not realizing those memories haunt him, for he knows each of the lost lovers holds a piece of his pain-stricken heart.   

He rises from the place he had been seated while Sel was with him and walks slowly to the edge of the small crystal clear stream that flows by the village of the gnomes. He looks deeply into the water, wishing there was a way to wash away all the pain he has been feeling from the betrayal of the fair Aseret, but he realizes only time will do this. He drops to his knees and and begins to wash his face when he feels the softest of touches. Startled, he spins around,falling into the stream. Giggling and smiling, she looks down on him, her loving gaze warms him. Her dress is made of spidersilk and flower petals, her hair is brown and and shoulder length. Eyes as green as emeralds and shining brightly, she offers her hand to our knight. He reaches up, cautiously taking her hand in his own strong grip. As she pulls to lift him, he pulls back, HARD! She slips and is caught off balance and falls onto our knight, laughing and giggling as she does. "Princess Evenstarr, why are you here?" He asks of the princess. She replies, "You needed me,Rekcor. My love, I have travelled great distances to be with you but, alas, I cannot stay but a moment now for I cannot hold this form for long. But, call my name in the manner of the Knights of the Realm and I will respond in the same manner. In this way, I will never be more than a call away." She kisses our knight and vanishes in a bright and colorful flash of light.

Our knight has much to reflect on.... The mistress will be gone soon from her home in the village where he lives, her mind made up. She thinks him to be a monster. Thinks him to be the worst of the worst. Is he, or was he so bad for loving her unconditionally for who she is, never wanting to see her hurt and never telling her how to act, or that she is somehow not living up to the standards someone else may have set?

Yes, he has much to reflect on, now. Is he the monster he is believed to be or is he a knight. Someone who truly tries to rescue the weak and mistreated. So much to think about......