A Prince's Vow

         
         
Made: July 23rd 2023

A Prince's Vow

         Once upon a time, a knight and a prince lived alone in an empty tower in a faraway land. The prince asked the knight for his hand in marriage every day, and the knight would refuse every time.


         After a while, the prince began to grow more and more bold in his proposals, and yet, the knight would always refuse, no matter how aggressively the proposal was held. Eventually, the prince became desperate and finally asked the knight, "Oh knight! I have asked you many times to marry me! And yet you refuse! Why?"


         The knight thought for a moment before he answered, "It is because you have always asked me to marry you, yet you have never told me you loved me. How can I marry someone who hasn't even taken me on a date?" This caused the prince to pause, almost dumbstruck as he processed what the knight had said. "Then let me take you on a date! One more spectacular than any other! When it is finished, will you marry me then?" "Perhaps," said the knight, smiling slightly from behind his helmet.


          The next day, the prince did just as he said he would, and the knight was happy. "Will you marry me now?" Asked the prince, looking hopeful. "I cannot," the knight started, "You have taken me on a date, but you have not even gifted me flowers, how can I marry someone who hasn't even given me a gift?" The prince paused again before speaking, "Then I will get you the most beautiful gift I can find! One so beautiful that even the gods would be jealous! If I get you this wonderful gift, will you marry me then?" "Perhaps," said the knight, his posture relaxing underneath the heavy armor.


         Keeping his promise, the prince had found the most beautiful flowers around the tower and had crafted them into a most wonderful bouquet, presenting them to the knight with a wide smile. The knight happily accepted the gift, his heart fluttering at the gesture. The prince once again asked the same question, "I have given you this gift, will you marry me now, oh dear knight?" The knight smiled, lifting his helmet off just the tiniest bit, "Perhaps... You have taken me on a date, and have given me this wonderful gift, make some time for tomorrow, and meet me behind the tower, right in the middle of the garden." As soon as the words left the knight's mouth, the prince exclaimed in glee, "How wonderful! I will do my best to meet you on time, do not worry, my dear knight!"


         The very next day, the knight was nowhere to be seen, and the prince was a bit worried before he remembered that he would be waiting where he told him to go yesterday. The prince was ecstatic, and he practically jumped with joy as he almost sprinted behind the tower, and towards the garden. He ran towards the middle and stopped right before the empty plot. And there was his knight, his sword dug deep into the ground and his frame standing tall. With the bouquet in his hand, he walked towards him and placed the bouquet on the ground.
         The prince kneeled, his smile never fading as he lowered his head in prayer. He prayed for his knight's wellbeing, even as tears dropped from his eyes and onto the plaque of the grave. The knight's expression, ever-unchanging in the form of the statue. The prince wept, his hands dusting off the letters of the plaque to read them one last time.


         "To my dear prince, how I loved you so. How regretful I never got to marry you. Love, your dear knight."


         epilogue


         The prince is in a state of depression, but the spirit of the knight is always by his side, and keeps him from doing anything drastic. Eventually, the prince leaves the tower, and the knight can only stay where he was buried, forever watching over the home that he once shared with his beloved prince.