Chapter 2: The 11th Hour

Flashbacks...

Far down the horizon, stood that young girl, tall in the middle of the storm. She has that look on her face. A heart full of desire, a mind full of hope and a willingness to take on anything that comes her way. She was born to be a brave warrior, learned to protect herself and care for the ones that she loved. She was tamed by the control of her own wrath and yet she melted like ice in a furnace when forced by demanding moments to meet her soft-hearted nature. She had a quick, curious mind and was quite pragmatic most of the time. But not this time. Not this battle. This time it was different. Nothing could save her accept the lessons of the storm. She had to patiently sit and wait for it to pass. In these situations patience wasn't her biggest strength considering the restlessness she bore. But it wasn't an impossible task.

Before a battle began, she would recite this out loud to herself,
“I am no princess in a perfectly beautiful world waiting for my Prince Charming to come and sweep me off my feet and rescue me from danger. Life is not a fairy tale. In this life I am nothing but a warrior. I stand here today in the face of this humongous hindrance and prepared to succumb to whatever it brews.”

She had lost all feelings, even pain. A cold-hearted but harmless beast had she become much before all this had begun. Why is that a bad thing you ask? Because being numb could kill you. Not feeling any pain allows the dagger to dig deeper. To find pain, she had to find happiness again. One cannot exist without another. She learned that happiness and pain were two sides of a coin. But she was far too cold to seek and achieve this happiness on her own. She truly believed that if one sought happiness alone, it would never be theirs. And it turned out she was right enough. Just when she got comfortable with being self sufficient, it hit her.

What she did not know was that six months ago she had unknowingly ignited this change that took its own pace and ultimately led to this day. She fought a battle and she had fought it with all her might, but in vain. She had lost this battle. She had lost to a much wiser, much nobler, much kinder warrior. Not just any warrior, he was a knight! A knight who had fought his own battles for many a year. And accepting her own defeat she took off her armor and laid it on the floor. She then presented her sword to him as a gift which he accepted. In spite of knowing what it meant, the harm that could come her way. The happiness she felt with the weight off her shoulders knew no bound. This left the knight with confusion, insecurity and a state of disbelief. The only way he could endure this was to convince himself that is was a dream. But she very well knew it wasn't.

She was not his sweet dream. She was for real!!!