For as long as Camelot flourished the people had always been loyal, and happy with their city. The people kept Camelot from ruin. The greatest example of this was the Lady knight Kayley, and the blind knight Garrett. They had served their city and king well, by defeating Ruber, and finding Excalibur. Kayley and Garrett had become important leaders of the Knights of the Round Table. About a year after the knighting they announced they would wed the following month.......
"Ayden, what am I doing?" said Garrett to his still trustworthy bird. "Kayley deserves, well, something more than me. I have nothing to offer her but my love...." The bird chirped in a reply that only Garrett could understand. "I know that she says love is enough, but......."
"But what?" came a reply that startled Garrett greatly. It was Kayley, who knew without asking what he was talking about.
"I......well......um....." was his reply.
"Garrett, love is enough. You do love me, don't you?" she asked.
"Of course! You just deserve something so much more....."
"Than what?"
"Me!"
"Garrett, look, we are living in the Castle of Camelot. We both are now nobility. My father taught you, and you do have your looks!" She said with twinkle in her eyes that even Garrett could almost see. "Now don't worry, tomorrow will be perfect." And she kissed him.
As Kayley went to leave she heard his last word: "I just wish I could see you Kayley, just once." That made Kayley's eyes tear. "Garrett, you have seen me. You've seen my soul, which is me." And then he heard her soft patter of feet leave the room.
Garrett thought to himself of her conversation with him. Sure, he'd helped her find Excalibur, been her friend. Especially when her mother, Lady Juliana died, and of course he loved her with his heart, soul, and mind. But he had not seen her face. He had a picture, and an idea, but what he wouldn't give for just a glance. Merlin! Merlin could help perhaps. He would go right now! He hurriedly put on his cloak and called to Ayden to help him. Ayden agreed with the plan.
"....so Garrett, you wish to see your fiancée Kayley eh?" said Merlin after Garrett asked his request. "Yes, I can do that, in fact it will be your present."
"O thank you Merlin!" he exclaimed.
"There is a consequence to it though...."
"Will someone be hurt?" asked Garrett.
"No, no one you love," answered Merlin.
"Then I will take it" said Garrett.
As Merlin had promised, after the wedding ceremony his gift was the gift of sight for one hour. Most of the time Garrett spent gazing at Kayley.
"You are beautiful Kayley...." he murmured in her ear.
"Are you happy to get your sight back, even for an hour?" she asked, in a teasing tone.
"YES! I can go back to the way it used to be now, and now I really have seen true beauty." A magical kiss followed.
Now, as for the warning that Merlin gave to Garrett, it was fulfilled. Einalem, a sorceress, knew of Garrett and Kayley. Garrett had a curse placed on him when he was only a child by her. She had always wanted to be Sir Lionel's squiress, and hated the stable boy that had been chosen over her to serve him. So, as she grew she developed magical powers. Right after he lost his eyesight, she placed a curse on him, that if he ever was truly happy after that he would realize a dark age upon the land.
Seeing Kayley, and marrying her had done just that. Ruber's younger brother Rebu, had raised an army up against Excalibur and Arthur. They also has a magic sword given to them by the sorceress. But this one was of darkness, name Lucifer, after it's creator. To defeat the army, the evil sword must be stolen from them, or Camelot would fall, was Merlin's prediction.
"Where is the army now?" asked Arthur to his knights. "All our evidence points to the forbidden forest my king," answered Sir Lancelot. At that moment all the knights turned to face Kayley and Garrett. The same thought ran through the knight's heads. "Can you do it?" asked the king after minutes of silence.
Garrett reached for Kayley's hand and gave a squeeze. "Yes your highness," they answered together.
They would save Camelot again, together, and show again, that a kingdom's strength comes from it's people. And that everything happens for a reason........... Garret was Sir Lionel's stable boy, why he was turned blind, Ruber united them, and Merlin was behind it all.
This part of the story ends with Garrett and Kayley riding off in dark clothing toward the forbidden forest, and their newest adventure....... together to save Camelot.
As they rode Kayley's most trusted mount, Lionel (named after her father), he became spooked as the mists of the forest surrounded them. Neither Garrett nor Kayley said a word as they walked toward the forest. The only thing they saw was that the once magical, romantic place had turned dark and scary.
"Garrett?" asked Kayley. They both knew that she asked what he wanted to do.
"Let's stop here, this should be about were the old path was...." Ayden's screech interrupted his words. "What is it Ayden?" he asked. "A group of warriors, close, in front of us?.....Ok."
Their adventures would start even before the forest. They dismounted quickly, and put on their costumes. They were dressed as warriors of hate and darkness, a far cry from their normal knights’ outfits! As the party approached they saw that they were big, and had dark magic all around them. Before they approached, Kayley said "Garrett?" "Yeah?" he replied. "If anything happens I love you." "I love you too."
With those word they walked towards the warrior clan.
"Who are you?" said a voice that was deep and filled with hate. When Kayley turned around her heart stopped and she took a quick, shocked breath. Ruber's brother Rebu was a reincarnation of him, except without a bald head, and with black hair. He stood a good three feet above Garrett, and was just as evil looking as his brother.
Thinking on her feet Kayley answered "We are looking for the brother of the mighty Ruber."
"Why?" asked Rebu as the gleam of his sword blinded Kayley.
"We are his followers, my companion lost his sight for Ruber's service." She answered. "And who are you?" she asked.
"The one you seek. I am Ruber's brother, Rebu. Welcome. The travel ahead of us is a long one," said Rebu after sitting down and getting down to business. "For you to be allowed to go into the camp, you must travel the forbidden forest, alone, without us!" Rebu and his men thought the forest an evil, hurtful place, but Kayley had no fear as long as Garrett and Ayden accompanied her. "Agreed" answered Kayley. Although it was unknown to Kayley and Garrett at that time, the forest had changed with the coming of the evil. The travel Kayley and Garrett embarked upon was going to be a harsh, and a hard one.
They began their journey at sunrise. The going was easy until the party began to feel uneasy. "Something is wrong." Garrett stated. "Kayley, what has changed?" Kayley didn't even bother to try to deny it. "It's gotten darker, the fog is rising, and it can't even be midday!" she paused to take a breath and said "Garrett?"
"Yes?" was his answer. Hoping for a joke he was, but he got bad news.
"You remember that poisoned tree with the sharp points that was deadly and moved? The one that you told me to be wary of, that evil was it's mother, and darkness was its father?"
"Yes."
"I'm looking at a forest full of them in front of us." She said it with no emotion, none at all. That was what scared Garrett.
The traveling started easy enough with a few mishaps, like man eating bushes and such, but nothing too important. The first of the difficulties started with the blue phoenix. For those that have never heard of a phoenix it is a powerful bird, the size of a house at least. Made of fire and born out of ashes, a phoenix never truly dies. However, this was a blue phoenix. They unlike their red cousins can die. They can be killed. Like the legendary Sphinx of Egypt, this Phoenix asked all the travelers to ask it three questions, and if they could riddle the Phoenix, it would allow them to pass.
"We could kill it......" said Kayley to Garrett as they watched the Phoenix.
"Impossible, Kayley, it would take an army!........Wait, I have an idea."
"Who are you?" screeched out the Phoenix as they approached it.
"Two travelers trying to get to the encampment of Rebu! All hail, pray, let us pass?" asked Garrett.
"First, riddle me," screeched the Phoenix.
"What has no eyes but can see?" first asked Kayley.
"Bat.........two more tries," answered the Phoenix.
"What is there but we cannot see, helps things to fall, but birds to fly?" again asked Kayley.
"Easy! Easy! Air!.....Once, trice, very nice, lastly prove yourselves to me!" screeched the Phoenix.
"Who are we?" asked Garrett.
Phoenix said nothing. "You have riddled me, wise ones. Heed this warning! Take the high road! It is steeper, and a climb, but the dangers are fewer. Watch, be wary of the two headed unicorn! And of the sleep flower! Take heed travelers!" and the Phoenix disappeared into a flame of blue light.
As the day progressed they climbed the higher road having few troubles, until they met the sleep flower. "Oh Garrett! These daffodils are beautiful! The color of the sea! I must have one!" as she reached down, Garrett yelled "NO!" But it was to late; the flower had poisoned her already. She fell on the ground asleep, in a coma. Garrett ran to her side...
"Kayley, Kayley! No! Ayden go find help!" Garrett knew that she could die from this sleep plant, if he didn't heal her..........
"I am the unicorn," came a low deep voice from behind Garrett.
"The phoenix warned us....."
"The phoenix fears me. If you could see, you would see I am not two headed, but have a cover on my head that keeps me from using my magic. To heal her I must be released.” Garrett thought. The phoenix had warned them of the path, and the flowers, but what if the unicorn was right........"Ayden? Is it true?"
His faithful bird chirped a signal to go ahead. Garrett removed the cover, and could feel heat coming from the horn. Moments later he heard Kayley's murmurs of a headache. "Unicorn?" Garrett asked.
"Yes my friend?" was the answer.
"Can I ask you to help me get her to the camp?" The unicorn agreed, and carried her until she could walk again, which took that day, and that night. By the time she was ok, they had reached the camp.
"Thank you, Unicorn," both said, with the good-byes.
After that night's travel, they reached the camp of Rebu. It was filled with warriors, and black magic. Garrett had an idea. "I can smell magic here. Do you have a sorcerer?" he asked Rebu, for they had been welcome with open arms.
"Better, a dark witch, though she calls herself a sorceress. She gave us the only weapon that could defeat Excalibur, Our black sword Lucifer!" He said as he pulled the curtain to the room of the sorceress Einalem. She was evil, you could sense it. She had raven hair, with white skin, and a black cloak. Einalem sat beside the sword, which was a black gold; it shined like the moon in the darkest night. It was black, with light streaming from it, and the light was like that of fire.
Einalem looked up and said "Who are you, you travelers?" She looked suspicious of them.
"We are followers of Ruber and now Rebu," Kayley answered quickly.
"You have the spirit of Camelot following around you.......were you just there?" she asked as she got up from her chair, and her black cape flowed along the ground. Her eyes narrowed and seemed to burn into Kayley.
"We were there, yes, spying," answered Garrett. Einalem seemed to calm down and seemed to float back to her chair.
"Rebu, take them to the planning tent; they will work with the people there." She ushered him away, with a whisk of her long, white hand.
Garrett and Kayley then gave Rebu's forces false information, that gave the king a better chance. That night, they heard of plans to invade Camelot the next morning.
"We have to steal the sword tonight!" said Kayley, as she threw Garrett a green camouflage outfit, and put one on of her own. "But how?"
"First, we'll wait until Einalem is asleep… wait— Kayley, the Unicorn!" Garrett said with excitement.
"The Unicorn?" asked Kayley.
"Yes, he said that if we ever needed anything,......."
"But Garrett, he just helped us!"
"I'm sure......" after a small argument finally the Unicorn was called by wishing beside a pool of water.
"You called?" answered a deep voice. After a small explanation the Unicorn thanked them for calling (he hated the evil in the forest), and gave them five dragon's teeth and holy water. “The dragon's teeth will keep Einalem trapped within them, and the holy water can be used to ward off evil demons." With that, the Unicorn galloped off in a ray of light, along the forest floor. Kayley and Garrett knew what they had to do. They snuck in the large tent that Einalem occupied. Kayley first surrounded the sleeping sorceress with the dragon's teeth. Einlaem awoke with a start, and acted as though she was locked in a room with no way out. She looked as though she would turn into a ravenous animal, and leap at them.
It was then that Kayley turned and saw the evil devil sword. Even Garrett felt the evil emanating from it. Lucifer was surrounded by a barrier of black swirling wind. Garrett took the bottle of holy water and poured it upon the wind. It seemed to disintegrate into thin air. Garrett was the first to speak. "Kayley?"
"Yes?"
"Do you love me?"
"Garrett of course I do, with all my heart......."
"Kayley, to pick up the sword we must use pure love. Remember Lucifer is pure evil, and love is pure good. Only our love can allow us to pick it up." Nothing more was said. Garrett leaned down and kissed Kayley as if he'd never kissed her before, and then holding one another's hand, they reached out and picked up Lucifer. The shock of evil hit them like a thousand volts of electricity. Nevertheless, they managed to sneak Lucifer out of Rebu's camp.
They ran, and ran, and ran. The forest was a hard place to get through, only Garrett could have gotten them through it. He led he down what seemed to be a safe path. Sure you hit a man-eating bush now and then, but hey, what can you do? Garrett sent Ayden ahead of them to meet the knights and bring help. When they emerged from the forest, they were met by Lancelot and Merlin, who had ridden out when Ayden flew ahead to get them. Lucifer was destroyed at Camelot by Excalibur. Again, the lady knight and the blind warrior had saved Camelot. But as all things are this is not the end, only the beginning, for when there is good, pure good, there is also pure evil. The sword Lucifer is gone, but Rebu and the evil sorceress Einalem still live on. The threat is still real, and there. But though love may be blind, it is power.