He gently kneels down and shakes her arm. “Summer? You’re gonna get cold out here.” He speaks softly.
His touch startles her out of the hazy dream she’s having. She wakes up with a little gasp, blinking up at Arthur. “Wh-what?”
Sighing softly, Arthur shakes his head and helps Summer up. “You fell asleep. Everything okay?”
She clings to him, wavering on her feet. “No. No. Something is … is wrong. I don’t know what it is.”
Arthur’s eyes narrowed in worry, holding her arms and shaking his head. “Everything is fine Summer, I promise you that.”
“I feel so strange, though … ” Summer shivers, eyes falling in and out of focus. The world feels like it’s drifting in a slow circle around her. Her fingers dig into Arthur’s arms, trying to steady herself.
“Don’t be, this’ll be lots of fun for us, not everyday one goes exploring.”
Arthur nodded his head, clearly unable to deny what he was seeing in front of his eyes. He kept his horse at a safe distance, a hand on his sword, in case the man should strike. But he hadn’t moved yet, it was disturbing. Why hasn’t the man started moving yet? It made little to no sense.
However when he grabbed Summer’s leg, Arthur instantly got off his horse, holding the sword out to the knight. “You will let her go this instant.”
She held very, very still. The grip on her leg was like a vise, and her eyes flicked to Arthur, the sword glittering in the sunlight. There was no way to tell what the dark knight was thinking.
“Do you challenge me?” The helm turned slowly until the eyeslits were on Arthur.
Arthur’s eyes watched the knight carefully, he wasn’t going to stand if he laid a hand on Summer. She hadn’t done anything to deserve what was happening to her.
“I do challenge you.” He spoke confidently, turning his sword toward the knight.
“When you are defeated, I will take your shield and hang it with others who have fallen to me. I will take your lady and hold her in my castle.” The dark knight’s voice was strange, emotionless and cool and with an odd echo from the helm.
With caution, the knight turned back and lifted Summer from her horse, setting her on her feet a little distance away from the road. “You will abide the outcome.” He collected the reins of both horses and tethered them to a tree nearby, before, finally, drawing his sword and turning to face Arthur.
“Don’t be, this’ll be lots of fun for us, not everyday one goes exploring.”
“Hmmm.” She pondered. “No.” With a wink and a laugh, she kicked the horse again and shot off down the path. Rounding a corner, she vanished from his view, and nearly ran headlong into a fully-armoured knight standing in the middle of the road. Her horse reared, and she shrieked.
Arthur shook his head when she took off without him, leaving him to his thoughts after shouting that Summer should come back. Hearing her shriek, Arthur instantly moved his horse faster, catching up where she was and hopped off his horse.
“I think we found him,” Summer said, leaning forward over her horse’s neck to pat the shuddering animal. She glanced down at Arthur, then back at the silent knight. The knight, clad in dark armour, never moved, never so much as indicated he knew they were there. Summer looked back and forth between the two again, then gently nudged her horse forward.
The dark knight’s hand seemed to snap out, seizing her by the ankle. “You shall not pass.”
Arthur nodded his head, clearly unable to deny what he was seeing in front of his eyes. He kept his horse at a safe distance, a hand on his sword, in case the man should strike. But he hadn’t moved yet, it was disturbing. Why hasn’t the man started moving yet? It made little to no sense.
However when he grabbed Summer’s leg, Arthur instantly got off his horse, holding the sword out to the knight. “You will let her go this instant.”
She held very, very still. The grip on her leg was like a vise, and her eyes flicked to Arthur, the sword glittering in the sunlight. There was no way to tell what the dark knight was thinking.
“Do you challenge me?” The helm turned slowly until the eyeslits were on Arthur.
