Courage

She woke up rolling down a hill.

Medrauta’s eyes snapped open as she bounced against the uneven dirt, wincing as a stone dug into her flesh. It wasn’t sharp, but she was sure that it’d leave a bruise.

Adrenaline coursed through her body as she crashed downward at a steep angle, forcing Medrauta to put her arms up in an attempt to protect her head.

“Ugh!” She landed on her side, the impact jarring her bony frame to the core. Everything hurt, but still she struggled to her feet.

Any onlooker would’ve been surprised at how calmly she’d reacted to falling off a hill steep enough to be considered a cliff. But for Medrauta, something like this was commonplace. After all, it wasn’t the first time this had happened.

The orphanage was situated next to a swamp, but there was a steep drop behind the building. Of course, Father Raphael had the area fenced off to protect the kids, but it didn’t stop them from getting creative.

Just below the orphanage was a well-traveled road that was mostly frequented by merchants, visiting nobles, or military patrols. Sometimes even bandits. And for the orphanage children who were rarely afforded any form of entertainment, a fight between the local guard and a group of marauders certainly wasn’t something they could afford to miss.

Because of that, the children had gotten quite skilled at scaling the fence. Skilled enough that they would be able to climb up while carrying someone and then throw them over. The fences weren’t dreadfully tall in any case, and Medrauta was a light load at best.

The first time it happened was on her fifth birthday, just a year after she’d arrived at the orphanage. Medrauta hadn’t learned to roll with the fall yet, and she returned with bruises and broken bones. Needless to say, the party was canceled.

Medrauta leaned against a tree as she slowly recovered. Her body was still aching and the places where she’d been struck by rocks or other debris throbbed painfully, but she was otherwise fine.

Normally, the first thought that popped into her head after an incident like this would’ve been revenge. She never really managed to successfully get back at the boys, but it didn’t stop her from trying anyway.

However, it was a special day. A day where she definitely couldn’t be late no matter what.

...Damn it. I have to get back... I have to get back and get out of here! Medrauta winced as she began limping up the road. Her left hip flared in pain with every step that she took, but she endured it nevertheless. After all, it was Choosing Day.

The incumbent Emperor was merciful. As a nation-wide law, he had implemented this day for all orphans, allowing them to at least make one meaningful decision in their life after being left behind. On this day, all orphans aged six or older were assessed by an imperial official and then granted a choice of vocations available to them.

Medrauta had no idea what she wanted to be, but she knew that she’d be taken away from this place after making her choice. Nothing else mattered.

A quarter of the way up, Medrauta stumbled. She crashed onto the ground, causing a plume of dirt and dust to rise up around her. Slowly, she pushed herself up from the ground even as her hip protested with a shot of searing pain.

I won’t give up! I won’t...! Medrauta felt tears well up in her eyes. She didn’t cry when the boys beat her up. She didn’t cry when they threw her in the mire. She didn’t cry even when she missed her fifth birthday.

But at that moment, the road ahead looked so incredibly long.

She’d never make it in time. Realizing that she would be stuck here for another year was the breaking point. She wanted to let all her emotions out at once. At the very least, no one would be around to see her cry.

But at that moment, the sound of hoofbeats drummed through the air.

“Stop! Stop the carriage this instant!”

“I cannot! Your Imperial Highness, we’re being pursued!”

“There’s someone in front of us! You have to stop or we’ll run them over!”

“Your—”

“This is an order! Aren’t you going to obey your princess!?”

With great effort and a plethora of curses muttered under his breath, the coachman tugged sharply on the reins. Horses whinnied, steel and wood rattled, and incredibly, the carriage came to a stop merely a few feet away from Medrauta.

The silver-haired child stared at the muscle-bound stallions standing before her, their beautiful coats slick with equine sweat. She had never seen such magnificent creatures before. With eyes full of wonder, Medrauta stared at the horses who seemed to look back with an equal amount of curiosity in their eyes.

And then, her gaze fell upon the massive carriage behind. It was unlike anything Medrauta had ever seen. Decorated in glittering gemstones and gold, it was the ultimate expression of wealth and opulence. If even a single jewel fell from the vehicle’s treasure-encrusted body, it would be more than enough for Medrauta to finally leave the orphanage.

She marveled in wonder, ignoring the angry shouts of the coachman ordering her to move out of the way. Even if she wanted to comply, she couldn’t. The carriage’s splendor had entranced her.

Maybe they’d... take pity on me...? Medrauta took an experimental step toward the carriage, her mind far away in a world of fantasy. She imagined a beautiful princess with a heart of gold inside. One that would take her hand and whisk her to a land free from pain and suffering.

A princess who would share her riches and comforts with Medrauta. The two of them would wear pretty dresses every day, dance in fancy ballrooms, and eat delicious food. What a wonderful dream that would be.

But that was all it was.

A dream.

In what seemed like an instant, four horses appeared alongside the carriage, their armed riders bringing them to a stop expertly. They surrounded the carriage and turned their attention to the coachman.

Medrauta recognized the look in their eyes.

It was a look of hostility and superiority, one that she was quite familiar with. She’d seen it many times in the eyes of the boys who tormented her daily.

“Shit!” The coachman swore, his eyes darting around frantically. “Padraig! Padraig, where are you!?”

One of the riders urged his horse forward. He was the only one without a helmet that obscured his face, and his aura of confidence easily marked him as the leader.

“Your knights are busy with the boys,” he smirked. “Y’see, us common folk, we know it well. We can’t tussle with your knights. Not normally, anyway. But y’all sit in that cozy little castle while the shitheads from Kaslavna stomp our fields flat. So... We gotta put food on th’ table somehow. An’ that goes for all o’ us up north.”

“W-What!? They would never...!”

The man smirked. “Oh, they would. Knights gotta feed their family too, buddy. Y’just don’t wanna look at the bottom rung ‘cause it’s embarrasin’, but lookee here, it’s comin’ back t’ bite you in the ass!” He let out an ugly laugh.

The coachman was silent for a while before finally speaking. “...What do you want?”

“Now we’re talkin’,” the man nodded approvingly. “We don’t want nothin’ from you. Let us take th’ princess and we’ll be on our merry way. Figure a ransom’d get us more than anythin’ you’ve got inside.”

“...I will never hand the princess over to you swi—”

Droplets of blood fell from the rider’s sword and onto the ground. The coachman’s head followed suit soon after, staining the dirt crimson.

“Open the door,” the man ordered as he pointed to one of his companions. “Caleb, you’ll be carrying the hostage on your mount.”

The man he pointed at nodded and then dismounted. The others followed suit, taking up defensive positions around the carriage as one of them smashed open the door and dragged a pink-haired girl out.

The girl didn’t kick or scream. Instead, she stared at the one person she hadn’t allowed out of her sight even from the very beginning.

Medrauta shuddered. The girl was staring straight at her. Ever since the carriage was surrounded, Medrauta had taken to hiding behind a tree and its surrounding bushes, watching the scene unfold with bated breath.

She knew that the armed men were bandits, and she knew that she should’ve run to get help. But even so, she couldn’t stop watching. She couldn’t stop hoping.

Hoping that the bandits would leave at least one gem untouched.

...Then I’d be free.

Or so she thought. She wasn’t even shaken even after seeing the coachman decapitated. But for some reason, the look in the pink-haired girl’s eyes evoked a deep sense of guilt inside of Medrauta. Perhaps it was because the girl was staring at her. Perhaps it was the fact that the girl hadn’t even made a sound even after being roughed around by bandits.

Medrauta knew she couldn’t continue watching like this. Already, she felt the need to vomit. But she didn’t know what she could even do. She didn’t have the strength to run up the road, and even if she somehow managed to make it to the city, the guards would never arrive in time.

At that very moment, Medrauta knew exactly what she wanted to become.

She recalled a time long ago when her mother was still by her side. A time when she was put to bed with warm milk, cozy blankets, and stories.

Stories of knights doing incredible deeds, saving innocents, rescuing those in need, and slaying terrible beasts that plagued the empire’s countryside. Medrauta remembered how those stories had inspired her and how they’d given her the strength to go on despite the dismal conditions at the orphanage.

She knew she wouldn’t make it back to the orphanage in time for Choosing Day. She knew she couldn’t even choose to be a knight. It was something that you were born as, not something that you decided to become.

But a knight was more than just their supernatural strength. A knight was chivalry, honor, glory, and pride. A knight was a defender of the downtrodden and a champion of the empire.

A knight shone brightly, just like the Sun.

Even if she couldn’t choose to be a knight, she could choose to act like a knight.

Medrauta stepped out from the bushes.

“L-Let go of her r-right now!”

The four bandits were so stunned that they didn’t even know how to react. They had expected many things prior to planning their attack, but never could they have predicted that an injured little girl would be their adversary.

“Well, what do we have here?” The bandit without a helmet smirked. “Rather brave for a kid, aren’t ’cha?”

Medrauta gulped. She hadn’t exactly thought of what she’d do next after making such a stupid decision. Either way, there was no turning back.

“T-The guards are on their way, s-so you better stop!” Medrauta’s voice shook tremendously despite her best efforts to keep it under control, but the bandits simply laughed.

“Aye, and my mother’s gonna come back t’ life,” one of the bandits guffawed. “Aight, let’s dash, boss.”

The leader frowned. “What’s the hurry? You don’t actually think the guards are coming, do you?”

“‘Course not, but... It’s just a kid, boss.”

“Aye,” the leader nodded. “A kid who’s seen everythin’ and anythin’ that’s gone down today, I figure. Don’t ‘cha remember the golden rule? No witnesses.”

“Boss, she’s a child!”

“You goin’ soft?”

The bandit shook his head in response to the leader’s aggressive tone.

“Fuckin’ bitch. I’ll do it myself then.” The leader said as he walked toward Medrauta.

Medrauta wanted to run. The realization that she had made a grave mistake washed over her, but it was far too late. It was idiotic for her to even think of acting like a knight. More than that, it was arrogant. After all, she was powerless, and now she would just be another casualty.

But as much as she wanted to flee, she couldn’t. Rather than being frozen in fear, there was something else fixing her to the spot.

Even now, the pink-haired girl’s gaze hadn’t wavered from Medrauta’s.

If Medrauta were to flee, it would be no different than abandoning the very person she’d tried to help, and the mere thought of that made her queasy.

So she faced death head on.

“Not gonna run? Not gonna cry?” The bandit leader raised his sword high up in the air as he prepared to execute Medrauta. “You’re one helluva brave kid, I’ll give ya that much.”

And then his sword swung down.