The Heart's True Keeper
The knights thundered across the Glen's wild grounds,
Their horses' hooves like drumbeats on the earth.
Travis led with grim determination,
Cameron and Max following close behind.
The forest thickened, branches dipping low,
As if conspiring to slow their urgent chase.
"The eastern path," Travis called out sharply,
"Her tracks lead toward the ancient boundary place."
Cameron drew alongside, face puzzled tight,
"But why would she go there of all cursed spots?
The boundary stones are dormant since the merge,
What purpose would the heart serve in that plot?"
Max clutched his scrolls, tied safely at his side,
"Unless—" his young voice faltered, filled with dread,
"Unless she seeks to undo what was done,
To separate the worlds that now are wed."
The thought hung heavy in the woodland air,
A possibility too dark to voice again.
Lady Ava—loyal, fierce, and true—
Could she betray the realm she helped defend?
They crested hills where dragons once had soared,
Now silent in the afternoon's fading light.
And there, beneath an ancient twisted oak,
A figure stood alone—a curious sight.
Not Lady Ava as they'd feared to find,
But Edgar, Lord Protector, grim and tall.
The dragon's heart pulsed gently in his palm,
Its crimson glow illuminating all.
"My lord!" Travis reined his steed in shock,
"We thought—" he stumbled over tangled words.
Edgar turned, his smile tired but kind,
"You thought my trusted knight had turned her course?"
"Lady Ava brought me what I needed,
Then rode to gather herbs on southern slopes.
The heart was never stolen, never lost—
I asked for it myself, though kept close hopes."
Cameron dismounted, baffled still and wary,
"But why the secrecy? Why not just say?"
Edgar's laugh was soft as falling leaves,
"Because the walls have ears that shouldn't play."
"The jester," Max breathed, understanding dawning,
"He fed us lies to send us on this ride."
Edgar nodded, eyes now sharp with purpose,
"Jim tests your loyalty while I decide."
"Decide what, lord?" asked Travis, brow furrowed deep.
Edgar held the heart up toward the sky,
Its light now streaming upward like a beacon,
A signal meant for someone passing by.
"Who among you three shall be my voice,
When I must travel worlds for months, not days.
The Glen needs someone strong to stand beside
The Avas' rule through challenges that raise."
The heart's beam split in three, touching each knight,
Reading depths that none could hide or mask.
Their histories, their hopes, their secret fears,
Laid bare beneath the heart's unsparing task.
Cameron gasped, while Travis stood stone-still,
Young Max trembled but held the light's gaze true.
The forest hushed as if in breathless wait,
To see what judgment ancient magic drew.
Then laughter pealed across the woodland scene,
A joyful sound that broke the solemn spell.
Lady Ava stepped from shadowed trees,
"You should have seen your faces! Gods, how swell!"
Behind her, Jim the Jester danced with glee,
His bells and trinkets jingling with delight.
"A test!" he cackled, slapping bony knee,
"To see which knight would chase with all his might!"
Edgar's smile broke through his serious mask,
"Forgive the ruse, my faithful knights and true.
The heart reveals not just the worthy one,
But how you work together—all of you."
The crimson light now pooled between them all,
Connecting knights and lord in glowing band.
"No single voice will speak when I'm away,
But three as one—together you will stand."
The dragon's heart, its purpose served with grace,
Returned to Edgar's palm, its light now dim.
The knights exchanged half-sheepish, half-proud looks,
While Lady Ava winked at jesting Jim.
"Now come," said Edgar, mounting with the heart,
"There's much to teach before the moon grows full.
The Glen awaits its guardians' return—
A council formed of knights both wise and bull."
As they rode back through forest bathed in dusk,
Max leaned toward the others, voice conspiring:
"I knew it was a test all along, you see—
" Travis and Cameron's groans sent birds retiring.
By Edgar Collins
© Edgar Collins. All rights reserved
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