Sword and Sorcery

A True Paladin!

We stood there looking out on the battle field wearing blood stained armor that made us look nearly demonic. Yet one was stained more than all the rest. The dents and cuts in his armor and body bespoke of recent action in the middle of combat surrounded by the enemy, yet he stood there tall and straight with a look that demanded all stay the battle as he surly would. His presents gives strength to our arms and gives us the will to carry on when any sane man would have given up. Defiant against evil, concerned for his men, but clear of eye he scanned the battlefield checking every knot of fighters for something. Then his entire stance changed and he yelled, “To the KING! He still lives!” He ran straight down the hill at breakneck speed and two hundred worn, tired, bloodied, and broken men followed him into battle with renewed hope and vigor. They ran down the hill and onto the battlefield never slowing but constantly yelling, “To the king! To the King!”
The cry drew the attention of another hundred or more men and they joined the run. Nothing could stand in the way of the Paladin as he led his men into the battle once again. He ran right through groups that were fighting and cut the enemy down like wheat. The three hundred men that quickly became four hundred, finished killing the rest of the enemy and picked up anyone that could move. “To the King!” Soon the numbers were five and then six hundred. The Paladin drew men to him like hungry dogs smelling victory in the hunt.
He reached the King and took up the front of the line forcing the enemy back and telling the Clerics to heal the badly wounded King and remove him from battle. Then he drove into the enemy with a courage born of his God and a will to not disappoint the God he loved more than life itself. He prayed out loud as he burst through the enemy and ran at their King. “Heironeous, grant me this victory. Let me taste the blood of evil with the edge of blade once again. Guide my arm to strike true and strong. You own my sole, you have my heart, my sprit is yours, and if I die on this field today I die a happy man to know that I died in the service of your love.”
The men cheered and ran ahead of the Paladin with renewed stamina as if the God himself were in them giving them strength. They tore into the evil King’s protectors and cleared then out of the path of the Paladin.
Running full on with sword in both hands the Paladin came at the King standing there without concern. Knowing he was protected by his Witch. Knowing nothing could harm him. As the Paladin’s blade came down the Paladin and blade turned into pure energy and cut through the Kings blade, his mighty armor, the Witch’s protections, and all the way down into the earth. The evil King was dead and the Paladin disappeared.
He reappeared at the edge of another battle on the same field and he instantly cut through the backs of the enemy yelling so that they would know to turn and fight him face to face. When he finally cut through to the center he found the Prince badly wounded and picked him up and carried him running through the battle to the Clerics and gently set him down. Then he disappeared.
He reappeared in front of the enemy’s champion. A supernaturally large storm giant that had laid to waste most of the Kings army. Manny of the men fled in fear of the creature. The Paladin yelled up to the Giant as it started to move toward another knot of combatants, “Stand and fight creature of evil.”
The giant rose a foot to stomp the Paladin and the Paladin stood his ground. He quickly picked up two iron pikes, dropped on the ground by fallen comrades, and stood them up. As the foot came down it impaled itself on the pikes. The Paladin rolled out of the way as the Giant screamed in anger. It pulled out the pikes but took several cuts from the Paladins sword while doing so. The Paladin’s sword was the only one to cut him in this battle. Nothing else could penetrate his thick hide and that enraged the Giant even more. He tried to grab the Paladin to crush him in his devastating grasp but the Paladin would not be grabbed. It was like he was fluid and the Giant’s hand could not pick him up. The Giant tried to eat the Paladin but the Paladin stuck another pike up the giant’s mouth and down his throat. He could not close his mouth fast enough to bite him without great pain and every attack by the Giant gave the Paladin the chance to cut him more. Soon the giant was staggering from loss of blood and that gave the men courage enough to return and destroy the creature. Again, the Paladin disappeared.
He reappeared in a room, in a tower, overlooking the battle field. In the room was a Witch and she was casting curses on the invading army. The Paladin was not silence in his full plate armor; yet, as he ran toward the Witch she did not turn. She was in the middle of a spell to summon a Devil among the fight below. To loose the spell would be devastating. The Paladin’s blade cut at the Witch and her contingency spell went off at the same time her own spell went off. She summoned a Pit Fiend inside her own ‘Globe of Invulnerability’. She could not get out and no one could get in and she was stuck with a creature she could not control. The Pit Fiend looked at the Paladin outside the Globe and the cowering Witch inside and ate the Witch before it disappeared from the globe, something thought to be impossible. The Paladin disappeared.
He reappeared where the Pit Fiend transferred to. The Pit Fiend clearly saw that the Paladin was being protected by something more powerful than he. It spit out the words, “Faith protects you, Paladin. We will meet again.” It plane shifted to its home.
The battle was over and the Paladin walked among the wounded showing care and goodness to both friend and enemy. These men were not responsible for their Evil King’s actions, or the actions of his Witch. The Paladin used all his abilities to ensure as many men as possible would be going home to their loved ones this night. Of course, he had them swear allegiance to his King and they gladly did so. They knew their King was dead and soon their land would belong to another King. This Paladin was showing that being part of his kingdom would be a good thing.
When all was taken care of and all his men were accounted for, alive or dead, he went to his knees in prayer. “Thank you great Heironeous. As it was, is, and will always be, my life and all that I have is yours.” His prayers went on throughout the night and deep into the next day. Even the King did not disturb him until he stood. And, when he stood cheers of a thousand men both friend and new friend raised though the valley.