The peace of my people reigned thanks to the Silvershield Knight, name by which they decided to call him, in spite of being very far from being his real name. I walk through the streets of the main market, looking for food for my home, with a smile drawn on his lips.

The Silvershield Knight became famous a year ago, when it saved a wealthy family from a robbery that would end in tragedy on the outskirts of town. From that moment on he was in the mouths of all the locals and neighboring towns. Some dared to say that he did not exist, that he was a legend, or a ghost knight accompanied by his faithful horse, but no. Here I am, without armor and without my partner, in the middle of the crowd choosing the freshest apple that the seller can offer me.

Being the Silvershield Knight is not easy but I enjoy it. I face the dangers that plague my people, from thieves to beasts that deviate from their path and sow terror.

"Sura" my mother's voice and her hand on my shoulder took me out of my thoughts. My emerald eyes shine when I see my precious little sister in my mother's arms and smile more strongly. I fight against evil to keep them safe. To my little sister, my mother and the twins who were running around, my other two brothers.

The real problem lies in my long scarlet hair, my pink lips, and other attributes, which leave me in evidence as a beautiful woman. And it is that everyone feels safe if a noble gentleman takes care of them, nobody believed that a lady could do it. In fact, my life could end if they discover me. The horde of people feeling cheated and insulted would take me to the gallows without hesitation. That's why I am cautious, without contact with anyone while wearing armor and I retire as soon as I finish my work.

"Daughter, it's time to go" my mother pulled me by the arm and nodding I start to walk beside her. The bustle of the people was decreasing as we moved away. The days lately are relaxed, without bad news or unexpected disasters. That's why I was surprised to see a sign in the main square with the portrait of the Silvershield Knight. I observe it with dissimulation and continue walking as if nothing.

In the evening, before I began my shift as manager of the tavern, I approached the poster. The king was summoning the best knights to an emergency meeting that would be held within two days, and the mayor of the town decided to send him, to the Silvershield Knight. Since then, restlessness settled inside my chest and it has not left me all night.

I've been thinking about the idea since I came to my home. Now I try to fall asleep and the poster does not leave my mind. The correct thing is not to attend that meeting; however the curiosity is being stronger. Something inside me screams at me that I should attend, maybe it's something important ... "It's time to make a decision" I say to myself.

I do not know at what time I gave up before the dream. But the sun has risen and it is time to collect the food for the trip.

I clean the old armor and sword of my late father and prepare Brick, my horse, to leave. The road to the real city is long and I must take advantage of the time. I put on my armor; I pick up my hair and hide it under the metal net, to then secure the helmet that completes my clothes. And without thinking twice I make my way to the royal city, leaving behind a note for my mother with a little money so that they are well while I return.

*****************************

I arrived in the royal city on the day of the meeting. When I arrived at the king's castle, it was enough to only show the sign that was in the main square of my town so that they would open the way for me.

In the place were gathered hundreds of knights, all waiting for the king. I try not to interact with anyone. I move away from the crowd and lean my body of a column while I admire the beautiful room, until the king appears and a sepulchral silence invades the place.

"Thank you very much for coming" began to speak the king "I will be brief because the situation warrants it. The war has gotten out of our hands. “A collective murmur was heard.

War? What war? Everyone lives peacefully today. My mind is in chaos with the words of the king.

"The rebels try to dethrone me at any cost. And for that they have used forbidden magic "the man paused while some gentlemen spoke" They have managed to take control of magical creatures. They managed to subdue orcs and dragons. The elves are still faithful to my mandate, but they are under attack. That's why I brought them here. The best knights of the nearby towns next to my royal army will attack this very night. "

The noise in the room became deafening and I cannot process the information. The kingdom is about to fall and I barely notice it. If they manage to dominate the elves, one of the clans with the most powerful magic among the magical creatures, they would win the war without thinking. It would be a complete chaos and it would be a matter of time before they began to destroy the nearby villages. My mother and my brothers will be in danger if I do not fight.

The emerald eyes beneath the helmet of the Silvershield Knight shine with determination.

*****************************

My breathing accelerates more and more as I mount my horse at full speed next to the squadron of the royal army. We are about to enter the battlefield and my hands tremble without stopping. I had not left my village until yesterday, and now I'm traveling to one of the strongest creature clans in the middle of a war.

The fire begins to visualize while the night falls, the forest was burning. But no matter what, my squad goes into the woods and I follow them closely. Soon they found where the real battle was being fought and my eyes were opened by the impression. Everything was chaos around me. Orcs and humans, the rebels, versus the elves, fighting to the death. The place was full of blood and bodies.

Suddenly, an orc approached me at great speed with the intention of hurting me. For a second I felt fear paralyze my body, but the adrenaline of feeling threatened forced me to move and stop the attack with my sword, even on my steed. The blow between the weapons made me remember when my father still lived and taught me the basic movements of defense and attack with the sword, which I perfected over the years. Now I defend myself with mastery and my attacks are strong despite being a woman.

I hurt the orc to the point of immobilizing him, but I am not able to end his life. That is not my mission.

I continue riding and fighting trying to make my way. My squadron has been entrusted to find the elves' chief and keep him safe, so I try to get to the center of the village and start the search from there. I had not reached my goal when a knight approached me and shouted that the elf chief was protecting the clan sanctuary. Without knowing where the place is, I decide to follow that gentleman. While we were advancing, a small troop of five knights joined us on the way to the sanctuary.

Once we found the place, we were forced to descend from our horses and continue on foot. Some high stairs led to the entrance of the sanctuary, which we climbed without losing time. When crossing the door there was a long stone path, a small bridge and what looked like a spring. And in the background, an imposing tree stood majestically. The stars of the sky shone, accompanied by the moon and some torches were the only thing that illuminated the sanctuary in the open air.

At the end of the corridor, in front of the spring, was the one who seemed to be the chief of the elves.

Before I could take a step in his direction, an earthquake paralyzed my body. I held back a scream when my eyes met a gigantic dragon that had just landed inside the place. This time the fear paralyzed me completely and I felt my sword slip between my fingers without strength to stop his fall that resounded against the floor. The dragon roared and everyone ran except me. My mind was blank, so I could not avoid the blow that the animal gave me with its long tail.

The blow sent me flying a few meters. When I managed to get up, I realized that the helmet and its protection had moved away from me. But thanks to the strong blow, my senses of survival woke up, and I did not worry about my tousled hair and my revealed identity.

I got up quickly and hid among some stones just before the dragon fired in my direction. "How to fight with something so big? I just cannot, "I say to myself. Without leaving the hiding place completely, I look out to see outside, the dragon had turned away from me when he did not see me, nor had he bothered to look for me. I quickly look for my sword with my eyes and go back to safety in the hiding place without moving. I ponder the situation for a moment and the determination returns to me. "Of course you can," I repeat to myself loudly and run for my sword. When I have it in my hands I realize the situation. The dragon had left three of the knights who accompanied me out of battle, while the elf chief tried to stop him with a spell.

The animal was restless and roared loudly as a light enveloped him. I approached without knowing what to do.

"It's too strong!" The elf chief shouted "They have to immobilize him" he told me and a gentleman who was a couple of meters away. I quickly approach the dragon and with trembling hands I nail the sword to his thigh. A scream came from the animal and seconds later the gentleman did the same on the other thigh. Shortly after the spell began to take effect and the dragon was calming and, surprisingly, decreasing in size.

"A man?" I cannot help asking the question as the silhouette of the dragon disappeared and a man appeared in its place.

"Some in the dragon clan have the ability to take the human form," the elf explained as he silently detailed me. "Everyone is under the control of powerful magic. They have to give me more time in the sanctuary, only that way I will be able to counteract the spell "explained the man while returning under the tree and began to mutter unintelligible words. I turned my attention away from the elf and watched the dragon, now a man, begin to regain consciousness.

"I'm sorry" was the only thing I could think to say while helping him to get up. At that time some orcs entered the sanctuary and the battle began again.

"You should not be here," the knight, who was still conscious, shouted at me, while he counterattacked an orc.

"It's too late to say it, do not you think?" I answer arrogantly as I take my sword hard and make sure no orc passes to where the elf chief was.

While fighting, I could see the dragon emerge completely from the lethargy. I am surprised when I notice that the wounds on his legs almost healed, but my concentration returned to the front when I received a surprise attack. The orcs are wild and strong, it is difficult for me to fight against them without hurting them too much.

The fatigue began to make me slow, I managed to dodge the blows with great difficulty. My arms are heavy and I start to miss my breath. I dodge a blow with effort; I see the second attack coming directly to my abdomen when a voracious fire drove the orc away from me. I turn and I can see again the dragon's figure behind me, back to its animal form, which took flight to get ahead and kill the orcs who were entering the sanctuary. Calm runs through my body.

But the joy that invaded me was interrupted when I watch an orc come out of nowhere and run directly towards the elf boss. Reacting as fast as I can, I manage to stop it before I can cross the bridge, barely. But immediately I realize what happened, my sword has pierced the heart of this. My eyes are clouded by the accumulated tears, without believing what has just happened through my hand. Tears run down my cheeks as I draw the sword from the limp body and see the blood flow.

Due to the consternation I do not notice another orc that is nearby, that just before being consumed by the fire of the dragon launched an arrow in my direction that manages to pierce my chest before it reacts.

"Divine justice," I whisper bitterly, still feeling guilty for stealing a life. Little by little the pain takes over my body, i losing balance without being able to avoid it. I try to react but it's too late, I'm on the edge of the bridge and I just wait for the blow against the water.

I fall into the water without anything avoiding it. I feel useless for not having achieved my mission, for having been neglected and leaving my mother and my brothers alone. My eyesight begins to darken despite the clarity of the water. The last thing my eyes saw before the air in my lungs was finished, was an intense light on the surface.

At that moment I knew, the elf leader had achieved it. I cannot help smiling.

Then everything was darkness.

*****************************

I manage to open my eyes slowly. The sunlight blinded me so I cover my face with my hand as I try to sit up.

"Do not force yourself, my daughter" the voice of an old woman catches my attention. When I manage to focus I see the silhouette of an old woman with a cane for a few meters. My strangeness and surprise is increasing when I observe my surroundings, where I had remained unconscious, i do not know how long, there were numerous flowers growing from the earth. I turn my gaze to the old woman when laughs out loud "Now you have the gift of life" still did not understand anything but once again the old woman spoke "My name is Svoke, I will help you move forward".

THE END

Thanks everyone for reading. Maybe the story looks a little strange. This is because I do not handle English very well, my native language is Spanish. Even so I wanted to participate in the contest; I hope to be taken into account.

If you handle the Spanish, I invite you to go through the story in its original language and leave your vote and comments.

For those who do not know the character Svoke, you cannot miss the winning story of @tristancarax, which was in accordance with the use of the character in this story. That way they will understand a little better the end of my story. Read here.

@Laykenia

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