Kingdom's Edge (7 page)

We had learned much. In nine short months, the Prince had raised us from the depths of poverty-torn peasants to the heights of knighthood. The Prince spent as much time teaching us how to honor the Code and the King as He did on how to handle our swords.

As we learned more from Him, we learned more about Him. There was something divine in His nature. I feared Him for His power. I revered Him for His skill. I followed Him for His wisdom. But I served Him for His goodness.

How was it possible that one man could touch another man's life and change it so drastically? I was no longer Cedric the peasant. I was Cedric, Knight of the Prince. This honor did not come because I was able to make a knight of myself, but because the Prince chose to make a knight of me.

Why me?
The question would not leave my mind.

The sun scorched the countryside, but we pressed on with our training. We broke midafternoon to quench our
thirst and eat bread. Beneath the shade of a small grove of trees, the Prince spoke.

“Gentlemen, I am pleased with your training. You are all capable warriors now. You must fully understand the meaning of the Code and bury it in your hearts. To live by the Code is to love and serve the King, and to love and serve each other. Without the Code, your newfound skills with the sword are meaningless and will eventually destroy you. Remember what I have taught you. You must recruit and teach others. My words will guide you in the future.”

Sadness fell upon me as I listened to His words. Why did they sink my heart so? Surely this was not the end.

“My time with you is over.” The Prince spoke the words I had been dreading, though He had warned us of this day.

Shock and fear swept over me, and whispers and murmurs rose in volume around me.

“What do You mean, my Prince?” a fellow knight asked.

“Your training is complete. I have received word from My Father and must return to His kingdom. One day, I will send for all of you, and you will come and feast with Me in His kingdom. But for now your work is here.”

“My Lord, we have so much more to learn from You,” another knight said. “We cannot possibly be prepared to take on the Dark Knight and his—”

A thunderous noise came from the north and grew louder with each passing moment. No, it was from the west. No, it surrounded us from all sides. The sound of the pounding of horses' hooves engulfed us. We drew swords and looked for a place of retreat but found none. Fear came as quickly as the horses.

One hundred Noble Knights with their mounts soon encircled our position. The countenance of Kifus made clear that his intention was war. We were outnumbered nearly four to one, and they were mounted.

Today we die
, I thought.

“Be still!” came the confident voice of the Prince.

“Today your lies and blasphemies end,” Kifus said. “Your death and the deaths of your petty servants will restore order to this kingdom once and for all!”

“Remember, My knights,” the Prince said to us, “your fight is with the Dark Knight and his Shadow Warriors. This is not your time.”

The Prince walked toward Kifus without His sword drawn. If this battle were to happen, I knew we would all die. Our fight would be noble but futile. Only the Prince had the power and skill to defeat these vicious opponents. At least He would survive. I knew this to be true.

Midway in the gulf between Kifus and our men, the Prince stopped and spoke. “Kifus, your grievance is with Me, not My men. Spare the needless spilling of blood and let My men leave peacefully. I will come to you unarmed as your captive.”

The Prince had the power to live, yet He offered His life for us? Why didn't He heed our warning? How could a man this wise allow such a thing to happen?

I did not know what to feel. Gratitude, anger, humiliation, and fear meshed together, leaving only a feeling of impending defeat.

Kifus sat smugly on his horse and seemed to enjoy the moment of power and control. He'd won. Revenge for his
humiliation at the sword of this impostor obviously tasted sweet, though I knew deep down he was relieved that he did not have to face the Prince's sword again.

“So let it be,” Kifus said. “Make way!”

Behind us, the circle of Noble Knights broke open to allow us passage. No one moved. How could we abandon the Master we had come to love, trust, and serve?

“Gentlemen, you must leave,” the Prince said. “Remember the Code. Live the Code. Continue the Code, or all that I have done is for naught. Leave in peace.”

One by one, the Knights of the Prince turned and walked through the circle of certain death. My own cowardice caused me to turn and leave. Once beyond the break, we ran like frightened, homeless children.

I was ashamed!

From the crest of a hill, I peered and saw a dreadful scene unfold. The deadly circle of Noble Knights hesitated in their advance as the Prince drew His sword. He looked down at its beauty and then to the hills.

Kifus reached for his sword, but it was not needed. The Prince drew back and threw the magnificent sword into the sky. It slowly rotated end over end, and the sun occasionally gleamed off its steel as it arched high above the Noble Knights and beyond the clearing. It disappeared far into the thick trees and brush of the forested hills.

He had chosen a silent surrender. The Noble Knights collapsed on him. The powerful hands of the Prince were empty.

A TIME TO WEEP

I tried to awaken from this bad dream, but morning did not come. Our small group of would-be knights had scattered. We feared for our lives now. Once they had eliminated the Prince, nothing could stop the Noble Knights from hunting us down and executing us for treason. Our strength and confidence abandoned us when we abandoned the Prince.

I was back in my peasant rags, attempting to hide. Now I was poor, hungry, and hunted. Worst of all, I was alone. It was a loneliness that surely would last forever.

I sat beneath the shade of an awning just off the street where I had first met “the stranger.” So much had transpired since then. Two men were talking as they passed by.

“The hangin' is this afternoon,” I heard an old man say to another.

“I knew that stranger was an impostor all along,” the
second man said. “Kifus should've strung 'im up a long time ago.”

“Maybe, but I didn't see you complainin' when He was handin' food to ya!”

“Hey, anytime there's a free lunch to be had, I ain't gonna complain. But it don't mean I believed what He said.” He spit to emphasize his disgust.

“Still, I don't see how such a man …”

The words drifted into the distance along with my thoughts.

I began questioning my own belief in the Prince. If He truly was the King's Son, why would His life stop at the end of a rope tied by the very men sworn to serve the King? Nothing made sense anymore. My mind ran through thick fog searching for clarity, but found none. I wanted the earth to open up and swallow all evidence of Cedric the peasant.

T
HE SQUARE WAS PACKED
with people. Near the center was the large oak tree. I forced my eyes to search, and I found it—from one of the large limbs hung a rope. I found a corner between two buildings and faded into the shadows, as did my heart.

Kifus led his death procession of Noble Knights around the perimeter of the square, displaying the Prince as though He were some prize catch of the day. His hands were bound, and His head was bruised and bleeding, as was His back. My soul was tormented to see Him this way.

Some people were laughing and jeering; some were crying.

Why? Why is this happening?
I could not bear it any longer and hid my face in the brick and mortar of the wall. I stole a last glance and caught the eyes of the Prince looking my way as the procession passed.

Even now, on the verge of His death, His eyes held no fear. What I saw was tender compassion. The true power and strength of this man was in His great ability to love in spite of all tragedy. Now I fully understood the Code. The Prince lived the Code. The Prince
was
the Code.

My doubts were gone, but my despair was not. I felt so helpless. He had saved my life once. Now He was dying for me, and there was nothing I could do but watch.

Kifus led the Prince to the oak tree, placed Him on a horse, and slipped the rope about His neck.

Where was the army of the King to save His Son from death? Didn't He care? Did He even know the peril His Son was in? Where were the Silent Warriors?

Kifus spoke loudly for all to hear. “People of Arrethtrae, this man is guilty of treason against the King and against you. He has lied to you and misled you. He brings chaos to the kingdom. Today, justice is served!”

Kifus slapped the horse, and the Prince hanged. No army, no help, only silence—a silence that gripped the people as we watched our hope of a better kingdom die with this man.

I turned and ran to the hills. The trees and sky were blurred by my tears. I ran until I felt that my lungs would burst. At last I collapsed beneath a sprawling tree. The tall grass swallowed me, and I wept bitterly.

It truly was over.