#knightkin

   Magic was not his forte, but to his credit, he was doing quite well regardless. Sure, he got some of the ingredients mixed up a few times, and couldn’t tell an adder from a newt, but he was diligent in his quest. A small smile flitted across your face– you supposed, after all, that was simply in his nature as a knight. The familiar chink of armor alerted you to his returning presence, metal boots heavy upon the creaking wooden floor of your simple cottage. “This is it, then,” he said, voice heavy with relief of reaching a goal you’ve yearned so long for. But it was also a question. Not just of the ingredients, no, but asking for confirmation. Consent. Moral reassurance. “For the ingredients, yes,” you confirmed, your own voice taking on a strange air and a near-hollow sound, though not fully reflective of your mood. You hesitated. Not for yourself, but for him, your love.

    “Are you sure you want to go through with this? Necromancy will leave a stain on soul that can spread if ever you go astray. And a stain, too, on your reputation should it ever be found out.” Gravely you said so, as your voice, as the chill in the air around your thin and light-letting-through form. Your love, your brave knight, took a shaky breath, and it echoed through his helmet. He was hiding within it, you knew, but bravery was not an absence of fear, and certainty was not excluded by its existence. “If I can do this right, I will. It was not your time. And I am confident the stars will agree, and help me on this quest.” It was nearly a mantra. You smile, and he lets your ghostly hand cup his helmet. “When you do this, my form here will disappear,” you tell him. “I have guided you all I can. If this works, you won’t see me. If it doesn’t, the same shall happen.” He nods, solemnly, and it’s poetic in he way he’s knelt upon the ground. “I love you,” he says, just once, before it all begins (and maybe ends). You press your forehead to his, let your essence chill his helmet. “I won’t say it back, my love. I’ll tell you in body when the ritual is complete.” Your knight stands, all business and power, and begins the ritual. And you are, suddenly–