A Promise
Petals swirled through the sky and into an open window on the tallest tower of the besieged keep. Piles of the pink flowers had begun to collect in the corners of the stone chamber while others still fluttered about the carpeted floor, dancing with the breeze. Yet for all the loveliness the petals brought the space, they were born on an wind of death. The air was charged with the acrid scent of burning buildings, grasses, and corpses. A woman, clad in a long green gown with gold thread lay across her settee and wept, her long black hair rising and falling apace with her sobs. Nothing was at it once was and never would be again, this was her fear. A pounding on her door roused her from her despair. She lifted her face and gaped at the thick wooden door that separated her from oblivion. She was too frightened to rise, too frightened even to speak. She looked on and held her breath. Another pounding against the door, more urgent this time. Then a muffled voice cried out, “Heloise! Please, open the door!” It was Daniel, he had survived and returned for her, just as he said he would. When they had parted that morning he had promised he would return. And though it seemed hopeless, his confidence had given her hope. Hearing his voice she was lifted from her gloom and dared to hope that victory had been won and they might go on living as before, loving one another in peace among the cherry blossoms of her family’s estate. “Daniel!” Heloise cried out. In an instant she flew to the door and, drawing back the bolt, opened it for her paramour. Her joy at their reunion was quickly tempered by what she saw. Daniel was leaning against the wall and breathing hard. His armor was stained with blood and ash, his tabard was in rags, and the once proud, emerald plumes atop his helm had been scorched and frayed. His right arm hung at his side yet his hand still grasped his sword, which had been chipped and scratched from hard fighting. His left arm was bent at the elbow and drawn across his chest. His vambrance had been punctured by a terrible blow and the plate armor was bent and dripping blood. Heloise gasped and could feel tears welling in her eyes once again. Still holding his sword, Daniel raised his hand to his visor and lifted it up and over his face. “My love,” said he and gulped air while speaking. “My love, the day is lost. The keep is fallen.” At this, his legs began to quiver and he pitched forward. Heloise went to him and kept him from tumbling. She drew him into the room and sat him upon a chair. His sword clattered to the floor. She knelt beside him and reached out to his wounded arm with a trembling hand. “The door,” Daniel murmured. “Y-yes, of course!” Heloise rushed to the door and made fast the bolt. She turned and looked at Daniel, he was reaching across the table for the silver carafe and goblet. “Let me,” whispered Heloise. She went to him and put her hand on his worn gauntlet. “No, no. I’m not so useless yet, but can you help me remove this?” He flexed his right hand into a fist. “My arm…” He nodded to his crippled left arm. “It can’t be done alone, you see.” She nodded and began carefully unfastening the buckles which held the steel in place. One by one they came undone. Neither spoke. Only the wind coming through the window could be heard. Heloise undid the last fastener and took off Daniel’s gauntlet. It was warm and heavy in her hands. She put it on the table. Daniel poured himself a glass. Cool, clean water flowed from the carafe and filled the goblet. He drank, slowly and deliberately. Heloise studied his face while he did so. There was ash and dust caked to his cheeks. Vertical lines, where beads of sweat had run from his scalp to his chin, cut through the dirt and revealed his flushed skin. Despite the mess of battle, Daniel was just as handsome now as he had always been. Though now his face wore a mask of deep fatigue in place of the quiet confidence that usually resided there. “Daniel,” Heloise said, “what will happen now?” She didn’t really have to ask because like all those who lived through troubled times, she well knew the fate of the conquered. He finished his drink and looked at her. His bright blue eyes shone through the grime on his face and he smiled a sad smile. “My darling, they will come here and they will murder us. But you know this.” He ran his hand through her hair as he spoke. Heloise wept softly. “It’s not right, Daniel! We never wronged these people. Why do they have to do these things?” She gestured towards the windows where below the slaughter of her family’s once vibrant town was winding down. Smoke now clouded much of the sky, obscuring the clear blue of a beautiful spring day. “I know not, Heloise. But you are right, it is not fair. Not in the least.” He cupped her chin in his gentle hand and made her to look at him. Her brown eyes focused through the tears on his gallant face. “But listen, this is not the end for us. When this is all over and the veil has been cast over our eyes, I’ll find my way back to you. I’ve already traversed hell to get back here and I doubt any other voyage would be as fraught with peril or uncertainty.” “You’re just saying these things, Daniel. You know you can’t...” Heloise stopped herself, because despite knowing that her words were the truth, Daniel’s reassurance was comforting. She gazed into his eyes, not ever wanting to lose him, to lose their love. Barely three years had they shared their lives in holy union and now it was being torn asunder by vandals and brutes. It hadn’t been enough time. Not nearly enough. “I- I’ll wait for you Daniel. I’ll keep watch. You know I will.” His smile gained new life and she could see tears form in his own eyes now. “I know. I know.” He knelt down and kissed her on the lips. The wind picked up, forcing an adjacent window open and sent pink petals swirling and dancing around the room. Some caught in Heloise’s hair and in the gaps of Daniels’s armor. Spring had anointed them with her blessing. They could only hear the rush in their ears and feel the warmth of each other's lips. They held their embrace for a long moment, neither wanting the other to pull away, both wanting this last moment of intimacy to go on and on and on. There would not be another chance like this, not for a very long time, and they knew it.
Without warning they heard gruff, foreign voices coming from the staircase and the clatter of arms and armor on stone. They were coming for them. “Heloise, listen to me now. I will go out and hold them for as long as I can. You bolt the door behind me and don’t open it for anything. Demand an audience with their commander. You’ll be taken hostage and your life will be spared, but only surrender yourself to him in person.” “Daniel, stop! No, I won’t!” Heloise cried out. “Listen now! There is no time left. Do as I say, please! You’ll live through this.” “I can’t! Not without you! Daniel!” He was already rising out of his chair and knelt to recover his sword. He went to the door. “I love you, Heloise. I will always love you and only you. I’ll come find you when this is all over. I promise.” He smiled one last time, closed his visor and stepped onto the landing. Heloise could see figures making their way up the stairs. There were four or five men clad in exotic armors and colorful silks and furs and wielding long, cruel steel. Their muscled arms were bare from the shoulders and several had prominent facial hair. Yet despite their fearsome appearance they did not expect to see a fully armored knight awaiting them at the top of so tall a tower and were taken aback. Daniel did not hesitate. He threw himself at them with a wrath that terrified Heloise. He struck the first man full in the face, splitting his head in two. He turned upon another and dealt him a mortal blow across his chest. Blood sprayed from the rend in his armor and both men fell at nearly the same instant. The others cried out in fear and surprise but regained their senses more quickly than Heloise would have expected after so terrible a show of force. They tried to put distance between themselves and this mad knight but Daniel did not relent for even a moment. He drove his attack forward, furiously raining blow after blow upon his foes. They countered and dodged what strikes they could in the confined space of the landing but were forced to bodily absorb more than they would have liked. Had Daniel been in top form he likely would have driven them off but it was not the case. He struck another combatant through the belly, driving his sword deep through the man. He tried to pull it back but the blade snapped at the hilt and Daniel stumbled backwards. It was all the remaining fighters needed. They closed in around him. One man strove to plunge a thin dagger through a gap in Daniel’s armor. Daniel caught the man by the wrist with his crossguard and kicked at his knees, Heloise could hear a sharp snap. They man screeched in pain and tumbled down the spiral staircase, breaking his neck in the process. In that instant and without free hand or arm to defend himself, the last man standing pinned Daniel’s right hand with a filthy boot and drove his hooked blade down onto the prone knight. Daniel cried out as the edge found its way through a gap in his plate armor. He tried to defend himself with his injured arm but it was futile. Again and again the barbarian struck. Many of the blows glanced off the knights keen armor but enough found their mark to have their intended effect. At last Daniel lay still on the floor, blood pooling around him and flowing down the stairs, petals still clung to his armor. The man pulled a stiletto from his belt and plunged it through a slit in Daniel’s visor. It was over. Heloise had been too petrified to move once Daniel had left her chamber. Now she regained her senses. She tried to close the door but the brute on the landing noticed her and crossed the landing in a great leap. He blocked the door with his boot and tried to force his way in. Heloise threw her weight against the door but the invader was slowly overpowering her. She struggled with everything she had. The man was grunting with the effort and managed to work a gloved hand through the gap in the door. He grasped at her raven hair and grabbed a fistful in his hand. Heloise cried out in pain and lost her footing. The door burst open. Still gripping Heloise by the hair, the man dragged her across the floor toward the couch. Heloise screamed and fought as best she could but was being roughly handled by a man with ill intent. He overturned the table on his way to the other end of the chamber and sent its contents scattering across the floor. Heloise reached out a hand in desperation and suddenly found it encased in an iron shell, warm and heavy, it was Daniel’s gauntlet. She tightened her hand into a fist. The man threw her onto the settee and took and step back to regain his breath. Not wasting her last, best chance, Heloise spun on him and dealt a crushing blow directly to his scarred face. She heard and felt the breaking of bone and saw teeth and blood fly from the force of the impact. The man fell like a rock cast into a well, kicked his feet once, and died. Heloise was standing above her onetime foe and was shaking. She could feel the blood pumping in her limbs and hear it rushing in her ears. She breathed. A crash from the village below brought her back from shock and she stepped over the body before her and went to the door. The bolt had been damaged during the violent entry of her attacker and would no longer hold. She would not be safe here any longer. Though she wondered if she would ever really be safe anywhere. She glimpsed Daniel’s body on the landing. His right hand was pale and bloodied yet still gripped the hilt of his broken sword. She looked down at her own hand and saw it protected by Daniel’s own gauntlet. He had saved her twice, once in life and again in death. Tears flowed from her eyes but she did not sob. She closed the door because she could no longer stand the sight of her fallen champion. He had done more for her than he would ever know. She cherished the thought but gave no place to mourn, there would be no time for that. She brushed away her tears and walked to the window of her study. Outside and far below she looked for the first time upon the destruction the marauders had wrought. Homes were smoking and burning. Bodies of men-at-arms lay in heaps in the streets. Villagers who hadn’t made it to the erstwhile safety of the keep had been butchered where they stood. Blood and charred remains lay everywhere. Heloise looked out, towards the fields and mountains beyond and was comforted by the blooming cherry blossoms of her grandfather’s orchard. They defied the senses and clashed so fundamentally with the horror around her that Heloise caught her breath. How such pure, innocent beauty could exist side by side and in the same instant as such brutal annihilation was more than she could comprehend. And yet she felt a stirring in her heart and knew that much of life was just so, both redeemer and violator, protector and scourge. She was entranced at the sight of her ruined demesne and being deep in thought Heloise didn’t hear the other soldiers as they made their way up to the landing until the creak of the heavy door announced them. Heloise turned and saw three men, dressed much as the others had been. They had bewildered looks on their faces. Their expressions changed to one of understanding once they saw Heloise. The knight had been protecting her. Such a prize would surely be worth something to someone, and a beautiful prize at that. They slowly made their way towards her. Heloise’s hair was blown across her face as another gust of wind came into the room. She lifted herself onto the sill of the open windows at her back and inched backwards. “I understand why you’re here. I can’t accept it, but I understand it,” she said under her breath. The man nearest her said something calmly in a language she didn’t understand. He reached out one hand towards her while the other grasped for a knife at his belt. “Life makes no promises. But he did, and I told him I’d wait.” Heloise leaned back and tumbled from the window. The last thing she saw was a vision of swirling petals in a clear blue sky.
···
“Ellie if you don’t come downstairs right this instant you’re going to have big problems, missy!” Sarah was preparing a pitcher of pink lemonade in her kitchen and had almost gotten everything ready. She stirred the sugary beverage with a long wooden spoon and turned to her husband. “You know, they tell me she doesn’t have any friends at school. None.” Dave was perched on a kitchen stool and sipped on a beer, absently reading the ingredients on the bag of flavored chips they had opened for the afternoon’s snack. “How can that even be true? A girl her age just doesn’t not have friends.” Dave fished a chip out of the ceramic bowl and crunched it. “Dave! Not before the guests arrive! And I’m just telling you what they told me. ‘Ellie doesn’t spend much time with the other girls in her class at recess. She’s aloof’” Sarah made an effort to imitate the school psychologist at this last utterance. Dave snorted. “What 8 year-old is aloof, for God’s sake. I mean, I was alone a lot when I was her age. I didn’t have many friends either, you know? I certainly wasn’t aloof.” “It’s different for girls, Dave.” Sarah sighed. “She isn’t very social, that’s for sure. You can’t deny that.” Dave grunted and stole another chip. Sarah turned to face him, her arms spread out to either side, hands resting on the counter. She cocked an eyebrow at him and gave him the look. “Dave, honey, why don’t you take all this stuff out back to the table before the neighbors get here? They’re supposed to arrive any minute.” Dave threw his arms up in contrition, “I live to serve, your majesty.” He finished off his beer, put the lemonade on the platter with the chips and glasses, and headed out the door. Outside, it was a fresh spring day. Billowy clouds drifted through the sky and a calm breeze rustled the trees and plants which encircled the manicured lawn. The grass was cut low and looked healthy. Dave was too busy admiring his lawn-mowing skills that it was a moment before noticed Ellie standing beside him. “Oh, hey there kiddo! I didn’t see you.” Ellie looked up at him, her big brown eyes were framed by long black hair. She was wearing a green dress and yellow shoes. Her mother had suggested another outfit but Ellie had chosen this one. “Why aren’t you wearing the new blue dress, honey? Your mom got it special for you.” “I like this one.” “Well, yeah but-” “Are they here yet? The neighbors?” Ellie interrupted her father. Dave smiled at her, “No, not yet punk. Why don’t you go see if your mom needs help with anything?” “I think I’ll go to the tree house. Is that okay?” Dave nodded. “Just be careful, and come down to meet the neighbors when they get here. It’d be nice to have snacks together, okay?” “Okay, dad.” Ellie crossed the yard to where an enormous cherry tree in full bloom stood. A sturdy tree house had been built, by her father, in an attempt to entice Ellie to play outside more often. He had had middling success. She climbed a ladder and made her way up through the trap door into the fort. There were old pillows and blankets arranged around an overturned box, which acted as table. A bottle of water lay on its side in the corner. She closed the door behind her. She laid herself down onto the pillows and gazed out the window into the thick tangle of pink blossoms. Her mind wandered. Dave set his tray down on a table and brushed debris from the chairs. He didn’t want his neighbors to think he had neglected anything. It’d be nice to have another family living so close, and with a kid about Ellie’s age too. He hadn’t met them yet but Sarah had invited them to come by once they had gotten everything settled after the move. He had just finished tidying up when a gust blew petals all over the furniture and into the chip bowl. “God dammit...” Dave started picking them out, eating a chip now and then for good measure. The doorbell rang and Dave heard Sarah answering the door in her characteristic way, with an over-exuberant greeting as if she’d really been that surprised all along. He went back inside. In the entry was a young couple and their son, a serious looking little boy with a bright green cast on his left arm. “Oh, Dave, you’re here! These are the Ryders, John and Mary.” Dave extended his hand in greeting. “How do you do? Nice to meet you finally!” “Likewise,” said John. “Yes, thank you for inviting us over. It’s a shame so many people don’t really know their neighbors anymore, don’t you think?” “Oh we agree absolutely! Don’t we, Dave?” said Sarah. “You bet. I was just saying the other day how it’s be nice to have another family in the neighborhood.” They all agreed that it was so. “And what’s your name, young man?” asked Sarah. She leaned in as she spoke to the boy. He didn’t say anything at first. John put his hands on his son’s shoulders. “What do we say, Danny?” “My name is Danny. Nice to meet you, ma’am.” Sarah giggled, delighted that anyone would call her anything but her own name or Mrs. King. “Oh, you’re so sweet! You can call me Sarah, Danny. And this is my husband, Dave.” “Hey there, champ.” “Nice to meet you both.” said Danny matter-of-factly. There was an awkward pause in the conversation. Sarah broke the stillness, “Why don’t we go out back? The cherry tree is blooming and it’s simply gorgeous! You have to see it. “We’d love to!” said Mary. As they traversed the house, Danny lingered behind the others looking at the photos which decorated the entry. He saw the same baby in several pictures, the Kings’ daughter he assumed. There was another picture of Dave and Sarah posing in front of a ruined castle. It must have been taken some time ago because both Dave and Sarah looked younger. Sarah had her hair in a colorful silk sash and Dave was wearing a sleeveless shirt and had a mustache. There were bright flowers blooming in the picture and lots of other people dressed up like lords and ladies dancing. Something stirred in Danny when he saw that picture. His attention was drawn to the tower. He couldn’t see the top but he suddenly felt a great desire to. He reached out to take the frame from the wall when his mother called him outside. He followed her voice out of the room. Stepping outside, Danny saw his mother and father seated around a wooden table being served drinks by Dave and Sarah. Behind them was magnificent cherry tree with thousands of blooming flowers. A gust of wind caught the boughs and sent a shower of petals down over everyone. Sarah shrieked in delight and Mary gasped. “Oh, it’s just lovely, Sarah. Did you plant it?” “Us? No. Dave’s family has owned the property for a long time and I think his great-grandfather planted that tree. Is that right, honey?” Sarah spoke without looking at either of them, being too busy pouring lemonade. “Something like that,” said Dave. “You’d have to ask my mother. She’s the family historian. But the property has been in the family for generations, and so has that tree.” “Well, it’s really very beautiful. You both have such a lovely home.” said John. Danny came over and sat in the chair next to his mother. “May I have some lemonade, please, Sarah?” “Well, yes you may, Danny.” She beamed at him. “You’ve got a real polite kid there.” Dave leaned back in his chair and sipped his lemonade. He looked at Danny’s cast on his left arm. “Do you mind me asking how he got that?” He motioned to the boy’s injured arm. “Do you want to tell him, Danny?” asked John. “I fell.” “Well, that isn’t the whole story though, is it Danny?” Mary put her hand on her son’s head. “There was a fight at school, Danny tried to stop it. He was tripped and fell off some playground equipment and broke his arm.” “They wouldn’t leave the little girl alone. I told them to stop.” Danny drank his lemonade. “Well, I think that’s very brave,” said Sarah. “How old are you, Danny?” asked Dave. “I’m 8 years old.” Dave and Sarah eyed one another. “Well,” began Sarah, “we’ve got a little girl of our own about your age. Now that you’re next-door neighbors you should probably meet her.” “Okay,” said Danny. His mother cleared her throat and eyed her son. “I mean, yes, I’d like that. Thank you.” Sarah faced the house and called out, “Ellie, the guests are here! They want to meet you! Ellie!” “She’s in the tree house, honey.” Dave reached for a chip and crunched it. “Oh, well why didn’t you say anything?” Sarah adjusted her hair. “You were on a roll.” replied Dave. Sarah eyed her husband and was about to speak when Danny said, “She’s in there?” He pointed to the tree house. “Uh huh.” Dave nodded. “Can I go to her?” “You sure can, little man. Just be careful on the ladder with your cast.” Danny took a parting sip of his lemonade and made for the tree house. A breeze descended on the yard and showered everyone with petals once again. John, Mary, and Sarah laughed together. “Ellie. That’s a cute name. Thank God we had Danny because we couldn’t think of any good names for girls, could we?” said Mary. “Well Ellie isn’t her full name. It’s actually...” Danny couldn’t hear the rest. Something had taken ahold of his senses when he saw the tree. He carefully made his way up the ladder, wrapping his left elbow around each wrung to steady himself as he climbed. He felt as if he had been here before, done this before, seen this before. He couldn’t place it but deep inside he knew that he’d searched for this moment, waited for its arrival a long, long time. At last he reached the trap door. He knocked but heard nothing. He knocked again and said, “Ellie? Can I come in?” The door swung open and Danny found himself looking at a pretty young girl wearing a green dress. She had long black hair and big brown eyes. She gazed into his own eyes and a look of shock came over her. She recoiled in fright and retreated into the fort. Tears began to form in her eyes. Danny crawled into the room and closed the door behind him. He looked at this girl whom he had never before met but whom he knew. But how? He sat back against the wall opposite her and they stared at one another. A gust of wind shook the tree and a blast of petals rained into the small chamber and suddenly he knew. The realization was like being plunged into an ice bath. His heart skipped a beat. “Heloise. I’ve come back.” She wiped tears from her eyes and nodded at him. “I know. You promised you would. Oh Daniel, how long has it been?” “I’m not sure, really.” “C-can you stay?” “Yes, I live just over there.” He gestured to the house across the road, visibly just through the branches on the far side of the yard. “Don’t ever leave me like that again. Do you promise?” “I promise. I promise.”
Dave was enjoying his second glass of lemonade when he glanced at the tree house and noticed Danny and Ellie leaning out the windows holding hands and smiling. They were speaking and Ellie laughed and put her head against Danny’s shoulder. “Hey, look at that,” he elbowed his wife. “Aww, that’s so cute. They’re sweethearts already!” Sarah laughed. Mary and John turned to look and both smiled. “Who knows,” said Sarah, “maybe we’re wittiness to the start of a beautiful relationship.” They all laughed and clinked their glasses, toasting to the young lovers and were showered by the petals of a beautiful spring day.
֍