Chapter 7: I am?

“You are a Sword Saint.” Sister Emily accused me.

I am?

“I was accused of being one when I first arrived by two old men on a porch, I didn’t know what one was but it sounded right whereas being called a Wizard Lord didn’t feel right.”

“I could be. It sounds right, but I don’t know what one is. Remember, I am still new here and not all that familiar with the religions on this world. Hell, I wasn’t even all that familiar with the religions on my world. Just the basics. And I am definitely not a Saint.” I rambled, I knew that I rambled and forced myself to stop.

She just watched me as I thought furiously for the next few minutes. The prospect of being a mythical figure unnerved me. I stopped and took a deep breath which I let out slowly.

Calm.

“What’s a Sword Saint?”

“A man whose Destiny is to do Our Lady’s Purpose. Called in times of strife to fulfill a specific task. They, you, are the pinnacle of skill with a Purpose. Supposedly, once set upon a task cannot be deterred from his path until his death, and that always comes at a price for those that oppose him that all fear to pay.” She sounded like a book reciting my doom. This was a lesson learned long ago and now coming into play.

What was worse, Sister Emily was serious.

“My Lord, your skill exceeds my own, your power dwarfs my own, I am the most skilled of my Sisters.” She let that sink in. I didn’t even catch the My Lord moniker until much later. She saw me worrying over her declaration and came to my rescue. “My Lord, do you trust in Our Lady?”

“Of course.” I replied automatically.

“Then do so.” Came her soft reply. She left me to my thoughts.

I took another deep breath and sank to my knees. Thinking of what this implied, did Kassandra bring me here to fight the war, was it for something further in time? Did I have any choice in the matter or does what I do come preordained. I thought that I had free will, did I? After hours of thinking and not able to draw any conclusions, I remembered Sister Emily’s last words to me. Either I trusted Kassandra and did so with my whole being or I didn’t. That choice I believed was the crux of the matter.

For me there hadn’t been a choice of whether or not I believed in Her or accepted Her. I did.

I looked up and held my sword out in supplication with both hands, still sheathed to Her. “Do with me as You will, My Lady, I am Yours.”

Her response was glorious, She spread Her Love to encompass me and soar through my blood. Her Love tingled my toes and my nose from the inside. My heart was flush with Her Love. The intensity of Her Power started killing me from the inside out, I knew this but didn’t care. I didn’t have any idea how long this went on, again I didn’t care. If She wanted to kill me with Her Love, then I would die the happiest man to ever live. Her Love was all that I would ever need. I knew that now. Human companionship would make me happy, but no one would ever take her place. This didn’t diminish my love for Megan or Chandra, but it did put it in perspective. I could live without either of them but not without Kassandra. Their absence did and would hurt but I would eventually recover. I could not foresee a way for me to live and not be Loved by Kassandra.

I didn’t know just how long I knelt there but it had to have been hours since the moon had risen fully over the mountains. My eyes burned and I could feel the salt from my tears encrusting my cheeks. I took a shuddering breath and tried to regain my composure. I focused in on the figure that knelt before me and recognized Chandra waiting patiently for me to come back to my senses.

“Thank you for watching over me, love.” I stood slowly, my knees protesting, and pulled her to her feet. I engulfed her in a large hug which she hesitated returning before she gave in and hugged me back. I know that I confused her, I just couldn’t help myself, I needed to share some of the love that I felt. Kissing Chandra on the top of her head, I released her.

“Come, let’s get you some rest, we need to leave early in the morning and I think that your father is waiting for us to return.” We returned to the commander’s house and after washing in all too cold water. I prayed to Her and then retired for the night in wondrous peace.

Chandra did look at me oddly more than once but I let her be, I didn’t feel like elaborating.

I awoke before my apprentice did for once and joyously prepared for the journey ahead. I don’t think that my smile could have been removed with a crowbar. Chandra just gave me that questioning look again and when Sister Emily saw me she just gave me a strange salute and smiled. It wasn’t a complete smile, I knew that she held something back and I couldn’t fathom what it could be, but I didn’t care. I knew that whatever it was, I would deal with the issue when the time came.

Last moving of our group, was Allard. He took one look at me sitting there with a happy demeanor and his face reflected his unhappiness at Chandra choosing me over him. He pulled himself together and greeted me pleasantly and sat across from me and helped himself to some of the fruit and bread that the mayor’s household provided for us.

Seeing that he preferred not to talk, we ate in silence. Postulant Dina came bouncing in with her small strand of her ponytail flapping over her face to announce that they were waiting on the two of us. Everyone else was ready to leave. I chuckled and asked if she had met Lord Allard. She replied in the negative and I formally introduced the two. Dina was her usual shy self and Allard was more than gracious. Dina was a bundle of cuteness and they could do worse than each other.

I left before either could accuse me of setting them up. Besides, I thought that they were made for each other. Both were unnaturally cute, and too nice for their own good.

Grinning and feeling like a schoolboy that stole the cookies when mom wasn’t looking, I snuck out of the mayoral house only to run into a tiny thing with precisely coiffed blond ringlets. I caught her before she had a chance to fall.

“You beast, why don’t you look where you are going? Have you no breeding? You’re huge! Are you one of those ungainly mountain men? You can’t be, you look too clean to be one of them, you don’t even have a beard. I know, you must be the one that killed my brother. Admit it.”

Blink

“Greetings, My Lady. I am Charles of America.” I said wearily. This ball of energy spoke faster as I could think. I hoped that my introduction would stall her. To no avail. She leaped into my arms again, a good foot off the ground, and wrapped her arms around my neck and started kissing me and thanking me between the kisses. One second, she was accusing me of killing her brother, the next, she was trying to kiss me to death. Not that I minded the butterfly kisses that this young enthusiastic woman was showering me with.

I tried to pry her away when we were interrupted by an accusatory Chandra screeching, “What are you doing!”

My five foot tall attacker refused to let me detach myself from her. I certainly wasn’t in a position to use force.

“Go away Chandra, I’m busy. You can have him tomorrow or the next day. Now, where were we?”

Stupid me, I was about to ask a question when she latched on to my mouth and started kissing me hard. She tasted like berries. That’s when she wrapped her legs around me even stronger than before, latching on for all she was worth. I enjoyed the kiss for a few seconds before I set my hands under her arms, slowly started lifting her away.

“Celia, I am warning you, let him go!” Chandra demanded. “and you quit encouraging her,” this last, she directed at me, “not that the little tramp needs it.” The last I barely heard since I became distracted by light nips biting me on the lobe of my ear, while Celia whispered her thanks in a more carnal detail.