Moonlit Vigil

• Fantasy

								
I do remember it, fondly. The battlefield had called for me, and sleep was but a distant fantasy for both of us. Tark could sense our restlessness as he moved carefully through the grass. He was relaxed, a stark contrast to his riders. Geneveese held me closer than usual that night, though I’m sure the platemail could not have been comforting. I didn’t have a choice in attire, as it was a long standing tradition. The family armor was to be worn from the first light on the eve of battle until the moment personal armor was dawned for combat. The sky provided the three of us all the light we needed. The two moons shone brighter than any of the thousands of stars, the white and red coated everything they touched with the familiar incandescent light pink. I had motioned for Tark to halt, my first movement in miles. The field that we stopped in was small, but provided a view of the sky as good as any. We all looked up. Every star twinkled as though their sole purpose was to light the sky. Tark was standing knee deep in grass and flowers, and Geneveese was holding on to me, her pale skin contrasting with his deep brown coat. She caressed the cold, unfeeling armor, running her fingers along the filigree. The night before this one may well be the last time I feel her touch, I thought. And to think, this clandestine stargazing was wildly inappropriate for us, once upon a time. Even then, before we married, this was a weekly occurrence; now it may be the last thing we ever do together. We dismounted Tark, Genevees’s white dress sliding off of his hips. and I picked a tall white flower from the grass, unsheathing my sword slightly and trimming its stem on the blade. I put it in her hair, and she was more beautiful to me at that moment than any time before. I sighed, wishing I could take off my helmet to kiss her. She rested a hand on my temple, and spoke. “When my arms cannot hold you,” she said, “my heart will.” She bowed my head and kissed the metal. Tark laid down, and I couldn’t blame him. After walking so many miles, the soft grass would appeal to me too. Geneveese and I sat down and leaned against his belly, her head on my shoulder. His breathing was calm and steady, and the rising and falling of his ribs were the only thing I could feel through the armor. The stars looked better in her eyes’ reflection than they did in the sky, despite the welling tears. As we often did in years past, we sat wordless, soaking up each other’s presence for all it was worth. Time lost meaning as we sat there, and when I finally looked up, the two moons had nearly vanished beyond the treeline. I patted Tark’s leg, unable to feel his familiar hide through the gauntlets, and we stood. I mounted him, then helped Geneveese do the same. There was never any need for a saddle, nor a bridle. All of our eyes were downtrodden as we returned from whence we came, our fates hanging in the air like two moons.
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