The Coward

Prologue: The Cotton Field Talon broke free from the last of the yellow-green brush he had stammered through angrily. He swiped wildly at an innocent branch, which swung indignantly in his wake. Over the last rise, and into the shallow hill he came onto the cotton field. Glorious golden flowers made the base of the vegetation. These always reminded him of Kat’s glorious golden locks. In between the yellow flowers cotton plants rose to his waist, which was not saying much given that he was the shorted boy in the village. He was short indeed, scrawny with long awkward limbs, but his imagination was larger than life and vibrant. In this very field he had slain the ancient dragons of old, and pushed back the barbarian hordes from invading the kingdom. In these very fields he had been declared the youngest knight in the realm, and Kat had fallen in love with him and married in in these very fields. Or so his imagination told him. Her name left a bitter taste on his tongue today. She was the reason he was angry. They had been friends ever since she punched Danner Harhorn in the nose for teasing him when they were only four. He had been in love with her since that day and only fallen more deeply in love since. They were going to get married and have children and defend the realm together as husband and wife, both knights of the realm, but this too it seemed to have been another ghastly phantom daydream of his. This morning he had discovered that Prince Kellar, nephew to the king had asked her to marry him, and she had accepted. He was baffled. Despite his incessant daydreaming he knew that his understanding of her was reality. From as long back as he could remember she had wanted a life of adventure, not of royalty. That was her parents’ dream for her. She was as strong-willed as they came and had defied her father, and ex-captain of the Royal Guard, at every turn. She would not be told by anybody what to do. She swore away a life of luxury in the same spot where he now slumped on the ground bubbling with anger. None of it made sense, so this morning when the messenger asked him at his tiny door if he would attend the wedding, Talon declined vehemently. That is how he got to the cotton field, his and Kat’s cotton field, a short distance from the village where they had become such great friends. This was the place where they had played knights and dragons all those many hours. Last night they had spent the evening watching the sky in that indecisive time between sunset and night, where some stars and the moon shone defiantly against the ebbing crimson skies created by the sun’s dying glow. It was impossible for him to fathom how a day later he had lost the love of his life to some stranger. She had told him that she had met him, but yelled on for hours about how arrogant he was. She herself had said she could never fall in love with someone like that. The prince had passed through the village months ago with a battalion of soldiers surveying the land. That was when he had met Kat, and who wouldn’t fall in love with her warm toothy smile, and flowing blonde hair that fell to the small of her back. Who wouldn’t fall for those emerald pools she called eyes that looked through you when she spoke, or with her tiny nose and pointy ears? Talon swiped angrily once more and dislodged some of the cotton from their stalks and watched as the white balls swirled angrily in the wind. He was so angry with Kat. In all the months that she visited him in their cotton field, she could have told him that she had started liking the prince. If she had done that then he would have told her how he felt. He felt a sinking sensation – a deep sense of fear overcame him at the lie. He couldn’t tell her he loved her. She would lose her head. She often lost her head even for small things, so imagine telling her that he loved her. He shivered disrupting some more of the cotton balls. If he saw her now he imagined how he would tell her off. He would grab her by her shoulders and shake her and then kiss her soft lips… “TALON!” a honey voice called over the hill. He swallowed fearfully and lay flat on his belly hiding. “Don’t make me come and find you Talon. I know you are hiding somewhere here.” He remained silent, breathing very slowly. Hiding was something you became very good at when you were constantly harassed by bullies far larger than you were. Unfortunately for him, Kat knew him very well and knew his hiding techniques even better. Her feet appeared in his vision. She still wore her father’s old boots. She was still his Kat. Ever-so-cautiously he raised his head and peered at her red face. She too was angry. She yanked him up and now they stood face-to-face, his big round blue eyes starting at her penetrating green counterparts. “Explain yourself,” Kat yelled, her arms folded and her foot tapping impatiently on the ground. Cotton balls fled the scene in all directions as if they anticipated the trouble he was in. Traitor! “Explain myself? No Kat you explain yourself. How can you be getting married?” Talon interrogated. “How could I not? Keller is amazing Tal and if you spent the time getting to know him you would realise that too.” “That is exactly what I don’t understand. Where did you find the time to get to know him?” “I told you, he has been staying at my house every time he visited the village. We obviously started speaking since we lived under the same roof and, well, then we fell in love” she trailed off guiltily. “WHAT? I have not heard this once. You have been lying to me for months.” He accused. “No, I haven’t,” She professed weakly. Tears began forming in her eyes. “No ways you don’t get to cry and make me feel bad. Stop it” “I can’t help it I’m angry and upset.” “Why?” “Why won’t you come to the wedding,” she pleaded. “Because it is a complete joke!” He said rashly regretting it immediately. His face resonated after the violent slap she gave him. He blinked wildly shocked at how fast she got angry. “You have no right. This is my life. We are eighteen, not scared four-year-olds running around and playing in the cotton field Tal,” She reprimanded indignantly. “ARRRGH!” He screamed, making her step back. “You can’t marry him. He is not what you want. He is not right for you.” “He is everything I could dream of and more,” She replied. “Everything he has done he has done for me. I am going to be a real princess. I will be able to do real good when we live in the capital.” “No, no, no we were going to save the village and the kingdom together and protect it.” He reminded her. “No Tal that was always your dream. Yes, I wanted to change the world, but as a princess I will finally be able to do it. That is my dream. You need to stop playing around in this field and you need to stop dreaming and do something real. You are not a child, and I can’t always protect you, because that is just silly. You hide from your duties and the world here in the field and what do you have to show for it? You have failed to join the Royal Army twice now. This is your last chance to join them in fall, and instead of training with the other boys who can make you tough you are out here playing in the field and expecting me to play her with you. What did you think we would get married and live happily ever after in this cotton field?” She demanded harshly. Her words were venom, burning through every part of his body. He felt tears surge down his own slim cheeks. He was paralysed and at the same time felt everything, and although it hurt everywhere, the deep, gaping, echoing tightness in his chest surpassed all.