“THE WARRIOR’S SHIELD”

David let his arm fly with all the strength he had left. His sword struck the terrible beast with the remainder of his weakened resolve. The sword stuck in the thick rough hide of the beast, and David dropped to his knees as the beast swallowed the sword into its skin. David knelt panting, exhausted in all ways, having extended himself beyond his limits. The beast rose up, displaying its terrible full power, and David felt a pain as he realised after all his work and fight, it had done nothing. After all his fighting, the beast’s woundings had been so much, far too much to handle. The beast churned fire in its belly, ready to spew it upon the young knight. David screamed within his spirit, bringing up all the courage and strength he could. He muttered his war cry and summoned a shield of protection. David quickly swung the shield in front of him, bringing himself up onto one knee. The white gold shield shone like millions of diamonds forged of starlight as the flames enveloped around the knight, but the white flame of the shield protected David from all the flame the beast vomited. Like the wings of an eagle protecting its young, so did the white flame of Talengelo protected David. The world was flame . . . And all time seemed to halt in the inferno. The beast raised its mighty sharp claw and brought it down, slamming his hand into David, claw first, and the world went white.

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David sat up in his bed, listening to the birds cheerful morning song. The clock on his nightstand flashed “7:36,” David was late for school. He rushed out of bed and struggled to shake the last warm fingers of sleep from his eyes, ignoring the lulling whisper of his soft bed and braved the cold pain of being awake. David fumbled his way down the stairs to the door, clumsily hitting his head on the wall as he ran. He cursed to himself and when he got to the door he grabbed his fiery red shoes and slipped them on. David grabbed his white cloak and opened the door, ready to sprint when a deep voice stopped him.

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“David! Where are you going?” It said.

“I’m off to school Dad, I’m already late!”

David checked his watch. It read “7:39.”

“Remember son . . .” sighed the old man, “Never leave home without your shield.”

David huffed and grabbed his shield. “Right, I forgot, I’m in a rush, sorry. Thanks Dad! Have a good day, bye!”

“Have a good day son!” The father replied.

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David strapped the kite shield to his arm and stepped out the door. He crouched down and prepared for his sprint, and took off fast as white lightning. The world turned to flame around him, and sweat beaded down his forehead.

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David slammed into a sturdy oak tree and fell backwards, dazed from the impact. He muttered to his shoes “Oh curse you! Come on you blasted things, I’m in a rush now! I need to get to school, so take me, NOW!” The red shoes squeaked and laughed at his command. David sighed and checked his temper, calming the heat of anger within him. David crouched down and placed his hands on them. He spoke words in High Padisar that flowed like a river “ℵ⨗⧪ ⦕⅄∊∭ ∐∑∇ ℵ⥒⥣∯∬” A hush fell upon the world as the shoes changed from a fiery red into a fertile green with the sigh of a forest, and they calmed in heat. David stood once more and leapt, speeding faster than light to his school. The air around was all fire.

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The bell of the last class before lunch rang and David stood, packed his things up and exited the room. While he strode, the straps on David’s shield loosened and it fell towards the ground, but David quickly caught it. Looking at the diamond on the ground, he picked it up and placed it back in the shield’s adorned centerpiece. David walked to lunch where his friend Sarah sat next to him.

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“Can you move that shield so I can give you a hug?” She said with a laugh.

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David moved his shield-strapped arm outwards and gave her a hug.

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“Why don’t you just take that shield off David? Why do you have that shield with you all day?” The delighted woman said.

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“You know I do this every day, it’s a tradition Sarah.” David sighed.

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“But what’s the reason? Isn’t a shield meant to protect? What are you protecting yourself from? This is your school David, and you’re with friends. You’re with me.”

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“I don’t know.” the young man conceded. “I know it's for the protection of myself and others. My family has always done this, anytime you leave home, you arm yourself with a shield, and those who don’t sometimes never come back home to their family.”

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“Don’t you think that rule is the reason they wouldn’t come back? Because they wanted free lives?” Sarah didn’t stop there though, and pressed him further for the truth. “But David, even with all that, this is a safe place and there is no war here, so there is no need for a tool used in war. Why do you need to protect yourself in this safe haven?”

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“Something could attack at any moment, I might need to protect myself and others. What if the shield is something I need to survive? Does being free of my protection mean I have freedom? Is diving into the ocean without a life vest freedom? I know not what threat, but my father has carried on this tradition, my grandfather before him, and so on. Now I must carry on this tradition.”

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“So you only follow some old habit your parent’s practiced? Why not make your own choices? Isn’t that heavy? Why not at least put it on your back? Why do you always have to have it out, as if you’re always in battle? Or why don’t you use a smaller shield that can conveniently fit into your bag that you can take out if there’s an emergency? Why have one so big?”

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“I follow this tradition because I was told to, but I choose to listen to the wisdom of those who came before me which is greater than my own. Some may carry their shields emptily, with no will or conviction behind the effort, simply doing as they are told, but not I. I have taken the shield given me and made it my own, I have put my identity into it, I have crafted its finer details. You see this crest upon it? This I made to compliment the natural features of my shield. Every boy in my family is given a shield after 8 days of life, every girl a princess’ crown. It is engraved with powerful water the child’s name in High Padisar, and given an oiled finishing polish. The shield is perfectly suited to the boy’s needs up till he becomes a man, then transforms to protect him further on till he dies. I choose not the weight, but it is the perfect weight for me, and always it has some weight added to it when it gets too light so as to strengthen my arms. The size is perfectly suited for my role to protect myself and others. To make my shield lighter, or smaller, or bigger when it shouldn’t would be a disgrace.”

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Sarah scoffed then smiled with a shimmer of tears in her eyes. “You stubborn man, never willing to change. Won’t you at least take it off for me? Just for a moment? It makes me uneasy, and makes it harder to be close to you and give you hugs.”

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David blushed with shame. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn't realize it bothered you, my apologies.” Sympathy and compassion overcame David, and he caved. He said to the lovely woman, “I’m sorry. If this is affecting you so, I’ll remove it.” His heart blazed with flame.

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A trembling seized his hand, fear and guilt thundered within his heart. “It feels . . . It . . . I c-” David coughed.

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“What’s wrong? It’s only a silly old shield. Here, I’ll help you with your burden.” Sarah said.

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“Thank you for being so kind.” he groaned, his head pounding.

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Sarah reached over to aid David with taking off his shield. One of her long fingernails scratched David’s arm. “Oops, sorry love.” Suddenly an Inferno roared before him, and a beast made of fire and shadow stood before him. An instant later the vision faded like a dream, and David felt woozy.

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David recoiled and drew his arm away from Sarah. He shouted in dismay, “No, this is wrong! I know it, I cannot do this!” The woman, scorned, said in a voice like a deep river’s “Oh honey, because my silly little nail scratched you? I’m sorry, it won’t happen again, I promise. Here, let me help you, let me free you of that tremendously heavy burden.”

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David stood before her resolute and spoke.

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“No. I will not break away from this, no friend of mine would demand I give up my ability and my tool to protect myself and others. I will not do such a thing, no matter the inconvenience it brings, no matter the heaviness of the burden on my weakest days, I will cling to this, it is my protection from threats known and unknown, and I choose to carry it with dignity and pride!”

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The woman now furious with the man, her flowing gold hair changing to a fiery orange, screamed in anger, “Fool! Why? Why not free yourself from such a burden? I offer instead to you a rose, light and easy to carry. Why hold on to that shield to protect yourself from nothing? Why do you cling with such blind trust to this tradition of your family? Instead, take this rose, it will be easy and painless.”

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David rose to his full height, speaking now with an authority in his voice. He spoke with the authority of his fathers, his voice deep and soft, “I do so because I ought, because though I do not see always the danger or the reason, I know the tradition was started for a reason, and I trust in the protection it gives, and now I choose it as my own tradition. I claim what was given as my own, mine to choose, mine to hold, mine to give.”

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Flame blazed through the cafeteria, swarming around the two. David screamed at the woman with righteous anger in his voice, “I see through your facade, your foul tricks! I will not submit, you wanted to break me, but I am a man with conviction to the core, and cannot be broken by you, no matter what spells you may try to entrance me with!” The world shattered into crystal shards with a roar. The blue sky faded into one of black, the air around turned to flame, the shield on his arm turned to one of Glass and crystal, and the hot air flowed through his hair once again.

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The beast roared as the spell was broken, and David snapped into reality. No longer was David trapped in the prison of the Beast, but he was free and alive again. The inferno raged around, wreaths of orange, red, black, and white flame blazing around the shining white kite shield. David realized the rest allowed his strength to be renewed and smirked. He said with a calm in his voice, “I will not submit to your cunning tricks foul beast.”

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David renewed his strength, he shouted with courage in his heart his High Padisar battle chant, summoning to him his helm, his sword, and his mighty white steed. David mounted his mighty steed and charged the beast, its flame having no power to harm him now. David flew up through the air, high above the mountainous beast, and plunged his sword into cloud and sun and flew downwards once more, flashing thunder enveloping him as he drove his sword into the beast. The beast collapsed and fell, defeated. David stood triumphant over the dead corpse and cried aloud in victory.