Knight of Love

She wakes under the moonlight
with his breath upon her face
Enveloped by a love
she feels in his embrace ~
Smiling as she sees him,
the man that she adores,
Join her in the moonlight
upon the forest floor.

He takes off all his armour
and lays it on the ground
While taking in her beauty
she undresses without a sound ~
The epitome of desire
is right before his eyes
Succumbing to the passion
in the pleasures of the night.

Laying in his arms
with her head upon his breast
Savouring the passion
she found in his caress ~
His touch so warm and tender
the essence of his kiss
Lost within the pleasure
that will always be like this.

But in the morning when she woke
he was gone from her side
Leaving a rose of scarlet
for what cannot be denied ~
Smiling at the memory
she arose from the floor
Savouring the passion
with the man that she adored.

She flitted through the forest
in the early morning light
Hoping no one had noticed
that she'd been gone all night ~
As she crept into the Castle
and tiptoed down the hall
She moved in stealthy silence
as she closed her bedroom door.

She breathed an easy sigh
as she climbed into her bed
Relieved that all were sleeping
and not awake instead ~
As she ruffled all the covers
to make like she's asleep
She closed her eyes and smiled
of the memories that she keeps.

Thud! Her bedroom door slammed
with her father standing there
His look of angry disbelief
could only make her stare ~
She feared the retribution
if he knew what she had done
He'd see her as a whore
with her pure chastity gone.

She saw the look in his eyes
as he marched her bedroom floor
He asked where had she been
just an hour ago before ~
He'd seen her bed not slept in
and he saw her coming back,
Was this his virginal daughter
with her virtue still in tact?

"Answer me!" he demanded
as tears fell from her eyes
But she never spoke his name,
for fear that he would die ~
Her father is all powerful
throughout all the land
And if he knew her knight of love,
he'd surely kill this man.

So her punishment was far greater
than she could foresee
Locked within the Castle
yearing to be free ~
Watching out the window
as day turned into night
Knowing he'd be waiting
under the soft moonlight.

For a month she was secluded
within the Castle's walls
With the memory of her lover,
the man that she adored ~
She knew she had to see him
the moment she was free
Taking care to slip away
so she wouldn't be seen.

She tiptoed to the forest
in the shadow of moonlight
Hurrying to the place
where she would meet her knight ~
She could feel his breath upon her
and the warmth of his embrace
As she turned to see her lover
with adoration on his face.

He said how he had missed her
and wondered where she'd gone
Until he heard the rumours
that she'd done something wrong ~
He knew she had been punished
so he could only wait
To see how much her father knew
that would somehow seal their fate.

She put a finger to his lips
and sealed it with a kiss
Wishing that the hands of time
could keep their love like this ~
But she knew she had to tell him
what else could she do?
For soon all the Castle
would know of their rendezvous.

Hush, my sweet, don't you cry
as he gently wiped her face
"Love can conquer the great divide
in the arms of my embrace" ~
"My darling, nothing's greater
than the promise you will be
A comfort when the news is heard
of the child within me."

The shock of her condition
soon everyone will see
The chastity of the daughter
and her lost virginity ~
Braced for her father's wrath
though she knew what he would say
Knowing she was with child now
he would plan her wedding day.

The look of disappointment
she saw in her father's eyes
As he agreed that a betrothal
would definitely be wise ~
As she brought her lover forward
to meet his intimidating height,
The King, he was surprised
to find that he was a knight!

So the legend of the forest
in the soft moonlight
Tells of the virginal daughter
and one of the King's knights ~
The story that surrounds the Castle
of the child that she bore
With her knight of love and passion;
the man that she adored.

© Christina
14th October, 2002

"This is a beautiful romantic tale of the love between the king's daughter and one of his knights.   Forbidden to fraternise with the knights, the princess in this story fell in love with one who captured her heart and soul, though their love had to remain a secret or her father would have him killed!  Particularly as his daughter was to remain pure or "virginal" for the man she would marry, though a pre-arranged marriage is not mentioned here, her chastity was to remain in tact.  Anything less and she would be seen a whore, a tramp and "spoiled" for any chance of future betrothal.  The king was afraid his daughter would be seen as a debauched scarlet woman.  She would be of no use for a husband if such was the case.   But the princess would not disclose the identity of her lover, for fear her father would have him killed, particularly as he is one of the king's trusted knights.  Her punishment to remain isolated in the Castle gave the king hope that whoever he was, he would grow tired of waiting for her to never come, and she would grow out of this infatuation.  But it was during her isolation that the princess discovered her condition and she knew that as soon as she was free, she had to seek her lover and tell him she was bearing his child.   For she knew now that their secret would then be known to the Castle, and she would have to tell her father.    Knowing how much her father loved her and wanted more for her, she knew that he would not kill the father of her child now....for she would always remain a scarlet woman then.   He agreed that a marriage would be the best option for her ~ but he didn't imagine it would be one of his knights!   I imagine the king felt rather betrayed, not just by his daughter, but by his trusted knight....and the only thing stopping him from having the knight killed was his love for his daughter and his desire for her to have a better life than that of a scarlet woman.   In the end, what makes this story so much more romantic is the legend that lives on....within the Castle and beyond....of the love between the princess and her knight of love."