Anime Storm
Chapter 3: The Black Knight
Mason opened his eyes, squinting as someone flung the curtains open. He draped his arm over his eyes. "Dad?" he croaked.
"Well, I never!" came the reply from an older woman's voice.
Did Dad hire a maid?
He felt all over himself and groaned. He was still a girl, just a little more flat chested this time.
"Well, get up," came the voice again. "Just because you live in the palace, doesn't mean you can act like it. You're still a maid and there's a lot of work to do." The woman bustled out of the room.
He sat up and looked around. A maid's outfit hung in the corner. From the clothes and architecture, he'd guess he was in the middle ages.
"Oh, boy."
Later that day found him cleaning with the lady who woke him up. He had found out that her name was Gertrude and that the girl he was at the time, was named Arista.
"Seriously, girl," Gertrude admonished. "You'd think that you never made a bed or dusted before."
About midafternoon, Gertrude let him go, saying he had worked hard enough. He went to Arista's room, hung up his maid outfit, and put on another dress. He went into the servants' common room to look at himself in the mirror.
In the mirror, he saw that he was a tall blue haired girl, with red eyes, and the magic pendant around her neck. He also saw Allison in the mirror, glaring at him/her.
"Finally!" she huffed. "I've been looking everywhere for you! Why are you there?! You should have returned here!"
"I don't know!" he exclaimed back. "I'm new to this. Why don't you tell me?"
"I guess the only thing we can do is finish what you're here to do." She pulled out her phone and typed some. "Seems Arista here, that's you, has to reveal a traitor from within the kingdom. She finds a magic sword and becomes the legendary Black Knight."
"What's the Black Knight?"
"Seriously?! Didn't you pay attention in History?!"
"Nope. Too boring."
She gave an exasperated sigh. "Supposedly, in medieval times, he would appear when England was in trouble."
"Sounds cool. How-" He then noticed someone, who obviously wasn't a servant, standing in the room, staring at him. She had green hair that hung down to her waist, her blue eyes locked on him, with a sort of mocking smile on her lips. She wore a brown skirt and tunic with a pearl necklace around her neck, a crystal pendant dangling on the end of the chain. "Um….Uhhh….I...I like to talk to myself in the mirror. Can I help you?"
"Your Highness."
"I beg your pardon?"
"The proper question is, 'Can I help you, Your Highness?' I am your princess after all."
Mason's eyes widened and he did a quick bow. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. I didn't recognize you in that outfit."
"It's perfectly okay. Anyways, I'm going out into the woods today and I need a servant to come along. You're the only one I can find so you'll have to do."
"What about guards?"
"What? So they can tell me how weak and vulnerable I am and how much I need them? No thanks. Come along."
A couple hours later found them traipsing through some ruins buried deep in the forest. They carefully made their way over rocks and rubble.
"What is this place?" Mason asked.
"There used to be a castle here long ago, but people no longer remember who it belonged to."
They made their way to a tower where the Princess brushed some ivy off a plaque that was hidden. It was now tarnished but had some writing on it.
"'Here the sword be hidden from sight, come forth the one who is worthy of Black Knight'?" The princess stared quizzically for a second and then moved on. She turned a corner, and there before them, were stairs leading down. "I've gotten this far by myself but I've been a bit too nervous to go by myself."
"I'm only a woman, Highness," Mason choked out.
"As am I. So was Helen of Troy, Ping Yang, and Boudicca. Did that stop me or them? No! Now come on!" she said to bolster his confidence as much as hers.
The princess grabbed a piece of wood, and using two rocks found nearby, was able to turn it into a burning torch. The two descended down into darkness.
"By the way," the princess said, "my name is Annabelle. What's yours?"
"Ma-ahem-Arista," Mason answered.
The stairs descended, making slight turns here and there, deep into the dark. There were some hallways that led off from the stairs, but they were so dark, the torch couldn't provide enough light to see down them very far. Eventually, the stairs ended and they stepped onto a marble floor. Ahead of them, stood two giant doors made of stone, a giant knight adorning either side. Below the knight was a plaque that read, "Only the Black Knight may enter". Off to their right and left stood hallways that led into even more darkness.
The two grabbed the door, and it swung open, revealing a giant room, a beam of light shining down from the ceiling, onto an ornate black sword.
When Annabelle tried to enter the room, a loud bell sounded, and she stopped in her tracks.
"What's going on?" Mason asked.
"I don't know," she replied. "It's like there's some sort of barrier there. I can't get through."
That's when they heard the sound of shuffling footsteps from both hallways. A group of skeletons emerged from each hallway, into the torchlight, and surged forward.