“Who are you?” Thomas asked.

“I am Kirdrey. I am here to talk to you on behalf of the princess.”

“I have no business with you. Where is the princess?”

“She’s not here.”

“Release the princess!”

“If you will not negotiate, I will have no choice but to fight.”

Thomas charges on horseback and attacks with the lance.

Kirdrey swiftly reacts. From his side he draws a sword looking like it is made of bronze, and parries the attack. He slips past the lance to where Thomas is sitting. He slashes, but Thomas is wearing armor. Then he kicks Thomas in the leg above his knee and uses the force to create distance between the two of them.

To his surprise, Thomas feels pain in his leg through the armor. It confuses and angers him. He pulls the reins forcefully, causing his steed to rear up on its hind legs and threaten to trample Kirdrey with its powerful forelimbs.

In terms of combat strength, a knight on horseback is worth four men. Kirdrey remains calm despite knowing this. The horse's hooves brush past him and plant into the ground next to him. Thomas's lance thrusts past him for a second time. Then he steps forward and gently cuts through the straps of the saddle.

Thomas's vision tilts sideways as the saddle falls off the horse with him still on it. He abandons his lance and leaps from the bindings, landing on the ground with a powerful thud. He rises to his feet and draws his sword.

Kirdrey wipes some blood from his face. Dodging a horse is not so easy. He chants a short prayer. "Heal." The wound is enveloped in light and stops bleeding.

Thomas frowns. He has no talent for magic, like this man before him, but he is confident in his swordsmanship. He can win any fight. In his eyes, Kirdrey was surrounded with lines depicting the angles of his potential sword attacks, the angles of his current defenses, and the angles leading to his weaknesses. This wasn’t magic, rather it was how Thomas saw his opponents through his experiences and imagination.

Thomas moved along the angle leading to Kirdrey’s weakness. Kirdrey calmly shifted his weight and the angle moved until it was too far away to exploit. Their swords clashed in the air. The sound of metal colliding with metal reverberated across the waters of the loch. Thomas tries repeatedly to exploit Kirdrey’s angle of weakness, but the man always covers it in time. How was it possible that such a skilled man existed in this world without his knowledge, he wondered.

They exchanged many blows and Kirdrey was cut in many places. To an outsider, it would look like Thomas was winning, however, Thomas was growing tired. For some reason, receiving a blow from this man could be felt through the armor. Magic.

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Finally, Thomas made a crucial mistake. A weakness appeared in his eyes, blaring like the sun, and he fell for the trap. He thrust forward with his sword, but Kirdrey executed a resplendent technique that twisted Thomas into the ground. His sword flew into the grass beyond.

Now Thomas was on his knees, his muscles aching, and Kirdrey’s sword aimed at his neck. In that place, the chain mail would prevent cuts, but not his bones from breaking. He had lost.

“I don’t understand. Why would the princess send you in her place? Why has my beloved Fenella forsaken me? Does our promise no longer mean anything to her?” He asked with despair.

“Who is this Fenella? The princess in Stornway is called Mona. Not Fenella. Clearly you have a nail loose.”

“Is, is that really true? Is she really not Princess Fenella?”

“Yes. Hasn’t anyone tried to tell you?”

“They have only tried to kill me once they see me.”

Kirdrey scratched his chin. “The princess was right. You are quite confused.” From his bag he produced a mirror and gave it to Thomas.

Thomas threw down the mirror in shock. “Is that me?!”

Kirdrey nodded sadly. “You are not human anymore, but a walking corpse. The princess you know is not here.”

“Oh woe is me. No wonder everyone panics when they see me. So the girl in the castle wasn’t my princess after all. Now that you mention it, she wasn’t wearing the royal necklace of Brigadoon.”

“What happened to you?”

“I was in a very deep sleep. Then the earthquake happened and I woke in this strange land, feeling as though I had been released from some kind of… prison… My memories were so murky that I could only recall a few of them at a time. Looking at that princess brought many of them back. Memories of Fenella and I. I remembered that I am a knight of Brigadoon, and that Fenella and I had sworn undying love for each other and were to be wed.”

“So you went and confused princess Mona with your Fenella. They must be the splitting image of each other.”

Thomas nodded.

“Where is this Brigadoon?”

Thomas looked hurt. “You do not know of Brigdoon?”

Kirdrey shook his head. “I am new to this country, myself.”

Thomas was lost in thought for a moment, then he said. “I must do the honorable thing. I must return to that castle and apologize for my mistake.”

“I think that would make things worse. You would be attacked again.”

“Make things worse? Yes… I fear you may be correct. Perhaps you could take a message on my behalf. Tell them I will not go near the place again.”

He nodded. “May I take something from you as proof of your sincerity.”

“Yes, take this.” Thomas removed his helmet and handed it to Kirdrey. “Give this to them as proof of your victory. I will cover my face with something else.”

“You are an honorable warrior.” Kirdrey accepted the helmet. Then he produced something from his bag. “Take this. It will surely light your path through the darkness and correct your memory over time.”

Thomas accepted the item, but his hands felt like they were burning. He quickly put it in his bag. It was a pure white feather, radiating a holy light. “Impossible! A feather from a celestial being! Where did you find this?”

Kirdrey smiled bitterly. “I did not find it. That is my own, the only one I had after the so-called earthquake. It will be more useful to you now.” Then he walked away without another word.