A fictional autobiography written on 18 Jan 2024

A young woman named Isabel once lived with her mother in a hamlet near the forest’s edge, where she ran a bakery on the bottom floor of her home. Her mother was a courier for a wealthy family in the nearby town, and on less busy days at the bakery, Isabel would join her mother on her travels. Aside from visits to close towns, these journeys with her mother were the only time Isabel glanced at the outside world. Her mother couldn’t take her on all her trips, though. Sometimes, the family her mother worked for would send her to far distances, even massive kingdoms surrounded by creature-inhabited forests, so Isabel couldn’t always come. But she so wished to have seen the amazing things her mother had come across. She brought souvenirs home, but Isabel wanted to see where they came from.

As she strolled along the cobblestone road of the hamlet, Isabel noticed a paper gliding across the path. It appeared to be a ripped book page with a painted picture of a knight and a faint description underneath. Isabel picked it up as her face beamed with an epiphany: “I will become a knight!” It was something she couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of before. Isabel rushed to pack everything necessary for the journey, and when her mother arrived home, she told her the news. Her mother was shocked but happy for her daughter, relieved to see her finally smile again. Isabel was given their griffin, Clawdia, as a send-off to aid her on her voyage to the Kingdom of Elysium.

With Clawdia guiding her through the skies, Isabel’s trip lasted a mere 3 days, with one overnight stay in a cottage during a snowstorm. She never pictured it so busy as she made it to the kingdom. The carriages and horses zooming to the castle, the nobles on the street, and even the fashion and personalities were nothing she was familiar with. After the overwhelming shock, she started asking for the knights’ leader. All she got were mocking laughter and doubtful glances. Before she started to defend her honor, galloping hooves, cheers, and the shinging sound of scraping metal could be heard in the distance. Her suspicions were confirmed as she followed the commotion: it was a jousting tournament.

Isabel watched as two knights on griffins seemed to whoosh past her at the speed of light, one knight knocking the other off their griffin with their lance. The crowd cheered, the winning knight lifting the defeated knight’s lance in the air in victory. Isabel quickly ran onto the field, the list nearly empty. The knight removed his helmet and looked down at Isabel. Though he was confused, he bowed in respect.

“I want to join the King’s Knighthood,” Isabel demanded, letting out a please after. She explained how she wanted to prove her worth and that she wanted to be someone she could be proud of. The knight started apologizing as she finished, but the King, who watched the whole exchange, chimed in. He told Isabel that if she was so determined to join, she had to undergo months of rigorous training, including chivalry classes and a final test of strength and will.

He then added, “You can leave anytime during your training, but be warned: if you leave at any point, you will never be allowed to join the knighthood of any kingdom, and you must return home,” He paused, “If you agree, Sir Edmund will start your training.” Isabel agreed, profusely thanking His Majesty as he walked away with his Queen.

Isabel followed Sir Edmund through the training grounds. He kept true to the words of the King, made her train every day to carry the heaviest equipment, and quizzed her on the Chivalry Code. She was taught how to use a sword, to hunt, and even wrestled with the rest of the knights every morning as a warm-up. Every day, he yelled at her to keep her sword and shield raised, that if she couldn’t, she “would be killed in warfare instantly.” Many times, she contemplated giving up and going home. She cried herself to sleep at night and got nightmares of dying in battle due to her inability to raise her sword and shield. She was constantly in pain, with blisters all over her feet and fingertips. She had to wrap her arms in cloth to cover the open wounds she had endured through her training. However, there was one last test she had to undergo: a long-distance journey alone to gather a basilisk fang, which is said to be stronger than any metal. Only then will she be knighted.

The journey to the basilisk’s cave was a breeze. The beasts were simple enough to kill, with a few giving Isabel a run for her money. As she reached the cave, a fog fell upon it, the only scenery visible being red lettering on the multiple warning signs surrounding the cave’s opening. Creeping in, she waited and listened, covering her face with her shield, knowing even glancing into the eyes of the creature meant instant death. She was terrified but knew that only made her a target. In the depth of the silence, she noticed a feather falling beside her but didn’t dare look over, fearing it was behind her. Instead, she leaned forward, then forcefully lunged backward, knocking the basilisk back. This allowed Isabel to swing her sword through the creature’s chest.

While the basilisk didn’t die, Isabel quickly ripped a fang from its mouth, released the weapon from its ribcage, and ran. As the beast struggled to move, Isabel swiftly jumped on Clawdia and flew away, refusing to look back as the blood from the fang dripped down her arm.

Upon her return, Isabel found the training ground empty. The quarters she had been living in for months were just as quiet. She decided to wait there, thinking everyone had gone on a mission. Sir Edmund called out to Isabel as she returned Clawdia to her stall. He congratulated her on her brave journey, then urged her to follow him.

As Sir Edmund guided the way, Isabel watched the knights bow their heads as she passed, ending up at the King’s throne room, where a priest waited with her newly blessed sword. Tears built up in her eyes as the King congratulated her while she kneeled. She was finally knighted after 6 brutal months—her new name was Dame Isabel.

Isabel was signed into military order shortly after the ceremony, serving 7 years under the King. One day, she lost a tournament and was forced to relinquish her equipment and land in defeat. While she had money to replenish all she had lost, she became a merchant mercenary, traveling to many kingdoms to sell goods. On her journey, she met another knight from one of the many kingdoms, and the two got married years later. As she remained a mercenary, it wasn’t long until she received the title Healer of the Knights for aiding the wounded following battles. Dame Isabel continued to tell her story to those who would listen on her journeys, urging people that they could do anything with sheer willpower and grit.