Once upon a time there traveled the Kingdom of Bargondais a much esteemed knight by the name of Sir Jay.  Wherever this knight was or had been, people adored him, while tales praising his valor and honor reached even those lands which his eyes had never seen.  His sword was said to weigh nearly as much as he did (without his armor), and he carried no shield nor rode he a steed.  He trusted his sword to protect him and his feet to transport him.  Though the stories told of him generally left this out, rather than wear heavy plate armor which weighs more than enough to make walking difficult and a horse a necessity, he wore a mail shirt, a pair of gloves, and a light helmet, so that he could move more quickly.

As the sun was setting one night, Sir Jay was moving somewhat quickly toward the town of Dristan so that he might find some rest after defeating the evil Lord Rangolar who had gone against the good King and attempted to mobilize the Land of Magdon to make war and put himself upon the throne.  Sir Jay had reached the Land of Magdon long before any other of the good King's Knights and had begun the battle against the evil Lord Rangolar alone, which was no small feat seeing that Rangolar already had much of the Magdonians equipped for battle and had planned on moving Northward once he had a few more men.  Once more of the good King's Knights arrived, Sir Jay had already made significant progress against Lord Rangolar and led the other knights to a quick victory.

Sir Jay entered the town of Dristan alone, as the rest of the good King's Knights had (as they always did) started riding back toward the Castle Bargon.  It may seem that Sir Jay would go with them, but as mentioned earlier, he was without horse.  Also Sir Jay had not been to the Castle Bargon in many years, which while he was unaware caused his fame there to increase:  the people of the Good King's Village thought Sir Jay to be invincible.

The people of Dristan, though never having been visited by Sir Jay, had heard of him and were quick to welcome him to their town.  They wanted so badly to hear of his most recent adventure that he felt selfish when he asked that he might be granted a meal and then a bed where he may lie uninterrupted for a short while.  Though knights in the Kingdom of Bargondais were very well cared for in the Castle Bargon, a knight away from the Castle must either provide for himself in the wilderness or depend on the gratitude of the very people he protected, which for a knight such as Sir Jay was quite abundant.  They offered to have a town Feast in his honor, but Sir Jay graciously declined, saying that a simple meal should suit him quite well.  The people reluctantly agreed, and he was granted his simple meal and then shown to a bed.

It had not been many hours since Sir Jay had lay down when a very excited small boy awoke him, gave a bow, and informed him that there was someone outside who wished to see him.  The boy did not specify who exactly it was waiting for him outside, but Sir Jay certainly did not view his rest as more important than the request of a townsperson to see him--after all, it was the townspeople who had filled his stomach and granted him a place to rest his head.  Sir Jay kindly told the boy that he need not bow before him (to which the boy seemed to take slight offense though he mentioned nothing of it), then dressed himself and asked to be brought to his caller.

A few minutes later, Sir Jay stepped outside behind the boy and saw the good King himself (surrounded by a sizeable court, as would be expected) smiling at him.  Sir Jay quickly lowered his eyes and asked to what honor he might owe such a visit.  The good King then asked if he was not the good King's knight Sir Jay, to which Sir Jay said that he was, and the good King replied that indeed, the honor fell upon him.  He went on to explain that he had heard of Sir Jay's most recent victory and thought that something should be done about it:  specifically, he offered to bring Sir Jay to the Castle Bargon where he would be proclaimed Head Knight, after which a parade would be held in his honor.  To any other of the good King's Knights, such an offer from the good King himself would have most certainly been an opportunity to accept, but Sir Jay instead replied that he felt unworthy of such an honor, yet he would certainly go along with his sire's wishes.

When it was time for the ceremonial feast, Sir Jay entered the banquet hall of the Castle Bargon where an attendant quickly came to his side to lead him to his seat.  But before even did he notice the attendant at his side his eyes fell upon the most gorgeous creature he had ever seen.  His mind swiftly collected all available information concerning her appearance so that he could follow the attendant to his seat without staring at her.  The seat he was shown to was next to the good King, and seated on the good King's other side was the vision of beauty Sir Jay had noticed not long before.  The good King welcomed him and introduced the young woman as his daughter, the fair Princess Brittany.  This revelation caused the heart of Sir Jay to sink considerably--surely a princess would want nothing to do with such a rogue as himself, and even if existed her some form of interest in the knightly profession, surely she could find a knight much greater than he, one who deserved the honors which that very day would be extended to Sir Jay.

Sir Jay quickly masked his disappointment so that the good King might not feel as if Sir Jay was in fact disappointed with the feast prepared in his honor, and besides, he was quite certain that the beautiful Princess Brittany had not but noticed him anyway.  As the banquet progressed, the accomplishments of Sir Jay as a knight were repeatedly praised, but his thoughts were too focused on the fair Princess Brittany to allow his mind time to silently protest the barrage of undeserved compliments.

At the end of the meal, the good King asked for the sword of Sir Jay, which he handed to an attendant who handed back to his King a slightly larger sword adorned with honorable gems and metals.  The good King, using the new sword, declared Sir Jay Head Knight.  Once the sword was handed to Sir Jay (who held it out so that those present had the opportunity to gaze upon the glory and wealth inherent in the Kingdom of Bargondais before he introduced it to its sheath), the people cheered enthusiastically, as they too were pleased with the good King's decision to name Sir Jay Head Knight.  Sir Jay then shook congratulatory hands of many of the good King's men, and was quite pleased as well as surprised by a polite kiss from the beautiful Princess Brittany.

The Good King's Village held what they believed to be the privilege of housing Sire Jay for but one more night before he was once again on his feet roaming the Kingdom of Bargondais, protecting its King and its people.  At times he received a letter from the fair Princess Brittany, which never failed to cheer him greatly, and he sent letters back whenever he had the time.  After being named Head Knight, Sir Jay was known throughout the Kingdom, which left little difficulty for couriers aiding in his correspondence with the beautiful Princess Brittany.  With time, however, this correspondence dwindled, and the thoughts of Sir Jay (though he never actually forgot her) turned more toward his duties as Head Knight.

Over the years, the rest of the good King's Knights began to favor surrounding Sir Jay with themselves, as his role of Head Knight declared him their leader.  Many of them previous to his naming to Head Knight had heard as well as told stories of his knightly greatness, and after serving under him found the stories more true than they had expected.  Yet still Sir Jay could not see himself as others saw him.  In fact, during a particularly bloody battle in which Sir Jay was in command of nearly every one of the good King's Knights, his view of himself reached what very well may have been its lowest point.  Being accustomed to battles in which the valiance of the good King's Knights was presented in all its ferocity, battles in which the opposition wasted no time in backing down from the impressive knightly force, the good King's Knights began to doubt Sir Jay's leadership when this battle lasted more than a few weeks.  Some of them even went so far as to break themselves from his leadership, and this blow to unity resulted in the loss of a large number of Knights.

Oddly enough, at the very point in time when he needed it more than ever before, Sir Jay once again received a letter from the beautiful Princess Brittany.  Through continued correspondence he shared with her the events which continued to plague his mind and noticed that she cared about him, which pleased him greatly.  Despite this spirit-lifter, Sir Jay and the remainder of the good King's Knights still faced great loss in their eventual defeat of the hostile band of invaders.

Sir Jay had barely arrived in the nearest town when he was informed that his presence had been requested in the Castle Bargon by the good King Himself once again.  Despite the heaviness in his heart, Sir Jay allowed himself to rest a short while, but set off immediately afterward for the Castle Bargon.  He tried to lighten his heart by pointing out to himself that a trip to the Castle Bargon most likely included an opportunity to speak to the fair Princess Brittany.  This was however somewhat difficult considering that Sir Jay could find no other rationalization for the good King's request other than to reprimand him for taking so tremendous a loss in the most recent battle, and though he felt he deserved such a dishonor, his feeling that he was terribly unworthy of being in the company of the good King seemed to dominate.

It was not until a number of weeks had passed that the beautiful Princess Brittany discovered Sir Jay amongst the trees of a forest near the Good King's Village.  Sir Jay had not recognized her in time to avoid being seen because she was still wearing the hooded cloak that she often wore when walking through the village with no intention of being recognized.  Sir Jay bowed as the fair Princess Brittany approached him.  It was not long before she asked why he had not come to the Castle Bargon, and he explained to her his feelings of failure as Head Knight, how outside knighthood he had nothing, and once he could not serve the good King as a knight, he had nothing.  The beautiful Princess Brittany had listened both intently as well as caringly while Sir Jay had explained his view of his situation to her, but now that it was beginning to get dark, she told him that she must return to the Castle Bargon, and that she wished for him to come as well and speak with the good King.  Sir Jay of course was not especially akin to this suggestion, but once he declined she offered to return the next morning so that the two of them could discuss the situation further, which he graciously accepted.  He watched as her elegant outline faded into the distant trees and the thought of seeing her again the next day easily overwhelmed any reluctancy he may have otherwise felt due to her desire for him to see the good King.  He slept much better that evening than he had for a very great deal of time.

Early the next morning Sir Jay noticed the fair Princess Brittany, shrouded in her cloak, making her way through the trees toward him.  He watched her slip the hood of her cloak off her head and thought surely her beauty had increased since he last gazed upon her.  They sat down together beneath a large oak tree, and though Sir Jay sat in the shade, the morning sun shone through the leaves to accent the beautiful Princess Brittany with a warm glow that Sir Jay found especially comforting.  She then began her argument to Sir Jay that he should in fact go with her to the Castle Bargon that day.  She explained that the good King was not at all upset with Sir Jay, nor had He any desire to disgrace him.  Instead, she explained, the good King wished to extend to Sir Jay an invitation to the Castle Bargon, not for the purpose of meeting, but instead to stay as a guest.  Of course the good King had met difficulty until then in reaching Sir Jay with this new invitation.

When Sir Jay showed that he still held back from the acceptance of such an invitation, the fair Princess Brittany offered to personally escort him to the good King.  To Sir Jay, any idea involving the company of the beautiful Princess Brittany held considerably more appeal than did the same idea save her presence, yet he was not especially certain that to allow the fair Princess Brittany evidence of his interest in her was a safe action.  He did although feel that everything that had ever been important to him had already been lost, and so, seeing that little remained anyway, he finally accepted the beautiful Princess Brittany's offer.  She then waited while he somewhat reluctantly donned his uniform once again, then much less reluctantly offered his arm to the fair Princess Brittany as they started toward the Castle Bargon.

Since the beautiful Princess Brittany had decided not to raise the hood of her cloak, the people of the Good King's Village recognized her face as well as the sword carried by Sir Jay (most of them had seen it when it was given to him).  For the most part, the people remained silent as was expected of them in such a situation, though a few murmurs concerning the significance of Sir Jay walking through the village with the fair Princess Brittany found their way into the air.  They both had expected that the people would speak of seeing Sir Jay once again, as well as more specifically with whom they had seen him.

Upon their arrival at the Castle Bargon, the beautiful Princess Brittany brought Sir Jay to the good King.  The first thing the good King wished to know was why it had taken so long for Sir Jay to come to Him, and so Sir Jay explained his reasons for not wishing to speak to the good King.  Once his explanation was finished, the good King told him that truly, he had not failed in his servitude as a knight until he chose not to come speak with the good King.  He then went on to explain that while Sir Jay would not be stripped of his title of Head Knight, the good King no longer wished for Sir Jay to serve Him as he had in the past--the good King had a different idea for him, but would not reveal it just yet.  For now Sir Jay was to remain as a guest of the court of the good King, which Sir Jay accepted despite his not wishing to wait because he desired to serve his King in whichever way the good King desired.

After dinner that evening, the fair Princess Brittany took Sir Jay by the arm and they walked together out to the castle garden to sit together, watch the sun set, and wait for the stars to come out.  At times while they sat in silent observance, Sir Jay noticed much to his enjoyment that the beautiful Princess Brittany would rest her head upon his shoulder.  Upon her viewing of the evening's first star, the fair Princess Brittany commented to Sir Jay on the elegant beauty of the night sky.  He turned to look at her and thought to himself that her elegance and beauty were much more impressive than that of the sky.  He did not notice until she turned to look at him that he was still looking at her--he had forgotten to turn back to the sky because he found her much more captivating.  But now that she had seen him looking at her there was really no need to turn back to the sky, and thus the focus of his attention narrowed to her soft lips which he noticed glistened with just the right amount of starlight.  He thought of how incredibly wonderful it must feel to have those lips pressed against his . . . he placed his hand gently aside her jaw . . . he guided her face toward his own . . . he tilted his head so that their lips would better match up . . . he found that the sensation of her lips pressed against his was much more incredible than he had expected.

The realization that he had actually acted upon his desires startled Sir Jay, but before there was a chance for a reaction on his part, he felt upon the back of his neck the touch of a slightly cool hand, and against his lips once again the pressure of warm lips.  There was no interpretation other than the object of his affection was returning his gesture of romantic interest.  Though these events had stirred up more than enough thoughts in his mind to allow him to discuss them all through the night, he felt it more fitting to silently enjoy what remained of nightfall as well as the company of the one he found so completely amazing.  He put an arm around her and gently pulled her close to him due both to the slowly falling temperature as well as his desire to simply be closer to her.  There was of course no reason obvious to either of them as to why they should not kiss again, and so while they continued to enjoy the company of one another as more stars revealed themselves, their eyes and lips more than once followed a pattern similar to that which they had done shortly before.

Sir Jay woke the next morning with a lightheartedness he had never before experienced, and he knew full well that his escapade the previous evening with the beautiful Princess Brittany was solely responsible.  His spirits dropped slightly, however, when he remembered that the fair Princess Brittany had left that morning to speak with a nearby kingdom and would not return for four days.  He spent practically all of the time while she was away in the library (which he thought had the best chance of accelerating his thought processes) thinking about her, and the possibility of the two of them together.

He felt for the first time that someone truly cared for him, and while the idea of depending at all upon the care of another somewhat frightened him, it was at the same time comforting to know that she did care.  The beautiful Princess Brittany must also have noticed that he had more reason than appreciating a listening ear for enjoying her company, he decided, certainly now if not before they had kissed.  The idea of kissing brought his thoughts back to the feast at which he had been named Head Knight, but more specifically the polite kiss he had received from the fair Princess Brittany at its close.  He saw now though it had been hidden from him before that the kiss had meant much more to him than he had realized.  Even then he had loved her, though he was just now putting it all together.  The feeling he had every time he heard from her suddenly could be understood; explained by his love for her.  The fact that he had come to see the good King while remaining unconvinced that the good King did not wish to reprimand him in some way could now be rationalized--the beautiful Princess Brittany had wished it, and so it was.

He also began to believe that she also felt for him something akin to what he felt for her.  She could easily have brought a search party into the forest once she knew Sir Jay was there and forced him to come to the Castle Bargon, but she instead chose to leave the decision to him and simply let him know how she felt about the situation.  She wrote of how greatly she appreciated receiving the letters which Sir Jay wrote to her despite the fact that his world at the time was almost entirely the world of a knight--he wrote mostly of battles and life on the road.  Most unmistakably, she had returned his kiss.

By the time he had sorted all of this out in his mind, the four days had passed, and he felt he had much to talk with her about, so he called her.  She agreed to come see him and it was not long before they were sitting together discussing the events of the evening slightly less than a week ago.  He knew that within a couple more days he would have to leave once again, and they both knew that she had to stay.  This inevitable physical separation combined with their expectations that others might find fault in their being together caused them to arrive at the decision that it would be best for both of them to not let the evening of their kisses advance their relationship at the time.

After he left they remained in close contact (or as close as two people can manage without the convenience of actually seeing each other) and it was not long before their love for one another overpowered their decision not to come together.  A few more weeks and he was driving back to see her and take her to a dance--his fantasy world had slowly faded now that the real world had become better and more interesting . . .