On her way to save the Die of Destiny from the Cruel King, Vivainne, the leader of the Knights Exemplar, found herself passing through a land riven with great gorges, where rivers crashed out of caves and disappeared into great chasms in the rocks. It was a hard country to negotiate and there were few paths. After a long day of searching for a way through, having given up hope of finding a hospitable place to stay, she found a large cavern in which she intended to rest for the night.
The cavern was huge and deep, so, as she was unable to search the cave without light, she lit a fire, hoping to scare away any lurking dangers and give out a little warmth that might allow her to get some rest. Late in the night, when the cave was at its darkest, Vivainne woke to hear the distant sound of weeping coming from deep within the cave. She took up her weapons and fashioned a torch from some wood, cloth and oil. Moving quietly, so as not to betray her presence, she made her way into the mountain. At the back of the cave, the great space narrowed until it became almost like a tunnel which continued on for some time. Eventually the narrow passage opened out into a vast cavern. Near one wall, Vivainne could just make out, a huge mound on the floor and behind it, bound with chains to a ring held fast to the rock, was a woman weeping quietly.
As Vivainne approached so as to obtain a clearer view of the great lump lying on the ground, it stirred, awakened by the light of the torch, a huge figure reared up between Vivainne and the captive woman. Something between a giant man and a massive bear, the figure resolved itself before her eyes. The figure moved towards the Knight and she could see that it wielded a mighty war club, so large that most warriors would have been hard put to lift it, let alone swing it in battle.
‘Leave now,’ rumbled the great being, ‘this is my woman, she belongs to me because I love her, she brings light to my life. I love her now and always, although she does not love me and always tries to escape.’
‘This is no kind of love that I understand, you monster,’ replied Vivainne, ‘release her or I shall be obliged to use force. A person must be allowed to choose to whom they give their love.’
The two combatants circled each other in the dim light of the guttering torch, then as the giant made to crush the Knight with a mighty blow, Vivainne leapt aside and swept here sword across the path of his descending arm. The club, still held in the grip of a mighty paw, fell to the ground and the giant creature let out a loud roar of pain.
‘Leave now,’ shouted Vivainne, ‘unless you wish to be dealt the final blow of all.’
Grumbling and moaning, the bear/man shuffled away into the darkess and was seen no more.
‘Thank you, thank you,’ cried the unfortunate woman as Vivainne broke the chains of her captivity. ‘you are my heroine and I shall forever be in your debt.’
Vivainne retrieved her torch and, together, they made their way out to the entrance of the cave and into the light of day. In that morning light Vivainne saw, for the first time, the unparalleled beauty of the woman that she had rescued and was near overcome with feelings of admiration. The woman, for her part, was assailed by gratitude and love for her rescuer and professed this in no uncertain terms, vowing to love Vivainne forever and follow her to the ends of time.
Now at this point a great turmoil began to make itself felt in Vivainne’s heart, troubling her deeply and causing her to hesitate. The sky darkened above them and lighning began to play along the peaks of the rocky cliffs that surrounded them.
‘What is this terrible sign,’ cried the woman as the thunder sounded again and again, echoing around them like a raging battle.
‘This is the sound of a great battle in my heart,’ called Vivainne, having to near shout to make herself heard over the clashing roar that was growing ever more ferocious.
‘My heart and mind are split in two parts who now wage war on each other. My love is promised to another and yet here I stand, assailed by another great love which I can barely resist. Please leave me alone for a moment so that I may bring this warfare to a resolution.’
The woman left the scene, as her rescuer had asked, and went to find shelter under an overhang nearby.
Vivainne, standing tall in the rain and lighting, looked up to the sky as if to discern an answer to her dilemma and called out to her beloved Constance, berating her for her absence in this time of need. She found herself re-examining her own loves and allegiances which had been forgotten in the excitement of battle and the ensuing adoration of the newly freed woman.
Slowly the storm abated and the echoes of the thunder died away into the distance. Vivainne found herself, standing whole again, with her heart and mind once more aligned in her love for Constance and her steadfastness in her duty to continue her quest to free the Die of Destiny from the possession of the Cruel King.
She freed the woman from any obligations to her and told her that her heart belonged to another. She took the woman out of that place and made sure that she was safe in a place where she was known and where the people there would care for her.
Feeling more resolute than ever, Vivainne set out once again on the road.
The Guardians of the Cave 