Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived two single individuals, a princess and a dark knight, who had from birth aspired to greatness. The world they each lived in differed in so many ways. They both inhabited the land of nonsense. All the inhabitants were immensely happy throughout the land except these two. The dark knight lived vey far to the south in a village called "Nueva aurora". He was cursed with an incredibly incomprehensible darkness. He wore a knight's armor to cover up the darkness but it was to no avail as the darkness tainted even his suit of armor, turning it black. He vowed that despite his condition that he would one day become a hero in the land. The princess lived far to the east bordering a village called "Nueva vida". She had abandoned her kingdom and fled in fear of her life. Her prince was an evil sorcerer who had betrayed her trust. Upon leaving the kingdom he placed a curse on her heart, trapping it in time. It was one day while passing through Nueva vida, the dark knight noticed the princess. She was smiling ever so radiantly. Her presence dazzled the dark knight's eyes, as only a princess that had seemingly stepped right out of a fairy tail could. He had only known darkness all of his life yet the light he stood in before her was so warm and inviting that he could not turn away. He requested an audience with the princess. He had to meet her. No one one would have guessed just how much, Karina, the princess and Maurich, the dark knight lives were about to change tremendously over the next few years.

The dark knight fell first to love's vice, but it proved difficult because of their conflicting pasts. He had no idea how to approach her, so he turned to her hand maiden for help. The princess' hand maiden, Norma, introduced both the princess and the dark knight. Norma and her friends, Fabi, Sandra, Suzi and Christi, enjoyed partying and drinking. They were known throughout the land for their countless adventures which usually took place after hours but that is another story. As time passed, Maurich and Karina grew very close and the princess' heart began to thaw. The barriers that stood before each of them were being torn down one by one, little by little. They were getting closer and were happy. Then the the war came and Maurich had to leave the princess' side. She plead with him not to go but Maurich told her that he had no other choice and that she she needed not to fear for her safety for he would protect the front lines and pushed the enemy back single handedly if he had to. Karina finally gave in, but deep within she feared for the worse. All the dark knight had come to know before he met the princess was war. It was essentially the darkness that engulfed him…It was indeed his very existence, his life's curse, long forgotten. "The world is but an endless spiral of death." Those words passed before his mind's eye. Had it really been that long since he had last heard these exact words come from the very mouth of his own flesh and blood, father? Those thoughts and those of the beautiful princess filled his mind during the war but when he returned to check on the princess he found her frozen solid. The curse on her heart had erratically progressed forward and now threatened to take her life. As the dark knight stood before her frozen body he became overwhelmed with unspeakable rage. The one person in the world that had reached through his darkness and brought him into a marvelous light now stood light years out of his reach…

Maurich cut out his own heart so it would never again be tainted by darkness and left it sitting beside the frozen princess. "Maybe this will keep you warm." He said as he turned away from the princess and returned to war, vanishing into the endless battlefields that stretched as far as the eye could see.

The dark knight lost himself in his battles. No man could defeat him in battle. He had nothing to lose. He had lost everything important to him and willingly given up his heart. Engulfed in darkness, he left a trail of death in his path as he traveled endlessly across the earth's death stricken soils. "The world is but an endless spiral of death." Those words struck his ears, inducing nostalgia. It was his father, who he had not seen in ages. He stood before the dark knight dressed in full armor. There wasn't any room for words or hesitation. Maurich immediately charged in recklessly, but his father easily fended him off and counterattacked, striking Maurich in the chest with his blade. Memories flowed from the blade into Maurich's subconscious as he spewed blood from his mouth. They played out before him over blood shot eyes. He could hear his mother's voice. "We never get the life we want to live, but we have to live this life for what it is worth. Learn to live this life, son." Tears filled Maurich's eyes and the helmet of his dark armor cracked and piece by piece fell to the ground. With his head lifted toward the heavens he cried out in agony. All throughout the land, his cry could be heard. It reached even the frozen princess. A single tear slowly escaped down the slope of her face and she began to thaw. The darkness that had covered the dark knight's face was removed and he could see again. Looking into his father's eyes, he could actually see himself for the first time. "I am you and I will always be there to help you when you need me." Those were the last words his father gave him before fading away into nothing. Maurich had also driven his sword into his father's chest as well at the last minute,just seconds before his father's counterattack, but with new eyes he observed that what he had fought was merely a memory as his father had died long ago.

The war ended abruptly and it was time for the dark knight to finally return home. He knew not of the princess' condition. As he was traveling home, the absence of his heart caused him to collapse and fall into a coma.

The princess thawed out and found the dark knight's heart sitting beside her. She was terribly frightened by its presence and thought that he had been killed in battle soshe fled back to her kingdom leaving the heart. The dark knight finally recovered seven months later and started to make his way back to Nueva vida. Upon his arrival he hears of Karina's wedding. She was to be crowned queen and had found a suitable prince. Maurich had returned for his heart but after hearing the news he just turned around and walked back out into the wilderness.

At that very moment, for him, it was better to not have a heart at all than to have one full of love for someone, he could not be with… "For love is definite, infinite and never ever compensates."

Perhaps that's why he left his heart for the princess and walked away. He just walked the earth for 3 years without stopping. The land of nonsense was a vast place. His armor fell to the ground piece by piece and revealed a surprisingly strapping young man. People all over looked on him, into his brown eyes and could perceive what seemed to be the only darkness present in the dark knight. He was miserable and his sadness was without equal. Then out of nowhere, one day he heard a voice say something that he never thought he would ever here again. "Everything happens for a reason." It was the princess' voice. She had said that to him often. A single tear fell to dead earth from the dark knight's face and a field of black rose bushes grew all around him. In the middle there was one pink rose bush. They were the princess' favorite. Maurich walked over to the pink rose bush and picked a single rose. Immediately, black fire fell on him and fashioned itself into an armor around Maurich's body. A mighty voice boomed down from the heavens.

"You must go to her. Only you can save her now"

"What? Why?" Maurich responded.

"She has called for you, dark knight. Can you not feel it?" The voice continued. At that very moment the dark knight noticed a heartbeat that did not belong to him. It was the princess' and he knew that it was because he had laid in her chest on occasion and listened to her heart beating.

"But, how?" Maurich shouted up to the heavens.

"Karina fled from Nueva vida to her hometown, "Su Casa" in order to inquire information about your death. She was not sure what to think upon waking up with your heart being there beside her. She sought counseling from her former prince who tricked her into marrying him for your safety. Remember how when you fell into that coma yet you have no memory of your recovery? That was that sorcerer's doing."The voice responded.

"So, why now am I just receiving her heart?" The dark knight asked.

"Because in the princess's weaken state, she could only cast the enchantment within the range of Nueva vida. After 3 years, you have finally stumbled back upon the soils of this once vibrant place. The princess' last request was that her heart be sent to the one person she trusted most."The voice answered again.

"And what has become of the princess?" The dark knight inquired. He was steadily growing angrier as each second passing seemed to be the equivalent of a lifetime.

"I do not know for certain but she must be indire circumstances to have called me." The voice quietly responded.

"Wait. Who are you exactly?" Maurich asked now confused but he was nowhere near ready for the answer.

The voice paused for what seemed an eternity. The dark knight could sense the distinct presence of unease in the air. His anger had reached a boiling point. So much had happened in just 3 years. His rage finally exploded.

"WHO ARE YOU?"He yelled up to the heavens.

His body was jolted with shock by the response and he stood, eyes wide open as the voice finally answered. "I am the enchantment…and I am called, Death's wish."

Maurich turned away from the voices direction and immediately ran for the castle to save his princess.

"Wait!"The enchantment called out to him, "Take this sword with you. It is called the sword of faith and it will reveal its true power when the time comes…"

"…And remember one more thing, Love is definite, infinite and never ever compensates…if you remember that, then you won't need the armor or the sword…"

The dark knight ran toward the castle. The sky had been darkened by storm clouds. The wind howled and thunder crashed violently into the eardrums of the village's inhabitants. Maurich reached the front of the castle only to be stopped by a great white dragon with a piece torn garment from the princess snared in it's teeth. The dark knight, now infuriated, quickly drew his sword. Lightning flashed, revealing the eyes of the mystical beast which were glowing pink. The battle was indeed fierce but quickly decided. The beast lunged forward, breathing white flames, but Maurich swiftly moved out of the way and dashed forward to strike the dragon at its heart. Black fire from his new dark armor gathered around the blade of the sword and exploded when the tip of the blade made contact with the mystical beast. Debris and smoke scattered revealing a shocking revelation. Maurich soon regretted letting his rage get the best of him as the dragon slowly transformed back into Karina. His journey to save her had all of the sudden come to a complete halt. There were no tears as he held Karina in his arms. He yelled out in agony but only air could escape as this pain that he felt now was not only incomprehensible but extremely difficult to communicate. It was as if in mere seconds his whole world had suddenly ceased to be and all he could do was watch on as it preceded to do so.

"I've been watching you." A mysterious voice spoke out.

The dark knight did not respond. The princess was literally dying in his arms and yet at the same time, it was unclear to him, who, exactly was dying in whose arms.

"I can help you."The voice came again.

"Who are you?"Maurich finally muscled up the courage to ask.

"The witch of time and I can help you but it will cost you a great deal…maybe, everything."The witch responded.

The dark knight never once looked away from the face of his princess.He just spoke quietly, "It does not matter what the cost is. I just want her to live."

The princess woke up in a world where everything was back to normal. That day was one of the most beautiful days ever. The sun glared intently with favorable intentions all over the land of nonsense and everything it's rays touched seemed to glisten. She had no idea that she was the only one who remembered what all had happened or of how she had lived. Karina asked her hand maiden, Norma, and her friends if they had seen the dark knight but none of them knew who she was speaking of. No one in the entire land of nonsense knew of the dark knight. It was as if he had never existed. What had happened to the dark knight?

"A Hero Trapped in time"(Dark knight's deal)

The witch told the dark knight that enable to save the princess; he'd have to give up his most precious possession, the heart of the princess. She told him that he actually did not need the heart to live because his heart was still intact. The dark knight gave up the princess' heart but he had no idea what that actually meant. All his emotions and even his reason to live were taken away. Life returned to the princess' body as it left the dark knight's. The black flame armor and the sword of faith disappeared together into thin air. With his last breath the dark knight uttered three words as he watched life enter the body of the princess...

"I.. love... you."

In a matter of seconds the knight's life force was completely drained and his body laid lifelessly in the void between time and space...

"In her dreams" Cuando duermes, estoy contigo...

It was a beautiful day out. The sun had risen and was shining majestically overhead while birds whistled melodies that could have only been taught to them by the angels themselves. The princess walked through a garden full of her favorite roses. She could see a dark figure in the distance. It was a familiar figure. Her heart began to race uncontrollably fast. Her entire body was all the sudden overcome with fear and excitement. She cannot believe her eyes. "It's him" she thinks to herself. She knew it was him. She knew it in her heart. She ran frantically to him and jumped into his arms. They stared in each others eyes and then they kissed, and for a moment time stops. Everything around them is instantly caught in times web. They stood beneath a cherry tree, tongues entwined, as suspended cherry blossoms slowly waltz in mid-air all around them. When the princess pulled away the dark knight noticed her tears. He wiped them away, then he put a heart shaped locket around her neck and told her, "Everything is going to be alright, but I need you to do something for me…" The princess woke up, tears streaming down her beautiful soft cheeks, heart was still beating erratically. Black rose petals had somehow made their way into her bed. In her hand she held what would be the dark knights last memento, a heart shaped locket that he had given here inside the dream. She clenched the locket tightly as tears frantically fell down her cheeks. She could still hear the dark knight's last words in her ears.

"…I need you to do something for me…"

"Live."

She then opened the locket and there, inscribed on the inside was,

Love is definite, infinite and never ever compensates…

The End...

By: Darrell Maurice Hubbard "marich7"