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Who is he?
Friday, September 14th, 2007 by Admiral_CoeymanWho is the hero without the damsel in distress? Sure you have slain the dragon, but to what avail? PETA is sure to firebomb you house for that. When they come, what shall be your defense? Was it worth your life?
When I come to the darker parts of my cycle, my stand up philosophy often slips into this line of thought. Would it be worth riding off to slay the dragon if the damsel in distress was not there? Is this a quest that I could undertake if I could not feel that she was worth it? The knight cannot be a hero without the damsel in distress. Unless the brave knight can save her, he has failed before he departs on the quest.
It is hard to stand up against the mighty beast, with breath of fire and claws of iron, for the sake of a scrap of cloth flapping in the breeze. No royal writ would be enough to purchase my blood for such a task. You may think of the heroism of defending the populace of a kingdom or sparing the lives and livelihoods of villagers. Would a blur of nameless, featureless faces be enough of a price to barter for your life? I could not stand my ground for any prize that would not be worth my life to win.
But, it is not possession of the damsel in distress that is the bargain. She need be no more than a maiden of any village. It is for her love alone that the battle is worth fighting. All that she requires is that she be worth the knight’s life should he have the need to fall. Her safety must be the knight’s first duty.
To prepare for battle is to prepare for death. If she be not enough the maiden to see to her own safety, then there is nothing that the knight can do for her and he will have no price for which to sell his life. A hero without the damsel in distress is a poor sort of creature who dies from memory as quickly as his age. To stand with honor, to die with grace; A lonely grave is a lonely place.
