The king knelt to raise the blind slave to her feet. "You are freed now," he declared kindly. "To go anywhere and do anything that you desire."
The new woman remained still underneath his touch. "I have nowhere to go, sir, and I desire nothing."
"Then come with me," the king entreated. "Be my knight, my first."
"What is a knight?"
"A warrior," the king sang. "A sword of the kingdom, one who will fight back the darkness and defend what is good in the world. One who will uphold virtue and honor in the face of temptation, and serve to lead the way."
The woman bowed her head, and made to turn away. "I see. I am sorry, but I cannot be this."
The king took her hand again, stopping her retreat. "There is another kind. One that serves me like a dog serves its master. One that carries out my will like a weapon, with no concern for honor, like a hound of the hunt. One who will sit at my side, loved and trusted. One who gives themself to me, and in turn will be fed, and warmed, and at home in my halls forever."
"Aye," the king's knight answered. "I can be that."