Can I be read a bedtime story?
Perfect timing! You sent this right before I headed into the shower, so I was able to think of something as we did!
Once, there was a very small knight in yellow.
The world was wrought with dreadful evil, and even the honor and nobility of the knights, who should be the ones fixing their dreadful country by saving the people of the capital city had long since cared only for glory and fame. But one little yellow knight held onto the belief more than anything a knight should live to help the people. Once another knight told her, you fool! Did you know now even in the old days the only loyalty of a knight was to coin, to their Lords!? But the yellow knight ignored them, picking up only a rusted, dented spear, so rusted it's blade now appeared red. And she found herself in a predicament: a knight with no horse? So she grabbed a toy, a hobby horse, running into battle with her noble steed clutched within her hand as she ran forward, even as all the other knights mocked her.
However, in time, a great monster appeared. It was all the calamities of the world itself, all it's evil, the embodiment of the capital city that consumed all of this country. The knights attempted to fight it for glory and fame, but it slaughtered them all. It laughed at the small yellow knight.
But no matter how many times she was struck down, she got back up, much to the beast's astonishment. Even as it's spitting saliva exposed the facade hills to be only painted, the flowers and birdies all fake, even as she fell down time and again with her crippled legs the yellow knight refused to give up. Such was her tenacity, her desire for justice. Even when her horse was destroyed and spear snapped in half, the yellow knight held strong in her heard the ideal of justice.
On a full moon she was approached by a woman: a knight clad in blue, known only to appear when the moon was full. She asked the yellow knight, why such a ridiculous dream? But the yellow knight said it was not ridiculous to want people to be happy. The knight of the white moon approved of this answer, for it was in secret a test.
She instructed the knight to cut and bleed herself until she had formed a pool of blood. Then, once it was complete, to have a new spear forged: instead of lowering it into water or oil to cool it, the red hot steel would be cooled in blood.
It was a dangerous month-long ordeal. Many times the yellow knight nearly bleed to death. But she did not give up, wishing to trust in the knight of the white moon dressed in azure, and forged her new spear in blood. Her new weapon was now a spear dyed crimson, and to honor her horse the yellow knight whited them into wooden shoes. And then, on the next night of the full moon, struct the evil beast dead! For the spear now was infused with her own justice, her own passion, her own belief- allowing it to penetrate and slay all evil!
Not much changed in the capital city, however. After a brief period of peace the violence, distrust, and evil returned, and the small yellow knight's accomplishment was forgotten by all except the knight of the white moon.
Does that mean the story was for nothing, my Sancho?
No, it meant everything. Truth be told, the knight knew she would receive no glory, no recognition, no reward... simply knowing that if only for a single day the birds would sing and children would laugh. That was enough for her.
Evil will never disappear from our world, my Sancho. That does not mean we must not be good, or try to be good. In fact, that night, the village closest to the beast's rampage had a great feast and festival. For the yellow knight knew that even if only a single person in all the world remained, they could have the capacity for good: and that is why they were worth fighting for.
And that is the lesson of our story. We must not do good things to be recognized for goodness, but rather because it is the right thing to do, to save others as we would wish to be saved.
... Does this story suffice, my Sancho?
