By Maradas Graham

There are men who have had fame placed upon them, and then there are those men who have courted fame like a lover. Though this is not necessarily bad, it does say a great deal about the measure of ones character, and about the nature of pride as a whole. This tale, my noble reader, is about pride and arrogance, and about humility and modesty, in equal measures. It is a story of justice, and of Justice, the Golden Knight of the Seelie Realms. It is a story about the many facets of fame.

Once upon a time, in the Realms of the King, justice reigned supreme over the land, and Justice reigned supreme over all the Knights of the Realm. Justice was one of the chosen Border Knights of his majesty, and stood as a symbol of the Knightly ideal. Unfortunately, he had a tendency to take his position within the Courts a little too personally, and believed strongly in his own superiority. He was a handsome man, recognizable as extraordinary, even in a land where all were handsome and extraordinary. His brow was noble, his profile straight, his hair always perfectly placed, and his garments sparkling clean. He wore the image of the sun emblazoned upon his tabard, and he certainly thought that he was like the sun. To Justice, the world simply wished to bask in his radiant glory. Justice was a proud man.

Now, in the Realms of the Queen, there lived another knight of great perfection and skill. He went by the name of Fate, and believed himself to be righteous enough to decide what future would lay before a man, Life or Death. For a while, he was the favored of the Queen, but she quickly grew tired of his excessive pride, which rivaled even her own. Fate was sent forth from the palace, and into the wilds of the Kingdom, where only his chosen symbol, the moon, could witness his glory. Long did he fester here in the wilds, but then word came to him of a man who might very well be able to reinstate him in the Queens favor. This Seelie fellow, this Justice, was surely the greatest of all the Seelie Knights, and if Fate could best him in single combat, then he would likely be asked back to court, where all could view his greatness. Fate was a very proud man.

It was not long after that Justice was brought word of the challenge. At first he was outraged. How dare some Unseelie cur try and threaten his hard won reputation? Then he became far more clever, and realized that if he should best this supposed "great" Unseelie Knight, then the name of Justice would be known throughout both the Fair Realms. He began to train in earnest, preparing himself for the day when they would surely meet. Over in the Unseelie Realms, Fate began to do the same. Their schedules were rigorous, and in their training they became so preoccupied that they began to forget their duties. By the time they were finally to meet in combat, most everyone was quite sick of both of them all together. Justice had missed several days at his post along the border, and wolves had gotten into a dove-cote, eating several prized messenger doves. Fate had ignored the wilds so badly that even the Wild Ones were beginning to feel the neighborhood was getting a bit rough. All in all, everyone wished that the two would just meet and battle it out, then shut up about it.

Finally, after many a long week, the two managed to cross paths somewhere along the way. Rumour has it that the meeting was arranged by some conspiring parties who simply wanted the duel over and done with, but that is only speculation, and your humble storyteller doesnt deal in speculation. Safe to say, though, to say that "sparks flew" when these two met would be like saying the Twilight Lord is a "little grumpy". The opposing knights found themselves engulfed in a bonfire of pride and arrogance as they stared each other down and sized each other up. After circling like dogs seek a place to lie, the duelists stood their ground to set the terms of battle. A passing elderly woman was chosen to judge the duel, but before rules could be set Fate leapt forward and struck Justice hard across the face with his gauntlet. Justice was an honorable man, and bowed with great form in return, but his pride was deeply injured, wounding him.

Finally the rules of the duel were set, and the knights drew forth their weapons. Justices lance did him little good in this close range, so he instead carried a gleaming golden sword that shined like the sun emblazoned on Justices tabard. Fates own blade was curved and wicked, a cold moonlit silver that promised a painful cut-and-slice. When the judge dropped her handkerchief, the men were off at each other in a whirling dervish of swirling colours and clashing metal. Fate caught Justice low with the third swing, but Justice quickly returned the insult with a high jab to Fates shoulder. Fate and Justice battled for dominance, for both were equal in strength and skill. The outcome could not be determined from one moment to the other. Which would triumph, a force which was inevitable and could not be controlled, or the one that was necessary for survival and must be consciously put forth? What should be and what will be battled long and hard, but in the end Justice overcame Fate.

Defeated, the Unseelie knight knelt before his conqueror, waiting for the death blow, knowing full well that that is what he would have done. One of them had been fated to die in this battle, had they not? It was only right and fitting. Fate waited, and waited, but the blow never fell! He looked coldly up at Justice, who stood over him with an air of disdain. Justice ordered Fate to his feet, and stated that as he was named, so shall he give. Fate was free to go. Justice considered justice done, and turned to leave.

Well, Fate saw that justice had been done, but he was not going to stand for it. As Justice strode away with arrogance, Fate lifted his own weapon up again, flinging this curse at his foe:

"Justice may have been done today, but even you cannot escape Fate!" And with that, plunged the sword into Justices back. As he fell, Justice brought around his blade and sliced the Unseelie Knight in two, before collapsing in a bloody pool himself. So it had been fated, someone did die that day. The elderly judge rushed to the fallen Seelie knights aid, and stanched the flow of blood until the Kings healers could arrive, but the true damage had been done alreadyto Justices pride. He had, in the end, been bested by the "lowly" Unseelie.

Justice was never the same again. Oh, he still put forth the golden exterior for the people at court. He still flirted and boasted and charmed, but in his heart something had changed and darkened. He realized that no matter what he called himself, he could not dictate the turn of events any more than anyone else, and that doing things in the name of right (and under the name of Justice) still could not bend fate to his will. So, Justice of the Border Knights learned humility, and went on to perform even greater deeds, always wary that fate may be lurking behind him.