“Archer!” The father's voice boomed across the chasm. “Archer!” The archer looked back at his king. “Come along now! Quickly!”

      “My Lord!” the archer screamed as tears ran down his face. “We have got to go back!”

      “No!” shouted the king. “He is buying time for you! Do not let his sacrifice be in vain! Come! Hurry!”

      The archer looked back to where the creatures were now binding the prince's hands with a rope. They spit at him jabbed at him with their weapons. But the prince was watching the archer intently. With his teeth clenched in anguish and burning tears streaming down his face, the archer turned and hobbled to where the king and men-at-arms waited. As he neared their side of the chasm he could see the faces of the other men glaring at him. Shame began to mix with grief in his heart and he had to avert his eyes from them. Only the king looked upon him kindly, his eyes, too, brimming with tears.

      “Come on. That's it” encouraged the king. “He can do nothing while you are on the bridge.”

      The archer approached the end of the bridge and the king reached out and helped him to solid ground. The archer turned around in time to see the prince being led away into the woods. The creatures were yelling and howling with maddening defiance. They made vulgar gestures toward the king and his knights before they all disappeared with their prize into the forest.

      “He came back for me.” The archer sobbed, quietly. “He came back for ME.” He felt the king's hand come to rest gently on his shoulder.

      “Yes, he did,” said the king. He patted the archer's shoulder tenderly. “Now watch.”

      The last of the creatures had gone into the forest but the noise of their revelry was still clearly heard. The defiant yells and raucous laughter formed horrifying images in the archer's mind. Through his tears he looked up at the woods on the far side just in time to see a flash of white light. There was a loud sound of an explosion as if some great cannon had gone off in the woods. The defiant yelling and howling turned into shrieks of shock and dread. It was joined with the sharp clamor of heavy blows striking armor and bone and creatures yelping in pain and fear. One of the creatures tumbled out of the woods and lay still. Immediately several more came crashing out of the tree line in a dead run, their dropped weapons clattering on the rock. They ran in different directions along the edge of the cliff and disappeared into the woods again. The sound of the fighting slackened and soon ceased.

      The archer held his breath as he stared at the silent woods across the chasm. For several moments he could see nothing but the dead creature on the rock. Then a glow of white light could faintly be seen inside the trees. It grew brighter as it approached the edge of the woods from within. The archer watched as the prince stepped calmly from the forest. His sword was drawn and his entire body glowed with a dazzling white light. He walked up to the bridge and touched the ropes. The whole bridge began to glow along its entire length.

      “Let us go,” said the king.

      The king's hand was still on the archer's shoulder and he noticed that it was glowing, also. He looked up and saw the king's radiant face smiling at him. The king patted the shoulder and the archer started across the bridge. He had taken several steps before he noticed that his ankle was not hurting. It had completely mended. He looked up at the prince and smiled broadly as he walked a little faster.

      The entire company walked across the bridge together. As they came off of the bridge the men at arms fell down on their knees before the prince and the king. The knights and pike men all bowed their heads in reverence. The archer could not take his eyes off of the prince.

      “My Lord,” he said with delight, “I was so sad! I thought we had lost you!”

      “No,” said the prince, “this task I had to do alone.” He held up a ring of black, rusted keys. “Father, I have the keys to their castle now.”

      “Well done, my son,” said the father. He turned to face the kneeling men. “Knights, pike men…” he smiled at the archer, “…archer. Arise!” The men all rose to their feet. “Now the real fight begins. Which of you are ready to fight for the kingdom?”

      All of the men cheered. The swords were drawn and held up with the pikes and all of the weapons glowed a brilliant white. The archer reached back for an arrow and found the quiver completely full. He drew one and saw that it was glowing, too. It was a perfect arrow. He fitted it excitedly to his string and shouted, “Yes!”

      The king nodded approvingly. “Then it begins. My son, will you lead?”

      “It is my pleasure and honor, father.” The prince held his gleaming sword aloft. “Holy Warriors, forward!”

      With a triumphant “Hurrah”, the party rushed forward into the woods.