An old knight sat by the fire, cleaning his armour with the help of his young squire, his granddaughter Fiera. She was polishing the main piece of armour, her brow furrowed in thought. "Brions armour is all brightly polished for the ceremony tomorrow.", she said. "How did yours come by so many dents and scars in your armour, grandfather?"

"They are from many years of fighting, upholding our Code. This one," the knight said, tracing a thin silver line as long as his hand, "this one was gifted to me by an orc chieftain, as I defended a party of adventurers from his band. This one," tracing another "I received when I and a group of our mightiest knights hunted down and destroyed a werewolf that was menacing a nearby village."

"And this one, grandfather?", asked Fiera, pointing to one that underlay all the rest.

"That one...", the knight said, "that one happened not too long after my own Choosing ceremony. Aye.. when a knight reaches a point in his life, he must choose which path he will walk. The path of Light, or the path of Dark. One is a way of order and healing, the other a way of chaos and destruction."

"The evening before my ceremony, my mentor brought me a strange potion, which shimmered and glowed in the torch light. He bade me to lie upon my bed, and drink the potion. Trusting him, I did so, and feel into a deep trance-like sleep...

I woke slowly, and found myself not where I had been. A vast chamber surrounded me, with a mosaic floor, and a high sweeping ceiling. To either side of me I could hear someone pacing. I stood up, and look at the two figures to either side of me.

On my right was a slender man of medium height. Dark hair crowned his head, and a thick moustache framed his mouth. He was dressed in full plate armour, engraved with roses, and it shone as brightly as his eyes.

I looked to my left, and was surprised by darkness. A figure stood there, enshrouded by shadows. It stepped forward and I saw another knight. This one, however, was as dark as the other fair, the roses on his armour twisted and black as night. He wore a helm, and from the slits, red eyes shone.

"Tomorrow is your Choosing ceremony," said the knight on my right. "but tonight you must choose. I am Huma, servant of the Light. My companion is Lord Soth, Champion of Darkness. We are here to tell you what you choose between. We shall be short, for you've not much time here."

The knight identified as Lord Soth spoke, his voice icy cold and dead, "You speak what you must first, Huma. Then I will tell the boy the truth."

Huma bowed to Lord Soth and turned to me. "Know this.. By choosing the way of Light, you choose order and good, and the path of brightness. With every good act, you will drive away a small patch of darkness from the hearts of men, and perhaps one day all mankind shall stand in the Light."

Lord Soth snorted. "What is Light without the Darkness? Without dark, there cannot BE light."

Huma said, "If I may continue, you shall have your say in just a moment...". He turned back to me and spoke to me again. "The Light is a way of healing and kindness. If there is one hurt or in need, we help that one, mending that one's wounds, whether they be of body or mind. A Light Knight's blade defends the weak, and protects the innocent."

"Look at myself, and then Lord Soth, are we not both Knights? Do we not both follow the same code of honour? Yet we are different. I believe in the basic goodness in all mankind, and I hope by my actions that I will nurture and encourage this. Which do you hold more precious? The life of a young child, or the destruction of the beast that threatens the village? For that is inherent in the choice that you must make. I myself will seek to preserve life before dispatching the beast. My companion here would argue for the destruction of the beast and then to aid those in need."

Well said, Huma, I sense perhaps a little of the Darkness still remains in your heart as yet.", Lord Soth interjected.

Huma finished by saying, "How can I begin to sum up what the Light is? For only a truly wise man can know. I cannot make this choice for you, but I can only hope that you will follow your heart."

Lord Soth softly cackles. "Is that all you can speak of, Huma? Healing and and kind words? How can that help this young Knight survive the harsh world out there? What kind word can turn aside a sword stroke?

For it is in combat that we, the Knights of Darkness excel. Why worry about healing when you can crush your foes easily? With power comes respect, and your foes will respect your Dark heart. For is it not through fear that our foes flee us?"

"Huma speaks of driving away patches of darkness from the hearts of man, but how can you drive away that which is Man? Look at the kingdom around you, was it now carved out by force of arms and by men such as I? Join with us and feel the glory that is combat, and the heady taste that victory brings you."

Huma broke in. "You speak of victory and combat, but does not the victory taste all the sweeter that can be achieved without combat. For no victory that is based on combat alone can stand the test of time."

"When your last enemy is crushed, victory is yours and it -will- stand the test of time, of this there can be no doubt. No one can stand against us", Lord Soth replies.

"Feel the Darkness that is part of your own heart and embrace it, for it is the real truth, the only truth. Not some fable told by those too weak to win glory in combat.", Lord Soth finished.

In an act of brotherhood, both Knights bowed to each other, showing respect for the other, and the other's path in life, if not agreement, and turned to me.

"It is now time, Knight, for you to make your choice. Think on it wisely, for it once embarked upon, your actions will shape your destiny, and cannot be undone." both Knights said in one voice.

I bowed my head, my thoughts racing, and stilled myself. Deep inside, I knew that I had already made my choice.

I bowed to Lord Soth. "My lord, your statements are convincing, but I find that I cannot be of the Dark. I yearn to heal and fight for the innocent, and whilst you say the forces are Light appear weak in your eyes, that is what I find is it's very strength. I Choose the path of Light."

Huma smiled, and welcomed me to the brotherhood of Light. "The choice you have made is the best one for you. Welcome brother, and waken. Be happy with your choice. Today will be a great day for you."

With a great scowl, Soth thundered "Bah! So join the Light, there will be others to join in the greatness of the Dark! You will spend your life regretting this choice, of this I am certain!" Suddenly, thunder clapped, and lightning struck nearby. Lord Soth cackled and disappeared.

Huma bowed to me once more, and fade away.

"I woke the next morning, my head filled with wondrous dreams, and knowledge of my choice. The Choosing ceremony was only a confirmation for me, to allow all to know that I had chosen the Light. But for others, it is a choice of the Dark. It is something that only you can choose, in your heart." The old Knight smiled at his granddaughter. "Tomorrow's ceremony for Brion will be a confirmation of his choice also...whatever it may be, it will be the Choice you too will need to make."

"But on to the story behind that mark...", the Knight grinned, and entertained his granddaughter with the stories behind each mark and nick. It was a long evening indeed.