The Love of Shield Knight

Chapter 1: The Orders

"Time! That's enough!"

Sweat drenched me from my head to my feet, seeping its way through the tight seals of my armour and soaking all garments beneath. I panted and breathed heavily; my shovel felt as if it were a heavy lead weight in my hand. Sheer will alone kept me on my feet, when all other physical factor implored me to drop to the floor like a sack of rocks.

Standing opposite me, my foe seemed just as spent. His chest moved up and down with great speed, and his shovel hung limply from his left hand. His hunched back and his vocal breathing reassured me: we had both pushed each other to the limit.

"Shake hands"

Simultaneously, we dropped shovels and stepped towards each other wearily. I reached out my right hand; his metal gauntlet struck against mine with a heavy, momentum-filled clang.

"Well fought, Shovel Knight" my foe said to me through his black helmet.

"Well fought, Black Knight" I replied to him.

"And now salute"

We both turned to the origin of the voice, our Knight Commander, with his long greying beard and his intimidating, hulking frame. His great shovel was sheathed behind his winter furs.

"Thank you, Polar Knight" we both expressed in union. "For shovelry!"

The Order of the Shovel. It is a fine order, if I say so myself. Established many, many years ago, it was composed of a series of knights who believed the almighty shovel to be more than just a digging implement. What started as a humble, ambitious collective grew and grew in size and membership to this day, where we stand at around 500 knights in total.

The Order is not specifically established in one area, per say, but spread across the land in little contingents. We have leased buildings in cities where our affairs are organised, and the many castles in the realm kindly agree to house our knights. In return, The Order performs a number of tasks which both benefit their hosts, the villages they preside in and the realm.

So what is the purpose of the Order, you ask? Well, it's simple. There are many purposes that the Order of the Shovel seeks to fulfil. Primarily, it prides itself for being a force for justice in the world. To this end, every knight who seeks to take up a shovel and join the Order must vow to dedicate his/her life to justice and the retention of peace in the realm. This means answering the call for battle whenever evil or injustice is afoot.

However, when all is well in the realm, the Order takes a more mercenary role within the communities that host their knights. For example, a castle will agree to take on a number of knights from the Order in return for the following services: serving the kingdom's community and all settlements within its borders, serving the castle garrison in the case of attacks, and treasure hunting (because after all, shovels are useful for finding hidden treasure).

As such, despite some continued controversy about our choice of weapon, The Order of the Shovel establishes its reciprocal relationship with the realm. Our knights, including myself, are stalwart, fearless people. We are drivers of peace and justice, and our highly regarded reputation is well earned.

I am one of its proudest members.

Having recently finished my fifth year of service to the Order, I feel my life has found its greatest purpose. I feel most comfortable when my shovel is in my hand and my mind is set on righting the wrongs of the world. Whether that is fighting evildoers or bringing cheer to the local townsfolk with my jokes, I feel as if nothing can be better. And my current host kingdom, Pridemoor Keep, treats me well. Its king (whose name I never remember) pays us with due respect and hospitality, its citizens are full of life, and the nearby villages are always a treat to visit.

Despite this though, life was simple. Admittedly, I wouldn't have minded a little excitement. Do not mistake me; fighting/treasure hunting always carries a sense of excitement. But it did always feel the same, no matter how exhilarating. Occasionally, on duller days, I would walk around and wonder whether a different sort of challenge would present itself, one that would test me in new and interesting ways.

They sometimes say you should be careful what you wish for. In my case, my monotony was about to be broken when a new Order came into my life.

The Order of the Shield.

The Order of the Shield, according to the history books, was inspired by the Order of the Shovel. Based on the pursuit of justice using unusual weaponry, The Order of the Shield is much like my Order's younger sibling. It pursues the same causes of justice and aims to deliver the same service as the Order of the Shovel does. The key difference, however, is size. The Order of the Shield hasn't been around as long as the Order of the Shovel, and thus has only ever been established in towns and villages.

I have much respect for them, that much is true. Any collection of people who wish to pursue the path of peace, justice and prosperity will always gain my respect, and the respect of any good man or woman as well. Even though I will always see the shovel as the mightiest weapon of all, The Order of the Shield is inventive with their offensive style. So I've heard, anyhow. I'd never met or spoken with anyone from the Order before.

That was until yesterday. I had just completed a sparring session with my friend and knight-in-arms, Black Knight. As we were changing back into our service armour, I heard rumblings of new, interesting visitors coming to Pridemoor Keep…

So here it is, my third Shovel Knight story begins! This story isn't in canon with the other two stories that I have written for this series, 'Catch Her' and 'Shelter from the Storm'. However, it does borrow some ideas from them, just in case anything seems familiar. Hope you enjoy the story, more chapters soon and feedback is appreciated!