Author's Note: After I read the book Graceling by Kristen Cashore, I wrote this short story describing, to more detail, one of the events in the book. In the book some people are born with special abilities known as a Grace. Po has a Grace of sensing people and his surroundings. He can also read people's minds.The panic is almost unbearable. Po may not be able to control it anymore. If he fails at this, he may be taking their lives along with his. If the king doesn’t die, then surely Po will. The mission: kill the evil King Leck to save Princess Bitterblue and all of Monsea.
Coming up on the party, fright is the one soul feeling rushing through Po’s body, along with the uncontrollable sense of everything around him for which he is Graced with. The first sight of Leck’s outer guard is a moment of feared joy for this is either the beginning or the end. First, the guard Graced with amazing sight and hearing spots him. Taking him out should be no problem for Po, but he might come out slightly scratched up from the guards Graced with sword fighting skills.
“Halt!” the first guard wails.
Out comes the dagger and the guard is gone. However, the guards of the outer guard have heard all this commotion and have come to avenge their fellow guard. Soon they are all gone and all that stands between Po and King Leck is the inner guard. Here is his chance. It’s now or never for Po to kill King Leck. Before they can even see him, Po shoots an arrow that nicks King Leck’s neck and alerts the men.
“Ready! Aim! Fire!” shouts King Leck to his army.
The arrows fly through the air. Po sees this one arrow, headed straight toward him. The attack of the arrow sends pain throughout Po’s body, all coming back to the wound on his shoulder. So much pain. I must get back to Katsa: the one thought repeating itself over and over again in Po’s mind. The galloping horse whinnies as arrows are lining its mane like a porcupine. The darkness comes. Pain, darkness, and death are erupting inside Po’s mind as he falls into a deep, dark sleep.
Po wakes to the rush of air along his face, the sight of water, and a little girl shrieking. Oh what a wonderful sight this is to Po, until the reality of the situation hits him.
Po! Po! Katsa calls to Po inside his head. More than just the wind is knocked out of Po when he hits the water. His foot caught in the stirrup of the horse, sinking fast to the bottom of the icy cold lake. Something is moving towards him. Is it just his imagination? Or is there really a living, moving creature spotting him, coming to him? Just as he is pulled free by this thing, he comes and goes between the realms of unconsciousness.
Po! Po! Please don’t die. Po just look at me. Katsa? Was it she who has saved me from the depths of the lake? It must have been. Po sits up, wincing in pain. The fire’s burning glow seems distant and blurry, not quite the same as before his immense fall. Suddenly he knows what he must do. What they must do to him, for him.
“Katsa. You have to leave me behind.” Po states.
“What! But Po how… how… how could I leave you, you need help, you can barely limp.” Katsa manages to get out between whimpers.
”Oh, but Katsa you must. I am slowing you down. Bitterblue will never get to safety with me along. Tomorrow we will find a place for me to stay while you take Bitterblue to Lienid.”
The next day, as Po, Katsa and Bitterblue are searching for a decent cave of some sort for Po to stay and recover in, the group comes across a deserted cabin in a good condition.
Po this is perfect! But where will you hide? Leck’s soldiers will search every inch of this place.“There is a pond behind this place. Back in Lienid, my brothers and I found a cave in the side of a pond. I have a feeling there might be one in this pond, too.” Po hints to Katsa.
While Katsa is exploring the cave, Po and Bitterblue stand in silence, waiting. Bursting up for air, Katsa says,” There is definitely a cave down there but, will you be able to swim if Leck’s solders come looking for anyone hiding in the cabin?” Po nods his head, yes.
We will not leave until you have food and a fire. “Ok fine, but you have to hurry, Leck’s soldiers might not be far behind.” Po warns. Katsa ties the horse to the dusty old fence surrounding the cabin.
Katsa departs into the forest to find fire wood for the fire Po was to keep going at all times of the day. As Bitterblue asks him a series of questions having to do with his health, Katsa and herself, and Lienid; Po’s thoughts are elsewhere. Thinking Why is everything suddenly different? How can it become like it was before? Bitterblue’s jumble of questions seem to disappear as Po’s own wonders occupy his thoughts.
After Katsa returns, starts a fire for Po, catches many fish and places them into her wooden cage emerged in the pond, Katsa and Bitterblue say a sad and lonely goodbye and are on their way to Po’s castle in Lienid. Now it would be Katsa’s castle, for Po had given her his castle’s ring. Any Lienids the girls come across will honor their request for safe passage over to the castle on the western coast of Lienid.
Days pass as Po struggles to fight his Grace and survive in his current state of health. Suddenly, one day he senses it. The soldiers are coming! Po hops, falls and knows that it is impossible. The soldiers are still far enough away that he might be able to crawl to the pond and swim into his cave, the only place he is certain the guards will not search. Slowly splashing into the cold, icy water, swimming to the dry little cove where Po will be safe.
As Po enters the cave darkness surrounds him. Suddenly it hits him. He doesn’t need to fight his Grace, he can live more peacefully with it rather than trying to pretend it’s not even existent. There is no more fighting. No more believing that his Grace doesn’t exist. Without the struggle, everything becomes more clear. Po knows he lost his sight, but his Grace lets him see.
