The Story of Last Hope

There was once a small village on the edge of an ancient forest. The Dark Lord moved a group of prisoners to the place to begin a logging operation for his weapons. Those first residents named the town “no Hope.” Many generations had passed, and No Hope still cut trees that were carried off in wagons to make weapons for the Dark Lord’s army. But on a rare winter day, the activities in No Hope were brought to a sudden stop as the first visitor since the village’s founding entered through the decaying town walls.

The man was dressed in armor, head to toe, carrying a large metal shield and a sword that stood seven foot tall. Immediately, the people knew this was no soldier of the Dark Legion, or he would be in the blackened armor with a blood-red dragon on it. The armored man was almost too bright to look at due to the sunlight gleaming from his armor. The same emblem was embossed on his shield and armor, that of a white phoenix. None of the villagers spoke to the stranger, not of fear, but of awe. The man stopped at the town well and took several deep swallows as if he had not had a drink in days. Just then, the town’s silence was broken by the sound of hooves against the hardened ground. All turned their attention to the gate. A dozen of the Dark Lord’s Dread Knights rode into the town. The stranger drew his sword and took his stance. The first rider to pass him was quickly halved just above the waist. The second lost his arm, and then was crushed under his horse as the stead’s left leg was severed. But then, the other Dread Knights had surrounded him, and he was attacked viscously. When the Knights rode away, a headless, mangled body was left. The gleaming armor was bloodstained and pierced. The Shield was dented in several places, and the great sword’s blade was broken in half, each piece three feet long and chipped.

The next day, no fallen trees left No Hope. No trees left the town of No Hope for weeks that followed the incident. Finally, the Dark Lord sent a patrol to find out what was the cause of the delay. When the patrol arrived, they found a great wooden wall, strong enough to repel the Dark Lord’s Army, had replaced the old decaying town wall. Sentries stood in the towers just above the gate.

The sergeant yelled to the sentries, “We have been sent here by the Dark Lord to ensure No Hope resumes its logging operations. Open the gate and surrender.”

A young sentry replied, “This town is no longer under the Dark Lord’s control, nor is it known as No Hope. This is the town of “Last Hope,” and our gates will lower only to destroy you.

The stunned patrol was soon hailed by an onslaught of arrows, followed by a wave of footmen bearing shields and axes. None of the Dark Lord’s minions survived the fray. And as the men returned with all the spoils they could from the patrol, a flag was raised above the town. The flag was made of grey linen, with an embroidered white phoenix. Many patrols have since been dispatched to Last Hope, but none have ever returned. One soldier did escape, but could only report one sight from the town. The soldier reported a wooden statue wearing shining armor, wielding a shield and a great sword. The shield and armor bore the same white phoenix as the town’s flag. On a small placard in front of the statue, the words “Our saint of Courage” was carved.

To this day, Last Hope stands free. From time to time, the Dark Lord tries to reclaim it, but never succeeds. It is said that until the armored statue falls into the earth, Last Hope’s walls will stand free.

May the story of Last Hope always remind s that even under the darkest of tyrannies, the courage of one man can lead to freedom.