Judge's Dawn

It was so,
That this woman was the first female Knight of the Order;
Proven to have more skill with a sword with her male counterparts.
But blood lust was not her purpose,
And the shed of life was not her aim,
She simply wanted to be the only thing she knew how to be -
A protector of the people.
Fighting for what was right,
Opposing those who would suppress her fellow citizens,
But it was not as easy as she had hoped.
Her King had faith in her,
And she shared a bond of trust with his loyal subjects,
Indeed they had grown to love her;
But her fellow Knights, they did not approve.
“A woman has no place here!”
They would protest,
But she did not seek their approval,
The people trusted her, and that was enough.
But the others sought to supplant her,
Their rivalry with each other was set aside for the hatred of one,
They had to get rid of her no matter what the cost.
It started with whispers that would displease their King,
But to no avail,
So they became more violent,
Killing innocents to sabotage her position,
And her soul wept at the hatred they bore.
Their final folly,
Was a visit to her chambers in the dead of night,
Something held tightly round her head,
And a whisper in her ear, “leave... Or your life.”
She was not afraid,
The next morning her veins pulsed with the anger at their ignorance,
“Is this what they believe to be a knight?!  Fools, I will show them the err of their ways.  Justice will always prevail.”
Donning her armor and empowered with what she must do,
She approached the King's chamber where she knew they would be plotting,
Telling the King their tales of woe in which she was the culprit.
As the doors swung open,
And with each step her armor chiming,
They looked on in defiance,
Yet secretly they could feel the presence she emanated.
She stopped in front of the King and bowed,
“My Lord, I know you have seen the behavior displayed by the men you should be able to trust with your life.  They have taken innocents in your Kingdom, and would try to make you look a fool.  I have tolerated their childish ways too long, and so with your permission, issue a challenge to them all, to finish this poisonous display which undermines you.”
Her fellow Knights looked on with a smug look on their faces,
No one would ever believe a woman,
But the King looked to them all, an unspoken wile in his eyes,
“Yes, Lady Onyx.  I am no fool.  I know what they have done.  And your challenge shall be.  When the sun rises, these, “men” will see if they know true honor.”
“Thank you your Majesty.”
They ground their teeth at the failure of their plan,
And spent the eve conceiving a plan,
While Judge Onyx went to the families who had lost someone to their spite.
As the blackness of the midnight stars began to fade,
All the Kingdom looked on,
To the six men who would take on one woman.
White light surrounded them as the sun reflected on the metal covering their bodies,
And the steel of their blades,
Onyx, had no fear, faith she had in her abilities,
And the faith from the people to rid them of these vile creatures.
The King rose and addressed his people:
“Lady Onyx has exposed these Men as traitors to us all,
Instead of punishment in the gallows,
She wishes to fight them for the people.”
The crowds began to cheer,
“One at a time they will approach the stage...”
“Your Majesty!”, she spoke, “I will face them all at the same time.”
The crowd gasped at this request,
Surely she could not fight them all at once?
“Lady Onyx...  Are you sure?  Tis an unfair advantage.”
She made another courtly bow, “This life is rarely fair Lord.  And I wish to show them what right can do.”
The King pondered, he did not wish to see her fall, but knew she was stubborn,
“Very well.  Let battle commence!”
Despite their faces being covered,
They approached with arrogance in each stride,
Their blades were some of the biggest produced,
And made of the most powerful steel;
Twin blades she had,
Light and agile,
And that is where their deepest folly lay,
Strength is not the greatest skill required for a true swordsman.
Try as they may, none could get a hit against her,
Parry after parry ensued,
And their anger grew greater at the humiliation they endured,
Until in a last ditch attempt, they charged at her...
It was then,
A power beyond all comprehension was shown -
She joined the blades in front of her, end-to-end,
And as they approached,
She circled the joined blade above her head before sweeping it across in front of her,
And then the air seemed to form a crescent.
The people stood in shock as the Knight's armor broke and shattered,
Their screams piercing as a crushing pain tore through their bodies,
But they did not die.
She stood with the blade resting in the ground,
Vertical to her body.
It fell silent...
But was broken by the chime of her steps towards the fallen Men,
“Go on.” One of them said, “finish us.”
But she stopped but a stride before them,
“It is not my intention to kill you.  Only to make you realize what you have done.”
She turned and bowed to her King,
“My Lord.  I can see the defeat in their eyes.  I ask that they be given one last chance to reform, and become what they should be.”
The King nodded to the Judge, “your request is granted Lady Onyx.  Long have I trusted you, and know you have a great wisdom inherent in your soul.” 
He turned to the fallen, “I hope you heed her words, and abandon your jealousy to become Men of Honor.”
“Praise for Lady Onyx!” someone in the crowd exulted,
“PRAISE BE FOR LADY ONYX!” The crowd roared.
But she simply bowed and took her leave,
And was forever heralded as Judge Onyx the Merciful,
For the battle which would be known,
As the 'Judge's Dawn'.