The Knight of Red and White

Abstract

The Knight of Red and White is a work of creative fiction. This portion comprises the first seven chapters of a longer novel-length story. The story features aspects of a classic high adventure tale with elements of political intrigue in a fantasy setting. The narrative centers around themes of religion’s positive and negative influences on society, examining how religion comes to shape nations and history. This story is told from multiple perspectives in the third person and gathers a collection of characters from many different walks of society. From royals to knights, to servants, diplomats, revered clergymen, and street musicians: the story attempts to show the world from every angle and every opinion on faith or the lack thereof. The chapters present a world where faith can be used for great evil and miraculously noble deeds. In this universe religion acts as its magic system, setting a loose analogy to outlooks in our real world. Some characters adhere to faith, some see it as a tool to gain political power, some turn away from it, and others only wish to find a way to survive around it, having no strong feelings one way or another. This story hopes to give rise to discussions about where people find not just answers to universal questions, but where we find confidence and identity through theological and philosophical viewpoints. It seeks to unravel where words turn from personal affirmations to hard-held beliefs, and, by extension, find how beliefs change the destinies of people and the world itself.