forum The King and his Knight (O/O) [CLOSED] {M}

Started July 04, 2019 by Deleted user

tune

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Kerta nodded, fully serious now. “I understand completely.” If anything happened to the Prince, even if he got a splinter, the blame would automatically be on her and she would reap the consequences. She could only pray that the Queens would be merciful if that day would ever come.

She was brought out of her thoughts as the Prince muttered something under his breath, and her gaze shifted to him. Watching the hostile exchange between him and his mother, she looked away. The Royal family’s business was not her own.

The Queens nodded again, then dismissed Kerta and Rhys. The Prince didn't waste any time and marched out of there, running a hand through his blonde hair and mussing it up. He needed something loud to calm him down, and it happened to be time for Nox's singing lessons. Rhys would have to find the most annoying song possible to teach Nox, just to keep his mind off of this new arrangement.

Queen Alona approached Kerta and handed her a key as well. "This is the key to your new chambers. You'll be right next to Rhys from now on. Take the rest of today to move in and get situated, as well as prepare yourself." She glanced over towards where her son had stormed off. "Rhys can be a bit…temperamental."

Kerta’s eyes trailed Rhys’ angry form, mentally rolling her eyes. Come on, she wasn’t that bad. Her eyes snapped back to Queen Alona’s once she started talking, and took the key from her. “I’ve weathered worse storms, Your Highness. I’m sure we’ll be fine.” Kerta bowed one more time before leaving the room, pumping her fist into the air once the door closed behind her.

Heading down to the Guard’s chambers, she had the biggest smile on her face, much to the surprise of passing Knights. Kerta didn’t pay them any mind, and got straight to work packing her things.

“Going somewhere?” Her head shot up to find Caseya, her best friend leaning up against the door. There she is!

“Guess who’s the Prince’s personal knight!” she laughed, twirling around once before returning to packing.

“Isn’t he some kind of asshole?” Caseya’s question was met with a shirt to the face.

“Yes, but I didn’t say that. He didn’t seem all too happy to have me,” Kerta rolled her eyes, folding a pair of pants. “But help me pack; I to move into my new chamber pronto.” She held up her key with a twinkle in her eye, and Caseya laughed, shaking her head.

“You better still train with me,” she said, walking over to help with fitting Kerta’s few belongings into boxes.

“You know I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she said, picking up a box. She ignored how light it was, and instead threw a glance back at the other girl. “Now come on slowpoke, we wouldn’t want to make the Queens angry.”

Kerta's new chambers were right next to Rhys's chambers, so it would be no surprise if she heard the loud noises coming from behind the door. Nox, the pet raven the prince had raised since he was just a chick, was in the middle of cawing a "song" that Rhys had taught the bird. Annoying? Yes. But the noise was the best thing available to calm Rhys down.

The prince was sitting in a chair, only the back legs touching the floor because of how Rhys was tipping it—his legs were propped up onto a nearby desk. He was idly sharpening a sword while he watched Nox, his mind incapable of straying from what had just happened.

"I'm not some sort of precious vase that needs guarding," Rhys grumbled angrily, his temper flaring once again with the blow to his ego. It wasn't fair to him, and they hadn't even consulted him before making this decision. Maybe I can convince this guard to leave me the hell alone… he mused quietly. His multicolored eyes flicked over to the open window, taking in the sunny and clear skies. He wished a thunderstorm would roll on by.

Kerta inserted and turned the key into her new chambers and was greeted by a loud screeching noise. Flinching at the high notes, she bobbled the boxes in her arms before regaining her balance.

“What the hell is that?” Caseya said, entering the room after Kerta. She shrugged before placing her things on the bed and turned to marvel at the size of the room.

It was 2 times larger then the Guards’ barracks at least, and it was much more decorated than the plain dorms she was previously in. The walls were covered in gold decals, with the furniture accented with the same color.

Kerta felt like a Queen.

Caseya whistled. “Wow, they sure treat you right in here,” glancing down at her watch, she blanched. “Shoot, I’m late for a meeting. Catch ya later, loser.”

Rolling her eyes, she waved a quick goodbye as Caseya jogged out the door, her armor clinking softly as she did so.

The screeching became louder, and Kerta sighed, running a hand over her face. She really hoped that it wasn’t going to be like this for the rest of her employment

Approaching the door that separated her and the Prince, she took a deep breath, then knocked on the door. “My Prince?”

Rhys sighed not-so-discreetly and waved at hand at Nox, effectively shutting up the raven. Nox squawked in outrage, flapping furiously, then flew over to the door and used his weight to push down the handle of the door. It slowly opened to reveal the female guard, and Nox poked his head around the door to get a look at the person on the other side.

The prince, on the other hand, wasn't as interested in seeing his guard. He continued to lounge about in much simpler clothing than he had been in during the meeting, still sharpening the sword in his lap. "Yes, miss Jaxaye?" Rhys drawled, not bothering to look in her direction.

Kerta’s eyes glanced down at the bird in surprise, but resisted the urge to reach out and pet it. She had heard about the Prince’s raven-Nyx? Nox?-from a passing conversation with a maid, her telling the knight how pretty his songs were while she cleaned. Apparently, the rumors weren’t true about that specific part.

Straightening, she spoke with a level tone. “I apologize for interrupting, My Prince. I was just… wondering what the noise was.”

The least he could do was give her some respect and actually look at her. And she wasn’t Miss Jaxaye, it was Captain Jaxaye. She worked hard to get that title and she deserved to be called by it.

He flicked his eyes up at her, but the look was paired with a cocky smirk. If this guard was to be assigned to Rhys, then she'd better get used to loud noises. The look fell and he feigned innocence, looking over at the raven, who was still checking Kerta out from his spot on the door handle. "Oh, you mean Nox? It's his singing lessons right about now." The raven cawed out a small melody from one of the more pleasant songs he knew in emphasis. Rhys nodded in approval, then looked back at Kerta while retracting his legs from the table, putting the chair back on all fours. "Will that be a problem?" he asked. His tone was questioning, but the challenge was there.

Her eyes hardened as she heard the challenge in his voice. Loud noises were no problem for her. Her ears rang for days after serving on the cannons, but she still fought nonetheless. And she still had the scars too, winding their way across her ribs and down her legs.

“No, they will not. Good day, My Prince,” Kerta bowed once before closing the door, only after making sure Nox’s head was out of the way with a gentle push.

Nox, cawed in farewell, then turned his head to look at Rhys with a meaningful gleam in his black eyes. Rhys narrowed his own eyes at the bird and tossed a pencil at him. "No, you're not allowed to like her," he scolded, which was practically worthless with Nox's protesting caw. Rhys sighed in defeat and got up to pace his room, stopping by his oil lamps to catch a whiff of the soothing scent.

Kerta caught the Prince scolding Nox; the raven had apparently taken a liking to her, and she smiled. An awkward interaction was a small price to pay for that little victory. Sighing softly, she started to hum the little melody Nox had cawed as she started to unpack. The room was absurdly big, too much for a simple guard, but she’d take it. Her clothes barely took up any room in the wardrobe, and her armor clinked softly as she took it off, hanging it on her stand. It glinted in the lit oil lamps light, and Kerta felt a surge of pride. She had gotten here all by herself, working into the night, perfecting every swing of her sword. It was something to be proud of, and a small grin crept its way onto her face. Perhaps this wouldn’t be too bad at all.

Rhys sighed and crossed his room to his bed, lying down on it with his hands tucked behind his head and closing his eyes. He wasn't tired, but he couldn't think of anything to keep him entertained that didn't involve going out of his room. The Queens might expect him to walk around with his guard starting as soon as the girl gets settled, and he didn't really want to deal with that right now.

He opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling, the memory already coming back to chase him into oblivion once again…

(I’m just going to skip to morning)

Kerta awoke just before the sun rose, a habit from early training hours that she couldn’t hope to break. She liked waking up early, she supposed. Watching the sun rise was always a beautiful sight.

Still dressed in her pajamas, a simple long sleeve shirt and loose shorts, Kerta sat out on the balcony, enjoying the view. The birds slowly starting chirping, and if she squinted, she could make out the gardners preparing for the start of their shift, hauling around wheelbarrows full of tools.

Sighing softly, she stood there for just a second more before going back inside. She supposed she would get ready for the day; she had not a clue if the Prince was an early riser or not.

Rhys was, in fact, an early riser. He had long been awake by the time Kerta rose, getting some morning training in while everyone was asleep. As per usual, his nightmares had chased him out of bed early, and he could no longer sleep afterwards.

Which is how he ended up in Kerta's chambers, casually sitting in a chair and eating an apple while Nox perched on his shoulder. The prince was wearing a long-sleeved, dark grey coat that fell to just below his knees and was embroidered with golden thread, as well as dark red pants that were loose and comfortable and tucked into his knee-high leather boots, which were strapped to his legs at the top of the boot. A decorative belt around his hips, keeping the coat from opening up. He wore no shirt underneath the coat, which showed off some of the tattoos on his torso. (outfit)

"About time," he said offhandedly, not even looking at Kerta, as he was seemingly fascinated with his apple. His multicolored eyes were half-lidded with barely veiled exhaustion.

Kerta tensed, eyes closed for a brief second, before relaxing, recognizing the voice as the Prince’s. “Good morning, my Prince,” her voice level, eyes flickering over his already dressed form. He’s been up. “Already been somewhere today?” she questioned, before moving to her wardrobe.

Kerta grabbed the under clothes for her armor she needed, and pulled the screen fully out so she could change. She’s have to get used to the having the extra weight on all day; it was usually only for cermonies or serious combat, but if she was the Prince’s personal Knight, she’d have to be ready at all times for a fight.

"Around," he said with a shrug, even though he was aware she couldn't see him. He then popped his head up and drawled while rolling his eyes, "Not like I can go far without my royal escort. Still think it's a total waste of time and an unfair blow to my rep." Really, he was mostly miffed he would have to come up with a creative way to ditch her so he could go to the underground fighting ring tonight. He had missed last night game and didn't want to miss this one too. His underlying reason for hating this arrangement was still there, but the ring was the main thing on his mind at the moment.

Kerta rolled her eyes, reaching out and grabbing her armor stand and pulling it behind the screen. “Think of it this way, you’re important enough for a personal knight,” she said, correcting him. She wasn’t some escort he could hire for an hour and then ditch. “Shouldn’t that boost you up a little?”

Strapping on her last piece of armor, she pushed the screen back, sliding her sword into its sheath. She pulled her hair into quick messy bun; hair was a bitch to get untangled out of armor.

Kerta stood up straight, a small smile in place. “Ready when you are, my Prince,”

"No, no it does not," he grumbled to himself as he pulled himself up out of the chair and strode over to Kerta, gaze narrow. "Here's how this situation is going to play out," he said once he was in her personal space, making sure she knew that he was looking down at her, and not just physically because of the height difference.

"You are not to question what I do, nor are you to interfere with conversations I am having with people. If you don't like someone, I don't want to hear you bitch and moan about it. Keep your trap shut and don't get into my business. The only reason you're here is because of the queens, not because I want you here. That means you make your presence scarce, and if I hear that you snitched on me, then that's not going to go well for you. Understand?"

Oh, this made Kerta furious. She wasn’t some dog he could order around whenever he wanted. And was he threatening her? The one that had actual military experience? She could probably beat him in a fight with both her hands tied behind her back.

Kerta stared back, eyes cold and absent. Taking a small step forward, she spoke, tone icy. She could play this game too. “I think you forget that a Queen’s order outweighs your own, Prince,” she spat. “‘Be by the Prince’s side as much as possible and on full alert,’ right? I’m not stupid. I understand you want me gone, but guess what?” She took another small step forward to make her point. “I’m not going anywhere soon, and you’ll have to make do.”

"Then I trust you'll be able to do your job and keep your trap shut at the same time." Rhys tipped his head to the side, not at all affected by her proximity and words. "Unless, of course, you're too dim to be able to multitask." And with that, he stepped away and spun on his heel, heading for the door without another word. Nox squawked and fluttered his wings at being disturbed, then decided it was best to just fly ahead.

Kerta clenched her jaw, grip tight on the handle of her sword. Calm down, his words do nothing. Taking a deep breath, she followed Rhys, a few steps behind. She tapped a soothing pattern on the handle, onetwothree onetwo onetwo one, over and over again until she calmed down. She wondered if was always going to be like this, demeaning insult after insult thrown her way. At least then her skin would come out a little thicker.

Of course, being the Crown Prince, Rhys was invited to breakfast with the Queens. He, of course, declined, opting for his usual dining space out in the courtyard with the loud birds and the usual herd of deer that passes through. He strode through the halls with his head held high, listening to Nox's squawking and cawing in silence. He could hear the guard's—sorry, knight's—footsteps behind him, and he supposed that he could get used to the noise. He preferred that over total silence.

Kerta would be in the mess hall by now, messing around with her buddies as they chowed down, starving from early training. Then they’d visit the stalls, and clean and take care of their horses. She loved her horse with all her heart; he was her pride and joy. A beautiful Arabian horse she had lovingly named Celeritas, a name meaning speed in her language. He had won her many bets, leaving her knight buddies with empty pockets for the rest of the day. Oh, how she wished she was with them right now. Perhaps the Prince would allow her to see him?