The Knight

Chapter Three

"Philip, I have received Daniel's consent to appoint you as his private guard."

The sound of a pin dropping would have been deafening in the otherwise silent office.

Phil's eyes widened as all of the breath left his lungs. His already snowy skin tone turned even paler as he clutched onto the seat of his chair, trying to will his ears to hear correctly. He swears he must have misheard the man, because he was certain that what he heard could not have been correct.

The King smiled kindly at Phil, brown eyes creasing at their points.

"I must admit, I am just as surprised as you are." The King started avidly, circling around his desk.

"You did a phenomenal job last night, I would never deny that, but I was afraid Daniel was too set in his ways to see how necessary your position could be."

Happiness encouraged The King to talk faster, allowing a smile to season his words with delight. He rested his hands behind him on the wooden desk, facing Phil with a look of satisfaction plastered on his face.

"Apparently he saw the error of his mindset, because he met me this morning with a much less resentful attitude. He told me that he spoke it over with Johanna last night, and they came to the conclusion that if Daniel should have a personal guard, which is non-negotiable to me, then it should be someone as willing to respect his space as you are."

Phil's heart lightened at hearing this. Of course he was always going to be respectful of Daniel's introverted nature, but he hardly thought that would gain him such high points. The young prince must truly enjoy his private time, especially if a gesture as small as the one Phil had made in the garden last night was the deciding factor in this arrangement.

Above him, The King sat brimming with content. His shoulders were more relaxed than Phil had ever seen them, accompanied by a small smile gracing his usually furrowed face. Clearly the task of trying to acquire his son's approval of a private guard had been a harsh battle on the aging man, but now that the war was won his features softened into a much warmer appearance.

As the king of a growing country, Phil imagined that stress was a common pest to the man in front of him, but it would seem that this feud with Daniel had tired him out more than years of military planning or economic negotiation ever could.

"Of course my son is still not pleased, but at the very least he said he would tolerate having a guard on hand. Phil, I'm not sure how you won him over, but I am very grateful for you, my boy." King Marcus sighed softly before walking to a desk on the opposite side of the room, continuing to speak over his shoulder as he began gathering a hefty pile of papers.

"You've proven yourself to be a hard worker plenty of times since you've started working at my castle, but for this job you are going to have to work more diligently than you ever have before."

Phil's eyes followed the older man, watching him scan over sheets of paper before tucking them carefully into a brown folder. Every once in a while The King would stop to make a small note with his pen, scratching an important notation onto the crisp paper.

"I am gathering a collection of important information pertaining to your new position. It will contain everything from your uniform standards to Daniel's medical history. I expect you to have it all memorized by this time next week, but you will be starting your shifts sooner. Hopefully as soon as tonight if you feel up for it."

Phil nodded to himself before he realized The King was too focused on creating Daniel's file to see the gesture.

"Of course, your highness. If you believe it would be the most sensible course of action, I will gladly start tonight." Phil said, a newly found confidence painting his voice like a glittering suit of armor.