Silent Knight (Risotto x princess!reader)

Ch. 1 New Knight

"Wake up, your highness," you could hear one of your maids calling your name as they cleaned your room. It was Matilda. "It's a new day~" the other maid, Valerie, nearly sang. Just yesterday the rebels tried to infiltrate the castle again. Thankfully they couldn't get past the guards, but you couldn't help but feel anxious the entire night. "Ugh," your voice was groggy. "I didn't manage to get a wink of sleep last night." You propped yourself up on one of your elbows and rubbed your eye. As your vision focused, you saw the third maid, Berthe, take one of your finest gowns out of your closet. "W-wait, is there something going on today?" you now sat up completely, a bit confused. "Why yes, Princess y/n," Berthe spoke as she placed the dress on your bed. "Your father proclaimed an accolade occur this morning." "Don't forget," Valerie chimed in. "His majesty will also be appointing you a knight, Princess y/n!" She giggled in excitement. "An appointed knight?" You repeated then started imagining who this knight could be. Surely he would have to be very good at what he does for your father to appoint him to protect you. But would that also mean that he's old? Oh no! What if you're stuck with some old knight! That would be less than ideal.

As the maids finished sweeping, dusting, and rearanging little knick knacks around your room, they stood in front of your bed, looking at you. "Time to get dressed, your highness," Matilda picked up the dress as you got out of bed. You quickly splashed your face with water and dried off as the three maids prepared your dress to be fitted on you.

~

Once the dress was finally on and your hair neatly done in an appropriate hairstyle to match the fanciness of the gown, the three maids left you alone in your room. You were sat in front of your vanity mirror, staring at your reflection. You thought you looked quite different from what you normally looked like. The hairstyle Valerie made was very intricate and beautiful, far more over the top compared to her usual hairstyles. You sighed as you stood up and made your way over to your balcony. The glass door, which led outside, swung open from your gentle push. The morning birds were already singing their cheery songs. You sat down on the stone bench, resting your elbows on the stone railing, to continue listening to their beautiful melodies. A gentle breeze hit your face and you closed your eyes, breathing in the cool air. At moments like these you were most content.

Sadly, a knock on your door interrupted your moment of peace. You quickly went back inside, closing the balcony door behind you, but before you could reach the door, someone had already opened it. It was one of the royal guards, but you didn't recognize him. He was tall, handsome, and a bit intimidating. His metal armor looked stunning on him. You froze when you saw how much taller he was than you and how handsome his face actually was. His hair was an interesting shade of silver and his eyes dawnting black and red. No words managed to escape your lips. "Excuse the intrusion, your highness, but his majesty, the King, sent me to get you." His voice was deep and smooth, causing you to blush ever so slightly.

The guard moved to the side, standing with his back towards the door so you could pass through to the long hallway outside your room. Once you did so, he closely followed behind you, keeping up with your pace. Neither of you said anything; only the sound of the heels of your shoes, his armor clanking every now and then, and his heavy boots were to be heard echoing off the elaborately painted walls of the castle.

When you both finally arrived at the very large, circular room where the accolade was to be held, he broke away from you and got in a line where about a dozen other people in armor were already standing. 'Was he perhaps not a guard after all?' you thought to yourself. 'No, that can't be. Father wouldn't send someone who isn't a knight to come get me... or would he?'

You quickly brushed off your thoughts as your father motioned for you to come stand by him on a slightly elevated, marble platform at the far end of the room. You did as you were instructed and the king commenced the accolade.

~

Just as the man who had accompanied you earlier was about to take his position in front of the king, your father said something that caught your attention. "Thank you, to our new knights, who are so brave and will fight for this kingdom till the end." The audience applauded. "But as you all can see, we have yet one last knight left. Yes, he already has been dubbed, however, he has shown much loyalty, courage, might, selflessness, and all aspects a good knight owns. So I will proudly proclaim him the appointed knight who shall from now on protect my daughter, Princess y/n, with his life." The audience cheered again. A servant quickly walked up to my father from his left and handed him a sheathed sword. The king took it and the servant quickly walked backwards back to his post. "With this sword, crafted by the finest blacksmiths in the kingdom, my daughter shall dub this stoic man her new appointed knight." Your father's voiced boomed.

Although you'd seen your father do it countless times, you'd never dubbed anyone before. You couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. The king turned, handing you the sword with his two hands. As you took it from him, you felt just how heavy it was. Thankfully, you didn't drop it. Your father stepped to the side as you walked up to the front of the marble platform where the silent knight was already down on one knee before you. The room was now completely still except for the sound of the sword being unsheathed. It was long, sharp, and beautiful. The gold handle and sheath had a few gems embedded in them. The silver blade was practically glowing and had something written on it: Risotto Nero. Perhaps this was the name of the knight, you thought.

"I, Princess y/n of our beaufitul kingdom, dub you, Risotto Nero, my appointed knight. Do you swear to fight till the bitter end, to protect this kingdom and its princess with your life, and to continue to show unconditional loyalty?"
"I do, your highness."
"Then with the tip of this sword, I dub you my appointed knight."

You tried to touch his shoulders with the blade as gently as you could, which proved to be quite difficult considering the weight of the sword. Nevertheless, it all went well. The audienced cheered and applauded again and you resheathed the sword, handing it over to your newly appointed knight. His large, strong hands took it and and he flashed you a smile. You felt your cheeks flush as you saw his soft lips curl into that beautiful grin of his, revealing his dimples. You smiled back and nodded at him. Relief swept over you as you realized you no longer had to worry about some old guy being your appointed knight. The ceremony was now finally over and it was time for lunch.

A/N:
Hello! Sorry this chapter is a little short! I will try to make things a bit more interesting in future chapters. And, yes, there will also probably be some spicy scenes. Let me know what you think of the story so far! Thank you for reading!