The King's Knight

001 ;

Loved by all, feared by none. An angel to the good, but a devil to the wrongs. A man of that he was, once upon a long time ago.

Tyrant. The very people who had once loved him now spoke. A good for nothing tyrant. It was all they could ever see.

A cruel king, a person who valued no mercy, for which it would only show his weakness. And a king could not dare show any sort of weaknesses, not in this time, and certainly not anytime near the future.

Thud. Thud. Thud. The sounds of footsteps coming closer.

Thud. Thud- the sounds stopped. A presence in his midst, his cue to keep his guard up, a cue to retreat back to reality.

"Speak now of who you are and what affairs you might have." He demanded, opening his eyes and squinting slightly at the light that shone in his eyes, annoying him more deeply were it not for the stares of his servants who worshipped and worked for him.

"Your majesty. My name is George, I am a knight that had come from the kingdom of Aphrodite, as per requested of your majesty." A man knelt down on one knee with his head bowed down had spoken. The king examined him. A body with muscles that were barely visible, complimented with fair pale skin. He wondered how such a person had came to be the kingdom of Aphrodite's strongest knight.

But apparently not strong enough to stop the downfall of their kingdom.

"Sir George. I've called you here today because you've piqued my interest, hence why I've also decided to spare you from the outcome of your kingdom." Cruel words were said, and although mercy wasn't in his book, an interest as such was just too much to ignore.

Noises filled the silence air, servants who'd whisper and stare. "Silence!" He demanded at once, and silence was what they daren't disobey.

"Sir George, you've shown yourself worthy during the war. And for that I shall reward you, a place in my great empire, the title and honour of being my personal knight and guard." Gasps and whispers could be heard of again. Surely people would talk, a knight from a fallen kingdom in which he'd caused the downfall of, earning the title of the king's personal knight and guard.

But this didn't stop the annoyance he'd felt, "Guards, excuse those who dare interrupt the silence." He said calmly. Surely enough, screams of protests filled the room, before came more footsteps and then silence.

Just like that, his servants were replaced. A slight commotion had unravelled, yet the man before him seemed unfazed and unmoving, leaving a slight smirk on the king's face.

"Sir George, state your answer." He hadn't given him a question, much less an option. But the man still had the right to choose, lose his life, or give up his life to the very person who had and could yet again destroy his life.

George lets out a small exhale, which went unnoticed by many, but not by the king. "I am honoured to have this great opportunity, for I, a knight of a kingdom that'd fallen into nothing, haven't anything worthy to present to you, your majesty. But I hope your majesty will dismiss the fact and bestow upon me of this great title."

A chuckle escaped the king's throat. Shocking many of those in the room, yet none of them dared to talk. Still, the knight before him hadn't been even slightly phased.

"Very well, Sir George. From this day onward you shall serve as my personal knight and guard. Please bring me my sword, the royal oath shall be taken immediately." More footsteps could be heard, this time rushed ones. Soon enough, his sword was presented in front of him. They were already doing very well in their jobs.

The royal oath.

An oath made to swear upon your loyalties to the very kingdom you'd be serving. An oath in which George would be willing to become a tool for the kingdom of Ares until the kingdom had reached it's peak.

The king had gotten up from his throne made of gold and jewels, reaching for and grabbing hold of his sword made of Netherite that was used to take the lives of many. Holding out his hand, George looked up for a moment just to take it in his and bow his head once more, the hand now to his forehead.

"I, George, previously the knight of the kingdom of Aphrodite, do solemnly swear to serve, support and defend the kingdom of Ares, of against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear allegiance to the kingdom of Ares, that I make this obligation freely, and to only serve his great majesty, the king from the kingdom of Ares, Dream."

Dream placed his swords on both sides of George's shoulders as he spoke, "I, Dream, as king from the kingdom of Ares, will now bestow upon George a title as a knight; to which your duty is to serve my kingdom. From this day onward, you shall be a sword and shield, to serve, support and defend my kingdom until death sees you through. Now, you may now rise, Sir George."

Giving his sword to his servant, Dream sat back onto his throne, getting a good glimpse of the face that was now bound to serve him for the rest of his life. To his surprise, he saw a man who looked like he hadn't aged pass 20.

"Fetch the greatest tailor in the kingdom for Sir George and tell them that his clothing should be tailored and coloured blue, also, get our blacksmith to make a fitting sword for him too. I will see that it will be ready by tomorrow morning." Dream ordered, receiving a compliant reply from his butler.

Dream looked around the room, "The rest of you besides my personal knight and guard, are dismissed." There was no hesitation to be made, as it were replaced by the feeling of relief. Dream himself too, had once wished he could leave.

"Your majesty, may I ask you a question?" George spoke for the first time since his oath, standing a few feet away from beside the king's throne. Dream gestured for him to talk, "You are free to talk to me whenever you need, you shan't need my permission." Usually he wouldn't have given this permission to just anyone, excluding a close friend of his. Somehow, something within him told him to do so in order to contain the dark loneliness he suffers as a king.

But that made him strong.

"I thank you for the permission you've given me, your majesty. If I may ask, what about me appealed to your interests?" Dream raised an eyebrow at the strange question, yet he shrugged it off, "I mean no offence, Sir George. But you were well-known and appointed as the strongest knight in which a country that I've brought to destruction."

George stayed quiet, almost as if he was memorising and analysing his replies, to which Dream added, "You came out unscathed from the war. A few scratches and all, yet barely any major wounds. You would do well as a knight to fight for my kingdom, and also as a guard to protect me from my blindspots." This was a dangerous topic, yet it was almost like Dream had known him forever to be able to open up easily like this.

It gave him shivers, so he stopped talking.

George hadn't dare to ask another question as he stayed silent throughout the day, guarding the king who needn't any protection whatsoever- doing his paperwork.

The only time he had ever need to step away from his majesty's side during the day would be when the tailor arrived to take measurements from George.

And that would be the only and last time he would ever get a chance to step away from the king's side.