Violoncello: Love, Adore, and Cherish (A Gay Cinderella Sequel)

Lucky: A New Day

The sun began to peek over the horizon as it rose over the kingdom of Arcadia. Yu Ling, Captain of the King's Guard rolled over on his side when the sun's rays cascaded in his bedchamber. His room was located near the knight's quarters where the guardsmen worked and slept in shifts, keeping the Royal Family and castle safe. The door to his chamber creaked open slightly as Yu Ling continued to snore loudly. Suddenly a furry creature pounced on top of the sleeping Captain and began assaulting his face with wet kisses.

"Okay, okay, Lucky!" The Captain laughed, "I'm up, I'm up!" The Captain gently held the brown and white border collie's head to stop him from licking his face. He looked into Lucky's golden eyes and smiled at him. "I think his future majesty is going to be extremely jealous if you never leave my side." Lucky whimpered at him. "But I won't tell, if you won't." Lucky barked happily and wagged his tail.

The Captain gave Lucky a good scratch behind his ears before getting out of his bed. He made his way towards his chest of drawers to pull out his clothing for the day. One of the maids had already drawn him a bath in his attached washroom as he headed that way, Lucky following close behind him. He delicately undressed out of his sleepwear and undergarments and folded them on the floor. Lucky watched him inquisitively while tilting his head.

The Captain lowered himself into the marble wash basin and sighed heavily as the warm water covered his skin. This was his favorite part of the day. He enjoyed relaxing in his tub, large enough to fit two people, with a loyal companion guarding his door. He and Lucky had this same routine every morning since Lucky and Cello joined their home a couple of months ago. The Captain turned his head slightly and smiled at Lucky who continued to stare at him.

"We have a big day today, Lucky," the Captain spoke, "we get to train the new recruits!" Lucky wagged his tail and yapped excitedly. He knew exactly the role he would play in the training. Once the Captain finished his bathing, along with his other morning rituals, he armored up and headed out towards the training grounds. Lucky trotted next to him keeping the same pace as the Captain.

The new recruits were already in their armor, waiting patiently for their next orders. The armor they wore was branded with the Kingdom's Crest and shined brightly in the morning sun. The Captain looked at all the fresh faces and wondered what brought them here. Some wanted to make a difference, some needed to work to provide for their families, some had nowhere else to go, and some were simply bored of their mundane lives. Whatever the reason didn't matter to the Captain as long as each of them wore their armor proudly.

"Recruits!" Captain Yu Ling shouted at them, making an effort to look each of them in their eyes. "Thank you for making the decision to follow in the same steps of every other knight in this court who has fought bravely to uphold the tenets of the kingdom. Truth. Honor. Justice. These three words you will use to guide your mind, your spirit, and your sword. Search for the truth within the far reaches of your mind. Honor your spirit by doing what's right. Your sword will defend the weak and strike justice into the wicked." As he spoke, he could see fire building in the recruits' eyes. Their faces invigorated him.

"But before you can do any of that, we must train," the Captain said. "The first of your training exercises should not be taken lightly. It will perhaps be the most brutal. It will test your stamina, endurance, and resolve."

The color began to fade in some of the recruits' faces as they wondered what they got themselves into. There was a loud bark that sounded on the other end of the training grounds. Lucky wagged his tail excitedly.

"Your first exercise will be to simply catch that dog," the Captain ordered. "Whoever is lucky enough to bring him to me gets the rest of the day off." The recruits began to look at each other in bewilderment. This seemed way too easy for their first exercise. "On your mark, get set, GO!"

The recruits all dashed in Lucky's direction who waited until the very last moment to jump high into the air as all the recruits crashed into each other, falling into a big pile. The sound of heavy metal armor clanged throughout the grounds. Lucky landed on the butt of one of the recruits and launched himself off. He looked at the pile of clumsy recruits and yapped happily at them, taunting them. The biggest of the recruits got to his feet and charged towards the dog. The man jumped at Lucky, attempting to wrestle him on the ground. Lucky simply moved back a step and the recruit landed an inch from his target, falling on his face. The brutish man looked up at the panting dog and Lucky licked his cheek. The man laughed.

"Good dog," he said. The rest of the recruits slowly got to their feet as they all ran towards Lucky again who managed to evade every single one of them. After thirty minutes of running around in heavy armor, each recruit fell to the ground exhausted as Lucky sat in the middle of the grounds wagging his tail. The Captain laughed throughout the entire training exercise. Lucky was the quickest, nimblest dog he had ever seen. He was also full of life, energy, and was smart as a whip. The Captain didn't realize how much more fun his life would be since Lucky pounced into it.

"I guess none of you get the day off," the Captain said as he walked towards Lucky. He picked up the dog in his arms and scratched his head gently. "Except me since I caught him!" The Captain howled with laughter as all of the recruits groaned in defeat. "Take ten minutes, recruits, and I want you all back on your feet. One of my lieutenants will be with you shortly." The Captain placed Lucky back on the ground before they both walked away from the castle and towards town. Another part of their routine was to have lunch together.

Lucky and the Captain sat down by the docks watching the ships roll past. They each had a delicious turkey leg that they were tearing into. A gentle breeze wafted off of the sea, cooling them both. It was a beautiful, quiet day.

"I supposed you probably feel like a third wheel now that Cello is getting married," The Captain said to Lucky. Lucky stopped eating his food to look up at the Captain as he spoke. "I suppose I feel that way too." He sighed.

"Gabriel and I are really good friends. Probably best friends, next to his cousins. We are, we were, pretty inseparable." He continued talking to Lucky. Lucky's ears sank. "I should give him space now for Cello. It wouldn't be fair to try to take up any more time he doesn't have. The wedding is coming up soon." Lucky whined a little. "It's a shame you're not human, Lucky. It would be nice if you could talk to me." Lucky perked up immediately at that. He took a hold of his turkey leg and sprinted off.

"Lucky!" The Captain yelled at him. "Come back!"