Middle of the Week Motivation

Knights, Princes and Jealous Girls

Mark started down the long hall, the sunlight filtering in through the stained glass windows as he walked towards the throne room. His present was requested by the king, which was rather common seeing as he was the king's best and most trusted knight. He was often called in to give advice or just be there as a friend if King Felix needed someone to talk to. This time, however, he was told it was urgent, and that worried Mark more than usual. He paused outside the throne room down, taking a deep breath and running his fingers through his odd colored hair. It was red, bright red, but Felix didn't really seem to mind.

He pushed the doors open, all the soldiers in the room coming to attention immediately, but Mark rolled his eyes, making a motion with his hand and telling them to stand at ease. They obliged, and Mark hurried over to Felix, bowing in front of him. Felix made a similar motion, insisting that Mark shouldn't do that, and no matter how many times he told that to Mark, he still never failed to pay his respects. He gave a respectful nod towards Marzia, Felix's wife, before turning his gaze back towards the king. Felix grabbed the collar of Mark's shirt, to stressed and worried to bother with formalities.

"Mark," Felix spoke softly, with a hint of urgency and panic laced in his voice. "Melinda's gone missing." Mark's eyes widened.

Melinda was the princess and Mark was surprisingly good friends with her. Felix had offered her hand in marriage to Mark since he was one of the best knights, only to find that Mark wasn't to interested. Nothing personal, of course, Mark simply wasn't into girls. While some people might of found this odd and untraditional, Felix seemed to care less. Felix stared at Mark, tears threatening to spill over onto his face.

"You gotta get her back. I know I've asked you to do a lot recently, train new soldiers, help with repairs in the town and now this, but Mark." His voice cracked slightly. Mark's brown eyes searched Felix's blue, not able to find anything anything but worry, fear and tears. "Please."

Mark nodded, determined to start as soon as possible. Sometimes he would try to negotiate the things Felix asked of him, because Felix asked him to do quite a bit and he was a pretty busy guy, but there was no way he could convince even himself to back down on this one. Felix released Mark's collar, leaning back in his chair and taking a deep breath. He lifted his head up, staring at the ceiling as if that would somehow keep the tears from falling.

"When can I start? Do we have any idea on where she could be?" Mark questioned, trying to gain as much information as possible.

Marzia spoke up, answering for her husband. "Some rumors were heard of a tower in the Borderlands, one that was previously abandoned, but suddenly full of life."

Mark nodded, thanking the queen and sending a reassuring smile her way. He looked over at the king, who had given up on trying not to cry and had quiet tears running down his cheeks.

"Felix," Mark said in a friendly but stern voice. "You need to quit that. If you keep on then I'm gonna start crying and we all know that's not going to end well." He joked.

Felix chuckled a little, knowing full and well that was true. For the tough soldier Mark was supposed to be, he could get very emotional. Basically, if someone else was crying, soon he would start crying and wouldn't even know why. All joking aside, he placed a hand on the king's shoulder, as if to remind him that he was still his friend, not just a mindless drone programed to follow orders.

"I will go out there, and I will find her. I will not stop and I will not return until I have." Mark promised.

Felix's eyes widened slightly, knowing that Mark was completely serious and firmly believed in being a man of his word. "Just don't take too long ok? I don't know how well I can run this kingdom without you."