To Be a Hero {SBI Fantasy AU}

1. It Begins

The sun was warm on the day that he met up with Tubbo on his birthday. To be perfectly honest, Tommy barely even remembers when they met. It was barely six years ago when they met for the first time, but somehow it felt like centuries had gone by. What would life even be like without his best friend? It would certainly be boring. Life as a page was a lot less exciting than he would have liked, and the mage-in-training certainly helped break the monotony of his days. It was a lot of training and chores, but it was going to all be worth it once he became a knight. Then, he could go on adventures! He'd be the best knight ever and he'd slay monsters and legends would be written about his absolute awesomeness. He couldn't help but grin as he sat on the bench, fantasizing about ballads about Tommyinnit the alpha male and best knight the world has ever seen.

Tommy's train of thought was interrupted as a certain small green robed boy sat down beside him.

"Happy Birthday Tommy!" Tubbo beamed, his warm smile rivaling the afternoon sun. Tommy was barely able to squeeze in a response before he was interrupted by his friend. "I got you something and I just know that you'll LOVE it!" he said as he reached into his satchel to pull out a stack of books secured snugly with some leather straps. The shiny buckle shone in the sunlight, and Tommy couldn't help but gasp.

"Are these-"

"Yup! I made sure to get a copy of each of your favorite legends!" Tubbo exclaimed, excitedly unfastening the little bundle and pulling out the leather bound tomes. "See!" Tubbo began as he read off the titles of the books, "I got the Hymn of the Winged Warrior, the Banished King's Ballad and the Legend of the Golden Lute! The last one was a little harder to find but I found it eventually and-"

Tommy suddenly pulled Tubbo in for a big hug, causing the latter to let out a squeak of surprise.

Eyes downcast, Tommy mumbled, "thanks, man."

"Don't worry about it, Tommy! I mean it's your birthday and all and you're finally gonna go on an adventure! It'd be a waste if we don't celebrate!" the other boy replied.

Letting go of his friend, Tommy carefully secured the books again and stowed them away in his bag. It was the nicest thing anyone had done for him in a long time, and they were now one of his most cherished possessions. His best friend puffed up proudly, knowing that his usually aloof companion normally didn't give show affection often.

"So... what do you think we'll be doing tomorrow? I mean since this is our first time on any kind of quest I don't think they'll give us anything too dangerous." Tubbo said thoughtfully.

Tommy gave a thoughtful hum and reluctantly agreed. "They probably wouldn't send a squire and a new mage on an epic quest..." he hypothesized, "but we always have time to work up to cooler missions! And then we'll go on such an AWESOME adventure that they'll be writing about us for years to come!" Leaping up onto the bench with a grin, he put his hands on his hips and announced, "We'll be the greatest heroes to ever live! You and me Tubbo, we'll defeat monsters and become famous all over the world! They'll write so many ballads and stories about us that we'll never hear the end of it!"

The excitement was infectious and Tubbo couldn't but smile back at his oldest friend. "Haha yeah!" he exclaimed, "We'll discover mysterious archives and become the coolest adventurers ever!"

Beaming, the two boys continued to wonder about the adventures that awaited them the next morning until the sun began to dip below the horizon. At last, the boys went their separate ways, promising to meet each other in the morning before they were dispatched together on their very first mission.

~~~~~*~~~~~

That morning, Tommy woke up early. He could barely sleep the night before, and his levels of excitement only increased as the seconds passed. He couldn't wait to finally do something. Hours of training and riding practice would finally pay off! Of course, as a squire he'd probably just care for the resident knight's horse or armor but he'd be out in the field still! Maybe he could show off his bravery and courage by fighting off a band of robbers all by himself! Or, or... save a civilian and be super manly!

Hurriedly putting on his favorite red and white tunic and shoes, he grabbed his travelling pack and raced out the door. Giving his mom a quick farewell and scarfing down breakfast, ran out to meet Tubbo in the square at their bench. As he turned around the stone wall of the blacksmith's shop, a familiar mop of light brown hair came into view.

"Ey Tubbo!" he said with a grin, his good mood making his steps light and bouncy.

The other turned around and beamed back at him, giving a happy wave. "Hey Tommy!" he said, "I could barely sleep yesterday! I was so excited I could barely close my eyes!"

The boy in red puffed up proudly, "Ha I slept so well last night! I slept so well that I bet I could take down anything that they throw at us on this mission!"

Tubbo tilted his head curiously, "So you slept like a baby?"

"Nononono Tubbo," Tommy spluttered "I slept like a MAN!"

His friend gave him a weird look, as if to say "that's not how the saying goes" but otherwise ignored Tommy's statement. "Anyways, which knight do you think will take us under their wing?" the brunette asked.

Hmm. Now that was a question Tommy didn't really have an answer to. "The lord knows a few knights, but they're all old. None of them planned on going on taking any jobs."

Plopping down on the bench, he rested his chin on his palm, trying to think of who it could be. He'd asked the resident lord for a knight that he could train under that wasn't going to stay within the village or castle, but he'd never asked who he'd be training under.

Tubbo sat down next to him, pondering his own question. "Maybe it's someone who isn't from around here? I think I heard from the baker that there was some stranger had come recently to buy some bread." he thought aloud. Turning to look at his friend, Tommy murmured, "really? Maybe it's him then..."

The duo sat for a moment more, wondering about the newcomer, until the ringing of bells pierced the air.

Both shot up from their seat, realizing that they were supposed to be in the main hall. Grabbing their bags, they scrambled up the steps and bolted down the long stone hallways, giving rushed thanks to the castle staff that bid them good fortune.

When the boys finally reached the main hall, Tommy's lungs were burning and he was practically vibrating with excitement. Nearly toppling over as he gave a deep bow to the lord, he stood up straight as the lord addressed him and Tubbo.

Giving a kind smile, the man greeted the two, "Just in time! I was beginning to wonder if the two of you would show up!"

"We'd never be late for something this exciting!" Tubbo said.

He gave a hearty laugh, smiling down at the two boys. "Alright, I won't keep you two waiting. I'm sure you're excited to meet my guest."

The lord then turned to introduce a man wearing the strangest hat that either of them had ever seen.