To Be a Hero {SBI Fantasy AU}

2. The Stranger

The man was dressed in a verdant green, and looked out of place in the castle. In all honesty, the most eye-catching aspect of the knight that stood before them was the odd white and green striped hat that sat on his blond head.

"This is Philza, and he's a knight that was passing through" the lord continued, "and I think he's the perfect person to help you on your path to knighthood!"

While Tommy had met all kinds of people before, the man didn't dress like anyone that had ever come through his town, let alone any knight. Plenty of travelers, merchants and scholars had come through, but none were as striking as the man that stood before them.

Instead of donning the usual shiny sets of armor, the man wore a loose green tunic and pants, along with a long grey coat with white diamond patterns along the bottom edge. He smiled warmly at them, and his overall warmth was only emphasized by the long blond locks that framed his face. "Hello Tommy, hello Tubbo!" he said with a little wave, "I've heard good things about you two, and I'll be the knight you'll be training under."

While his friend returned an equally warm greeting, Tommy simply gave him a curt nod. This man looked nothing like any knight he'd ever seen. Was there some sort of mistake? How was he supposed to become a fearsome warrior when training under someone who looked more at home in a quaint cottage by the sea?

Oblivious to Tommy's thoughts, the lord clapped his hands together with a giddy smile, "I'll leave you so that you can get to know each other better! Good luck on your first mission you two!" And with that, the man strode out of the hall, leaving the two of them with the newcomer.

Tubbo didn't seem half as bothered by the recent turn of events as Tommy was, and was actually eager to get to know their new mentor. The boy practically bounced over to the man with his deep green travelling cloak flapping behind him.

"Wow!" the boy exclaimed, his big eyes practically sparkling with excitement, "No knight I've ever met dresses like you! Not to say that's a bad thing! I really like green too! But shouldn't you be wearing armor? All of the knights we've met are always covered in armor from head to toe! Oh and what is our first job going to be? You don't think we'll have to do anything too dangerous right? I'm an inexperienced mage and Tommy's just a squire so I don't think we're allowed to do anything exceptionally dangerous but I mean maybe just maybe-" Philza chuckled as the young mage rattled off question after question about the upcoming quest, promising to answer all his questions on the way to the meet up site for the job.

The two boys followed as their elder began strolling out of the castle leisurely. "Well, I am wearing armor, it's just hidden under my coat, see?" Phil explained, exposing the hard metal plating on the underside of the grey fabric. "And as for the the job it's only a simple escort mission in the next town over. It won't be too hard, but it shouldn't bore you two either." rubbing the back of his neck gingerly, he continued, "I've never had squire before so we'll be learning together."

Tommy came to a lurching halt, staring at the older man. "What?! But you're so old " Tommy frowned, "you should've been a squire before you became a knight anyways." He realized a second after the words tumbled out of his mouth that he'd just insulted his new mentor within the span of a few seconds. Realizing what he'd just done, he gaped like a fish. He could already feel his ears begin to get hot and cursed himself mentally. Tubbo always said that he was spectacularly good at making bad impressions, and he'd never really believed it until now. At this rate, the knight would have him on laundry duty every time he opened his mouth! Stupid, stupid, STUPID how did he mess up his first conversation so quickly?! Now he'd never get to do anything cool! What was wrong with-

Tommy's angry mental tirade was interrupted by loud laugh. Strangely enough, Philza had a nice rolling laugh which echoed loudly within the stone walls. It wasn't necessarily deep, a lot like the man's normal voice, but warm and full of mirth, a lot like a burbling brook on a warm summer's day. It was pleasant, he reluctantly admitted to himself, but it didn't make being laughed at any less annoying.