Shining Armor
Author's Note: I've gotten a few requests for Kakashi x Hinata, so I decided to give the pairing a try. This will be a medieval story and it might or might not have fantasy elements added to it later. This is also patch of my new batch of stories that I'm planning to release in late January 2018. So update speed will be determined in large part reader reception. If any of that bothers you, you might want to turn back now. For those of you still here, I hope you enjoy this story and reviews are always appreciated.
Chapter Notation: In this chapter, I said Kakashi was the Duke of England. For anyone who wanted a more specific title of which part of England, he is the Duke of York.
Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no profit off of any of my fanfics.
Chapter 1
She looked like a queen, but Hinata certainly didn't feel like one. That was the first thought on her mind as she looks at her own reflection. The woman staring back at her felt like a stranger.
"First, Mother." The bluenette sighs as she adjust the silver crown upon her head. Though it would be a different crown the Pope would place upon her head this evening, Hinata still adored this one. "Now, Father." They were both gone and as the eldest, Hinata was now queen.
Swoosh. A light breeze startles Hinata from her thoughts as she looks towards her door. Her alarm wasn't unnecessary though. It was only her sister. Not some ghost or would be assassin.
Her relief didn't last long though. Disaster struck once again as Hanabi trips over something and the extraordinarily large sack the young girl had been carrying goes flying.
BAM! The princess lands on the floor. "Owe." Hanabi groans as she rubs her knees. "That wasn't fun."
"Hanabi, are you alright?" Hinata sprints over to her sister's side and helps her stand. "You really need to be more careful." The newly crowned monarch couldn't bare the thought of losing her sister too.
The other Royal's lavender gown had ridden up and Hinata could see her bruising knees. She winces at the sight. Her sister must have fallen down much harder than she thought for her skin to already be changing colors.
Hanabi grunts, but smiles all the same. "I'm fine, Big Sister." Before gesturing towards all the letters that had fallen out of the sack. "I just wanted to show you all these. They're letters of condolence and potential marriage proposals."
Right. That did sound like Hanabi. The Hyuga girl had always been charitably curious and uncharitably, sneaky.
"They didn't even wait until he was cold in the ground before asking." Hinata sighs as she begins scooping the letters up. "So cruel." She had half a mind to reject them all on principle.
Did they have no sympathy for the king's two grieving daughters, especially his eldest? Hinata had just had a kingdom fall into her lap merely because her father hadn't only been Hiashi Hyuga, but King Hiashi Hyuga.
Hanabi places her hand on silken blue sleeve of Hinata's gown and sighs. "I don't like it either, but you know that that a kingdom can't exist for long without a king." That was true.
Hinata had every intention of marrying. She just wish she had more time, the young woman thinks to herself as she straightens out her sister's dress more.
Time. That's what she wanted. More time with their beloved parents who had passed on. More time to find a suitable husband. More time to fall in love. More time for well everything.
"You're right." Hinata frowns and Hanabi smooths out the silver trimming of her gown. "I do need to find a husband." The sooner she did so, the sooner the kingdom would be safe.
Hanabi giggles at her. "It shouldn't be that hard." Her eyes suddenly reminded Hinata of a mischievous imp. "After all, who wouldn't want to wed a queen? Especially one with a figure like yours."
Those words make Hinata's face transform from a delicate shade of ivory cream to a deep shade of red. Where on Earth had Hanabi heard such things? She was far too young for such talk.
"Hanabi, you're a princess." Hinata tries her best not to shriek in surprise at her sister's improper words. "You mustn't speak of such things in public."
The impish smile hadn't wavered yet. "I know." She curtsies to her sister. "That's why I only mentioned it when we were alone and in your private chambers."
Well thank goodness for small miracles. The bluenette had absolutely no idea what she would have done, if that hadn't been the case.
"Good." Hinata sighs and shakes her head. "You'd do well to keep it that way. You're far too young to be engaging in such deviant forms of conversation." With that being said, she reaches down and grabs one of the many letters.
Sooner or later, she would have to decide. Hinata might as well begin reading them. Perhaps her future husband had already written her a marriage proposal and he would become more tactful in time.
"It's such a shame." Gai shakes his head as he and Kakashi have their formal armor removed by servants. "The girl is going to be married off before her tears even dry."
Kakashi clenches his fists in frustration. "You're likely right." It wasn't his friend's fault that such things were the way of the world, but that didn't make it right. "She's going to be thrown to the wolves almost immediately. I wouldn't be surprised, if Queen Hinata already had proposals."
She was a beautiful woman. Not only that, but Hiashi eldest daughter was a beautiful woman with a crown. That and she was young. The odds were better than not, that Hinata would give birth to England's next king or queen at some point.
Young, beautiful, and naïve. An enticing combination for anyone who was interested in gaining a throne. She'd be too easily manipulated or even assassinated.
"I wouldn't either." Gai nods at him. "I was thinking about offering my own proposal just to protect the girl, but I was born a peasant. I was just damn lucky that someone took me on as their squire."
That was true. No one would ever condone the match, but it did give Kakashi an idea.
"I'm the Duke of York." True, he wasn't a king or a prince, but he was titled. "I own even more land than the royal family and the claim could be made that I was protecting England from outside influence by marrying her."
He was older than her, but not so much so that many eyebrows would be raised. Most women did view him as attractive and he wasn't a stranger to Hinata. He knew the girl in passing.
Gai blinks at that. "Are you sure that you're ready for that?" He slaps the other man on the back. "You've always told me that you were destined to be a lifelong bachelor."
Yes, that's what Kakashi thought so too. If given the choice, he'd rather remain unattached. Still, this might be the only way that he could protect her and she seemed an easy woman to get along with.
"Probably not." Kakashi smiles at his friend. "Though not being ready for something, has never stopped me from doing something before."
Gai claps him on the back so hard that it almost knocked the silver haired man off his feet. "That's very youthful of you!" Though that was just who Gai was. "Never fear, I'm sure that the Power of Love and Youth will shine upon you and that she'll accept your proposal."
That was very kind of Gai. It was far from a safe bet though. There was every possibility that Hinata would prefer a king or a prince from another country or she would be advised to marry someone with one of those titles.
"I appreciate the support Gai." Kakashi smiles at him serenely. "Sadly, I wouldn't go around assuming that Queen Hinata would accept my proposal."
The barrage of offers was about to hit. Kakashi just knew it. Which meant he'd have to act quickly tonight at Hinata's coronation.
The bushy browed man just smiles. "Oh ye of little faith." Yes, that was precisely it. Kakashi didn't leave anything to dumb luck. "I'm sure that she won't mind that you have the hair of an old man that much. The queen has never struck me as a shallow woman."
That was irritating. Kakashi had eventually embraced he fact that his hair would forever make him stick out in any crowd until he was actually old enough to have it. It was distinguish as many women said, but he still didn't care for being teased about it.
"I'm quite certain that whether she accepts or rejects my proposal will have precious little to do with my hair." He shakes his head in disbelief. "Still, I should probably get ready for the coronation. It isn't every day that a new queen is crowned."
Which reminded him, he knew precious little about Hinata as an actual person. He would have to do some digging. "I also need you to do me a favor, Gai." It was time for his friend to make up for his teasing. "Perhaps, you could speak with her Ladies in Waiting or the maids and see what you can find out about my potential bride. I would at least like to know her favorite color, flower, or something of that nature."
Anything at all would be helpful. There had to be something he could use to woo her with. Women did like it when you noticed the little details about them.
"You can count on me." Gai flashes him a super bright smile. "I'll find out everything that there is to know about her so you can win her heart, Kakashi."
Kakashi sighs as he rubs the back of his head sheepishly. What had he just done? He could only hope that Gai didn't traumatize Hinata's attendants too badly.
"Don't overdo it." The Duke smiles at his friend. "There is no need to overwhelm the poor girls."
Gai just shoots him a grin. "Oh I won't overwhelm them." Why did Kakashi find that very doubtful? "I'm just going to ask them some questions is all." Right. "I'll see you at the ball with all the information you'll need to win her heart."
Kakashi nods and he was about to say something else, but it was too late. Gai had already taken off.
"Dear Lord, I can only pray that this won't end in disaster." Kakashi sighs.
Perhaps, he shouldn't have asked Gai. He trusted the man completely, but he did have a habit of getting carried away.
Still, it had seemed like a better idea than asking directly. Once the word got out that the Duke of York was making inquiries about the queen, it wouldn't take long for the servants, peasants, nobility, and royals alike to begin wagging their tongues.
"Of course, gossip is inevitable." Kakashi smiles at that because he had used that fact to his advantage on numerous occasions. "That doesn't meant that I need to subject the poor woman to more of it than is unnecessarily though."
That last thought prompts a sigh from him. Hinata was about to become queen and she was still grieving the loss of her father. The last thing that the bluenette needed was idle gossip being spread about her. So he would do what he could to spare her from such indignities.
A few minutes later, Tenten smiles as Gai skids over to her. The brunette had always liked the knight because he was the one who Neji and Lee squired for.
"Good morning, Sir Gai." She nods at him. "Can I help you with anything?"
She was just preparing to head towards the queen with a tray of food in her hand. The sisters did love to eat breakfast together in queen's private quarters.
Well technically, Hinata was still a princess for a few more hours. Still, Tenten didn't really think that mattered. She was basically a queen now.
Gai flashes her a mischievous grin that made the Lady in Waiting want to run for the hills. "Oh I was just thinking that I would like to know more about our future queen before the coronation." Oh so that was it.
Well she certainly couldn't blame the man for trying, "Gai, you're a wonderful man and everything, but I'm afraid that the match just wouldn't be allowed." She smiles at him sympathetically.
Gai had earned quite the impressive reputation as a knight, but he was still of humble origins. Too humble for the match to ever be allowed by the real power players.
"Oh that's not it." He smiles. "I mean our future queen is a beautiful woman, but I know a pipe dream when I see one. I was just curious." The bushy browed man nods at her energetically. "Hinata is going to be ruling over England and she's always been so shy, that I'm afraid that I don't know much about the woman that I'm going to be serving."
Oh. Well that was fair. If this wasn't Gai though, Tenten would have thought that was just a flimsy excuse to learn more about Hinata in order to win her heart.
Hmm. What could she tell him that wouldn't be overly personal? "Well my Lady's favorite color is lavender." That couldn't possibly get Tenten into trouble, right? "She also favors white roses and sweets."
It wasn't anything that Gai couldn't find out with a bit of digging anyway. Tenten was hardly giving away Hinata's deepest and darkest secrets here. Besides, it made Gai so happy. What was the harm in it?
"That's wonderful news!" Gai beams and swings her around happily. "Oh and Lord Neji informed me to tell you that he hopes you're well."
That causes Tenten to blush. "That's very kind of him!" She couldn't believe that the queen's cousin remembered her.
Neji was the king's nephew, but one wouldn't know it most of the time. He tended to favor the servant class. Well at least that was the case as far as Tenten could see.
"Yep." Gai grins at her. "He certainly learned from the best. The boy has excellent manners."
That was true. He had excellent manners and really dreamy eyes with disturbingly beautiful hair. It was hard to tell whose hair was more beautiful some days. The future queen's or Neji's.
Later that night, Hinata could swear that her heart was going to pound out of her chest. She was standing next to the Pope and he was reciting the words that were so powerfully symbolic. The words that would make her the next queen of England.
It seemed as though the pomp and ceremony was going to last forever, but at long last the crown was placed on her head. "Long may you reign." The Pope smiles at her kindly as the applause starts.
Deafening. The applause was nearly deafening in its intensity, but Hinata smiles and waves to the people all the same. It was rare for a King or Queen of England to be crowned. So everyone wanted to be a part of it. Of making history.
"Thank you." She smiles and courtesies at the Pope as she walks down the red carpet that had been laid out in the palace courtyard.
Thousands of people were crammed inside it, but Hinata knew tens of thousands more would be lining the streets afterwards. The parade would be starting soon.
"You're most welcome. May you reign with grace, kindness, and wisdom." The Pope nods as her guards come to escort Hinata to her carriage.
Her gown might be considered modest by most standards for an event like this, but it was the one that her mother had worn at her own crowning. So that was why she made her way down the courtyard in blue silk.
Celebratory music was now playing and confetti was being thrown around in jubilation, but Hinata's heart was still heavy. "Good day to all of you." Over the loss of her father. Still, she had her part to play.
It was only natural that the people would want to celebrate a new queen being crowned after losing a king. Most likely, everyone would eat, drink, and make merry until the wee hours of the morning.
"She looks beautiful!" Hinata wasn't sure who said that.
It didn't really matter. Many people would say such things, but that was because she was queen. No one would going to shout, 'She's ugly,' at England's newest ruler at her coronation.
"Please follow me, My Queen." One of the guards smiles at her. "Your carriage awaits." He leads her down the courtyard to a glorious white carriage pulled by equally white horses.
The symbolism was not lost on Hinata. White was for purity, even while enjoying the parade she still had a job to do. Hinata had to reassure the people that all would be well and look like a respectable queen.
Kings and queens without a spouse were watched like hawks. All it took was one wrong move and it could lead to ruin. Well perhaps not ruin exactly, if you had enough money you'd find someone willing to marry you. Sadly, that was just the way of the world, but still it would dampen your prospects.
"Of course." She smiles at him. "Thank you." Which was something she didn't wish to do for anyone.
Hinata deeply wanted her people to be happy again. The memory of the funeral was still fresh in her mind. Everyone had been wearing black and mourning the loss of King Hiashi, but today stood in stark contrast to all that.
Today, everyone was joyous and the Sun was shining. She could hear the birds chirping. Perhaps everything would work out, she thinks to herself as she gets into her carriage.
"Lavender?" She blinks in confusion.
Her guards look at her in equal bafflement. "Is something amiss, Your Majesty?" Oh. Damn. She had been caught staring.
Hinata smiles and shakes her head. "No. Nothing." With that being said, she tries her best not to blush. "I should like to start the parade now."
The guard nods and informs he driver. It didn't take them long to be off, but Hinata couldn't get what she had seen out of her mind.
A man was dressed in formal clothes. Obviously, he had been a Royal or at least a Noble of some kind, but there was just something very odd about his outfit.
"Lavender." She quietly giggles to herself.
He had been dressed from head to toe in white and lavender clothes. She'd never seen a man really wear that color before.
Kakashi shakes his head at Gai as he watches the carriage pull away. "Are you quite certain that Tenten said lavender was her favorite color?" He sincerely hoped that it was.
He felt as though he was making a bit of a fool out of himself. Though Kakashi had to admit that part of him reveled in the attention. He was certainly going to be a topic of conversation around the palace for a few days at least.
"Yes, I'm quite sure." Gai nods at him reassuringly. "Kakashi, you should really have more faith in me."
Once again, it wasn't that Kakashi didn't have any faith in the other man. "Good." It was just that as he had thought earlier, Sir Gai did have a habit of getting carried away.
He needed to do this. That poor girl was about to be fed to the wolves and Kakashi would take whatever advantage he could get to win her over. Preferably as soon as possible.
"You also said white roses?" Kakashi eyes his friend warily as the sounds of celebration nearly drown out his question.
Gai nods his head in affirmation. "Indeed." He grins at Kakashi as if it should be the most obvious thing in the world. "After all, the Hyugas have always been rather fond of the color white."
That was true. That was the reason why he had complimented the lavender outfit with white trimmings. The Royal Family so did love the color white. Though Kakashi suspected that had more to do with making a statement than necessarily any real love for the color.
"Lavender, roses, and sweets." Kakashi smiles at his friend. "Well that seems simple enough."
Gai laughs and claps him on the back again. "Yep." The other man was having entirely too much fun with this in Kakashi's mind. "Don't worry. You'll be her Knight in Shining Armor in no time!" Kakashi could only hope that his friend was right about that because the alternatives might very well prove too ghastly to contemplate.