Be the seven year old Knight of Time ==

You're doing that, and you're quite the strong and handsome knight if you do say so yourself. You are currently on a quest to save your lovely princess, the Heir of Breath. Although, the heir doesn't seem to be too fond of being called 'Princess', you continue to address him as such. Because that's exactly what he is! He is the wind princess of the kingdom and it is your job to protect him from danger. You must save Princess Jonathan Egbert from the evil clutches of Lord English so he can use his windy powers to restore peace in the kingdom.

All good things must come to an end though and it wasn't long until you had to put your knightly duties aside to take a break, along with the princess. You two had been playing so long that you didn't even realize how late it had gotten. You settle down at the base of the tree you two mainly have your little adventures at. Princess John, or as he prefers to be called, 'Prince', slides down the tree where Lord English had held him captive, meeting you at the bottom.

John let out a gentle yawn and leaned against you, just as he always does when you two are done playing. There's been a few times when he had fallen asleep while resting next to you. When that happens, you never do wake him; you simply lift him into your arms and carry him back to his father. You've been led to believe that John will often fake his sleep just so you will carry him, but that doesn't stop you from doing so regardless. You felt as though it was your knightly duties to do so.

You feel John shift a bit beside you, only giving you a moment before your red eyes were met with curious, bright blue ones. You swear it should be illegal to have eyes that blue. But at the same time, you can't help but thank whatever deity is out there that they are."Dave," he starts, his voice giving off its usual sense of optimism that you believe only he possess, "Are you always gonna be my knight no matter what?"

This makes you smile, yet ironically so. Your bro always told you to do anything and everything for the sake of irony. You guess that's what makes him so cool. You want to be as cool as your bro someday. "I promise that I will forever be here to protect you, my princess." Your smile turns into a smirk, another trait that you learnt from your bro. John frowns, but he doesn't say anything on the subject, telling you that you got away with the remark this time.

"Good. Because who else would be brave enough to save me from Lord English all the time?" A smile returns to John's features, making his eyes all that much brighter. He stands from his spot beside you, offering a hand down to you. You graciously take it, nodding slightly at his comment. You never really had to talk much, for John always seemed more than capable of keeping a conversation going, even if it was only mostly him talking.

You two take your separate ways when John has to go to his dad and for you, your bro. But you're okay with that, because you know you'll get to see him again tomorrow, and the day after that, and most likely the day after that. He was your princess and best friend, and it was your job to keep his safe and happy.

Help the ten year old Heir of Breath to see ==

Actually, you believe John's dad has that taken care of that, but you're there for him regardless. Your princess is need of glasses and honestly doesn't seem too happy about that. His father wore glasses, as did his older sister, Jade, so it was only a matter of time until he'd be in need of glasses himself. You try to console him the best a Strider can, which is not always the greatest. But hey, at least you're helping, right?

John seems to have distaste for the choice of glasses he has to pick from. He would try a pair on, look in the mirror they have available to him, shake his head in disapproval, then set them back on the display stand. The cycle would repeat. You scan the selections through your shades, the ones that John had gotten you for your birthday last year. He thought you'd like them because they were ironic like that of your bro's. And they were, that much you had to admit.

Your crimson irises come across a pair of simple, black rimmed glasses. The lenses were a square shape, which John had implied that he wanted, saying he didn't want look like Harry Potter or anything of the sort. You lift up the frames, careful not to drop them. "Hey, Egbert. Come here a second, would you?" John looks up at you, setting down the pair that he had been previously looking at, obviously deeming them no good.

He looks as though he's about to question why you called him over when you slide them black frames past his ears to settle on his nose. It takes the ebony-haired male a moment to register what you had just done before he directs his attention back to the mirror near you two.

You were halfway expecting him to reject the lenses, just as he had done with the countless other pairs that he had looked at, so it comes as a bit of a shock to you when he gives the slightest look of pleasure. After a few moments of contemplation, he removes them and looks back to you, a brow raised. "Are you sure about these, Dave?" It made you proud to know that he was even considering it, but you refuse to show it. That would throw off your cool Strider aloofness.

"As sure as I could ever be, Princess," you reply, not even bothering to stress the nickname for the other. You had called John that since you were seven. He's perfectly used to it, even if it still kind of ticks him off. That just counted as bonus points for you. Plus, John never says anything about it so you don't really see the harm in it.

He slips them back on and gazes back into the mirror, as if trying to find some sort of flaw. Personally, you saw none. They were basic enough, but they managed to highlight his eyes perfectly. You are really particular about his eyes, you've noticed. But who could blame you? Eyes that perfect should never be soiled by something as simplistic as a pair of glasses.

Apparently his attempt to find something distasteful about the lenses is a failure because he gives a slight nod and slips the glasses off for the final time and gives you a smile. It's not a big one, but it's the biggest one he has given you or anyone during his time there. You'd be lying if you said you didn't deserve it, because you totally did. It was obvious.

That doesn't change John's mood on how he feels about wearing glasses in the first place, however. You didn't expect it to. He'll get over it, you decided. He usually does. You know how John is and he will try to hold out his attitude about something until he decides it's inevitable and gives up. "Don't worry, Princess, with those you might actually look mature enough to be a queen."

Key word being look and not act, but you'll just look past that. You always do and something tells you that you always will. Not that you have a problem with that. You don't. He's your best friend and even his antics are nothing that could screw with that.

He's a princess and every princess needs a knight.

Listen in on the sixteen year old Heir of Breath's piano refrain ==

Honestly, why would you miss it? It's some of the best music you've ever had the pleasure of hearing. Often you'll sit in with John in his father's study and listen to him practice. But the only problem with that is that he has a tendency to lose focus with you there. He'll mess up the fingerings then look at you apologetically as if it were all that crucial, which it isn't. But apparently to him it is. This is his life. All his talent is poured into the ivory when he plays. Messing up is something that seems to affect him more than it probably should.

That's why you'll often listen by his door when he's not aware. He can play with no disturbance and you can relish the flawlessness of each keystroke. He has no idea that you do this, and you like to keep it that way. Each and every note comes out with such delicacy, it astounds you. You admire your boyfriend's incredible talent and wish he wasn't so afraid to show it off.

Boyfriend? Is that what he could be considered? You suppose so, yet there's never been any sort of label in your relationship. You two were just sort of together, not that there was any sort of qualm about it. Both of your families knew how you and the blue-eyed pianist were an item, and they were by no means unsupportive. Your sister, Rose, has given you a few snarky comments, but aside from that, there was nothing said about it. You preferred it that way honestly.

You must've gotten lost in your thoughts because you hardly realized it when the sound of the piano had died completely. John had most likely finished practicing. He also didn't know that you were here because his father had let you in. You silently open the door to the study to find him clumsily sifting through several pieces of sheet music which made you have to stifle a chuckle. How could someone with such a jumpy and energetic personality play such delicate and beautiful music?

Making your way over to him, you bring your around him from behind, causing him to jump. He wasn't expecting you, but honestly, he should've. You come over nearly every day so it seems. Its just became a routine that you've had for quite some time now. He's never shown any means of disapproval toward it either. But to be fair, why would he?

"Jumpy today, are we, Princess?" He brings his gaze up to meet yours, the only barrier being your sunglasses. He was about to reply until you captured his lips in a kiss. Not a long or drawn out one, but enough to distract him and possibly make him forget what he was going to say. It works more often than not after all.

"I'm practicing, Dave," he replies as soon as you break the kiss. Well, it was at least worth a shot. Guess you can't always have your way, huh? You didn't miss the tiny amused grin on the other's features either. "And it's the princess' orders that you leave him to his practice."

Now how could you go against something like that? A knight is to always obey the princess' orders. He finally found a way to use his nickname against you, the sneaky bastard. John was always more clever than he made himself out to be. Sometimes it was a good thing, other times it wasn't and he would easily outsmart you. This was obviously one of those times.

You can handle it, though. Sitting outside listening in is all you could really ask for, and it's all you will ask for. Your princess will be ready for his knight soon enough, and when he is, so will you.

Be the nervous Knight of Time ==

Alright, you're so not nervous. Striders don't get nervous. You're simply a little tentative. Proposal had never really something you ever saw yourself doing. Or at least not anytime soon. You saw it happening a lot later in your life. But then again, you were twenty-one and you two had been together for six years. You've just been procrastinating on bringing up the subject.

Okay, so maybe you're a little nervous.

But how can you not be? You've been doing your best to avoid the subject, but you're afraid that John may grow tired of waiting. That's if he's even waiting at all. You can never be too sure, honestly. But you assume that he doesn't want to just be considered boyfriends for the rest of his life. You don't either, that's what actually driving you to ask in the first place.

Alright, so maybe Bro and Rose had a bit to do with it, but for the most part it was your call. Bro's just there for moral support and Rose was going to give her advice whether you asked for it or not. And you didn't for that matter. Even Jade had a few words of help to offer you. You were a bit apprehensive of telling John's sister of your intentions, but who knows? She may actually be of help since she's one of the only people to know John as well as you do.

To put it into simplest terms, you're nervous as hell. Rose had prompted you on what to say before you had left, but honestly, you have forgotten most of them. With the ring all but burning a hole in your pocket, you're tempted to just back out of this. It's not like you haven't done so many times before. But then that leads you to feel like your princess is in another castle, which is something you don't want. Your princess is up in his tower waiting to be rescued by his knight and unfortunately, the knight is too busy inwardly panicking to even make it to the tower.

You don't want to leave your princess in his tower alone.

So instead you sit there, contemplating on how to ask him. Where were you at currently? The thought has completely slipped your mind, partly because you have just about a million other things fucking up your mind right now. If you remember correctly, you're taking John to... dinner? Is that even correct? You're going to go with that, because your mind refuses to give the actual answer.

You two sat in silence for a while. Well, it may have been silence for John, but it was anything but silence for you, unfortunately. Every little noise was pounding in your head and you felt as if you were going to be sick. And it would be the epitome of uncool if you end up throwing up on your boyfriend right before you asked to marry.

No, you can't keep calling him your boyfriend. That just won't settle in your stomach right. Actually, hardly anything can settle in your stomach right as of now. But that's beside the point. He saying your name, you think, but you can't really focus enough to respond while trying to keep your dinner down.

Uncool, uncool, uncool.

That's what your mind keeps telling you right now, and fairly enough, you believe every bit of it. It shouldn't be this hard, yet you're making it that way. The ring in your pocket feels like lead and you can't handle that at the moment. You let out a sigh and pull out the velvet box, holding it under the table you two sat at. It's either now or never, though you're seriously considering never.

"Dave?" Your attention's brought up to the sapphire-eyed male in front of you. Oh yeah, you're still at dinner. Why could you only now make sense of what he was saying? "Is there a problem?" No shit there's a problem, but of course you'd deny just like the dumbass you are. You really need to stop putting this off. The longer you do that, the more of a chance you may get sick, which you've already classified as the most uncool thing that could happen right now.

"No, not at all. What would give you that idea?" Smooth, Strider. Real smooth. John gives you a questioning look, and you'd be damned if you didn't want to run straight out of that restaurant. But you can't. Your pride won't allow it. Plus, you're doing this; you're going to make this happen.

You hear your name being called, and it takes you a moment to finally realize that it was indeed your name. You didn't even realize you were staring at your hands until your attention is finally brought back up to the sapphire eyes of your partner. "Dessert's here," John says. Even in your state of paranoia, you managed to notice that he was fidgeting in his seat almost nervously. If there was anyone who should be nervous here, it's you. And you were, but that was in no way the point.

Nerves were nothing a few sweets couldn't resolve. But what you ended up seeing in front of you was in no way what you would naturally call "sweets". It was more so the feeling of your heart temporarily stopping right then and there. A feeling that left you completely speechless, as if you had anything to say. Or if there was anything that needed to be said in the first place.

Your name is Dave Strider, and your princess has chosen you as his prince.