The Heart Of A King

Summary: When the last King in the line of the Bennetts suddenly disappears under mysterious circumstances, the kingdom's last hope lies in Neal Caffrey, the king's only son, though from an illicit affair. First knight Peter Burke is tasked not only with training the free-spirited young man to get ready for the crowning ceremony, he also has to find a suitable bride for Neal - and battle (both literally and figuratively speaking) the royal families from the surrounding kingdoms who want to claim the throne. But until King Neal is proclaimed and can think of a happily-ever-after with his new Queen, the two men and their merry band of friends have to face a lot of adventures.

Notes: Written for Round 2 of the White Collar Reverse Big Bang on LJ. Inspired by various movies and TV shows set in the darker ages of history – and by the awesome art prompt, made by sheenianni. (link to the full set of artworks on my profile)

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not now, not never. I would never have let that final shocker happen.

Prologue

"ONCE UPON A TIME"

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far far away…

The dawn of a new day had just broken over the hills, when Lord Peter Burke, first knight in the services of King James Bennett, was jerked out of his dreams by an incessant pounding on his front door.

He got out of bed and, after donning his dressing gown, grabbed his sword, ready to face any possible enemy. With as much force as he could muster at this ungodly hour, Peter pulled the door open – and almost had an armload full of both his squire Clinton Jones and Reese Hughes, senior member of the king's consulting staff by trade.

"Good morning, gentlemen. What brings you to my doorstep at this early hour?"

Hughes motioned to Jones to answer.

"Good morning, my lord. The king has disappeared from the castle."

"Maybe he…"

"Peter, we already sent soldiers to all the favorite places of his majesty. They all came back empty-handed." Hughes held up his hand, effectively preventing Peter from speaking. "Lady Berrigan and most of the other fast riders are on their way to our border guards to alert them about the situation."

"You think he's leaving the kingdom?"

"I know it sounds downright absurd, but we have to consider every possibility…"

"…especially when Lord Pratt has also disappeared from his chamber."

"He also disappeared? Last night?"

Jones was about to answer his lord, when all of a sudden Blake, one of the king's stable boys, ran up to them.

"Sir Jones?"

"Where's the fire, Master Blake?"

Jones' attempt at lightning the mood went unnoticed by everyone, and Blake's only answer was a very confused expression.

"Milords, we just noticed that one of the king's carriages is missing along with two horses from the lot the king just had bought last month. And Master Westley has once again proven his excellent sight by discovering a rather large amount of blood."

"Where did he found it?"

"Furthest corner of the stables, Lord Burke, sir."

Hughes, Peter and Jones exchanged a worried look. Blood always spelled trouble, and with both the king and his greatest adversary missing, the whole case was already on the downhill trek into darkness.

And so it came that the lobby of Peter's house was shrouded in silence, as each man was trying to process the knowledge they had so far on the events of last night. Peter was the first to break it.

"Gentlemen, I'm gonna get dressed properly." Both Jones and Hughes nodded their consent. „Master Blake?"

"At your service, my lord."

Peter had to suppress a chuckle. He somehow loved the eagerness and enthusiasm that some of the young men at court possessed.

"I have a special job for you."

If he wouldn't have known better that a human being wasn't able to do that, Peter would have sworn at the bible that Blake's ears peaked up like his own dog did from time to time.

"I want you to head back to the castle and rally the whole consulting staff together. We need a plan, and we need it now."

Blake didn't waste any time and ran back the way he came earlier. Before heading back to his bedroom, Peter turned to Jones and Hughes.

"And I have to break the silence over a secret I kept for the last 25 years."