Disclaimer: I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions/Sanzaru Games.
Claimer: I own all of my original characters.
My sir Galleth themed story is finally started! And yes, this will be strictly Sir Galleth and Medieval England themed, so there will be no Sly, Ramona, Bentley, or Murray…but of course there is still a Bandicoot. :D I am also working on a request, so I've decided to work on both this story and the request at the same time, so if updates are slow for either…I apologize in advance. But anyway, please read, review, and let me know what you think of my Galleth story. Thanks!
A Knight's Tale
Chapter 1: The Royal Family
Nottinghamshire, England 1453 A.D.
Crackling fire, the clanking of silverware and goblets, and the snorts, grunts, and rather loud belches of the engorged king were the only sounds that echoed inside the dark, poorly lit, dining hall of the castle. Being one of the primary members of the Knights of the Cooper Order, I, Sir Galleth Cooper, had the duty as a knight to protect the king and his family at all times; or until I was relieved of my duty by another member. But tonight, instead of doing my normal leisure activities of stealing from the corrupt nobles of lands of England, I was here in the castle's dining hall, watching over the king, the queen, and the princess of the land as they ate their dinner in a tension filled silence, aside from the noises made by the king. I was not alone however; one of my good friends, Sir Henry Williams, who was also a member of the Order, and his squire accompanied me. The wolf was an older knight, close to his retirement, but he was a valiant and honorable knight; a true warrior. I had my squire with me as well; squire Robin, a native of Nottinghamshire. We were on watch this quiet evening, making sure the royal family could eat in peace. The job wasn't a cheerful, exciting, or even remotely in my interest, but it was my duty as a knight to the king…and there was one small factor that didn't make it that bad; Princess Katherine, the king's only child.
King Hector VII, the merciless ruler of England, was the man I was protecting. The king was a well hated and distrusted ruler. He taxed the people of the city, which were mainly peasants, with high taxes, taking away what little money they had. He made outlandish laws that kept everyone under the strict watch of the kings most trusted and corrupt guards; knights who weren't members of the Cooper Order. I kept my stature at my post against the wall to the side of the table, but moved my gaze to the king. King Hector was a very vile looking man and wasn't a clean person. The raccoon was a large man, with his belly large enough to hinder him from actually touching his arms to the table. He wore his lavished robes proudly around the castle with his bejeweled crown rested on his head in a crooked manner. Our 'honorable' king at no table etiquette at all, a lowly peasant child had more manners than our king. He rarely used his dinnerware as he simply picked his dinner up with a paw, which appeared to be a turkey leg or sorts, and shoved it into his mouth, ripping off the meat gruffly with his teeth. The raccoon swayed with each bite, showing how he couldn't handle his booze, and chewed loudly, showing his wife and child the contents in his mouth before allowing some to fall out and into his beard; which was covered in food bits, gristle, and wine. As he continued to eat, the king would shoot horrid glances to the queen, his wife.
Queen Isabel was quite the contrast to her husband, who was a rather loud and burley man. The queen was a small woman who spoke almost nothing when she was around her husband. She simply sat at the table, quietly eating her dinner in a mannerly way, keeping her head down to avoid the glares from her husband. Growing up in the castle, from boyhood to squire hood, and now knighthood, I'd seen how his feelings had changed towards his wife. In the beginning, when the princess was a young child, around my age, he had affections towards her. But when she failed to produce him a male heir and eventually a child all together, he grew to resent her; even hating her. To a king, and even the public, the only duty of the queen was to give the king a son, so he may have a successful and powerful heir to the throne. However, the queen was unable to give him a son, only a daughter, which caused the king to pull away from her. It was no question that the king had mistresses and women on the night on the side from his wife; all desperate attempts to produce a male heir. This of course, crushed the queen's heart. I truly felt bad for the fair woman; she was forced to be in a loveless marriage with a horrid king who openly fouled their marriage.
Princess Katherine was like her mother, quite and kept clear of her father. She was resented as well, being a female when her father wanted a male heir. Once her father dies, she is to assume the throne and become the queen; if he doesn't produce a male heir in the meantime. Katherine may have acted like her mother in public, she was different than any of the royals in the family; Katherine…was a thief. The young princess had money, of course, but she felt that it was the peasants' money, and she shouldn't be the one spending it. She felt that she should only steal from people that were in her social class; the wealthy. Lady Katherine hasn't only stolen from the wealthy, but the fair maiden has stolen my affections! Being the personal guard for the princess, I have been asked to spend hours upon hours, keeping an eye on her welfare and assure her mother that she is safe. And in that time frame, Katherine and I have become close friends and slight rivals on the thieving side of our lives. Despite her pristine and proper personality in the castle, the princess was a rebellious and free spirited female; something that attracted me to the future queen. Katherine was a fair looking woman, a slender frame, soft features, a delicate smile, and hair so black it would make a raven jealous. Her hair was held high on her head, allowing her curls to cascade around her face with a small, white gold tiara adorning her head and her family's ancestral necklace resting softly against her neck.
With a first pounding into the table, King Hector startled his family, making them actually look at him for the first time since they sat down for their dinner. During his meals, the king did not like to be disturbed. However, the side door to the dining hall creaked open slowly, only to have one of her servants come trotting in quickly. The king took a large gulp from his goblet, letting some of his wine spill out onto his beard as the servant stopped at the end of the table, across from the king, with a quick bow of his head. He was nervous, scared of the repercussions that might come from disturbing the king during his meal. I glanced to my fellow knight, curious to see how he thought the king would react to the arrival of the servant. Our ruler was becoming angry, ready to burst at any moment.
"You Majesty," the servant stuttered eventually, "then enter-" he attempted to address the king, but was abruptly interrupted by his Majesty.
"What is so important that thou must interrupt my meal? Can though not see that I am trying to have a pleasant meal with my family?" he pounded his fist on the table again, ready to throw some of his unused silverware at the young man.
"My apologies, Your Majesty, but the…entertainment…that thou hast requested has arrived." With that, the king relaxed, standing up from his chair with a large smile on his face.
"Well then," the king boasted with his arms spread out, "then thou should have come sooner!" he chuckled before stepping away from his chair and towards the main entrance of the dining hall, "And please, do excuse me, my dear." King Hector briefly turned to his wife, who he so rudely left, and nodded himself before exiting the dining hall. Queen Isabel simply sat at the dining table, placing her silverware down on the plate and looking down at her lap. To the remaining people in the room, it was obvious what 'entertainment' the king had order was in reality. Not a court jester, a royal fool, or any circus oddity…but a woman. I glanced to Sir Henry, the knight assigned to look over the queen, who simply shook his head at her husband's antics in front of her. As much as my old friend refused to admit or believe it, I knew that the wolf cared for the queen. I couldn't blame him; she was a kind and sweet woman who did not have an angry bone in her small frame. She was quite adventurous and would often challenge Henry to a number of archery or horseback competitions; much like Katherine loved to do with me. Still saying nothing, the queen stood from her seat, ready to leave the dining hall.
"Mother," Katherine's soft voice alerted her mothers' attention, but was quickly silenced by a wave of her mothers' paw. Queen Isabel made her way from her chair and was soon accompanied by Sir Henry, who held out an arm for the queen to grasp.
The white furred wolf escorted the royal raccoon from the dining hall silently, leaving Princess Katherine, my squire, and myself in the dining hall. I excused my squire, Robin, telling him to leave me be while I spoke with the kings' daughter. He left quickly, allowing me to have a private word with the princess. Once the door had shut from Robin's exit, I removed my helmet, placing it underneath my arm, and quickly brushed my fingers through my hair, not wanting to look too disheveled in front of the princess. Taking a deep breath, I straightened my posture and made my way to Katherine's chair, kneeling next to it with a bow of my head. She turned her own, glancing to me with a roll of her eyes and a playful smile.
"Oh, enough with the formalities, Sir Galleth," Katherine tipped my chine up, her gaze meeting mine, "we hast know each other for quite some time now. I do not believe that you must be so formal each time we meet."
"My lady," I said with a smile as she released my chin, "A knight must always be proper and polite; especially when he is in the presence of a proper lady." Her giggle filled my ears, only making my smile widen.
"Then thou art one of the few, true knight, Sir Galleth," she said as she stood, straightening her gown in the process, "While under the rule of my father, many knight's have forgotten the proper way to treat a lady," she turned to me, a soft smile adorning her crimson lips, "but there is no need for you to be so formal with me, my brave and valiant Sir Knight." I stood, chuckling to myself as I made my way to the side of the princess, holding out my paw to her. She placed her delicate paw in my gloved one, allowing me to plant a soft kiss upon her slender fingers.
"Then they are not truly knights. A true knight must know how to treat his lady, or his princess, with dignity." I extended my arm to her, allowing her to take my free arm in her own. I escorted her out of the dining hall, walking her slowly down the halls so I could deliver her to her bedroom. We walked from the dining hall and into the large entrance of the foyer, where the king, queen, and the princess would sit during a formal event. The room was highly decorated with rugs and portraits or the royal family, empty suits of armor on either side of the room; a small attempt by the king to show his authority. As we walked, Katherine would packet a few loose pieces of her father's jewelry that he kept strewn across the castle, placing them in her pocket; true to her nature.
"My lady," I spoke to the princess, who had glanced up to me as we continued out walk, "If your father were to see you robbing, what would he do with thee?" she sighed softly, delicately moving her stray bangs from her pretty face.
"It's quite simple, Sir Galleth, he would imprison me. Not in the dungeon with the other petty criminals, but I should spend the rest of my days in the tower, with no freedom of my own."
"Then thou must be careful, Lady Katherine. T'would be a great shame to see you locked away." She smiled again, staying silent as we walked.
"And what of you, Sir Galleth? I have hear talk of my father that he should ask thou to vanquish the dragon that plagues our land. Have I heard the truth?" her features became worried as she looked to me, awaiting my answer. She was correct; there was a menacing, beastly dragon that plagued our lands that needed to be vanquished. The dragon was notorious for being seen in the skies, swooping down to abduct townspeople. The three-headed beast dwelled in the cavers above the town, casting threatening shadow down upon us.
"Tis a possibility, my lady, but it is not certain." She nodded slowly as we reached the door to her chambers. She released my arm and placed her paw upon the door, ready to enter. She turned however, facing me.
"Then I shall surely pray that thou shall not have to face that beast." I gave a bow of my head, smiling slightly as I did so.
"Then your prayer is greatly appreciated, Lady Katherine." She giggled again, straightening her dress before blessing my ears again with her soft voice.
"Shall I expect to see you when the sun rises? Mother and I would wish to go riding by the brook. Shall you and Sir Henry accompany us?" I nodded towards the raccoon.
"Of course, my lady. I would not miss it for the world." She smiled again before leaning her snout forward, planting a gentle kiss to my cheek.
"Your Majesty, thou must be careful," I warned her with false sternness, "If the king where to see his only daughter planting a kiss to a simple knight, t'would be a great scandal."
"Then let him see," she said proudly, "With the number of times his greasy beard and lips have disgracefully touched the undesirable skin of a brothel-woman, then he shall allow me to give a gracious kiss of gratitude to my most favorite knight."
"Then, my lady, I shall cherish it always." We both chuckled, letting our gazes meet quietly.
"Fare thee well, Sir Galleth Cooper. I shall hopefully see you in the morn." With a slight bow of her head, Princess Katherine said her goodbye's and enter her chambers, shutting the heavy door behind her silently. I chuckled, replaced my helmet on my head before leaving from her door, heading towards my own dwelling before resting for the evening.
