There was absolutely no one within the kingdom who didn't hear about the threat on the royal family's life. It was something that made the palace buzz louder and longer than the juiciest bit of gossip the housewives exchanged daily. It wasn't unheard of of course. Plenty of other royals had had threats made upon them and, in some instances, had met their untimely demise resulting in the downfall of an empire or two. The thing that made this particular situation odd was that the thought the threat was made to the king, Francis, the attempt was made on his son.
Needless to say his majesty was livid and the people appalled by the act. The prince himself wasn't hurt, merely shaken, the same could not be said of his former guard. As far as anyone was concerned a king without an heir was a doomed Empire and this did not bode well for the people nor the family. Laws were made stricter, security tightened and alliances made. The king would allow nothing to happen to himself, his family or the people so long as he was able to control the situation.
The prince himself was under what could be considered a sort of house arrest and a new guard brought in to replace his previous one. Now this wouldn't be a problem for anyone else one might suppose. In fact it may even seem a very desirable situation given the circumstance! Except... The prince was quite a difficult person and he had been very attached to his previous guard to the point where he insisted he had no desire for a new one. Of course his will was overridden by the kings own and he was to have a new one anyway. The best they could find. A seasoned soldier with a will of steel and perhaps just the tiniest bit of rebelliousness in him.
Matthew Williams was graced with the knight who may or may not prove to be a challenge to deal with.
He didn't know this yet of course. Matthew was busy avoiding anyone who he heard coming by ducking into various halls until he wound up in the courtyard where he was caught by his own governess. "Matthew your father is looking for you." The elderly woman hissed, none too fearful of the boy she'd raised herself. The blond sighed and whined, much like a child would do with his own mother. He was much to big to be doing such a thing as he was soon to celebrate his eighteenth winter but he was spoiled and still very much a child. "I'm busy!" He lied. She began fussing over him and his clothing, smoothing down his wispy curls and giving him a light swat to the thigh which earned an over dramatic cry. "You go to your father before he sends a knight for you!"
The young royal heaved an unhappy sigh and with the threat of another lashing all but ran to the dining hall where his father waited. It was clear he was late for something as he walked in past the guards outside. The air was tense and his father with his adviser wore expressions that were disapproving of the prince's tardiness. There was another man there who immediately caught Matthew's attention but before he could examine him his father barked for him to sit. He obeyed immediately, scurrying to sit next to him quietly. It was then he noticed the clothing of the stranger as well as the sword and previously curious bright lilacs became dim, narrowed and resentful.
This stranger. This... /knight/. This was to be his new guard.
"Don't be rude Mathieu. Introduce yourself." Francis chimed in his usual cheery voice.
The agitated male stared at the stranger, taking in his appearance with as neutral an expression he could have when he was obviously unhappy with the situation. After a long pause he folded his arms delicately across his chest and blinked slowly. "Matthew. A pleasure I'm sure." He drawled. Francis sighed and shook his head. It was clear after nothing else was said that they wouldn't be getting anything more from him. "I'm sorry Gilbert, he's been cooped for far too long I fear."
It was uncommon that any knights were handed a letter as they were going about their lines. It was even more uncommon to find that this letter was from the King himself, informing Gilbert that he had been 'promoted' (and yes, the King had added quotation marks as he knew how much of a nuisance his son could be) to the job of taking care of a certain Matthew Bonnefoy. And once more, it was highly uncommon that the addressed knight would have his heavy-duty armour removed to be replaced with durable but much lighter chain links, then escorted away from his colleagues with his few belongings and taken to the royal palace.
Gilbert, an oddly coloured man, did not resist though as he was brought through the grand double doors of he entrance, his long-time friend and the King Francis sitting high and mighty in his throne, a none-too-pleased son sitting next to him. Carefully, Gilbert's things were removed from his grasp, the two guards who had brought him there gave him curt nods before taking the few items to where GIlbert would no doubt be calling his new room. Once more, he didn't complain as he got on one knee before the blonds, bowing respectfully and moving his body into position once he'd straightened.
The Kind uttered words of encouragement, urging his son to introduce himself. Red eyes couldn't help but stare at the apparent Prince, in all of his gloom. His gaze didn't waver as it was met with cold violets, words dripping with obvious distaste. As the server of his Highness, Gilbert didn't lash out at how rude the other was; he didn't whine nor did he speak unless spoken to just as his old pal had instructed him. Not unless the two had arranged a one-on-one meeting would Gil remove his Knightly attitude from view. "No, Sir, it's quite the pleasure indeed." He replied, masked though still critical gaze shifting back to the higher of the blonds.
The man hummed, casting a sideways glance at Prince Matthew before speaking to Gilbert once more. "Well, Gilbert. It is, as you've surely heard, a dire time for my son. His life is in danger, and who better to trust in protecting him than you? My highest of knights, and noblest of them all." What was supposed to be a snobbish grin turned into a Cheshire-like one, Francis unable to perform fully as a king should. Luckily, this went unnoticed to everyone but Gilbert, the albino used to his friends hidden looks of appreciation and friendship. "As such, I hereby promote you to the title of 'Keeper'. My son shall show you to your living quarters, at the base of the tallest tower."
Ah yes. Anyone who was anyone knew that Matthew's bedroom had been relocated to one of the many towers of the castle. Nobody knew which one exactly, though everyone did indeed have the suspicion that it was the tallest as tended in most fairy tales and folklore; Francis had only confirmed it.
With one final bow, Gilbert cast the tiniest of smiles int he direction of his superior, standing to his full height and following the begrudging prince from a fair distance, the blond having sped up ahead as though wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. This allowed, unbeknownst to Matthew, Gilbert much time to scrutinize the other's tendencies and habits. Of course not to their full extent, but he quickly gathered an idea of who he was dealing with. A man- no, a /boy/, childlike and foolish. He was the absolute epitome of a snobbish Prince. All this, gathered simply from his prior actions as well as his fashion of walking.
Despite the problems Gilbert might already feel coming, he continued on, picking up his step to come to walk next to the blond. Oh yes, they would surely have a personality clash, he noted as the blond took a side-glance as him from a rather long and thin nose. He would have to work hard to keep his personal 'Gilbert' thoughts out of the way of his dutiful 'Sir Knight and Keeper' thoughts. At the very least, he would be able to see his friend rather often.
Deciding that it couldn't hurt to personally say hello, he thought as they stopped in front of an intricately decorated door to the right of a large looking spiral staircase, Gilbert bowed his head and held out his hand, asking for Matthew to place his manicured ones within it for Gilbert to properly greet him. "It is an honour to protect you, Prince." He resisted the urge to flick his gaze back up to see the pompous expression he imagined the other to wear, a small smile beginning to surface in amusement at the thought. Obviously, he wasn't very good at hiding his mischievous and teasing methods now was he?
Pooh: Once more, Honey edited this. Jeesh, we're spitting out stories non-stop, aren't we? But all the better for you readers I suppose! Well we hope you enjoyed this story- we're definitely getting on quickly with it so expect updates for all our published works soon. And because Honey doesn't seem to be much of a fan of writing these A/Ns, I'm just going to say that she's really excited and happy that we even have readers!
So, to show her that you guys care and are having a good time with us, why not provide a few follows and favourites? They're highly appreciated, and certainly encourage us to continue posting. c: