Part 1

A/N: There aren't enough fics about knight Dad, so here we go! This will be a two part fic, so please look forward to part two! This fic contains spoilers for Revelations, so read with caution.

At one point in his life, Gunter was proud to serve King Garon and would go to the end of the world to ensure his liege's safety. But, after the death of Queen Arete, the once honorable king changed into a cold, power hungry monster who would threaten his own children to achieve his selfish goals. Still, Gunter remained loyal to him in the hopes that the king he swore to defend all those years ago would come back. Yet, as the once prosperous land began to die and countless of innocent blood was spilled, the knight began to have his doubts. However, ever the faithful knight, Gunter continued to serve the king and performed his duties without fail. But the knight was never afraid of speaking his mind and questioned the king several times about his decisions. King Garon always told Gunter to watch himself, but nothing ever came out of it. That was…until the day King Garon ordered for the annihilation of his home village.

Gunter had just returned from a mission when one of the captains informed him an army, led by the king himself, had been sent to put down a supposed rebellion budding in the tiny village; Gunter didn't waste a moment in mounting his stead and galloping out of the stables. As the harsh, winter winds cut through his armor, Gunter prayed to the Gods that he would make it in time to stop them. The villagers were innocent—his wife and ten-year old daughter were innocent. In the distance, he could smell and see smoke rising into the gray sky, but he still pressed forward with his heart pounding in his ears until he reached the village entrance.

A complete massacre lay before him.

The bodies of neighbors, friends, and children were scattered around the village, their blood staining the ground and walls. As Gunter dismounted his mare and moved inside the village walls, the smell of burning flesh engulfed his senses and he had to cover his mouth to keep from being sick. All of the buildings Gunter had visited over the years were engulfed in flames, their occupants still inside. In the distance, he could hear the sound of Nohrian soldiers continuing their rampage, but he pressed forward, looking for a familiar blue roof.

'Let them be alive!' He prayed, breaking out into a sprint as his home came into view, untouched by the flames. 'Gods, please let them be alive!'

But his prayers were all for naught. As Gunter threw the door open, he was met with the bodies of his beloved, Junia, and their daughter, Aeliana, lying in a pool of blood. And at that moment, the world stopped and his blood ran ice cold.

"No…."

Gunter felt nothing as he slowly trudged into the room, his eyes never leaving the fatal wounds on their chests and how the floorboards beneath them were saturated in their blood.

"No…."

He fell to his knees as tears clouded his vision, and with a shaking hand, Gunter took Junia's cold hand in his and the knife she was holding clattered to the floor. A small gasp escaped his mouth as he realized Junia tried to protect Aeliana and herself from the army. And Gunter could clearly hear their daughter crying out for him to save them. To be the hero he always promised to be.

He had failed them.

He had failed his village and his family.

Biting his lip and letting out a pathetic whimper, Gunter gathered his family's bodies into his arms and screamed until his throat was raw, their blood staining his armor. He should've been there to protect them, but no amount of tears could bring them back. His family was gone.

"I'm…sorry.." He sobbed, stroking Aeliana's brunette curls like he'd done many time before. "I'm so…sorry…"

Gunter didn't move from his spot when someone entered the dwelling, the sound of their boots echoing throughout the ransacked room.

"Has the most decorated captain of my army forgotten the price of treason? King Garon's voice boomed from behind him. "There were only rumors of rebellion but that is reason enough to destroy every last one of them. After all, rebellions are like seeds. We must salt the earth before they sprout, correct?"

Then the king—no, the creature—had the gall to laugh, and Gunter saw red as he could envision Garon cutting his family down without a shred of remorse, knowing exactly who he was slaying in cold blood. There had never been any talk of rebellion. The village feared the King's wrath too much to do so. No, this was to break him, to crush any shred of defiance or freewill he had within him. To make him remember his place.

Gunter wanted to reach for his blade and hack the creature to bits so he could take his head as a trophy. But, Gunter knew the king was far more powerful than he, and if he wanted to have his revenge, then he would have to wait.

Placing his family's bodies back on the ground, Gunter stood at attention and faced the king with a blank expression.

"You are correct, King Garon. Please forgive my moment of weakness. These people mean nothing to me now, for they are traitors of Nohr, and the sentence for treason…is death."

Apparently pleased by the knight's answer, King Garon smirked and nodded before exiting the dwelling and commanding Gunter to follow suit.

Sparing one last glance at his beloved Junia and Aeliana, Gunter curled his blood soaked gloves into fists and made a silent vow to avenge their deaths and to make King Garon suffer like he made them suffer.

He would dedicate the rest of life to ensure just that.

Since the massacre of his home village, Gunter continue to serve King Garon with no complaints, all while waiting for the moment to extract his revenge. Then, two years later, he received a mission to be the mentor of Princess Kamui. King Garon had suddenly brought the child home after a visit to Hoshido. He claimed she was the child of one of his escaped concubines, but with the news of the abduction of a Hoshidian princess and the kidnapping of Queen Arete's daughter, Gunter knew the truth of the matter and felt a sense of joy for the first time in years. What better way to extract his revenge than to train the daughter of Nohr's opposing kingdom to be his undoing? It was the perfect plan, and Gunter didn't waste any time in preparing for his move to the North Fortress. King Garon told him the princess was weak and she was to stay in the North Fortress until she was useful to him. The king even gave him a whip to teach her obedience. With a nod and a bow, Gunther placed the weapon in his satchel and was on his way.

It took half a day to reach the fortress on horseback and when the dark building came into view, Gunter began to wonder about its lone occupant. No one except the king had ever seen Princess Kamui since she was sentenced to the fortress only a day after arriving. The maids who came to greet him informed Gunter she wasn't completely alone, but he still had to wonder.

Handing his mare and luggage to the maids, Gunter took the whip from his satchel and went to look for his new pupil. One of the servants informed him the princess's room was in the highest tower, and that she rarely left her room.

'A defiant princess then. Training her will be a chore itself.'

Approaching the tower room, Gunter knocked on the door, only to find it already opened. Curious, he slipped inside as quietly as possible and inspected the room. A small bed with bright red sheets lay in the center of the circular room, and a small dresser was nestled behind it. These were the only pieces of furniture in the entire room. If it wasn't for those two things, the room would've looked no different than a prison cell. There was no wallpaper covering the stone walls, no carpet to warm the cold floor, and only one window to bring light into the room. Then, as he stepped further into the room, he saw her.

Crouched behind the dresser was a tiny, five year old girl with long, curly white hair and two large red eyes that gazed at him in fear. Her black dress was four sizes too large and hung awkwardly on her body, causing her to stumble as she scurried to the other side of the room and hid behind the curtains. The whip suddenly felt like a heavy weight in his hand.

This frail, petrified child…was Princess Kamui.

Without saying a word, Gunter hurried back out into the hallway and closed the door behind him. This was not what he had expected. Princess Kamui was supposed to be defiant and unruly, nothing like the frightened girl he just saw. Kamui's terror-striken stare burned into his memory and in his mind, the princess became Aeliana and he became King Garon, raising his blade to silence her permanently.

"FATHER!"

"NO!" Gunter slammed his fist against the wall, the pain shooting up his arm snapping him out of his nightmare. "No…." He glared down at the infernal whip, his gaze hardening before tearing down the hallway to his room. Throwing the doors open, Gunter plopped down in the middle of the room and got to work ripping the whip into strips.

'I won't become like him.' He vowed to himself, binding the ends together. 'I won't!'

Little Kamui stood on her toes as she could look down at the courtyard, the only view her tiny window allowed. Her father told her she was sick and lost her memories as a result, so she was to stay in the North Fortress until she was strong enough to be his daughter again. Kamui had also been told she had siblings but had never seen them. No, the little princess only had a barren fortress, a distant father, a small group of servants, and a head full of blurry memories to keep her company. Wiping her eyes with her sleeves, Kamui continued to stare out the window as she wished for her father to come back for her. She would be obedient and strong for the King if he would take her away from the loneliness and isolation.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Kamui scurried underneath her bed, afraid it was the scary man with the scar again. His cold eyes rattled her to the core, and the sight of the leather whip reminded her of one of the few memories she had. It was of her father, whipping a disobedient servant and no matter how hard she covered her ears, Kamui could hear the man's screams loud and clear. When there was no answer, the door creaked open, and she could see Gunter's sabatons step into the room. Since the bed was in the middle of the room, Kamui was hidden in plain sight, and the little princess waited with baited breath for the man to drag her out of her sanctuary and beat her.

However, instead of moving closer, he sat down and rolled a ball towards her. It was made of leather strips and crudely put together, but it was the first object Kamui had seen that was not a weapon. With a guarded stare, she slowly reached out for the ball, her eyes never leaving Gunter's face. It was cold under her tiny hand, but she held it close to her chest as she crawled out from under the bed. Kamui wasn't sure what to do next. Why did he give her this? What was his plan?

Then, Gunter held his hands out.

"Throw it back to me."

And…he smiled.

A smile!

Kamui felt a warmth bloom in her chest before it spread throughout her body. No one had ever smiled at her before. Not her father, not the maids nor the butlers. But this man—this complete stranger—did and Kamui found herself smiling back as she tossed the ball into his waiting hands. And, to her surprise, he tossed it back to her. He was playing catch with her. He was playing a game with her. Kamui wanted to cry in joy, but she was afraid he would call her weak and leave her. So she swallowed her tears and threw the ball back.

"What is your name?" She whispered, wanting to know more about her mysterious playmate.

"Gunter." He caught the ball with ease and sent it back her way. "I am here to serve you, Princess Kamui."

"Serve me?" The ball smacked against her forehead as she asked the question, leaving a bright red mark that Gunter had to bite his lip not to laugh at. "You mean like the other butlers and maids?"

"No, I am slightly different from them. I am here to teach you about the world, how to fight, and how to become an honorable princess. If there is anything you want to know, I am here to teach you about it."

He waited for her to toss the ball back, but Kamui instead held the ball to her chest and dug her bare heels into the floor.

"What's the matter?"

"Is…that all you can do? Teach me?"

"Is there something you would like me to do, Princess Kamui?"

"Could you…also play with me? Whenever you can, of course!" She quickly added at the end.

Gunter could see her shaking from across the room, and he cracked another smile.

"Every day if you wish so, my lady. I'll even read you bedtime stories if you like."

The radiant smile she shot at him lit up the room, and Gunter felt his heart clench in his chest as the ball flew back towards him.

'I won't let history repeat itself. I swear on my family's graves that King Garon will not ruin this girl. For she will be a beacon of light in this damned kingdom. I will risk my life to ensure just that.'

A/N: I always wanted to write about the North Fortress family because Gunter is totally Kamui's real father figure! Look forward to part two! :D