The Lady in Sea-Stone and Iron Bodied Knight
Lady Robin strode through the courtyard grounds, arm-in-arm with her orange-haired lady in waiting, Nami. Her gold-trimmed purple gown trailed ever so slightly along the ground as she walked, and her braided hair was held in place by a net of amethysts and sea-stone comb. Around them crowds of merchants and craftsmen peddled their wears to peasants and noblemen alike, who had come out of their abodes this crisp spring morning to enjoy the festivities the kingship offered. Smattered amongst the throngs of civilians, squires and knights guided horses towards the wooden arena gates and makeshift stables. From the several crests Robin recognized, she felt assured that the tourney this year would be just like all the others.
Minstrels and Poets would say that spring is a season for lovers; however, as far as Robin was concerned it only meant the start of the season which she would be expected to leave her beloved reading corner to attend events such as these, where young nobles paraded around in their armor like peacocks until they inevitably would be beaten into submission by the blades of their friends.
Her companion tilted her head to whisper into Robin's ear, a fox-like grin spreading across her face. "Did you notice that Sir Sanji of the Vinsmokes spared no expense on his armor this year. It would be a shame if it were to be scuffed in battle and require replacing again."
Robin peered out of the corner of her eye to look at the young, blonde knight to their left. His armor was indeed quite extravagant, with copper scrolling bordering the plate mail to resemble the wafts one sees after snuffing out a candle. She lifted a hand to her lips to disguise her amusement and comment from any onlookers.
"My dear Nami, you smile so readily at his misfortune," She remarked. "Surely you would not wish such a fate on a young knight out of hope for your own gains."
"Of course not, my lady," Nami replied, making a disingenuous effort to straighten her lips. "I only think of the labor it required my dear mother to craft such a fine set. I certainly did not think of the fine investments it brought to our home."
Robin rolled her eyes with a chuckle. Nami had always been one to consider her pockets above everything, apart from their friendship. She could not blame the young woman, for she too had experienced what life was like with nothing, before her powers had landed her in the wardship one of the King's commanders. Though they made for the lovely adornments, the sea-stone jewelry that comprised her wardrobe served a practical purpose as well: to keep her powers in check.
As they neared the arena stands, there was the growing sound of metal clashing against metal. It was clear that the two women had arrived in the middle of the foot melee. There knights in all manners of plate and colorful cottons clashed with swords and clubs. It amused her to no end how nobility saw such sport as great entertainment. For sure, it was impressive to watch, but overall predictable and boring.
However, amongst the chaos, Robin noticed a sigil she did not recognize, resembling a star, adorned by a rather large knight in nothing but dingy iron plate. But the thing which struck her as most curious was the way the imposing knight fought. He carried no sword nor shield yet seemed to have no trouble blocking and eliminating his enemies from the brawl with nothing but his fists. On the sidelines, clad in the same peculiar sigil, stood another man, much too old to be squire, with dark blue hair and a tool belt strapped to his waist. Perhaps he was the servant of a patron. This knight certainly was not here to represent a noble lineage she was aware of. She nudged the woman beside her.
"Can you tell me anything about the knight who uses no weapon?" Robin whispered. "Is he here on behalf of a neighboring country?"
Nami looked over the brawl, eyes sharp and appraising, before leaning back towards her lady. "That is Sir Franky, the champion of the craftsman's guild. He was knighted just this past year for his service at the battle of Seven Waters. I'm not surprised you hadn't heard of him; most of the nobles would prefer he didn't exist."
"I know that feeling," Robin said watching as Sir Franky managed to eliminate another contender by grappling and sitting on the other knight's head. The crowd roared.
Sir Franky seemed to be easily outmaneuvering his competition with ease, all the while shouting out declarative statements as he fought, much to the common folk's delight.
He eliminated a knight decorated in peacock blue with a move not dissimilar to a clothesline. "Strong Right!" He brought the butt of his fists down on the back of another in red, knocking the man forcefully to the ground. "Iron Hammer!" He grappled another from behind, before running him face first into one of the arena's posts. "Franky Centaur!"
And thus, the other knights fell one by one, to thunderous applause, until Sir Franky was the only one who remained. The whole time Robin had only moved to drift closer and closer to the arena's edge, transfixed by the strange display which had just taken place.
The royal caller entered the arena to stand next to the hulking knight and face the king and his officials. With great gusto he seized the knight's arm before thrusting it in the air. "My gentle lords and ladies, the champion of this season's foot-melee is Sir Franky the Iron Bodied!"
Robin smirked as she watched the nobles in the stands reluctantly clap as the king chuckled. He clearly had enjoyed the show just as much if not more than she had. The caller then presented to Sir Franky the customary Champion's Rose and then gestured to the gathered squires that they were to collect their fallen masters. While the young men clambered into the ring, Sir Franky, without paying any mind to the nobles who glared at him, turned to the stands on the other side which held the commoners and struck a lunged pose, holding both arms together tightly above his head. The crowd cheered.
"Franky! Franky! Franky!"
Sir Franky waved to them and began to make his way towards the arena's edge where the other man waited for him.
Nami must have picked up on Robin's fascination with the people's champion, because she grabbed Robin's arm unprompted with a mischievous smile on her face. Her brown eyes were glittering with excitement. "Would you like to meet him?"
Robin leaned away, shocked and unsure if she truly wanted to approach such a bold character. Certainly, he had piqued her curiosity; however, it might cause further unwanted gossip about her if she were to fraternize with someone who was so greatly disliked among the nobles. She had enough troubles at court despite her efforts and beauty.
"You know him?" Robin asked, hoping to divert the conversation.
"No. But my mother has done business with his family in the past, and with your grace and status I'm sure he'll be over the moon to meet you," Nami assured her.
Without even acknowledging her reluctance the younger woman proceeded to drag her superior towards the sideline where the knight was hard at work removing his equipment. With a sigh of annoyance Robin snatched her arm from Nami and straightened her posture.
"Your point is taken. However, it is embarrassing as a human to be dragged into such an encounter," she snapped, before letting herself be overtaken by a small smile. "Besides, if I am to use the graces that you mentioned, I should carry myself on my own two feet."
Nami's smile broadened into a beam, before bouncing to attention. "As you say, my lady."
When Robin reached the knight, he had removed his helmet and was drying his head with a dirty rag, while the man beside him stopped whatever conversation they were having to stare at her. She watched as the other man slapped the knight's shoulder quickly before bowing his head to her.
"Oi, Berg what was that-" Sir Franky grumbled, as he straightened up. His jaw went slack as his eyes met Robin's. They were a piercing gray color, which was only accented further by his aqua blue hair. He had faint lines around his mouth and eyes, evidence of a life lived smiling, and nose, which had clearly been broken once or twice before. His skin was decorated with droplets of sweat. It was not a pretty face, but it was a good face, an honest face. "I- Uh..."
"I wanted to offer you congratulations on your victory, Sir Franky," Robin said smoothly. She smiled, doing her best to keep any underlying nerves at bay. When the man's expression didn't change, she glanced towards Nami before continuing. "Your performance today was quite refreshing. I fear to think if your fists had the same honing as a sword's edge that the carnage today would be quite horrific."
The man closed his mouth and looked away seeming to give her last statement a momentary thought, before releasing a hearty laugh and slapping his knee.
"Hey! How dare you laugh at Lady Robin-," Nami yelled, prompting Robin to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Though she went silent, the girl still was visibly fuming. The man's laughter subsided, and he wiped a tear from his eye. He lifted a reassuring hand towards Nami as he straightened up.
"Apologies, my lady," he said, sporting a flushed grin. "I didn't mean to offend you. I was just so touched by such an honest compliment. I am truly honored you think that. Most nobles I deal with aren't quite so kind, but if you'll excuse me, I should get ready for the later bouts..."
Robin allowed her smile to drop before gesturing to his armor. Her hand waved slightly in front of his face, recapturing his attention. There was still more she needed to know.
"I was curious... Why is it that you wear such sparse and basic armor?" She asked. "Fighting with no padding must be incredibly painful."
Franky cocked an eyebrow at this and shifted his stance. Lifting his arm, he unstrapped one of his bracers in front of her. He then handed it off to the man next to him. Despite some rub marks and light bruising where the piece had been secured to him, the knight's arm seemed overall unharmed. He gave the skin a firm slap.
"Just like the king's man said," he beamed. "I've got a body like iron. It's gonna take a lot more than what these guys threw at me today to take me out." He then looked Robin over appraisingly. "But what about you? If I remember correctly, Lady Robin , rumor has it that you have quite the unnatural body yourself."
The man next to him leaned up to the knight's ear and tensely muttered what sounded like "Franky you can't say stuff like that", to which the knight responded by lightly shoving him away.
"What? She seems smart enough to answer how she likes," he shot back.
Robin lightly placed her hand upon the sea-stone comb with a smirk. "Your, I am assuming, friend is right though. You should be careful about saying such things to a lady like myself. After all, there is no guarantee that even an iron body like yours would protect you from a supernatural body like mine."
At this Sir Franky seemed to grow momentarily tense, looking between his companion and Nami for their reactions.
"L-lady Robin. That's enough, please," Nami stammered. "Th-think about how upset Lord Aokiji will be if he finds out-"
Robin raised her other hand to cut her off. Despite her serious tone, she truly felt deeply intrigued by this unconventional knight, almost excited.
"Well, Sir Franky, what are your thoughts?" She challenged. "Are you brave enough to continue such conversation with me?"
"L-lady Robin. The other nobles-"
But Robin refused to back down until she got an answer from this man. He had started this challenge, and she wanted to know if she had finally found someone who wasn't afraid of her. She stared into his strong gray eyes, and he stared back with no hesitation.
He then chuckled and bent down. Robin lowered her hand from her comb and watched him. He reached behind his helmet before straightening up with the Champion's Rose in his hand. He winked at her, catching Robin off-guard for a moment. She could feel her cheeks heat up as he presented it to her.
"Seems like they presented this to the wrong person today," Franky said. "For you, My Lady, are indomitable compared to any man I've ever met."
Robin lifted a hand to her lips to stifle a chuckle as she accepted the flower from him.
"I am honored," She mused, lowering her hand just enough to let him see her smile. "I can only hope that we are able to meet each other in battle again soon."
He smiled up at her, lines creasing the edges of his eyes. "I would love that, Lady Robin."
"Well." With a nod to Nami, Robin then turned to take her leave, carefully clutching the rose to her chest. "Good luck with the rest of the tourney, Sir Franky. I expect you won't disappoint."
Minstrels and Poets would say that spring is the season for lovers, and perhaps they were right. As far as Robin was concerned, though unconventional, her heart told her she had found just that in a strange knight named Sir Franky.