Chapter 5 - The Courtier
"...Don't worry Lucy...
"We're almost home Sis. The King's men are with us now...
"We'll be with Ma and Pa again...
"Everything's going to be fine, Lucy... You'll see...
"Those people... Those bandits... Won't hurt any of us ever again...
"Mom and Dad are going to be okay... We're marching home... We're going to save everyone... We'll be heroes, Lucy...
"Everything will go back to normal... We'll play a game of catch with the other kids after harvest is over, right?
"Everything's going to be okay... Everything's... going... to be..."
Asgore felt that pain again – those trappings of despair within Adrian were present in Jyack's soul. A thin smile couldn't do anything to hide the exhaustion laying heavy underneath Jyack's eyes. Asgore looked over to Toriel.
"Are…"
Toriel gazed upon the man's soul to determine what mystery she was gazing upon.
A faded hue within the soul is barely visible... Integrity? There's a hue outlining the soul as well... It's not the Black mold thankfully, but... Bravery? No, fear, perhaps? If so, then what could he be afraid of, yet, rather... Why?
"Are you alright?"
"No... None of us have been for some time…"
Toriel's face faded from the guard's words.
"I've already said this, but my name is Jyack. I'm King Adrian's Courtier… Jyack the Courtier"
The castle guard raised his head, reintroducing himself. Taking off his glove, he held out his hand once again to greet the family - properly. His posture and expression looked as if he had been broken away from some distant trance.
Frisk shook Jyack's hand in kind.
"Nice to meet you, Jyack."
Asgore shook Jyack's hand after Frisk let go. The guard replied.
"Thank you, King Asgore and Ambassador Frisk. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Jyack looked over to Toriel.
"You must be Mrs. Dreemur, then, I take it?"
Toriel and Asgore exchanged glances.
"Just call me Toriel, sir Jyack"
"I'm no sir, miss. Just a nobody-soldier called Jyack."
Asgore turned back to the Courtier.
"If I knew we had company, I would've made some tea for the occasion."
Jyack lowered his head again in humility. His smile faded instantly at the suggestion and His hands retracted back to himself.
"I thank you for your kindness, but... That won't be necessary. I need to talk to you… About... My King."
Asgore, Frisk and Toriel payed attention to the courtier's words.
"I wanted to apologize on my king's behalf... He wasn't always like this… We weren't always like this."
Silence dominated for a moment, then Jyack continued.
"I remember stories of what my grandparents told me - stories shared to them by their grandparents and so-on. Legends of how the land was full of color... Prosperity... Plenty"
Jyack raised his head once again - his smile barely returning, if at all.
"Myths of an era where our lands were shared by monsters... That they... made this world into a...
"A better place?" Frisk interrupted.
"...A paradise... Not a single soul knew hunger, want, or even..."
The Courtier proceeded to caress his helmet as if he were to polish it.
"Even though the land's color was gone, we still had... things... like hope... or, rather... some semblance of it..."
Toriel's face saddened as she listened to Jyack's tale. Something was in his words that was striking out to her - his pauses, his fidget-like behavior with his helmet. Toriel's own words struck-out to her.
Blood had been spilt on this land, Asgore... Human blood... By other humans...
"When I was just... My village was... I was with... when we..."
The Courtier closed his eyes for a long moment, taking a deep breath. When he opened them, he looked down upon his helmet that he had been caressing with his hands. Recollection could be seen in his eyes. Whatever it was, Toriel and Asgore could tell immediately that it wasn't going to be a colorful tale. With another breath and a swallow, Jyack spoke.
"When I was a boy, my village was attacked. I and my sister, Lucy... We ran to this Castle to get help."
Jyack's voice started cracking.
"...We had no food, water, or rest before we arrived at the gatehouse."
Jyack slowly lifted his head - still caressing his helm as if it was some precious thing.
"She wasn't much for talking, but on our way I... Remember talking to her, I..."
Jyack straightened his face and posture immediately. Catching himself, he sat upright and cleared his throat.
I need to get to the point before I bore them or something... I need to tell them... About... Them...
"I'm sorry your grace, i-it's..."
"Just call me Asgore, sir. It's fine, really."
"... King Asgore... I'm sorry, it's just..."
After being silent for most of the conversation, Toriel - her face disheartened from Jyack's tone and introduction, couldn't help but ask.
"... What happened next, Jyack?"
The courtier straightened his face and posture, and shared with them his tale.
. . .
Once upon a time, two children fled from their village - a brother and a sister.
Their home was attacked. With no food nor rest, the children ran for a full day and one night to the King's castle to get help.
When they reached the fortress walls at dawn, their cry for help was heard by the king's son - a child wearing a striped shirt and a heart locket.
The prince brought the two children before his father, the king. The two were given proper food, drink, and rest.
The king amassed a relief force that would drive-out the attackers and be stationed at the children's village as the town guard.
The children went with the relief force back to their home, full of hope.
They dreamed of the warm embrace of their parents again.
They had hope to play ball with their friends again.
Everything would be normal once more, and they would have a happy ending... But their hopes and dreams were dashed to pieces.
When they arrived back at their village with the relief force, their home had been turned to ash.
The day before, when the children were running to the castle for help, their friends and parents fought the attackers with everything they had.
One by one, the townsfolk were slain without mercy. With the sacrifice of their friends and family, they bought the children enough time to escape.
To keep his sister off the streets, the brother swore fealty to the prince's father. The king allowed the children to stay at the castle as Courtiers.
The prince treated the brother and sister as if they were his older siblings, but nothing the prince could do could heal the grief that had shattered their hearts or fight the despair that plagued the children's souls beyond any repair, or healing.
With time - vengeance, hatred, fear and despair overcame the two children.
The next month, the sister fell ill. She requested her brother would come see her.
The brother - obsessed with hunting down the men that had destroyed their lives, didn't respond to his own sister's summon.
The next day, the sister died in the arms of the prince.
The brother had been so blind by his anger, fear, and grief from loosing everything he had that he didn't see the one precious thing that was still in front of him.
The prince - despite his grief emerged with hardened resolve. He would reach out to the people of the Kingdom and help wherever it was required.
The Prince did everything in his power to instill hope in others - even when he suffered for it - no matter how much he suffered for it. He refused to quit.
He went out of his way for anyone and everyone he could. The brother became his bodyguard and watched the Prince's back.
Never again would the prince watch people suffer from the safety of castle walls if he could stop it.
But to the knowledge of few, the story did not end here...
One day, the Prince took the Brother to one of the highest peaks of Green Gold's mountains. With a blood-oath, the Prince vowed.
"Never again, will these forces of Fear, Deceit, Despair, Vengeance, and Hatred be allowed a foothold into our kingdom.
"Never again, will souls of Kindness be exploited by the wicked if I can stop it.
" I am Prince James of Green Gold, and I will be the hope of this land - the hope that will never let these evil forces take another soul ever again"
. . .
Jyack concluded his tale, and the family listened.
"Adrian's son… That boy… He went around the Castle and kingdom helping every one of us with anything we needed... He'd talk to us when our souls were feeling empty… Played ball with the other kids within the kingdom... He gave us all hope as if he was keeping none for himself... He gave us everything, as if he had nothing to keep..."
Jyack raised his head - making eye contact with the child across from him, sitting just behind the central triangle of the Delta Rune, in between Asgore and Toriel. Frisk's fists started clenching again, Asgore lowered his head once more, and Toriel's expression wasn't much different.
"On behalf of my king, I'm sorry Asgore. We've probably given a horrible first impression, given the surface and what-not…
"I'm just a worthless guard, and it probably means nothing in the grand scheme of things but… For what it's worth… I'm sorry"
Frisk got up from her seat and embraced Jyack. After a moment of respite, Frisk let go of the Courtier - looking Jyack dead in the eyes, Frisk whispering to him.
"You are not worthless, Jyack. Everybody matters, even when you don't think you do."
Frisk returned to her seat between Asgore and Toriel. After a moment, Jyack turned to leave the tent without another word. Hesitating, he turned back to the royal family to say a last word to the three of them.
"He was so much like you, Frisk... He... Jamie... would've loved to have met all of you...
"Thank you, Ambassador Frisk, Queen Toriel, King Asgore... My time with you means much to me... Thank you."
Jyack departed from the tent - it's curtain closed. A familiar voice reached out and paused Jyack.
"Hey. I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I just worry for them alot, and... Are you okay man? What's going on?"
"You are a good captain, Undyne."
The footsteps of Jyack returning to his station at the castle faded. Frisk held the locket close to her heart, gazing deeply into it's engraving.
Best Friends Forever...
The tent's entry curtain opened again, and Undyne poked her head in.
"Uh... Frisk? What happened while I was being told that the human-version of the guard had an actual cooking position?"