Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Hello everyone! I'm super excited for you guys to read this chapter! I say that about all of the chapters but I really am excited! Thank you all for reading this, it means a lot to me! You're reviews continue to make me happy just like I hope this story is making you happy. I hope you enjoy it!

My Knight In Shining Armor

Chapter 5 - Sparks Fly

"I see sparks fly whenever you smile." - Taylor Swift

Serenity woke up in the middle of the night, unable to go back to sleep. She tossed and turned in her bed hoping to get just a little more rest. She eventually gave up and stared up at her ceiling, wide awake. It was just a little past midnight. She decided to get out of bed and walk around in hopes of tiring herself out. She walked past her father's office to see him talking to multiple people. She heard her name and stopped outside of the door.

"I shouldn't eavesdrop…" She thought, but stood by the door anyway.

"...can't choose between these two for her. They both are excellent at what they do," Aegean said.

"I would suspect you would want them to become friends so she doesn't hate him and rebel against you," an older man said.

"I would rather her knight protect her then befriend her," her father replied.

"I think they should be friends. If she knew the person protecting her it would be easier for her," another man piped up.

"Yes! Let us be friends!" Serenity thought.

"Eavesdropping?" Diamond snuck up behind her.

Serenity jumped, startled.

"What are you doing?!" she hissed.

"I was getting water and caught you eavesdropping. I won't tell though. Care to come with me? I don't know the palace well and could get lost going to the kitchen," Diamond said.

Serenity looked back and forth from him and her father's door. "Sure. Follow me," Serenity led the way to the kitchen. She waited in awkward silence for Diamond to get water. It was more awkward when they were walking back to their respected rooms.

"How do you feel about this? Us?" Diamond finally said, pointing between the two of them. Serenity was at a loss for words. They both stopped in the dark hallways of the palace. Diamond, towering over Serenity, looked down at her.

"I - um - I don't know you that well. I've definitely heard of you and know your reputation, but I really don't want to know you off of just that. For all I know they could be rumors," Serenity said.

"And what exactly have you heard about me?" Diamond questioned.

Serenity paused for a moment, not knowing where to start.

"You're the great Diamond, Duke of Timocharis. You've led your people to many victorious battles. You always get your way with women, very promiscuous," she said.

Diamond laughed, not knowing how to respond to that. "Well, I suppose it's true. I have been with a woman or two," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Or more," Diamond thought. "I have been victorious as well. I'm willing to put my past life to an end for you, Serenity. I wouldn't have accepted your father's invitation if I didn't. I want to be with you," he said softly.

Serenity studied him to see if he was being honest. As far as she could tell, he was truthful. There was something about him, however, that she didn't like.

"I've heard things about you as well," Diamond said smugly.

"Like what?" she asked, curious to know what was being said about her.

"You're the quiet one of your family. You conform to what your father wants, not bringing him trouble, unlike your brother. Yo-"

"You have absolutely no right to talk about my brother! You don't know him. You barely know my family, so I'd prefer it if you didn't speak of him like you do," Serenity said, upset that he said that about Caliban.

"My apologies. But that brings me to another point. You're very . . . passionate about your feelings. You don't like people treating the ones you love wrong. You're not necessarily shy, but you try to keep to yourself. You like your private life to stay that way; private. That is why I don't know if you have had a lover before. Have you?" he asked.

"Your points are true. I do like to keep my private life private. Since we're supposed to become something more, I suppose you do have some sort of right to know private things about me. No, I've never fallen in love before. I've never kissed a man at all," she said innocently.

"I find that hard to believe," he replied.

"How so?" Serenity replied.

"You're breathtaking. No man has ever stolen a kiss from you before?" Diamond asked.

"No . . . is that wrong?" Serenity asked.

"Of course not. Men need to respect you. Would you ever want to kiss me?"

Serenity didn't know what to say. She didn't want to hurt his feelings, but she didn't want to lie either.

"I know what we're supposed to be. Maybe one day I will, but it's too early to tell. I want to get to know you better and become your friend. Maybe we should just spend some more time together. Like tomorrow would be nice," she said.

"I want to become more than just your friend, Serenity. You're beautiful and you seem... amazing," he replied. His hand touched her cheek and gently pushed her forward as he leaned down to kiss her.

Serenity turned her head so that he kissed her cheek.

"What was that you said about men needing to respect me? Maybe you should practice what you preach. Good night. I'll see you in the morning," she said curtly. The blonde Princess turned on her heel and walked as quickly as she could back to her room.

She got in and shut the door, her heart beating out of control.

"That was so weird..." she whispered to herself. She got back in her bed and fell asleep quickly.

She woke up the next morning feeling groggy. She looked outside, realizing that it wasn't morning, it was afternoon. She guessed it must have been at least 2:00. She wanted to stay in bed and just think about what's been going on in her life. She got out of bed and went to bathe. She did her normal morning routine and put on a calf-length white dress that was perfectly suited for the warm weather. She slowly made her way to the dining room for lunch. Her parents, Larissa, and Diamond were all there conversing with one another. Serenity sat down as her father began to talk.

"Serenity, I have a surprise for you," her father said.

"Yes?" Serenity questioned, having a slight idea about what this "surprise" was.

"You officially have your own Knight. You'll be meeting him today in a couple of hours," the King said happily.

Serenity's eyebrows went up. "Oh, how lovely," Serenity said, actually wanting to know who her father picked. Her family continued to talk about Larissa's wedding when Diamond started to have a side conversation with her.

"I suppose we could have our day together tomorrow," he said.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know he was so keen on me getting a Knight," Serenity said, actually feeling bad for Diamond.

"It's quite alright, Serenity. I actually approve of the idea. You need to be protected," he replied.

"Of course you do," Serenity muttered, as she took a bite of her food.

Serenity and her family finished eating. Her parents went to go handle some royal business, Larissa went to go take care of wedding details, and Diamond went who knows where.

Serenity had to go finish her school work. She went to her tutor's quarters that were in the palace and saw her tutor, Ms. Haruna Sakurada, getting ready to teach.

"Serenity, you're late," Haruna said.

"I know, my apologies," Serenity said as she bowed. She really didn't want to be there. Today was her least favorite subject, math. Haruna began explaining something about concepts of inequalities, but Serenity wasn't even close to listening.

Serenity wondered who her Knight would be. She's seen a couple of Knights here and there, but she didn't know who her father would pick. She hoped he would be nice and they could get along. She didn't want to be stuck with another person she disliked. She then became aware that Haruna was asking her a question.

"If we let V(t) be the number of people who already have the virus at time t, out of total population P, then each day each person will spread the virus to 7(1-(Vt/P)) people who do not yet have the virus. This gives the differential equation V'=(7/p)V(P-V). Solve for V as a function of t," Haruna said.

Serenity wasn't listening, therefore she didn't give an answer.

"Serenity," Haruna said, getting her attention.

"Yes?" Serenity said.

"The answer?" Haruna requested.

Serenity had no idea what the problem was so she decided to blurt out a random answer. "24?" Serenity said.

Haruna looked at Serenity, shocked. "What? No-Wh- Were you even listening? Of course not! Pay attention please." Haruna was getting irritated.

2 hours of Serenity doing math had passed before her father came into the room.

"Serenity, we have to go now. Thank you, Haruna," Agean said.

"You're welcome, your Highness," Haruna said as she bowed.

Serenity bowed quickly before walking out with her father.

"Serenity, you know I'm only making you have a Knight because I love you and I need for you to be protected," Agean said as they walked towards the throne room.

"I know, I understand Dad. I'm okay with it," Serenity said.

"Great! I'm sure you'll like him, he's the best one," her father said as they walked into the throne room.

Serenity felt her entire body freeze. Her father was talking to him but Serenity wasn't listening to what they were saying.

"No way. . ." Serenity thought. "It couldn't be him, there had to have been a mistake. How did that happen?"

He looked at her with his gorgeous blue eyes and Serenity nearly swooned. His raven hair fell in all the right places and his smile was perfect.

"Serenity, I would like for you to meet your knight, Endymion," her father said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, your Highness," Endymion said with a wink. He took her hand and gently kissed it.

"It's nice to meet you as well," she said with a smile. Serenity was trying her best to contain herself. She had multiple emotions running through her head. She felt butterflies in her stomach. She didn't know if this man being her knight was an amazing or terrible thing. She didn't want to freak out every time she saw him.

"Okay, Serenity. Calm down, you have to calm down. He might be incredibly handsome and sweet but you have to remain calm," she thought.

"Let me show you the gardens," she blurted out as Endymion and the King were talking. She walked away in confidence, wanting to talk to him more, in private. They both arrived at the gardens and were walking around in silence for a while before Serenity spoke up.

"I didn't know you were a knight," Serenity said.

"I thought you did when I first met you. Is that normal for you then? Talk to people that you have no idea who they are?" Endymion asked.

"No. Well, sometimes. You looked pretty normal to talk to. In my defense, you talked to me first," Serenity replied.

"Well, it was odd seeing you alone in the market without an escort. You should try to get better disguises," he said with a smirk.

"I'll work on that when I want to sneak out again."

"You won't sneak out again with me around, that's the whole point. It's my job to protect you."

"I'm pretty good at sneaking out," Serenity said, even though she had only done it once.

"You won't be anymore," he replied with a smile. "You know, from what your father said, you never take to new people in your life so easily like this."

"Well you're not really new in my life. I've met you before."

"Or maybe you just like me more than other people," he said with a grin.

Serenity looked down as she blushed.

They continued to walk around and Serenity found that it was easy to talk to him. She was so deep into the conversation that she didn't notice Beryl approaching her.

"You're sister needs you, Serenity," she said, ignoring Endymion.

"Okay, I'll be there soon," Serenity said, not wanting to leave.

Beryl walked away leaving the two.

"She seems like a bundle of sunshine," Endymion mumbled.

"The biggest bundle you'll ever see," Serenity said sarcastically.

"I'll see you soon," Endymion said as he kissed her hand and walked away.

As soon as he was out of sight, Serenity let out a huge breath that she was holding in. She happily walked inside to find her sister there.

"Bad news. Dad found out about Caliban coming to the wedding," Larissa said.

"What? How?" Serenity said, upset.

"I don't know, one of the servants probably heard and told him."

"What did he say?"

"Obviously, he said Caliban can't come. Dad wants him nowhere near the palace."

Serenity was outraged. She went and found her father in his office talking to some village officials.

"Dad, let Caliban come," Serenity demanded.

Her father looked at her, shocked. "If you gentlemen would give me minute alone with my daughter," he said, gesturing toward the door. They walked out, leaving Serenity alone with her father.

"Serenity, Caliban is not coming back. I do not want him in my presence," her father said.

"Why? He's still your son." Serenity told him.

"No, he's not. He chose to give everything up to be with the girl I told him not to be with. I didn't want him to leave, it was his decision. The only reason why he should come back is to become King, and that will not happen if he brings that girl with him," the King explained.

"But dad h-"

"No Serenity. He is not coming and that's final."

Serenity stormed off, tears brimming her eyes. She ran into Endymion in her haste to leave her father.

"Woah, are you okay?" he asked, placing both hands on her shoulders.

"No, not really. I don't want to talk about it," she replied curtly. She knew she was being coy but she was upset to the point where she didn't care.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" he said.

"Not that I can think of. I just need to think for a while." She was about to walk away when a thought struck her.

"Will you come with me somewhere? Only for a while," she asked.

"Of course," he said.

They both started to walk out of the palace and Serenity was actually happy to be with Endymion. She didn't know why, she just felt calm with him. It was a little after twilight and they were walking in a comfortable silence.

"Where exactly are we going?" he asked.

"Eternia," Serenity replied, not taking her eyes off of the trail ahead.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"It's my favorite place. It has trees and a lake. It's very pretty,"

"Oh. Well I'm excited to see it."

She looked up at him and smiled happily.

After about 30 minutes of walking, they arrived. Serenity sat on the grass. "This is a nice place," Endymion said as she sat next to her.

"It's just calming to me. I come here when I'm upset or sad and it makes me feel better," she replied, staring wistfully at the lake.

"Do your parents know about it?"

"No, you're the second person I've had here…"

"Who was the first?" Endymion wondered.

"Diamond," she said with a small amount of regret in her voice. She wished she never brought Diamond there.

"It sounds like you didn't want him here."

"He didn't like it. I don't think he likes a lot of things. He's really hard to get to know and he's awkward and just isn't a pleasant person. He's arrogant and has my father wrapped around his finger and h-" Serenity stopped when she realized she was ranting. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling about this. You shouldn't have to listen to my problems," she said quietly.

"It's fine. If it makes you feel better, continue."

Serenity looked at him. No one would listen to her about Diamond. Endymion was the first.

"It's just. . . I don't think I can like him the way my father wants me to," she said with a heavy sigh.

"Have you told your father that?" Endymion asked.

"No. He's so set on me being with Diamond; I don't want to upset him," Serenity replied.

"If you don't talk to your father, he'll never know how you feel about Diamond and you'll have to marry someone you don't love."

"I don't want to tell my father. It'll just upset him," Serenity said, "He already has enough on his hands."

"So you would rather be unhappy with a person you don't love than tell your father how you feel?"

"When you say it like that it sounds bad…"

"I just think you should tell you father how you feel."

Serenity took that into consideration. They continued to talk until it was pitch black outside. They then realized that they should head back. They started to walk back to the palace and Endymion walked her to her room.

"Good night, I hope you feel better tomorrow," Endymion said.

"Me too. Good night. I'll…I'll see you tomorrow," she said. She waited until he was gone to go inside.

She changed into her nightgown and got into her bed. Her thoughts immediately went to Endymion.

He made her feel better about everything. She felt happy with him. She liked him more than she liked Diamond and she knew that wasn't a good thing. She knew she had to hold back on liking Endymion too much or it could end very badly.

But she didn't want to. She felt happy with him. She decided to ignore her gut instinct and go with her feelings. She was going to get to know Endymion and she was going to be happy being his friend. No matter how bad it could end up.

Have an AMAZING day/night.

xx Morgan xx