A/N:
I would like to know your opinions if this is good or not or boring or not to know if i should continue posting i would appreciate any criticism to, let me know what i'm doing right and what i'm doing wrong. Anyway I hope you enjoy the story, your feed back is much appreciated. Sorry for not updating for a while i'm working with some beta readers to fix my writing errors as much as i can to make it a better story to read.
P.S. you should try reading this with any Nightcore sad song playlist. =]
Upon the arrival of the Knight, the castle has been slightly weary. The servants and staff on their toes rather than their feet. The sun had not yet appeared in the sky but Ser Swan was up in her feet as though the morning had come and gone a long time ago.
The knight had barely had the liberty to acknowledge the castle. A servant leading her to the prince's room presented her with a light detour. If the servant was right, the knight should expect a still sound asleep boy lying in the covers of a large king sized bed.
She never understood the teenage minds these days; in fact she couldn't comprehend anyone who never woke before the rise of the basking flare. She let her eyes delve into the dazzling, delicate luxury of the great castle of the Enchanted Kingdom.
She had heard tales of this land and wondered how the Queen had conquered it for 12 years on her own. Surely there were times where some citizens did not approve of the realm ruled only by a queen, but the queen held her ground and she didn't run.
That's what impressed the knight; the queen took her rightful throne and ruled it ravishingly, without bloodshed. She kept wondering how her majesty could have fought the few kings and male knights that crossed her way.
She knew more than anyone how difficult it was to be a woman around men. She grew up living with 12 audacious boys, including Hook, who easily became one of her mentors. Many times, the boys treated with her with gentleness and care in defiance from what she had requested.
After an incident that occurred somewhere during her adolescence, she had decided to train to become a knight. She exasperated herself day and night, from every waking hour to the final minutes of the day. She had trained herself endlessly and although she had surpassed every level of her training, she continued to overwork herself till her bones, together with her body, began to debilitate.
Some say her strength had transcended more than half the men in the royal army; her name rose to fame in her land. The only woman to ever enter an academy and pursue more actively than necessary.
The knight's eyes landed on a partially open door; she could see the flare of the sun's rays enter the room, and for a slight second her eyes got caught staring up at the tantalising view that was the queen holding a book in her hands, staring attentively at the sky right outside her casement.
Her beauteous figure blinded the knight from everything else in sight. The bright glimmer resonated off of the queen's skin. Her skin resembled softness like new velvet sheets. Her hair was neatly held up, the darkness of her hair imitating the night sky.
The knight would have continued her gawking had she not noticed the queen's figure move slightly. She turned away vigorously, dodging anything of resemblance to the queen. She caught up to the servant quickly, who opened the door of the prince's room to some extent.
His room, unlike the queen's, was drowned in darkness. Any dent, crack, or gap that could possibly reflect light was blocked, signed and sealed.
Typical teenager, the knight thought, chuckling. She gestured for the servant that she could leave. And after she had left, the knight entered the room and opened the dark shades, striking the dark room with much needed light.
She heard the slight grumble from the prince's bed and knew he was starting to wake, but not fully, so she took the liberty to fill a bucket that she had found near the boy's plants with very cold water. She stood by his bed, now with a smirk plastered on her face. She had dealt with many his age, all facing the same thing. Lack of time, management or judgment.
Once the boy was flipped to the other side, she held the bucket high and splashed the prince with water. The young boy's figure jolted up, shivers running through his body as the coldness of the water rushed through his nerves. For a split second, the prince felt like ice.
"Good morning, Prince Henry." The blonde knight said with a smile, placing the now empty bucket down. The boy barely registered his state. None of his previous tutors had done this to him, woken him from his sleep. "Training starts at 6 in the morning every day until the sun sets. I expect you dressed and ready for my lessons my sunrise." She said, walking to the foot of his bed. "Let's go over the rules, shall we? Number 1, I expect full commitment from you, meaning no distractions, no breaks, and no questions." She spoke with a firm voice as she raised one finger.
"Number 2," she raised a second finger. "You will do as I say, when I say it, and how I say it." The boy gulped, feeling even more nervous of the woman than he was yesterday after learning about her conquering victories.
"Number 3," she raised a third finger. "I will not be responsible for any injuries you obtain during this quest. To be a knight means bravery, and bravery requires everything in a person's soul. Do you understand?"
The boy nodded hastily, his eyes almost popping out of his head, his body projecting the fear he felt. The knight smiled, accomplishing her task of making the boy fear her. She turned around, about to leave his room.
"You have fifteen minutes to get ready, Henry. I suggest you start moving, and meet me by the stables." The knight's voice echoed behind her, and she knew the boy still sat astonished in his place.
Once the sight of the knight had disappeared into thin air, the boy jumped from his wet bed and as quick as he could he changed into his training attire before rushing through the doors to the stables.
The queen felt the hard stomping of the ground; she knew it was her son's feet once she noticed him rushing to the stables from the window. She smiled as she watched him run with all his might.
She decided to use the little free time she had to water her garden and soon visit her friend before he set sail to god knows where this time.
The boy stood before the knight, breathless, chest heaving deeply, as Ser Swan walked back and forth in front of him.
"The first task we will cross paths with is patience and balance." She walked towards the now calmed down boy. She stood in front of him. "The exercises I'm about to give you may seem easy, but trust me, they are not. It takes a certain amount of patience and balance to be a skilled warrior. Understand?" she questioned, and the boy nodded. "Speak, boy!" she yelled into his face.
"Yes, Sir!" he yelled back, and then bit his tongue.
Shit, did I just call her sir?
"I mean ma'am." He said again. The knight let it slip and walked aside, grabbing a piece of wood she had set near the rest of the things prepared. The wood had a hole in the middle. She gave it to the boy.
"As you can see, this piece of wood has a hole. What you are tasked with is to stare through that hole for 20 seconds. I will time you." She held up the boy's hand that gripped the wood. She prepped his arm at eye level and turned in the other direction.
"What you are not allowed to do is move any part of your body." She spoke, the boy's body already failing her commands, his arm that held the piece of wood quivering easily. The knight walked back to the boy's arm and held it still, the hard grip making the boy still.
The knight let go and watched the prince struggle to maintain his stillness, the task at hand easier said than done. Once 20 seconds had passed, she let the boy put his hand down, and the blonde was not too thrilled with the result.
"Again." She commanded him. He did it time and time again until finally he was able to control his arm. The knight smiled proudly.
"Excellent." She took the wood from his arm and the boy smiled, proud of his achievement, then frowned once again as soon as his eyes caught a glimpse of what he had to hold on to next. A piece of paper with a similar hole in the middle.
"Now that you have control of your arm with a hardened object, let's see how good you are with this." She held the paper out for him to take. He took it and prepared himself for the task.
"This time, make sure you stabilise not only yourself, but the paper as well, all the while focusing your vision through that hole."
"Yes ma'am." The prince said, doing as told.
Well mannered. The queen has done a pleasant job at raising him, I can see. He has the potential of becoming a good student. No complaints so far. Well postured, only a slight imbalance. We will work on that.
The knight analysed as she watched the boy try to accomplish the task she had him perform.
The queen had taken a carriage to meet her friend, Captain Killian, by the docks, as he always was. She expected to be greeted by the one handed sailor with a bottle of rum in his hands, and the queen's assumptions did not fail her as the carriage stopped and before it stood the Ex-pirate with a plastered smile on his face.
"Twice in a row, my queen. I'm winning you over, I can feel it." He spoke with a heavy accent and a drunken ring to his words as the doors of the carriage opened. Though most people wouldn't understand him, the queen did.
"It's a pleasure to see you too, Killian." The queen gladly took Hook's arm that was extended out for her, and she gently climbed out of the carriage to be at ground level.
"Might I ask what brings you here, your majesty?" Hook said, as he led her to his ship. The crew shifted aside things and themselves to let the queen walk through. By the looks of things, Hook was planning to set sail early morning.
"Curiosity." She smiled at him as they entered his compartment. "Ready to set sail so soon?"
"Yes, that way your boy wouldn't be able to change or ask for a different tutor." Hook smirked, sipping on his bottle of rum, before pulling out a glass for the queen and placing it on the table. "Rum?" he questioned, and she shook her head. "Ah, yes, the queen prefers cider." He smirked, and walked to the door of his compartment. "Mr. Smee!" He yelled for his trusty crew worker. "Get off the ship and get some cider for the queen." He ordered.
"Yes, Captain." Mr. Smee said, and soon rushed off the boat to get the cider for the queen.
"That was not necessary, I won't be staying long."
"Oh I know, my queen." He spoke with a smirk. He took a seat in front of the queen.
"Of course, you just love to flaunt your power." The queen shook her head with annoyance.
"It's a thrilling feeling, I tend to enjoy it." He took another sip. "But never mind my pleasantries, what is it that you're so inquisitive about?"
"Ser Swan." The queen simply stated, intriguing the sailor.
Henry stood in the middle of the lake on a rock with a book over his head, arms outstretched by his sides. The knight was standing 2 yards away, by the edge of the lake. She eyed the prince as he struggled to cross the lake.
"The more time you spend thinking, the harder it will be to pass!" she yelled, loud enough for him to hear. "Don't think about falling! Breathe deeply, and look at where you place your feet!" she yelled, watching him take a step further, about to fall. "One foot at a time, Henry!"
Come on, boy, you can do this.
Henry breathed deeply once more as he took another step, his balance getting better with each step. He had a few left: 3 more rocks to pass, to be precise.
I can do this. I can do this.
He told himself, as he got closer to the knight. He looked up for a split second and noticed the figure of a girl by the tree that the knight stood near, and his foolish distraction caused him to fall into the cold water. He pulled himself out of the water quickly, noticing the silhouette that had distracted him was slowly retreating, and he only caught a glimpse of her blue cape.
The knight helped pull the boy out of the water.
"Rule number 1 Henry, no distractions." The knight spoke and the prince looked at her once again.
"You saw her?" he asked, surprised that the knight did nothing about it.
"I positioned her there." The knight admitted. "To test you. Although you failed, it was better than most first attempts I've seen."
"Damn it." The prince hissed. "I can't do anything right." He spoke the same phrase once again as he dried himself off with the towel the knight had prepared just in case. They sat in front of the lake. "I can't even pass a damn test."
"Patience, Henry." The knight reminded him. "You've done well." She could still see the saddened expression on his face. She sighed, letting her tough exterior down the slightest bit. "One must fall before he can fly."
Henry turned to look at the knight who, for once, had a soft expression on her face. He had forgotten momentarily that she was capable of smiling. He sighed.
"But I just keep on falling."
"You think the strongest and bravest off warriors didn't fall before they rose?" she questioned. The boy looked at her.
"No, I'm sure they did, but not as much as I do. I've had 5 tutors try to train me and that is not including you, and I've failed at each task I was given. I won't be able to run a kingdom at this rate."
"That's not true Henry." The knight spoke with a squeeze to Henry's shoulder.
"Now you sound like my mother." Henry brought his legs up to his chest. The knight was taken back by the statement. She couldn't figure out what to say to him. She stood up and pet his shoulder.
"Come on, we will try again tomorrow." She said, and held out a hand for him to take. He looked at her hand and up into her eyes, and she gave him a soft smile. "Just don't bail on me and I'll make you the strongest knight the Enchanted Kingdom has ever seen." He sighed before taking the knight's hand.
The queen felt exhausted as she finally reached her castle, her heart a little more at ease from her earlier conversation with the pirate.
"Are you sure my son is in good hands, Killian?" The queen questioned him, worry drowning her face. She had never once seen her boy wake up so early, and though it was nice, she still worried for the boy.
"You can trust Swan, Regina. That woman has dedicated her life to protecting people, not harming them." Hook stated as he watched the queen's expression begin to ease.
To be honest, even with Hook's confirmed statement, the queen was still slightly uneasy about the knight. Having caught her slight figure rush away that morning when she was in her room, she couldn't help but feel the slightest bit concerned.
"Mom!" The prince's voice instantly lighting the queen's face, she stepped out of her carriage, only to meet in front of the gate with her son still slightly wet from his fall.
"Henry, dear, you're wet. You should get changed quickly." The queen frowned at her son's careless actions towards his health. The boy chuckled.
"I love you too, Mom." The boy said, smiling, and soon he rushed to the castle to take a hot shower and change into some proper dry clothes. He knew his mother would go ballistic if he stayed any longer.
The queen and the knight found themselves stuck in an awfully awkward position. The knight bowed down with much poise, like she did when her eyes first graced her.
"Your grace." The knight said simply, before straightening herself again.
"Ser Swan." The queen simply stated as well. The two found themselves caught up in silence again.
"Emma." The knight smiled softly at the confused expression on the queen's face. "You can call me Emma." The knight clarified.
"Well, Emma," The queen began. "I hope my son hasn't caused you any trouble."
"No trouble at all, your majesty, he's a well-mannered boy. You've raised him well." The queen was yet again taken back by this alluring knight. The first person to actually praise her mothering skills. The other tutors and knights accused her of being too protective.
"Thank you." Regina smiled. The knight smiled brighter.
Regina took the time to look into the knight's eyes.
She has quite beautiful emerald green eyes, how can her eyes be filled with so much grace and still be a knight?
The skies were getting darker and the sound of lightning gracing the sky jerked the queen back to reality.
"I should be going before the rain falls. Hook leaves in the morning and I have yet to attain my belongings." The knight stated. She held the queen's free arm and leant on her knee, placing a soft kiss on her hand.
"Goodnight, your majesty." The knight whispered and stood on her feet again to pass the queen.
Regina was glued to her position; she had forgotten that it was a tradition to kiss the royal's hand goodnight if ever given the chance. Her head was spinning though; at the simple contact her skin had had with the knight's lips. She couldn't move either from shock or excitement.
Either way, she felt like her stomach had started to sprinkle a sea of butterflies. She had felt this once before. The simple move jolted many feelings inside of her. Simple yet meaningful. It reminded her of Daniel when she first met him.
Regina was just a princess when she had met Daniel. She was by the stables, playing with the horses, and the sun was beginning to set. The time passed and she hadn't noticed until the young boy had walked in.
"Princess?" he questioned first, before he got a better look. Regina jolted back and sighed, thanking god it wasn't her mother. She would've killed her had she known she was at the stables. "I'm sorry to startle you, but the queen is looking for you."
"Oh my god, I must've lost track of time." She stated to herself. The young boy chuckled.
"You should hurry, she seemed slightly furious." Regina nodded and was about to pass him had he not stopped her.
"Goodnight, your majesty." He spoke as he got on one knee and kissed her soft hand.
Regina felt butterflies in her stomach. Her entire being went numb as she barely mustered up a smile. Her body still in a state of weakness when she left the stables, she turned her head back to smile at the boy once more, who smiled back at her, and that was the beginning of an eventful history.
The queen was reminded of her reality once she felt a drop of water hit her skin. She looked back once more to the knight who was now 10 feet away, getting ready to climb her horse.
Why did I remember that? Why do I feel this way?
She questioned herself but soon shook her head, refusing to analyse something that didn't need to be analysed.