Title: Chapter XIV: Knights to the Rescue
Writer: Madame aZure
Fandom: Noblesse;
Pairing: None
Genre: Family;
Rating: K;
Warnings: there are no warnings for this chapter. Read at your own risk.
Disclaimer: I do not own Noblesse or any of the characters. No trademark infringement or profit is meant from the writing of this fanfiction.
"What do we do now?" M-21 asked, his fierce determination transposed into the serious tone of his voice. His grip on the plush bunny tightened, eyes narrowed in concentration, lips set in a thin line, scrutinizing the battlefield in search for an appropriate strategy to approach the challenge at hand.
Before him unfolded a tragic landscape that whispered to those willing to listen grand stories of brave knights and fearsome dragons, of heroes who rose and fell in the flames of the battle, of a never-ending clash between the forces of good and evil. A desolated battlefield made of all the pillows, blankets and plushies they could find in the house stretched as far as the eye could see, to every corner of the living room. Across it, on the other side of the room, tall, imposing and impossible to conquer, stood the Twin Towers of the Fearsome Dragons - two chairs with a white bed sheet tied between them. The towers guarded the Princess' Castle - the sofa - in which princess Raizel was held prisoner by the wicked dragons. The poor princess wallowed in distress and anguish, dreaming of the freedom that he has been robbed of, while calmly drinking his afternoon tea, apparently oblivious to the war going on around him. Still, he held his head high as his royal blood dictated, wearing his makeshift paper crown with dignity and poise. It was only natural for him to carry himself with such grace and his duty as Noblesse to fulfill the part he had been given in this story… even if that meant portraying the damsel in distress.
Two fearsome dragons were guarding him relentlessly, day and night - or at least until bedtime - until a brave knight could save him. The dragons were Tao, who could call upon his will the wrath of nature, summoning terrifying storms that frightened human and beast alike, and Seira, who had been bestowed with the knowledge of magic and potion-making, bringing armies to their knees with just a drop of her accursed concoctions.
"You will never defeat the dragons!" Tao announced proudly from the top of his tower/chair, his words dissolving into a cliché villain-like laugh. "Miss Seira, you too. We must instill fear into the knights' hearts," he whispered, grinning at the noble, one hand going to his mouth as a screen so the knights wouldn't hear.
Seira blinked at him then nodded, turning her attention to the knights. "Roar?" she tilted her head, politely playing her part as a dragon.
Back at the Knight's Fort, M-21 had his eyes glued on their target. "So?" he asked, glancing at Takeo, the archer.
"Perhaps we should attack the dragons?" Takeo replied, trying his best to be as serious as the child, although his lips betrayed him, curling into a smile. He still had no idea how did the five-year-old manage to involve almost all the household members in his pretend game. One moment they were spending a peaceful afternoon together, the next they were fighting dragons and saving princesses. Most likely Tao had something to do with it…
"How? We've already lost a knight," the werewolf looked at him worried. In their previous attack, knight Regis had been captured by Seira and was currently held captive in the Dragons' Dungeon, withstanding tortures that brought even the strongest of warrior on the brink of insanity - or made to wait on a chair until one of the knights reached him and freed him.
Regis had his arms crossed over his chest, watching the others with a displeased expression, still confused as to what exactly was this pretend game: it wasn't combat training, since they were not allowed to use their abilities, and at the same time they still had to fight, but only with pillows and plushies. His hubris, and perhaps foolishness, drove him to simply walk into the dragons' lair, forgetting about the nightmarish creatures that dwelled in there. All it took was one pillow hit from Seira, who was as confused as him but somehow understood her part in the game, and he had been captured. Now, his fate lied in the hands of his comrades, who had to come and rescue him; he could only pray for them to be strong enough to defeat the beasts.
"We attack at the same time and confuse them," Takeo suggested. "Which one should I take?"
"Hm," the child pondered the strategy for a few moments, resting his chin on his hand. "I'll take Tao, you try and slip past Seira and rescued Regis. After that, the three of us will stop the dragons and save the princess," he said with such a conviction that Takeo could not suppress his smile anymore.
"Ok," the archer gathered a few plush toys to use as projectiles. "You go first, I'll cover you."
The child nodded and took his position, waiting for Takeo's signal for when he should start running for the Twin Towers of the Fearsome Dragons. The plush bunny secure in his grasp, he inhaled, held his breath for a few moments while he gathered his courage, then exhaled and when the signal came, he dashed out of hiding.
At the same time, Takeo ran on the opposite side of the battlefield to the Dragon's Dungeon and had to duck behind a cover, as Seira targeted him with a pillow. Takeo countered with a plush toy, which the noble evaded with grace - neither of them could be hit by some toys thrown with such a low velocity, so in order to score a hit, they had to use tricks. Takeo threw other three toys to make her dodge and rolled the fourth across the floor next to her ankle so when she sidestepped to avoid the last thrown toy, she would touch it by mistake.
Which she did, bumping into the teddy bear by her feet.
"Oh, I have been wounded," she announced calmly, dropping to a knee to indicate the terrible 'pain' she was in.
On the other side of the battlefield, a werewolf peeked out from behind a cover, searching for the dragon he was supposed to slay. But Tao was nowhere near in sight: not behind the Great Bridge - the table - or behind the Stone Rest - the armchair. Where was he?
The child began to feel antsy, worried that he might've stepped into a trap. He considered retreating and rethinking his approach, but just when he was about to withdraw, Tao suddenly appeared behind him.
"Aha, I captured a knight!" Tao laughed as he caught the child, the werewolf yelping in surprise as he was lifted in the dragon's arms, his bunny slipping from his grasp.
"Nooo, lemmie go, lemmie go!" M-21 struggled, laughter bubbling in his throat as the dragon unleashed his terrible tickle attack.
"Tickle, tickle," the dragon grinned as the child tried to suppress his giggles, squirming in his embrace to free himself, but since he had dropped the plush toy he had nothing to defend himself with.
In the meantime, Takeo had managed to reach the Dragon's Dungeon and free Regis, who stood up from the chair, ready to finally take part in the game. Before they could decide what their next move should be, the child's giggles of help caught their attention. With and exasperated huff, the noble picked up a pillow from the floor and threw it at the hacker's face.
The pillow hit Tao with a 'poof' since he was far too focused on tickling the child to notice it. Still, a hit was a hit, so he had to release M-21.
"Oh, nooo, I have been hurt!" he wailed dramatically, falling to his knees and clutching his shirt where his heart was, although he had been hit in the head. "Oh, nooo, what a cruel fate! I think I'm seeing the light," he raised a hand to his forehead like a damsel, his grin not faltering even for a moment.
"You'll be fine, it's just a pillow," the child reminded him quietly, thinking that Tao might've forgotten that he wasn't really a dragon that had been slayed. Remembering that there was still a princess who needed saving, the werewolf slipped past the dying dragon and dashed to Raizel's aid. He quickly crossed the rest of the ravaged battlefield, careful of all the dangerous magic traps Seira had cast – plush toys scattered around – one wrong move and his quest would be all over. After passing the Dragons' Towers, the Princess Castle was in view, but to reach it, he had to pass a river of lava. The sight of the liquid inferno that flowed freely and consumed everything in its path might've frightened other knights, but it did nothing to dissuade him, for he was braver than anyone. Looking around, he saw the remains of a stone bridge he could use to advance. Jumping from pillow to pillow, not looking down so his resolve wouldn't falter even in the least, he passed the river and there it was: the Princess' Castle. With a huff, he rushed to Raizel's side, the noble elegantly placing the teacup on the coffee table to properly greet the knight.
"You're safe now," the child told the noble in all seriousness, Raizel giving him a polite nod in reply.
"Yay, the princess has been saved!" Tao rejoiced in a cheerful tone from where he was lying on the floor. "Now the princess has to kiss the knight as thanks," he clapped.
M-21 frowned at him, but when he turned to Raizel, the noble leaned in and pressed his lips on the child's forehead ever so gently.
"Thank you for saving me," he whispered and smiled at the little one, who blushed and looked away.
"Sure," he mumbled shyly.
"Now we have to celebrate!" Tao declared, Takeo only sighing in reply as there seemed to be no end to his comrade's... idiotic ideas. "How about an inside picnic since we already have all these blankets and pillows lying around?"
For a moment there was silence, everybody weighting whether to actually carry the plan out or just ignore Tao.
"I'll prepare the food," Seira stood up gracefully and left for the kitchen, that being the decisive sign that the picnic will take place.
"I suppose we have to gather the toys," Regis sighed, looking at all the mayhem around them. He still had no idea what just happened, but at least now he knew the proper way to act in such a setting - just do what others did, like Seira had done.
Frankenstein watched the children from the doorway, arms crossed over his chest, a gentle smile softening his expression.
All day long, he had been working on what looked like a never-ending pile of paperwork for school, but when he heard noises coming from the living room he decided it was time for a break. Moreover, he was intrigued as to what all that ruckus was about.
The moment he set foot into the room, his eye twitched in displeasure and his first intention was to warn his children to clean up the mess they've created, since the living room looked nothing short than a war-zone of plush and blankets... but he never found the heart to do it. How could he do something like that when he saw their happy expressions, radiant smiles and eyes sparkling of excitement, giggles and laughter filling the air, the room brighter than it has ever been before, and it was not the light that made it so. He stood there in silence, watching them battle dragons and saving princesses - it was moments like this that reminded him how proud he was to be a father.
TO BE CONTINUED… :)