A/N: Apparently I am currently at one assassin attempt per chapter (also for the upcoming chapter)... Of course until they figure out who the mole is, that won't get much better ;).

The helmet scene was the first thing I posted on tumblr for this fic so a lot of you probably already read it. I did make some small tweaks since then but nothing major.

Thank you for betaing, Meg! (megonagall410 on AO3)

Small trigger warning for a memory of Lord Wyrna's murder, not super graphic. To skip, just scroll past three lines when Harry asks about Lord Wyrna.

Harry stood waiting in the stables, utterly surprised his knight was not there. In the three weeks since he had started, Gwyn had been very punctual.

He waited as one of his guards went to retrieve Gwyn.

Several minutes later, Gwyn came running and immediately grabbed Red's saddle to put it on her.

"I am surprised you are late," Harry said. "This is not like you. Imagine if this had been another appointment and people were waiting."

Gwyn fastened the straps and then took out a piece of paper and handed it to him, before picking up the bridle.

He looked at the paper, it was the schedule and noticed the horse ride was not included in it. He looked back up and saw Gwyn had opened his visor to look at his horse, who didn't seem too happy about this sudden outing.

Harry looked on curiously, he had never seen the visor open. He could not view his face and when Red was done resisting, he closed his visor again without ever turning around.

"Peter must have forgotten to add it," he said, handing the schedule back as Gwyn led Red out of her stall.

They both got onto their horse and left the stables. Harry let Lightning gallop for a while, he enjoyed running longer ways and Red started enjoying chasing after him. Though she was a bit shorter than Lightning, she seemed very reluctant to let Lightning win in speed.

They slowed down to a walking pace after a good few minutes.

"It is unlike Peter to forget something on the schedule." He shook his head. "We went over it together. I guess it doesn't matter, after all it was nothing major."

Gwyn held up his hand quickly and signed to be silent. He stopped Lightning and looked at where Gwyn was looking, off to the left of them but could see nothing.

Gwyn reached into his saddle bag without looking away and took out three knives. His hand raised, knife in hand and threw it to the line of trees. It flew past the first few trees and then wedged itself into the ground beside a trunk. Someone who had been hiding behind the tree where his knife landed, jumped sideways revealing themselves and then immediately took off, away from them. Two more guys shouted and ran.

He didn't have to guess why these people had been hiding in the treeline. The only reason he felt safe enough to do these horse rides was that Gwyn was with him. It was proven yet again that it was not a luxury to have a knight with him.

He waited silently. Gwyn threw another knife but nothing moved.

"Should we turn back?" Harry asked.

Gwyn shook his head and signed for him to wait. Harry watched as he dismounted his horse and walked between the trees, looking around whilst retrieving his knives. When he came back, he offered a thumbs up, giving the all-clear.

He got back onto his horse and they continued their way. Harry remained silent for a while too now, on the lookout for more ambushes, but the rest of their ride was uneventful.

After a month in, Harry was growing frustrated with Gwyn. The fact that he would not speak at all bothered him. He had not heard him utter even a grunt. He had to admit this was the best knight he had had. Observant, quick and agile, precise with his sword.

And silent, ever so silent while seeing and hearing everything. This was their regular report moment, it being the fourth one, he had grown tired of not getting much of a response.

He stood up from his chair and walked up to him.

"Will you never speak at all?" he asked.

There was the short shake of his head. Harry was not used to being denied things. He wasn't sure how to deal with it. A sudden anger welled up within him, he had enough of it.

"Take off your helmet," he said. "As your king I demand it." He tried to stare down the knight as best as he could but he could barely make out the knight's eyes through the slits.

To his surprise, Gwyn moved his hands to his helmet. Curiously Harry watched as he pulled the helmet off his head.

The first thing he noticed was the long red hair falling from under the helmet and flowing down to the knight's shoulders. The afternoon sun shone brilliantly through the red hair, almost like it was on fire, a thousand tints of red and orange dancing through it.

Then Gwyn's chin appeared, much smaller than he had expected. Then ` lips, curving into a perfect cupid's bow, followed by a petite nose, full of freckles that seemed to spill onto the rest of his face. By the time his eyes were revealed, Harry had put it together. This was not a man at all. Her eyes were a bright hazel brown, staring down at the ground as she pulled her helmet off all the way.

She was beautiful. She held her helmet under her arm and looked at him. Her gaze was quite piercing and he promptly took a step back.

"Go ahead, dismiss me." Her voice was soft but her tone was firm. She stared him down, almost as if she was daring him to dismiss her.

The silence spanned several long moments as he tried to gather his thoughts,

"Will you tell me your name?" he asked a bit more gently now, already regretting his previous outburst.

Her lips parted in a sigh. "Ginny."

Simple, short. Where most of his knights were eager to recall any title they held, this was all he was offered. "That's not your real name either, I take it?"

Harry was surprised to see one of the corners of her mouth quirked upwards.

"Ginevra."

He sat down on the edge of his desk, looking at her without reservation. As usual she stood unmoving in the middle of a room, ready to take orders. He folded his arms. "Knight Ginny, then?"

Ginny nodded, as she would when she had her helmet on, but her eyes were on him now. "Aren't you going to dismiss me?"

Harry swallowed. "For being a girl?"

"Woman."

He felt his cheeks heat up. "Forgive me," he said, offering an awkward smile. "No, I will not dismiss you."

"Why?" she asked.

"You're my best knight and I would like to live to see another day. This doesn't change anything."

This reply seemed to have surprised her. She looked at him with wonder and then she nodded. "Very well then, King Henry."

"Harry."

Her brows knitted together.

"Ginevra, Henry… no one particularly likes those names, do they? Harry will do." He nodded at her, indicating that it was not to be disputed. He was her king still, after all.

"As you wish, King Harry," she replied without objections.

"Harry, just Harry will do."

Ginny nodded.

"You can go, for now," he told her, he had many questions but they weren't quite fully formed yet.

Ginny pulled her helmet back on, bowed her head and left his office.

Harry stood there, confused and tried to gather his thoughts. Her name reminded him of someone else by the name of Ginevra, who may have been the age of his knight if she had lived past the age of 7.

Ginny had been observing the King long enough now but to truly meet eyes with him, his green striking eyes locking with hers — seeing her— was something else entirely. She had been surprised to find no disdain or disappointment in his eyes when he saw her and realised she was a woman. All she could detect was surprise and a second different thing she could not place.

She picked up the pace and ran outside, her heart still pounding from the encounter.

This time when she entered her chamber in the evening, she felt at ease for the first time, the fear of being discovered gone. She took her helmet off immediately and put it aside. She was about to change into her nightshirt when she heard a knock on the adjoining door.

"Yes?"

The door opened slightly and King Henry —Harry— looked inside. "I was wondering if we could talk?"

Ginny pushed her dagger she had begun to take out back into its strap. "Sure."

She followed him into his chamber. She had only ever caught glimpses of the King's chamber but now stepped into it for the first time. The chamber was smaller than she expected but it was filled with luxurious items. The large bed looked like you would drift off in it instantly. Large parts of the wooden floor were covered with soft carpet, there were several small cabinets along the walls and there were two large couches with a low table in between.

Harry invited her to sit down on one of the couches as he walked to the cabinet closest to him and opened it.

"A drink?" he asked, turning around to look at her for her reply.

She nodded and he turned back around, pouring both of them a goblet of wine. She sat upright on the couch, wondering what he wanted to talk about.

He put one goblet in front of her and sat down on the other couch across from her. His eyes focused on her again, his fingers fiddling mindlessly with the goblet in his hands. She reached for the goblet in front of her and carefully took a sip, waiting for him to speak.

"So," he finally said. "You don't speak to hide you're a woman?"

"Yes, my voice would give it away immediately. Most people don't take well to the news."

Harry nodded, looking down at his goblet. "Why did you become a Knight?" He took a sip of wine.

"Why does anyone become a Knight?" she replied to buy herself time.

Harry's eyes lifted again to look at her, his eyebrows raising slightly.

"I was orphaned young, there aren't many places where a young girl is safe. Nothing is safer than pretending to be a boy, or a man, and learning how to fight. My brother put me with Regulus, it was the best he could offer me," she told him.

"Do you know where your brother is?" Harry asked.

She shook her head slightly. "Hopefully alive. He checks in on me every so often but it's difficult."

"I can imagine that it is," he agreed. "How many people know?"

"Not counting family, five. Two of which asked me to leave when they found out, even if I had proven my skills…" She sat back a bit more comfortably now and drank again.

"Can I ask about Lord Wyrna?"

Ginny closed her eyes for a moment, the gush of blood coming from his slit throat returning to the front of her mind. She opened her eyes. "You're my King, you can ask whatever you like."

"Being a King doesn't entitle me to everything," he responded.

She wondered if he felt guilty demanding her to take her helmet off. "If you ask about Lord Wyrna, you must have heard the rumours."

"I did, I'd rather know the truth." He looked at her with slight concern.

"I did kill him," she admitted, keeping her eyes locked on him, hoping to discern some reaction. "And I don't regret it. The harm he was causing heavily outweighed the harm I caused upon him."

Harry nodded and emptied his goblet, standing up to refill it.

"I don't go around killing people at will, I made a calculated decision," she said to his back.

He turned around and looked at her. "I understand." He walked back to the couch and sat down.

"Can I ask you a question?" she asked carefully.

He smiled softly. "Sure."

"Why do you get attacked so often?" She looked at him over her goblet, then took a sip. "You're no Lord Wyrna."

Harry set his goblet down on the table and folded his hands. "I am the last of my Royal line. Kill me and they can put whomever on the throne." He shrugged.

"Yes, but they always know… when the guards change, when you're out. I heard stories about previous attempts… how do they know?"

Harry's brow furrowed. "You think someone is feeding them inside information?"

"Must be." She sighed. "I can't figure out who. I have been keeping my eyes open but …" She shook her head and met eyes with him once again. She couldn't help it, they were very captivating and looking right at her. "Most people in the castle like you and none of them hate you. Unless they're being bribed."

"I wouldn't know who either…" he said.

"It must be someone close to you, how else would they know the information to start with?" she said, relieved she could finally share her thoughts on the matter and that he seemed to be interested in her insights. "So suspects are me…"

Harry chuckled. "I don't think it's you. If you wanted to kill me, you would not fail." His eyes locked with hers.

She smiled and looked at him for a moment. "Correct. Other suspects are Alastor, Peter, Hagrid … maybe some of the guards…" She emptied her goblet of wine and put it down on the table.

"Another?" he asked, pointing at her goblet.

"Sure," she responded. She watched as he refilled it. "What about the assassins?"

"Nothing. They're hired killers." He handed her goblet back to her, their hands almost touching as she took it from him. He sat down again. "They get their instructions via letter, payment only if they succeed. The pay must be good too, it's a risk to kill a King."

"With the way they're trying, you'd think you're inviting them to," she commented.

Harry sighed dramatically. "What can I say? I attract trouble."

A smile danced around Ginny's lips. "I think you do."

"You're more talkative than I expected," he said honestly.

A light blush covered her cheeks as she looked down. "It's terrible to be a silent Knight when you enjoy talking as much as I do." Her bright brown eyes flitted back up to him.

"I know how you feel, having genuine conversations as a King is … rare," he told her.

Without missing a beat she said, "You can talk to me, you know I'll keep your secrets." She grinned at him.

He laughed. "That's convenient for sure."

She leaned forward a bit. "So tell me, what's your darkest deepest secret?"

He pretended to think about it.

"Come on," she poked. "You know my biggest secret." She motioned at herself.

"I think my secret is that I have to keep yours," he replied.

She put her goblet down. "Nothing else?"

"I am a King, the secrets I have are few," he said. "I was meant to die together with my parents and hardly anyone knows how I escaped."

Ginny stilled and looked at him. "Secret passageways?" she guessed, quieter than before.

He shook his head. "No. I think I'll let you earn my secret though, maybe next Knightly chat."

"Next nightly chat?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, frowning for good measure. "I am concerned if I don't let you talk, you'll simply combust after a while." He smiled at her.

"Ha!" She downed her drink and stood up. "It's a date." She strode to her door.

"Goodnight, Ginny," he said softly.

She turned to look at him, her hand on the door. She paused. "Goodnight, Harry."

She disappeared into her chamber, closing the door behind her. He stripped down to his underclothes and crawled into bed. He should be figuring out who was spilling information, but with Ginny standing guard for him, he felt quite secure. When he closed his eyes, all he could think about was the way her golden brown eyes shone as she smiled and the way her hair danced as she moved, all the different hues of red catching his eye.

Ginny opened the door to Harry's chamber. He was waiting, his vest unbuttoned, showing the white shirt below. The lazy knot he had put in, made her want to reach out and fix it.

"I owe you a secret and you owe me another chat," he offered.

She walked past him. "How many chats do I owe you?"

He followed her and took the same seat as yesterday. "How many will you give me?"

She smiled and did not reply, switching topics. "You know you don't have to tell me your secret if it is difficult…"

"I've never had the chance to tell anyone," he admitted. He stood up and got the goblets out, filling hers and handing it to her.

She took a sip. "I feel spoiled with such excellent wine."

He frowned. "It's just wine."

"Harry." She shot him a judging look. "It's wine and it's excellent, trust me."

"I am glad you like it, then," he said.

"Now onto your deepest darkest secret…" she said carefully.

He put his goblet down on the table. "When Hagrid heard unusual commotion, he ran inside. It was already too late for my parents. He ran to my room, ahead of the assassins and snuck me out of the castle and into the stables. Lightning was just a foal then. I hid in the stall with him and his mother, among the hay."

Ginny watched his eyes glaze over for a moment and she sat silently.

"I didn't move for hours. The sun was already coming up when Hagrid came to get me. Dusted me off, got me inside, got told my parents were dead and I was King. Ignotian law dictates you can become King at twelve years old." He shook his head. "I amended the law now, who puts a kid on the throne?"

"Twelve is so young…" she agreed.

"Not that there were any other decent options, it had to be me." He picked up his goblet again and took a large gulp. "It shouldn't happen again, however."

"I am sure your parents would have changed the law if they thought there'd be a possibility you'd… end up on the throne so young," she tried.

"I am sure they would have. No one expects to die that young I suppose." He let out a dry chuckle. "Except me, of course." He offered her a bittersweet smile.

"You'll have to keep me around until you're old and grey. Live long with me around."

He cocked his head. "When do Knights retire?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "When we've lost too many limbs?"

He looked her up and down. "Then you've got a long career ahead of you."

She nodded. "So far it's looking good." Her eyes dropped to the knot again.

"What?" he asked.

She felt her cheeks heat up. "That is a terrible knot, and it is starting to bother me."

Harry glanced down at himself. "I don't care. No one sees it anyway."

"I have to see it!" she objected.

Harry's hands lifted and undid the knot before tying it more neatly. He looked up at her. "Better?"

She leaned in and squinted. "Good."

"I'll take more care in tying knots in the morning, if it pleases my knight," he said with a teasing smile.

She beamed in response.

Ginny knocked on the door to Harry's chamber several minutes after the advisor had left. She had already put on her helmet but left the visor open.

"Enter."

She walked into his chamber. "Happy birthday, my King."

He sighed. "Thank you."

"Not your favourite day of the year then?" she guessed.

He buttoned his vest up to the top, which she had found he only bothered with when he was anxious about something. "Not really, everyone wants something from me today. It's also a very popular assassination day."

"I figured, that's why I am on strict King Henry duty today," she said, her hand curling around the handle of her sword.

"Well, let's get this dreadful day over with," he said.

She nodded, closed her visor and followed him outside. The guards in the corridor wished him a happy birthday. He thanked him with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

Ginny had walked past the portrait of his parents a few times but she had never paused in front of it and taken the opportunity to truly look at it until now. Harry halted in front of it, his brow slightly furrowed. The black-haired King looked a lot like Harry, sporting the same mop of untidy hair that suited him just as well. She looked at the red-haired Queen in the painting, Queen Lily's hair much darker and red than her own, framing her kind face.

"Now those eyes I've seen before," Ginny commented.

"Hm," Harry said with a smile.

"What?"

"People always tell me how much I look like my dad. No one ever notices my eyes."

Ginny's eyebrows shot up. "They're hard to miss."

"Well, you are unusually observant," he responded before continuing his way to breakfast.

Ginny fell silent as they were nearing the dining room. People had gathered to enjoy breakfast with him. She watched carefully as people shook hands with him for any sign but no one seemed to plan on attacking him. As everyone settled down at the table, she stood back a little more, her eyes falling on Harry as he sat at the head of the table, keeping up polite conversation with the people seated closest to him, including Romilda. She had never seen someone look so lonely surrounded by this many people.

After lunch, they walked to the council together.

"The butterbeer is exquisite," Harry told her.

"I don't think I've had a butterbeer for well over a decade," she thought out loud.

Harry gasped. "We must amend that."

"We must go to the council first," she argued. It was about to start in a few minutes.

"So now you are keeping me in line too?" he quipped.

She sniggered. "Someone has to do it."

They walked into the room together. She stood to the side as people insisted on wishing him a happy birthday. She wondered if no one else saw which smiles were genuine and which weren't. Either way, they did not seem to care as they congratulated the King on his 23rd birthday.

The council was tedious and long today. People seemed chipper and elated and kept throwing in little anecdotes. All because it was his birthday, even though it was clear to Ginny he just wanted to get this over with. Yet he smiled politely and listened to everyone as the council dragged on.

When everyone had left the council, Ginny closed the door. She was in the habit of doing so now when they were alone, so they could talk freely.

"That was a drag," Ginny commented, observing him.

Harry ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. "This is why I hate my birthday. People think I just magically have more time today. As if I don't want to sit down and relax."

"Just dinner now, and then it's over."

"They better serve me plenty of beer, I am not dragging myself through that sober."

Ginny nodded. "I will have to take off to eat. There will be three guards to replace me during that time. Alastor deemed that's how many guards are needed to cover for me."

Harry's eyebrows raised. "You know that's a compliment coming from Alastor." Suddenly his eyes widened. "That's right, you haven't eaten anything today. You were with me pretty much the whole time."

"I knew that upfront, Lucretia gave me a big breakfast," she assured him that she was just fine. "I will deliver you to the dining room. If I come back and you're hammered I'll make sure to drag you off before you do something unbecoming."

He put his hands on his hips. "Excuse me, I am a very respectable drunk."

"My apologies, my King."

Ginny had already stepped into her nightshirt when Harry knocked on her door. She glanced down at herself but deemed the garment long enough to be decent.

She opened the door. "Yes?"

Harry's eyes slid over her body and back up. "I thought we could have a drink but if you're already changed…"

She wasn't too worried, considering he had already taken his vest off too, left in his shirt and trousers. "Well, it doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother you," she responded. "Though I recall you saying you had enough to drink today."

Harry smiled and stepped out of the way, revealing the butterbeers waiting on the table. Ginny immediately forgot her outfit and walked towards them.

"Oh!" she let out excitedly.

Harry followed her to the couch and sat in his usual spot across from her. She took the liberty of pouring for both of them. "Well, happy birthday to you, Harry."

His eyes lit up and raised his goblet as she did.

"When is your birthday?"

"11th of August," she responded automatically. She had to resist folding her legs under her now she was not in her armour.

"That's soon," Harry noted.

She shrugged. "It's not been celebrated much over the years." She took a sip from the butterbeer, enjoying the sweet delicious taste.

"Forgive me for prying, but what about when your parents were alive?" Harry asked.

She offered him a sad smile. "Tons of gifts, all of my favourite foods, letting me play and run around all day." She looked at him. "What about you?"

"Much the same. Gifts, food. I actually regret not remembering my last birthday with them better."

She felt the urge to reach out and comfort him. "You couldn't have known. I am sure you have other wonderful memories with them."

He met her eyes. "That's true, but it's never enough, is it?"

"No." She shook her head. She took the bottle to refill their goblets and walked around the table to refill his. She carefully sat down on the couch beside him, keeping a decent space between them. She relaxed more into the seat when he didn't comment on it. "It's never enough, you always run out of time."

"It's nice to talk to someone who understands," he said, turning his head to look at her.

"Yeah…" She wiggled her goblet. "This is a pretty decent closure of your birthday I suppose," she mused.

"It was pretty good, no one tried to kill me." He smiled at her.

"Please, I stabbed ten people when your back was turned." She leaned back on the couch, her leg tucking under her comfortably as she sipped her butterbeer.

Harry tried not to glance as her nightshirt rode up further on her leg, revealing even more freckles.

"Have I become that attuned to you stabbing people?" he asked with a playful smile.

She nodded, "I think you have." She gave in. "No attempts whatsoever. Maybe the extra security is starting to discourage them."

"I wish I could believe that." They looked at each other for a moment in silence. "Do you know how many people you have killed?" he said as he averted his gaze. He was starting to feel more comfortable asking her whatever. She treated him like a normal person, like a friend.

"No." She paused and he looked back up at her. "I did at first. Then I got hired by Lord Rufus. Six battles I won for him. You lose count quickly on the battlefield. For some I don't know if they survived their wounds. It became too difficult to tally. I suspect it's well into the hundreds now."

"Lord Rufus? Doesn't he claim to win his own battles?" Harry asked with a frown.

"I was there for almost a year. Imagine his surprise when he found out I was a woman. Got a sword to the chest… hard to hide… still bear the scar of it too. But he couldn't stand that a woman had won his battles, so now he prefers to pretend it was his doing. Not that he won many since I left…"

He couldn't help but gawk. "You're joking?"

"No. Before that I still had some hope people would accept me as a woman if I had already proven my skills. I learned after that," she said bitterly.

"So you are as good on a battlefield as you are as a guard?" he wondered.

"People underestimate my speed and precision." She reached into her breast pocket and took out a small tie. She pulled her hair into a bun and tied it together.

He thought her long hair was gorgeous and he was sad for a moment when she tied it up. Except now he got a great view of her elegant neck not obscured by armour and her ears, the tips carrying the same colour as the soft blush on her cheeks. He couldn't even remember what she had said, momentarily distracted.

"How many people have you killed?" she asked, seemingly unaware of his observations.

He thought about it for a second. "Two, both assassins."

"Not bad for a King," she said.

He nodded in agreement. He looked at her, folded up on his couch comfortably like this was her chamber, not his. He smiled at her.

She offered an unsure smile back.

He cleared his throat. "Do you want the day off on your birthday?"

"No," she said without hesitation.

"Are you sure?"

She glanced into her goblet, finding it empty and set it down on the table. "Do you think I can have a relaxing day off? I will just be wondering all day if you've been stabbed yet."

Harry grinned at her. "I admire your dedication."

She picked up the jug and refilled both their goblets. "Please, I am concerned about job security. If you're dead, I am out of a job, yet again."

"No no. Ce will sit on the throne and he will need a guard just the same. I'll let Peter know to keep you on the payroll if I die."

"Ce?" she asked with a frown.

"He does think he is royalty."

Ginny let out a bubbly laugh. "That's true. That carriage in the parade has really gone to his head too."