Chapter Text
“Wish me luck, El,” the jittery squire said, crossing her arms and rubbing the pads of her first three fingers (the thumb is a finger for the moment, please and thank you) on each hand together.
“You don't need it, Al.” Her brother smiled and gave her a big hug. He looked Alice in the eyes, holding her hands so she'd stop fidgeting. “There's no way they'll be able to do anything but knight you.”
“Eliot’s right,” their father added as he entered the room. His injuries from his service had never faded, so he wobbled a bit with each step. Especially when he–
“Where's your cane, Pa?” his kids asked in unison, with identical squinted eyes and the slightest of frowns. He hated using the cane, but he always ended up overexerting himself without it.
He waved a slow hand in dismissal. “Don't worry about it, I'll be fine. There's a carriage and we’ll likely sit through most of the ceremony.”
Alice raised her sword slightly, like she meant to threaten her father into caring about his health. Eliot pushed the tip down lightly.
“Alli…”
Eliot sighed. “As long as you don't stand for long periods of time, it should be okay.”
“Yeah, but he WILL!! Because he's LIKE THAT!!”
“Anyways…” their father drawled. He smiled and held out his arms. “Congratulations, Alice. Your Ma would've been so proud.”
Alice sniffled and fell into the hug, dragging her brother with her.
“You, too, Eliot. She would be proud of you both.” He pushed their hair away from their faces and kissed their foreheads in turn. “I'm proud of you both.”
“I'd be proud of you if you used your cane,” Alice halfheartedly grumbled into him.
“Hardy-har-har.”
Hearing a coach approaching, Eliot pulled back out of the hug. He gave a final glance at his own clothes before pulling Alice up straight in front of him to make sure she looked okay.
Alice smacked his hands away. “Don't fuss about it, El, you'll mess it up!” She cracked a smile at the face he made in response. “Not that I'd actually notice, yeah, yeah.”
“Squire Ali– Alice?” a familiar voice called from outside. “Are you coming? Or did you chicken out?”
“He did not–”
Her dad stopped her from stomping off with a smile. “You know he's just egging you on, Alice.”
Alice grinned evilly back at him. “Oh, I know.” In a shout, she added, “And he’ll get what's coming to him!”
A few moments after Alice stomped out the door, Eliot and their dad heard a scream of pain cut off with a loud thud, quickly followed by laughter and the sound of horses pulling the coach away.
Eliot snickered as he walked towards their own stables. “Sounds about right.”
Their father tried to sigh, but he also thought it was hilarious. Those boys…
About a week later
“This is dumb,” the princess complained, rolling her eyes and rubbing the little black circles she had stuck in her earlobes.
“Marie, darling,” her mother sighed, “you already agreed to it. You can’t back out now.”
“Yeah…” Marie groaned, “but it’s still dumb. I feel awful for the poor soul who ‘wins’ this!”
“At least it’ll be an exciting assignment,” her father muttered.
Her mother smacked him with her glove. “You can’t say that sort of thing! Where are your manners?”
Marie and her father exchanged a look of barely-contained laughter, then quickly looked away before it could burst out. As much as the queen tried to dignify it out of the two of them, they would always be chaos gremlins. It was why Marie got along so well with her father, despite how little time they were able to spend with each other on a normal day. Today was, to be sure, irregular.
Today, after all, was the day she had to pick a “Protector” from the newest group of knights.
She was not happy about it.
They were all… boys.
Of course they’re all boys, a voice in her head scolded her (it sounded like her mom ), only boys can become pages, can become squires, can become knights!
I know that, Marie told the voice. That’s why I hate it.
“Marilyn Allaimi April Montique, are you even paying attention ?”
Ooh. Full name.
“Yes, Mother.” Marie sighed and turned her eyes below her, where the young knights were just beginning to enter the tourney field.
The boys were in groups by the city they hailed from, following one of the knights who taught them into the arena. One boy from each group held a flag, representing their hometown, so that the royalty watching them from above would know where they came from. Really, the only thing they cared about was the fact that the one with the honor of holding the flag was the best of the bunch, and so the one they’d be keeping a close eye on.
Alice hefted her city’s flag up a little higher. “This thing’s heavier than I thought it was going to be,” she noted in a casual tone.
Hector laughed. “D’ya need me tah carry it for ya, m’la– oof.”
He was interrupted by Alice allowing gravity to take the flagstaff for a moment, so that it would fall right on his head. “You don’t call me a lady,” she warned. “I’m a knight.”
“So am I,” Hector whined, rubbing the crown of his head. “That hurt, Al.”
“Ah'll bet,” Sam chimed in. “I did that to meself when I brought it from the Council Room.”
Alice chuckled and held herself a little taller. “It’s too bad you’re not wearing your helmet, then.”
There was one group that caught Marie’s eye. There were only the four of them, including the full knight leading them. While many of the other groups seemed… well, seemed incredibly stand-offish, this group was laughing and having fun. Even the full knight– probably retired, by the looks of that limp and cane– was smiling and chiming in every so often. Actually, as Marie watched the group, the boy holding the flag passed it to his friend with a nudge and what appeared to be a joke, based on the reaction the other boys had.
Now that , Marie thought, is what friends look like. She glanced to the side at the nobility who’d come to watch the show with pinched lips. Not these foppish heathens who don’t have an interesting bone in their bodies that my Mother wanted me to be “friends” with. I’ll interact with them for the alliances, but they aren’t capable of friendship. Grr.
“Al,” her father laughed, “you really must be kinder to your companions.” As if telling a spooky story, he added “People are watching.”
“Nah,” Alice replied with a flippant wave, “these boys can take it.”
Sam wobbled the flag, trying to hold it with one hand so that he could salute her with the other one. “Yeh, ’m okay!” He promptly started falling over.
Hector caught him with a guffaw. “Ya fallin’ for me, now, Sammy-boy?”
Sam turned bright red and shoved the flag into Hector’s arms so hard that the other boy fell into Alice, who pushed him right back up.
“Don't tease him like that, Hector,” Alice said with a clear joking tone to her voice. “You know Sam's no good with flirting.”
Sam’s face went an even brighter shade of red. “Sto-op!” he whined.
Yep, it was official. Marie wanted one or all of that group to be her knight(s). They've got good energy, my little lady is getting something from them she wants to investigate, and I like them already.
Her father mused aloud, “Do you think we could get away with all three of those boys from… er– Salomel, I believe?– coming to the palace? I rather like them.”
“That's exactly what I was thinking, Father,” Marie chimed in.
Her mother sighed.
Alice tried her best not to look up again. “Guys, the princess is watching us.”
“So’s the king,” Sam added uneasily, shifting his eyes all over the box said royalty was sitting in.
Hector puffed his chest out and held up the flag. “’T’s ’cause wehr th’best!”
Alice's dad rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “I'm fairly certain it's because you're all acting like fools, but sure. That pride of yours is definitely always correct.” He gave Hector a knock on the head with his cane and a serious look. “But you do need to work on that grammar of yours.”
Hector rubbed the back of his head and laughed a little. “I guess that's fair, sir. I'll shape up, don't worry!”
“I was under the impression that you didn’t want any of these boys to come here,” Marie’s mother said with a dry tone and a raised eyebrow at the both of them.
Marie pouted.
Her father laughed heartily. “But these boys look fun, my love.”
Her mother rolled her eyes and stood up, silencing the entire arena. “I will not allow you to choose any knight, let alone three, until after the tournament is complete,” she said quietly. Louder, in her BIG voice, she addressed the arena to introduce the challenge.