Cinder-knight (bxb)

a new mission

Eric searched for his scabbard in the dark, his sleep deprived eyes not managing to open up completely. After finding it though, Eric vaguely stepped towards the staircase and descended down, the thin tunic he wore not giving him enough warmth to stop himself from shivering.

The embrasures that ran around the tower let Eric take quick glances at the darkness surrounding the donjon, and he pouted, knowing he would definitely catch a cold after going outside half-dressed, especially in the night time.

But then again, he had a prince to take care of. And there was no way Eric would allow the person he was head over heels for, to go on a quest alone.

The knight picked the lock and opened the door to the balcony, then gasped as he saw his prince struggling to climb down the ladder with his hands clasping the handrail desperately.

"Oh god, prince! You should've waited till I came!" the words chimed in the night sky as Eric grabbed Charming's hands to pull the other up. With a small grouse, the prince slapped the knight's hand away and grumbled at him.

"Stop being a whoosie and follow me down the ladder, ginger."

"But we can use the door sir-"

Charming pursed his lips, annoyed.

"We're already here, so do as I say." he inquired and climbed down as Eric sighed. Prince Henry was not the one to listen to what others said, and Eric being the mere Knight he was, didn't have a say against his prince who was much higher in status than him.

Without much delay, Eric too joined, his steps more calculated and stelthier than those of the prince's, who was rather impatient in comparison.

After the two had reached the ground and Henry had been the one to lay foot first, Eric watched the blond scurrying away to a side of the building to retrieve a gold feltched sheath he had hidden inside a laurel.

Obviously, a royal's sword would be much sophisticated compared to the one of a random knight. From the scabbard to the sharp edge, a sword belonging to royalty would be the one to stand out, eliciting the attention of any bystander in a mere unsheathe. And so was Prince Henry's sword, which was glistening and clad in fine embroidery of gems, diamonds and gold.

"My Prince," Eric called as he saw the way Charming turned towards him again, "What must be the quest that excited you enough to leave your fiancé alone in the castle?"

"You know there are dozens of knights stationed just for her safety right?" the prince snapped back, his boots that had metal heels clanking against the rock hard ground as he sauntered up to the ginger, "Now, how about we forget about everything else and focus on the mission we have?"

Eric stared at Charming who cracked a smile, the small gesture making the knight's chest tighten into bizzilion knots. As the prince gawked back, the knight found his sight dipping down to the other's button nose, adorable thin lips and at last to the edge of his royal shirt.

Soft needlework had run around the collar, designs of the same tunic flower repeating in a broadline of leaflets, simple but elegant. Thankfully Charming was smart enough to put on a thick coat over his kirtle, it brought a tinge of relief to Eric who was glad his prince wouldn't get sick after this quest.

"Princess Mary wouldn't like this," Eric mentioned, careful not to call her 'Cinderella' as he wasn't in the mood for a beheading. Yet as response, what Eric got was a simple shrug before he felt the smooth blade of the prince's scabbard sliding against his neck, reminding him of the day he was knighted. But the difference was that this was the prince, and not the king.

"She doesn't mind. Stop talking like you know her."

Ouch.

Eric coughed awkwardly, not wanting his feelings to get involved, he tried to change the subject with a little bit of thinking, "So, what's the mission my prince?"

Henry took out a small piece of paper from his sleeve and gave it to Eric, the prince's gloved hand brushing against the knight's bare fingertips. While trying to stop the tingles that shot through, Eric snatched the paper to himself and read aloud, his voice cracking in the middle because of the coldness.

"We're going to fight a night dragon? Like, those who breath f-fire?"

Charming answered with a nod and turned around, walking towards the palace gate with a small grin.

"But my prince, wouldn't it be too dangerous for only the two of us to handle?" Eric tried to oppose, but still followed charming anyway. His sheathed sword hung loose against his belt as his legs quivered, the thought of meeting a dragon who shot fire scaring his head into frenzy.

"Stop being silly, we do this everytime don't we? I didn't see the same cowardice when we quested last month and defeated a giant filthy ogre."

'It's not the same though,' Eric wanted to argue, but for the sake of his job he remained quite and watched his prince dilly-dallying under the moonlight, possibly trying to make a scapegoat of a random worker to run out of the castle.

And for a second, Eric thanked the gods that he wasn't deducted from the ability to stare at Prince Charming, who looked so out of this world for his lovesick eyes. At least he got to love his prince from afar, and that was all that mattered.