I'm in a whimsical mood rn so please indulge my idea of former stable boy turned knight Simon Riley and princess reader who were once childhood friends...
Ok but princess reader throwing her handkerchief to the mysterious new knight who just won the joust out of playful spirit- this brute of a man bound with a fortress of blackened armour and a fierceness akin to a grizzly bear. His stead was a strong and sturdy stallion- fur black as mahogany and sheening with sweat. Kicking at the sand clumped with blood and petals.
The crowd roared with delight and excitement as he lingered beneath your canopy, watching with glee as the opposing gentleman was wheeled away by a few fretful healers, left in a heap of broken flesh and splintered wood.
Your handkerchief falls, and he catches it in his gauntlet- glinting with silver and blood, imposing and mean. It was certainly mean to his opponent having been bludgeoned into his face. Some lord you couldn't recall the name of- proclaiming for your hand if he were to win. He hadn't even drawn his blade that rested at his hip- his jagged gauntlet fists were enough.
You didn't question the mysterious knights aggression to the lords proposal. A banter amongst men, You think. Smiling sweetly as your knight presses the delicate piece of cloth to his helmet- steel kisses silk, and he keeps it there. A Brutish steel paw keeping it cradled against the thin slits of his helmet, as if he was breathing it in. He was.
You can't help but be keen and lean over to capture a glance of this man's face as he slips his helmet down- just enough to capture a small glimpse of his eyes and the bridge of his nose.
Wispy blonde lashes. Stern Earthy brown eyes. Charcoal smudged skin... His gaze softens at you, and it stirs something in your chest. He seems so familiar...
It is too bad that you can't remember the wide-eyed stable boy who was once your companion in the hazy sunlit memory of your childhood. A boy with stern Earthy eyes and soft gold hair. The disposition of a fawn with gnarling teeth- trembling knees yet a fierceness to his gaze as he threw rocks at your tormentors of cruel ladies in waiting. You had only wanted to see the baby horses...
Simon. Simon the stable boy.
But look how far he's come now. A man filled out with muscle and brawn and hardened skin- a shell of gleaming armour and chainmail. Tall and poised and unshakeable.
The moment your father proclaims him your new protector, it makes it all worth it. The grueling years of hardship and training. The beating and suffering. The scuffed knees and bleeding knuckles.
You may not remember him, princess, but there's no worry for that.
He's now someone you can't forget.
