#princess!alya

Nino spent the next morning in a loose, panicked haze. That buzzing anxiety in his chest had returned with a vengeance and he was struggling to focus at all. As he approached the twins’ room to take his watch for the day he took a deep, shaking breath, and it was only then that he’d realized he’d been holding it. He’d watched the heavy oak of Alya’s door as he passed it, praying it wouldn’t open, disappointed when it didn’t.

He knocked on the twin’s door with a shaking hand, schooling his face into a serious, working expression. As he was summoned forth he stepped forward with as much practice and control as he had his first day on the job. Not a single toe out of line, not one mistake.

Nino was vaguely aware of the twins talking to him, chittering between them about the schedule for the day which had only just been explained to them by their handmaiden, before getting bored at his lack of response and moving away from him. He looked to Mylene, who was tending to them, and examined her face with laser focus, bracing himself for her side eye and her questioning glance but… it didn’t come.

She smiled at him kindly and he managed some strangled version of his own in response, but before he could theorize that she was hiding something from him she was made busy by Etta’s bow slipping from place, and just like that he was ignored again, for the time being.

He shifted in place as the girls continued to get ready, glancing around at any staff who passed through the room like surely now, surely this is where the rumors will come out. This is where he’ll get questioning looks, where the whispers will be.

But nothing came.

Perhaps it was too early then, he decided. Maybe Marinette hadn’t had a chance to spread the gossip, maybe Alya had been too busy to tease or tell anyone.

With some kind of frayed hope he wondered if he’d get to keep his job until at least lunch. Then at the very least he might be able to ask for half pay, on his way out.

Nino shook his head harshly, drawing the attention of the girls for a moment before they shared a glance, and looked away. Their stoic, odd guard seemed to waver between rigid focus and anxious movement. But they’d gotten used to his little peculiarities, and in truth it was a large part of why they liked him so much.

He was different.

The sun streaming through the windows worked to warm the cobbled stone of the castle, but a creeping autumn breeze was ruffling the long dresses of servant girls and cooling the guards on the upper walls. Even to the privileged few who had no cause to mind the planting seasons like most common folk could tell in the shift of the weather that summer was making its last appearances.

As a result, all over the castle and the castle’s greater town women were laying out their warmer layers to breathe and shaking dust from blankets they drew down from the rafters. Men wandered in clusters towards the trading markets, discussing seeds and labor for the coming fall season. And children peered out from between rolling carts at teams of regals horses being made ready to take their noble riders home, to their own lands.

Finally, after ages of patience (or lack thereof) from the princesses, the proceedings of courts and law were drawing to a close. The rituals of farewell would play out over the next few days, and then things would be one step closer to their version of normal. Fortunately for their restlessness they were required frequently in these matters of politeness, and their expectations were packed schedules of teas and walks and niceties with their guests who would be leaving. Unfortunately… well, all the same. With what scrap of reason Nino still retained he thought that all these things sounded very boring and unnecessary. Even after his time spent in the castle he still couldn’t wrap his head around why failing to smile at precisely the right time or not offering a curtsy to the right lord in the right order could lead to kingdom wide impacts. The fragile egos of regency made absolutely no sense to him, but that wasn’t for him to say. Obviously if it could impact so many people in so many ways, then bowing to the right people must be some level of important. Imperative even.

He was glad that the twins would have something to do and, a little selfishly, was glad that their duties were far separated from their sisters. The thought of her…

He shook it from his mind, paying attention again as Mylene made the girls ready to go.

He was trying desperately to do his job, to accept his gift as it was and read absolutely nothing else into it until it all blew up in his face. Maybe Marinette had just thrown it away? Maybe she’d made an executive decision to keep him from being hanged and it never even got there.

He thought back to her a few hours earlier… and thought maybe not. She’d been so excited and careful as she whispered with him like a conspirator that he couldn’t help but think she wanted nothing more than to deliver the flowers.

Abruptly, as he took his place before the twins to lead them out of the room, his vision was filled with red poppies. For a moment all he could see was the weak climb of sunrise over the rolling hills of wildflowers, many of them already retreating away from the change of the season. He had purposefully found the same hill he’d take the princesses too, taking a moment to stand and watch the sun tint the sky just before it would appear. That quiet blue hour… before the day could fill with work.

He'd made a point to wake up early, riding a patrolmen’s horse out until he could find the exact right spot.

He had doubted himself a hundred times as he crouched on the hill, searching for the edge of where their blanket must have been though it had long been smoothed away. He’d questioned his idea, changed his mind a hundred times, but when he saw the small, strong cluster of red and orange poppies he thought…

Some things are worth the risk. Like a smile, and a chat. When no one else has any to give. Surely, if he did it right. If he did it quiet, it wouldn’t be a wrong thing. Foolish maybe but not wrong. Right? Surely-

“SIR GUARD!”

Nino nearly jumped clean out of his armor, whirling around in the doorway and looking back at the young twins who were bunched up behind him. They looked exasperated, pushing at his armored legs as Ella exclaimed, “Move!! You’re just standing there!”

Nino’s whole face reddened as he heard the guards in the hall start to snicker, Mylene herself coughing into her apron to hide a smile. He started to stammer an excuse but the young girls just pushed him forward and he was forced into the hall, desperately trying to look professional as all the senior guards barely concealed their mean-spirited laughter.

He decided to take the safe route and murmur an apology, motioning for them to take the lead a bit briskly as he tried to ignore everyone else in the hall. The only two who didn’t laugh, he noticed, were Alya’s chamber guards. So he figured at least with them they had an agreement between them now.

He couldn’t help the long glance at Alya’s door as he passed it, but with the twins walking freely ahead now he was forced to hurry after them.  Usually Alya’s start was earlier than the girls, so perhaps she was elsewhere anyways.

It took about an hour for the embarrassment to burn off. The twins seemed impatient with him today, probably deciding his oddness was a little grating this morning instead of endearing. He made a few weak attempts to regain their patience as he ushered them from appointment to appointment, and by the third obligation he had made them giggle enough that they seemed to forgive him. Still though, he was sure they knew something was off with him.

He couldn’t help but glance around nervously whenever they were expected somewhere new. He would scan the crowd for threats, but also for Alya. He wasn’t sure if a smile from her would make him feel better or worse. Or what if she didn’t smile? What would that mean?

Some hours into their business for the day Nino spent his idling checking every window, minding every door, and considering his response if he were to be lectured on impropriety.

By about lunch he’d decided he was thinking entirely too much of himself.

He snorted once irritably, his mood abruptly tanking as he leaned against an exterior wall in the Queen’s Garden, watching the girls make nice with some stuffy noble brat.

Being in the inner guard was really bad for him, he was getting far too self-important.  The princess was ROYALTY. She probably barely acknowledged his gesture. How many hundreds of lavish gestures and practiced shows of groveling had she received in her life? The flowers were likely seen and sent away.

Sourly he let his armor rattle against the wall as he leaned into it. He stood in the shadow of the castle, tucked out of the way to let more important people do more important things. That was his job. He knew that.

He couldn’t tell why that felt so lackluster suddenly. It was a GOOD thing if she dismissed the gift, that would mean he could keep working and that he hadn’t done anything wrong.

Still though, that didn’t fit completely right in the image of her he held in his mind. What did he know though? He was a commoner observing from a distant position. He didn’t actually know her at all.

This thought stilled him in his place, casting a practiced eye over the twins’ engagement.

Finally, with that understanding, the flowers flickered from his mind. He tightened his watch and did his job, trying but failing to displace that suddenly hollow spot in his chest.

He had a little bit of trouble with that, he realized. At last, one of the unnamable things he struggled with introduced itself. He had a problem with getting too attached to things or people. He imagined things that weren’t there, or were there but shallow.

Since leaving home he had made some connections, but very few of the guards liked him now that he’d been moved to such a coveted position and seeing how much better he was getting paid he could understand why. Mylene was a pleasant acquaintance, Marinette was shaping up to be a great friend (with what little time they could spare between their jobs). Ivan and Kim were friendly, but he rarely saw them now that they’d been reassigned to new hours, and Adrien required a miracle and no small portion of luck to even so much as be near. Logically he could understand getting attached to his charges, it was normal even. If your entire career and practically all of your waking hours were dedicated to the health and safety of particular people, it seemed human to connect to them.

But he wasn’t Alya’s guard. He was meant for the twins, and he had come to terms with the fact that he cared for them deeply already. His protective instincts were good for this job, but it did lend itself to confusion. It was odd to be FOR someone. But it was grounding too. It felt purposeful. So long as he was theirs, so long as he was assigned to them, he would commit himself to the girls.

He stood there watching them do their hollow duties, and he liked to imagine he knew how they were feeling. He pretended like he knew which of their smiles were forced and which were easy, what comments they would roll their eyes to if they could. His proximity and single-minded focus on them allowed him to pretend these things, even after only two weeks. But that didn’t apply to the elder princess. He saw her sometimes, had the pleasure of watching her play with her sisters or glance over as she did more intensive things while the girls occupied themselves off to the side. He had caught himself countless times wondering which of her smiles were fake, but he knew he couldn’t be sure. She, of all the people he’d met, was someone he could not afford to start pretending he understood.

He felt another replay of the previous night’s events coming to mind and he quickly tried to stuff it down, knowing he was going to rehash her words and her pauses and try to imagine that which was not said. He’d spent enough of the night sleepless, critiquing his over-familiarity and panic over losing her. And then he backed up his over-familiarity to the moon and back by having the audacity to send flowers-

He shook his head and silenced a groan, pointedly grinding his teeth together and getting his head in the game. An argument could be made that he wasn’t being a very good watchmen, although his passive tracking of all movement sort of competed with that. He was a mess internally, but he wasn’t going to actively jeopardize the girls. Still, it was the excuse he needed to demand focus of himself. Any time the image of poppies came to mind, he reminded himself of his certainty.

He didn’t know her at all.

And that hollow feeling would take its place like it was meant to, and he’d return to his work.

---

The twins were dragging their feet as they finished their fifth responsibility for the day. They plodded along behind him, drifting between patches of afternoon sunlight as he guided them towards one of the main staircases. He was practically walking sideways now as he was forced to watch them constantly to keep them walking. He felt awful for them, but he found himself smiling, endeared a bit as they mumbled and moaned under their breath. Only he was close enough to know they were complaining for sure, but anyone could tell by looking at them that they were exhausted.

“Come on, your highnesses. We’re nearly there, you’ll have a break after this.”

Etta grumbled something and Ella made a soft sound like she was going to cry, it nearly broke his heart until she looked up and tried to pull off an over-the-top pout. He leveled her with a skeptical look and she let it drop, allowing a more genuine tired frustration to show instead, which he actually believed.

“I know, I know,” he allowed, talking quietly but taking advantage of the sparse hallway to speak openly. “It’s been a long one but we’re nearly there. Just one more thing and then we can have a break.”

They grumbled between themselves like they were trying to decide whether they believed him or not, but they did make an attempt to pick up their feet a little and he was allowed to turn to face forward. Mentally he was wondering if he could send a messenger to find one of their handmaidens as he started to descend the staircase. The poor girls really were wiped out and he had some hope that their next appointment wouldn’t take too long. He was pretty tired himself but he had more endurance than the two young girls.

He heard the crowd of people before they arrived, the area ahead of the main door leading out from the castle being trafficked by stable boys and personal servants. Nino paused, quickly scanning the crowd and picking out any individual not directly associated with the castle. The girls stopped close behind him without prompting, allowing him to survey the scene before moving them out into the open, placing them in front. He could trust the crowd to part quickly (once he commanded them to do so, which he liked doing quite a bit) and felt more comfortable ensuring no one could get behind or near them.

When he next glanced down at the girls all traces of their child-like complaining were gone, and they were once again perfectly polished as they paced down the hall towards their expected positions. He felt that familiar ache at how straight they stood, but knew they’d get some time to relax soon.

He did as was expected of him, marching along behind them till they came to rest at one side of the exit, prepared to wait and accept farewells from departing nobility. With a spark of delight Nino noticed their place to wait was next to Adrien who was already there, his own detail waiting a short distance behind him. He was happy to see that Adrien noticed him too, the guard receiving the barest indication of a nod which he returned as subtly. Adrien had a great talent for smiling with his eyes, so he knew his presence was a welcome one.

Nino spent a little time considering if there was some way for him to secretly mess with Adrien for fun, him being a royal who he was actually confident in being directly friendly with. Unfortunately his guard was so tight that there wasn’t much he could do, so he was left to just keeping an eye out.

He tried to ignore the empty space across from them, purposefully left open by the few council members who were already in position. It was up in front in a prominent location so it did not leave much room for doubt who was meant to stand there, but he tried to discard it.

To pass the time for the cast to assemble he decided that a particular servant dressed in a dusty green was definitely suspicious and tried to imagine all the minute ways that he was absolutely going to cause some trouble… but his eyes kept drifting back to that empty place.

He shook his head, the movement apparently noticeable enough in Adrien’s periphery that he turned to look but he didn’t return it, trying to focus on the movement he saw coming through the door. Adrien was still staring back at him, missing for the moment as the last person they were waiting on stepped out to join them.

But seeing instead, a flicker of absolute disbelief rock the guard right where he was standing.

With a jolt Adrien took in the look on Nino’s face, the stoic guard transforming for a moment into a wide eyed, awe-stricken man. The flash of shock was unmistakable, though brief, and Adrien nearly snapped his neck to see what he was looking at.

Stepping innocently into the open space was someone he knew very well, a gorgeous woman of course but one who Nino certainly should be a little more used to seeing by now. She had appeared suddenly yes, but Alya WAS someone they were waiting for to join them, though perhaps Nino wouldn’t have known that.

Adrien quickly analyzed the scene, trying to deduce quickly what was so world-shaking in the moment. She looked wonderful today, her dress a deep wine color laced delicately across with patterns of gold thread. Every color she carried was warm and rich, and as she stepped forward she was playing with the red ends of her hair which were uncharacteristically braided off the one side and cascading over her shoulder. Her whole countenance seemed warmed to him, complimented by the choice of accent to her hair.

It was red poppies, he noted, delicately braided into her hair as it flowed forward and framed her face.

Adrien was about to look back towards Nino when Alya turned smartly to take her place across from them, a greeting rising to her lips but pausing as her eyes slid up, and over. Her gaze rose above her sisters’ heads and settled on someone behind them, and he was glad to catch the subtlest of looks.

Her hazel eyes were intensely fixed as her mouth twitched in the hint of a smile. And barely, just barely, she reached up to stroke one of the poppies fixed in place, her gaze deliberate and mirthful.

Now finally Adrien risked another glance behind, trailing her gaze at the guard who was looking anywhere but her.

Nino was stiff, his expression fixed and solid but the warmth in his face impossible to conceal as quickly. He didn’t dare move, holding fast to his position and his responsibilities like it was a lifeline. His dark skin hid a lot of what Adrien knew was an incredibly deep flush, and instantly his mind was reeling at a million miles an hour. He could barely stay still himself as he tried to look between the two of them as subtly as he could.

Alya was looking away now, grinning a bit TOO widely as she greeted all the gathered council members. Nino was perfectly still, never looking back in her direction.

Adrien was screaming in his head, wondering what the heck that was about, but also doing his due diligence for his friend. He rapidly glanced around, happy to see that all the other council members were too self-involved to have noticed the look on Nino’s face. His obscurity was working in his favor, and as far as he could tell he was the only one who had caught the look. But he HAD caught the look and he was so, desperately confused. Why did Alya look so smug? He knew her well enough to tell when she was trying to conceal some kind of humor. When Nino wouldn’t meet his eye he decided that he might actually explode if he didn’t do something, so he settled on Alya as an appropriate target.

“Good evening your highness,” he greeted warmly, concealing his desperate curiosity with the expertise of a noble, “You are looking very well today.”

“Good evening,” she quickly returned, smiling openly at him. She was still playing with her hair, adjusting one of the flowers and twisting its stem in her fingers. “You are looking well yourself sir.”

Adrien assessed the situation and took a stab, zeroing in on the only thing about her he could really identify as different. “The way you’ve styled your hair today is particularly nice, Princess.”

When she beamedhe rejoiced in his mind, feeling like he was on target. “Oh thank you your highness, are these flowers not beautiful? I had thought they were so gorgeous, I couldn’t help but ask my maidens to include them.” Her smile softened every so slightly, and she closed with “Poppies are my favorite.”

Adrien was left floundering a little at that, not learning too much but that had to be something. He wanted to check with Nino but he felt he had looked back too many times. He couldn’t find an excuse to turn with his friend positioned behind him, so he kept a close eye on Alya instead. However, to his disappointment, she did not look over at the guard again.

It wasn’t long before the trail of nobles began, the main entrance becoming a hub of pleasantries as every departing official stopped to give their various farewells to the individuals gathered. The twins curtsied smartly on every queue and Alya accepted each goodbye with grace and energy. The elder Princess smiled and laughed politely where necessary, spending the moment entertaining a particularly long-winded goodbye which was starting to cause a traffic jam. The gathered council members waited patiently to do these frivolous-important niceties, all the guards gathered keeping a careful, watchful eye.

Except for one royal guard who was silently, imperceptibly, slipping away.  

Nino’s heart was hammering in his chest, his armor trapping the ramping heat of his body inside with him. His armor did one favor as well though, being bulky enough to give him the allusion of perfect stillness.

He wasn’t looking at her, he was watching the door, attempting to see the nobles there, his nerves fried as he tried to do his job. But no matter where he looked, the image of her remained in his mind, burned to his eyes like a ghost of the sun.

The image was of her, perfectly fixed in his minds eye. The details of her gown were lost, the crowd around her blurred and unfocused. But her face, it was so clear to him, in the fraction of a second they had locked eyes.

He was reminded of his word for her, the knowledge that, for what little else he knew of her, that she was in essence

Unbreakable.

He scanned the nobles as heat kept crawling up his back, the flashing red of poppies in the corner of his eye never letting him forget they were there.

It wasn’t just the flowers. It was the look. The barely concealed mirth, the way she looked to him to see his reaction, because she was expecting a reaction.

The way she slowly touched its petals, and pinched the stem between her fingers. Ensuring that he knew that they were there. Because she wanted him to know that they were there.

He spent the time grappling with that feeling in his chest, the hollow spot that solidified and burned. Noble after noble passed amidst the sea of their servants and common folk who wandered so close to more valued people, but infinitely separated from them.

He saw young maidens hold coats for their masters, looking to the ground because they were to never look them in the eye.

And he could see the princess’s hazel gaze burned into him no matter where he hid, marking him with the weight of their attention.

In the corner of his vision, Alya smiled, and curtsied, and nodded. She was royal, and proper. In the corner of his vision she accepted gifts she subtly passed away to gathered servants, as she likely had hundreds of time before.

But it was his gift she was wearing. It was his gesture she carried with her.

For a moment, despite his anxieties, he could not pretend he was unnoticed.

Nino loitered uncertainly in the corridor a short distance from the King’s chambers, pulling with undeniably shaky fingers at his royal seal. Being dressed in Full Armor did not fill him with as much pride as it had before, instead now it serves as a reminder for the scrutiny he was about to be under.

Nino leaned out from his hiding spot in a random archway, hoping his two-sided luck would hold and Adrien might appear. He just wanted some kind of reassurance that he looked appropriate for an audience with the King. The last time he had one he had been in torn worker’s clothes with too-big tattered boots and an old sword at his hip. The things he wore now were significantly more impressive but… if he wore any of it wrong he’d look just as much like a farmer as he did when he first got there.

All the senior guards had conveniently ignored him this morning… so he had no confirmation one way or another.

The thought made his hands feel hot as he struggled to repress that twist of anger. So much hard-won ground had been shattered underneath him last night. Part of him resented the Captain for causing such a scene, but no doubt she had her own opinions. He couldn’t even imagine how long she must have fought and struggled to be acknowledged even once by the royal family, or perhaps her motivation was more on behalf of her men. He couldn’t tell, not like he even knew what this was all about yet, but even as far in as the royal chambers he could practically feel all the veterans rooting against him, hoping he would be punished somehow. Like that would somehow be fair.

There were a few who didn’t care about his summon, Kim for one. He had caught wind of Nino’s little scene with the royal family from all the gossip, but it hadn’t occurred to him to mind at all. He was just sad he had missed it since it sounded so hilarious, and though Kim probably didn’t mean it as supportive per say Nino was grateful for it regardless. And the Captain has relaxed as well after her initial outburst so… he had no idea where he stood with her. Still, whatever allies he had retained hadn’t been around to help him get ready. He had only ever worn full armor once, and while he was reasonably sure he had done it right, he felt abruptly…

Alone.

Nino waited as long as he could, pulling at the straps of his armor and trying to keep his anxiety from paralyzing him as the seal slipped and folded. The more he tugged at it and the more it bunched and slipped, the more stranded he felt.

Servants and messengers passed him quietly, their duties sending them streaming passed like he was left to stand on a solitary bank, untouched by the current. He was almost out of time to stall now, and he took a moment of his privacy to breathe.

For the first time in a while… he felt like a farm boy. Holding his father’s sword in a field and pretending to be a soldier.

He breathed deeply again, attempting to steel himself in whatever way he could, when-

“It’s the loop.”

 The voice could not have been gentler, but the guard jumped regardless, turning quickly to face the interrupted stream.

Nino looked and found a servant meeting his gaze, the girl looking apologetic for startling him but raising her free hand to point at his shoulder. “The seal,” she explained, her voice girlish and sweet, “If it doesn’t catch it won’t stay, you can’t pin it or it will slip when you move.”

The girl smiled warmly and shifted the weight of the basket on her hip. She was dressed plainly, like a worker, but her natural beauty could not be hidden in simple clothing. Her dark black hair poured loosely on her shoulders, and she matched him with kind, blue eyes as she waited for a response.

“The- oh-,” he finally answered, feeling a little lame as he tried to look. His armor was too bulky to allow him to see what she might have meant, but before he could come up with the words to ask she was placing her things against the archway and stepping forward to help him.

“It’s easier to do it as you’re getting dressed,” she coached gently, stretching up onto her tip-toes to fidget with the weighty cloth. She smiled when he tilted his shoulder down to make it easier for her, now crouched a little awkwardly but trying to be accommodating.

He was quiet for an unsteady moment more, but when she stepped back to examine her work he couldn’t help but blurt out, “T-thank you!”

“Anytime,” she answered genuinely, making a show of checking for any other problems.

He hurried to hold his arms out, eager and relieved to have the second opinion. He smiled and sighed happily when she nodded, finding no other faults and nodding her head once more in confirmation.

“So everything’s good?” he double checked anyways, grateful that she was humoring him, even if she laughed a little.

“Fit for a King,” she reassured him.

The stranger bent down to retrieve her things but Nino beat her to it, quickly picking up her basket so he could hand it to her.

“Thank you so much,” he said again, laughing a little. “Genuinely. You have no idea how much better I feel having someone to tell me I don’t look like an idiot.” He rubbed at the back of his hair a little with a gloved hand, a gesture he could never really kick. “I get… uh, nervous,” he admitted.

To his surprise she laughed again, the sound of it sweet. “Everyone does, it’s okay. But I am glad I could make you feel better.”

“What’s your name?” he asked quickly when it looked like she was going to leave.

“Marinette. And I know who you are,” she answered with a slight curtsy. “It’s very nice to meet you Nino.”

Nino stood there with a dumb expression on his face, opening his mouth as if to respond but falling short, settling for a frown when she laughed at him again. “… my captain might have a point about my name getting around.”

“It’s not a bad thing, honest! It’s just that, well, the servants talked a lot about you when you first showed up.” She gave him a little shrug and another one of her smiles, gesturing with her head down the hallway. It took him a second to realize she was urging him to get going, probably having some sense that he was going to be late. “It makes sense for all of us to know who you are.”

“I guess…,” he allowed, glad when he noticed she was heading the same direction as him. They walked a little while. “Do people… like me?”

She laughed again and he frowned at her playfully, but she didn’t seem to mind making fun of him. And, honestly, that was pretty nice.

“Yes Nino, people like you, you’re a hero to a lot of them you know.”

“Oh, well I-… hm,” he hummed quietly, naturally walking with practiced steps now as they made their way towards the royal rooms. After a moment he said, “I never really set out to be a hero or anything. I was just trying to find paying work.” He mulled it over for a second and gave her a shrug too. “Guess I got a little overzealous.”

He shared in her laugh this time, some of the posted guards he passed giving him a look, but he didn’t care. The servants that passed them in hurried errands watched them curiously, a few of them smiling even, and that held a lot more weight to him, he realized.

As they walked and talked lightly about not much at all, it occurred to him that he might be worrying a little too much about what people thought again.

A simple thought that probably wouldn’t stick but… hey, he was trying.

 He hadn’t been very far from his destination when he faltered, so it wasn’t much of a walk until they were passing the royal chambers he was familiar with, Marinette pausing in front of the door he recognized as Alya’s. He couldn’t help but peer at it curiously, Marinette diverting his attention for a moment with a curtsy.

“Thank you for escorting me, sir,” she said for show, Nino aware for the first time of the two guards posted outside the princess’s room watching them intently.

“No problem mam,” he replied with a bow, Marinette giggling a little at the informality. He swore he heard one of the guards huff, but whatever. Screw them.

He was done trying to impress people who didn’t matter.

“Thank you again,” he added, lingering a little to look through the gap she created as she opened the door. He couldn’t see anyone inside, the servant possibly looking to complete a task while the princess was away.

“Anytime,” she repeated.

It was too short but… they both looked at the posted guards, and reluctantly they let their interaction end. Nino was quite possibly going to be late now and that was completely unacceptable, but he had gotten so caught up in the small talk.

As Marinette disappeared inside he was left to hustle down the hallway, hyper aware now of the servants as he passed them. The hallway wasn’t too crowded as he crossed the short distance to the King’s chambers, but a few of them looked. A few of them smiled.

And he felt a little less abandoned.

The King’s Chambers were empty as he paced his room, wanting to enjoy this rare moment of solitude but his mind too heavy with guarded thoughts. He didn’t even find peace enough to sit, though he wouldn’t have been able to. Every chair in his well-furnished chamber was stacked with parchments and letters, each one a source of distraction. He paused for a moment and picked one up, finding yet another confirmation of attendance, which was good, he supposed. More arguments to be had, more things to discuss. All the same things, so little ever decided. He had managed to spare his children from this particular round of discussion, even Alya though she of course assumed it was out of punishment. Still though, he knew she wouldn’t complain.

As soon as his thoughts turned towards his daughters, he was interrupted by the familiar wrap of an armored hand on the door.

“Your summon is here for you, sire,” one of his personal guards called in, his voice stilted and professional.

Otis stood for a moment… frowning. … had he called for someone? A servant perhaps. To send something? He hoped not, he had nothing to be sending. Or did he have something and he had just forgotten? That was probably… bad. If he had sent for a messenger, he definitely had a message that needed sending, but- hm…

“Come,” the King called, fully prepared to make something up. One perk of being the King is that you usually went unquestioned, but he felt a little haggard and old to have something slip his-

The door opened and a tall guard stepped calmly through, and the moment the King saw his face he was relieved to have his conversation with the Captain the day before suddenly spring to mind.

RIGHT.

“Yes, yes, I remember now,” he muttered out loud by way of greeting, gesturing at the guard as he took a post near the door closing behind him, bowing obediently. “Excellent, you’re right on time. I intended to speak with you in person. Nino, yes?” he confirmed his name despite being fairly certain of it, if only to give him an opening to respond.

“Yes Your Majesty,” he replied right away, his voice firm.

The King paced closer, his hands folded behind his back as he examined him. He had not scrutinized him this closely since Adrien had first brought him to be considered, having not even seen him again until yesterday. He was dressed appropriately and held himself more confidently then he had when they had first met, but he had grown since then. Not is stature, but something else.

He was made of something stronger now.

The King looked away from him, enjoying the moment but not having long to spend on this. His eyes wandered over the many papers and tomes that required his attention, but he looked back to the boy to give him what focus he was due.

“Did your Captain inform you of the nature of this summon?” he asked plainly, lifting a stack of papers from one of the chairs nearby.

“No sire.”

“Really?” Otis replied, shrugging a little. “I suppose I didn’t tell her much. When I asked her about your performance, she was begrudgingly honest.” The King couldn’t help but smile at him with humor. “I think a guard sticking out so much annoys her, but between you and I she has no room to be so critical.”

He rolled his eyes, and Nino was struck briefly by how humanizing that was, though the King himself did not seem to notice.

“I still remember when that tiny woman fought her way through the entire Knight’s Tourney and lit the social hierarchy of the castle on fire just by showing up,” he continued with a chuckle. “Comparatively? You are very quiet. But second to a hurricane is to be expected.”

There was a moment where the boy said nothing, but when he looked up at his silence the guard smiled. “The Captain carves a figure sire, I don’t want to make her angry.”

“Wise man!” Otis exclaimed, rewarding him with a smile and enjoying how this seemed to make him relax a little.

This young lad has been here for a season now, but despite what may have been his best effort he still did not quite vanish into the crowd like he must have intended. However, he could understand why his daughter’s might have been intrigued by that difference.

“I have duties for you to attend to, so I will keep this brief. I’m sure you have taken notice of the number of visitors the castle is entertaining at the moment…?” Otis let it hang in the air, waiting for Nino’s ‘Yes Sire,’ before continuing. “Well, we will be expecting a good deal more within the coming weeks for political purposes and the castle will be crowded as a result. I’m sure you can understand that security is our highest priority.”

“Of course sire,” he obediently replied, looking serious.

Otis gave him a slight nod of approval, elaborating as he stepped away to look over the papers crowded on his desk. “With every noble comes an entourage of guards who aren’t ours and servants we don’t know. Things are bound to be overheard and whispered about before long… For the most part the people give me their good faith, but the air within the castle grounds is sure to be tense, in time.” He looked over at the guard standing attentively, eager it seemed to show him that same good faith he spoke of. He nearly smiled again but kept his expression even.

“In times like these, I worry about my daughters. With so many people in the castle I tend to restrict their movements and they resent me for it, but my intentions are good. We have many guards and this is their home, but until we have our privacy it is best if they stay in this wing of the castle, unless needed elsewhere.”

Otis made a vague gesture with his free hand, pointing out towards the direction of the hall somewhat dismissively.

“We have our regular detail of course, they will remain, but when it came to their personal guard you came to mind.”

The King had been looking through the papers in his hands with distraction but glanced up just in time to catch the shock running across the young man’s face. He mastered it quickly of course, fumbling for a professional distance but his earnest nature betraying him somewhat. This time Otis couldn’t help his smile, seeing what his wife may have meant when she spoke of him. He did seem… young. But he wasn’t a fool. He had spoken to both the Captain and Adrien directly on this matter, and even if Alix had done so with distaste, she gave a fair and honest report on his abilities. Whether she was pleased or not to have her senior guards passed over, she assured him that the young man was capable and driven.

“They like you,” the King explained, raising an eyebrow slightly and was glad to see that the boy still had enough wits about him to look nervous. “They told me all about you yesterday… I was skeptical, but it was my wife who encouraged me to reconsider. It was her suggestion that we assign you to them.”

He continued to watch the boy carefully, attempting to gauge his emotions and finding this moment important. The safety of his children was no small consideration.

“They are bound to hate me for cooping them up,” he continued, sighing, “but I am prepared for that. The least I can do is give them someone they like. They might get bored eventually but it’s worth a try if it means keeping them happy.” He grumbled a little at how this might go poorly for him… and after a moment he narrowed his eyes, sealing the guard to the spot.

“My daughters mean everything to me, your first priority is always their safety. However, if you can manage to also keep them happy and behaved… I encourage you to try.”

Otis relaxed only slightly and looked away to give the boy room to release the breath he was holding. “Who knows, they might even listen to you. You’ve had great luck before, perhaps you’ll have some more.”

“Thank you, your Majesty,” the boy said somewhat breathlessly, his expression awed and determined. It was very similar to the look her had given him before, when he was awarded a place in the castle. “It is… an honor, sire.”

The young guard bowed deeply, overwhelmed it would seem. Otis nodded and waited for him to stand, looking him in the eye. Nino did not look away at first, perhaps he did not think to. Little things like that showed where he came from, but as he hurried to correct himself Otis had faith that he had practice where it counted. Maybe not in courtesy or court proceedings but… he seemed earnest, and incredibly loyal.

When the boy had stood before him as he was sworn into the guard, he had sworn his fealty with an intensity he could never have appreciated from one of his people; his greater, humbler people. He could do with more time, and teachings… but there was also something else. Something unteachable that Adrien had assured him of.

He would gladly give his life to uphold what he had sworn to, and that intensity gave him some small comfort. It was a position of relatively little risk, for now. He was the last one in a long line of obstacles between the world and his daughters, but that final barrier was an important one. He was curious to see how this farmer would do.

“You will be assigned as the personal guard of my twin daughters; you are not to leave their side until the visitations have concluded. Then we will see what to make of you.”

Something flashed across his face, just minutely.

 Oh.

The twins?

Oh. Yes, of course.

Of course, he had meant the twins. That made a lot of sense. He had just sort of assumed- but, well he had said they. He just thought he meant- well the daughters. But yes, the twins. He was to watch the twins.

Nino wrestled with the pride that grew within him, in a war for his life with the grin threatening to compromise his composure. He was bursting at the seams with energy, completely overwhelmed with determination. Within one audience he was again aware of the seal on his shoulder, the vibrant purple of it so present in his mind he thought he might drown in it. HA! And so many of the old bastards in the guard were waiting for him to fail! Hoping he would be punished!

The King milled around his desk for a moment, murmuring to himself and sifting through papers, and despite his confidence high he felt another spark of unease as he was unsure of what to do. He hadn’t actually been-

“That will be all I imagine,” the King finally said, “You are to defer to your Captain for orders and instruction, though I imagine the Knights may wish to speak with you as well. You are dismissed, but Nino,” he added abruptly, cutting off the bow the boy was about to give him. He looked him in the eye again, stressing his authority. “Remain attentive.”

“I- yes, of course Your Majesty,” Nino managed, his pride somewhat deflated by what seemed to be doubt, but he shook it off easily enough as he bent into a deep bow. Fine then, he thought to himself as he stood up straight, turning and leaving with measured, confident steps.

All he could ask for were opportunities. Chances, risks, that’s all. His whole life here was a series of gambles he stubbornly leaned into, again and again, and he wasn’t about to quit now. Part of him was ashamed of himself for ever wavering, letting his worries get the better of him as he quaked in the hidden archway like a child. Everyone was waiting for it to collapse in on him, and maybe he was as well. But until then, he thought, marching down the hall standing above all the others,

I’m not stopping.

 -----------------------------

“STOP! Stop that both of you!”

Nino’s desperate shouts were met with mischievous laughs, overlapping each other and shrieking shrilly as he dashed through the ruined chamber, snatching Ella from the edge of her balcony as her sister screamed and ran passed him, diving for her bed and crawling underneath. Ella flailed in his arms, still in one of her formal dresses despite the fact that she was supposed to be in bed AGES ago, rebelling against him as they had the time of their lives. “Etta! Get out of there right now!”

All he got back was her screaming laughter, kicking further beneath the bed as Ella finally wrestled free and ran to join her, laughing hysterically as Nino caught one of her ankles, tugging her back. As he pulled her back and groaned in frustration he fell heavily to one knee, Ella tucked underneath one arm as he crouched and fished his free hand underneath the huge bed frame. He barely caught the edges of Etta’s dress with his finger tips but it was enough to get a grip, apologizing in his mind to the seamstress he knew was responsible for their dresses repair and tugging harshly, sliding the giggling princess out into the open so he could glare at her.

This was SO not his damn job.

“Your handmaidens are going to be here any minute so both of you settle down! It’s bed time and I expect you to listen!”

“You can’t tell us what to do!” Etta piped up, her face scrunching up as her playful sneer was ruined by her laughter. “We’re princesses!”

“Oh, don’t even try it,” Nino muttered, scooping her up under his other arm and toting them towards the bed as they laughed and laughed, knowing full well that excuse didn’t work anymore.

The twins thought they were so funny, nobody entertained them like they could entertain themselves. Separated they were docile but together they were ridiculous, and honestly it was his own fault.

He’d been at this for two weeks now and he was losing his mind trying to contain the monsters he had made of these two little girls.

Everything had started out just fine. It had honestly made his day to see the look on their faces when he was presented to them as their personal guard. They had been in public company at the time so they did their best to restrain themselves, their parents strict lessons on formality no doubt ringing in their ears but they still grinned up at him with joy. He didn’t bother to hide his warm smile in return, letting them be excited, and letting himself be a little excited as well. He took his position very seriously, but he was relishing in the opportunity he had reflected upon before. How these kids could not be children, there in the halls or even in the body of the castle. They had been children only a few times since he had met them and they had come to know his name, twice in a hallway and once in a field… and he had wished then that he might give them more of that.

But THIS was bullshit.

Nino tossed them both roughly onto the bed, giving them a glowering look that they both seemed unphased by, rolling around and laughing to themselves. He gave a heavy sigh and smoothed down their dresses, in the middle of reminding them to be lady like with their skirts when there was a knock on the door.

“Speak,” he called out, having to project to be heard.

He immediately sighed in relief when the familiar voice of one of their handmaidens reached him, turning and heading towards the door as he said, “Enter.”

The girls sat upright but were still laughing to themselves as the handmaiden entered, carrying their sleepwear in her hands and greeting them sweetly. However, when she looked up at Nino her greeting died in her throat, instead replaced by a sympathetic chuckle.

“Having a hard time?”

“That’s one way of putting it,” he grumbled sourly, allowing the princesses to hear him and grimacing at their chorus of laughter. Nino gave the maiden the most genuine look of frustration he could possibly muster as he abandoned the girls and crossed over to her, saying quieter, “The other way of putting it is not age appropriate.”

He got a laugh out of her like he had been hoping, her muffled giggles into the cloth she was holding enough to mollify him a little (only a little). Mylene, as she was called, looked up at him with pity, and then suddenly held out her things for him to hold.

He took them in confusion but watched obediently as Mylene slowly reached up to tie back her thickly corded hair with a long cloth, her expression settling into the most relieving thing he could possibly see.

The mom face.

He sighed audibly as she snatched back their things from him, calling out in a sing song voice, “Now, your highnesses,” and it was utterly effective.

The twins halted in their bouncing, growing still as their maiden strode towards them, scolding them in that same, oddly firm sing-song tone. “You know it’s time to be getting ready for bed, so it’s not very fair to give your guard a hard time now is it?”

Etta and Ella were quiet, shooting each other looks before mumbling something like, “Well you weren’t here-,”

“Yeah so we were playing and-,”

“Well,” Mylene cut them off, busying herself with gathering them up despite their protests, “me running a little behind is no reason to run rampant, so let’s get you two ready.”

She waved her hands at them dismissively as their complaints got more pronounced, and Nino couldn’t help but smile smugly when they glared at him. It was a petty victory to have to rely on the maidens again but he didn’t have that way with them yet, he was a guard not a caretaker. Usually at least one of their four maidens was with them, the leader of the bunch being Mylene, but in the brief time where they were not… it was chaos.

He had no one but himself to blame.

He jolted from his thoughts when Mylene suddenly turned on him as well, coming at him quickly and shooing him with her hands, pushing him out the door while explaining, “Go! They need to be washed and changed I’m already late as it is, go!” And then he was out in the hallway, left to breathe a blissful sigh.

Thank god for the maidens… it was almost an entirely genuine prayer, he thought it with as much reverence.

Nino posted up near the door to the twin’s room, relaxing a little more than he might normally since his presence was clearly superfluous. There were six other guards in this hallway alone, not to mention how many of them were posted nearby. The other guards looked over at him when he was pushed out into the open, but quickly returned to minding their spaces and he was left without their attention.

This was more or less his routine, having gone through a similar schedule every day for the last two weeks. What the young princesses were expected to do to occupy their time changed every day, but their movements were so restricted through the bulk of the castle’s meetings that for the most part they spent their day in the same wing they slept in. Nino was forced to stand by quietly as they diligently practiced and studied, watching over them as they saw to their lessons and whiled away their time. There were very few pockets of chaos as they did this, normally reserved for when he was escorting them back to their rooms for the evening to sew or read. That’s when they would start getting rowdy, and he would have to corral them inside when they were at their most energetic. Of course they would be, they were asked to sit and curtsy and sing for hours during the morning and early afternoon, they were children of course they get hyper. So, he tried to be understanding of their little outbursts but god it was so hard to manage. The handmaidens had a masterful approach by now that he did not, and since he was their most interesting ‘new friend’ he was put through quite a bit.

The maidens had gotten to quite like him, thankfully, Mylene being one of the only ones he had actually met beforehand. He often saw her hanging around Ivan, waiting for him to be done with his shifts or crowding around to watch him spar. No doubt she had been with him before realizing she was going to be late, but who was he to ask. The thought made him smile.

That was a little inappropriate, a royal guard and a handmaiden, but it wasn’t so bad. He was noble born but its not like he was a duke or anything, and she was high up in the inner circle as one of the young princesses’ caretakers. So it wasn’t so bad, and almost no one minded. Not that Ivan had admitted to it yet, despite everybody’s teasing.

The only other servant in the royal company that he recognized before starting was Marinette, and that was only by a handful of hours. He knew her now to be the chamber attendant to Her Royal Highness Alya Cesaire, but he did not get to see her often. A few pleasant conversations but not much more yet.

It was starting to get late as his mind slowly began to turn towards the twin’s older sister, but he was distracted before long by the gentle, distant call of his charges from inside.

He smiled, both at their insistence of telling him good night, and at the fact that he would soon be off duty. He was working for the entirety of their waking hours so breaks and privacy were rare and short lived. Still though, as a result the pay was astronomically better and just two weeks of work put him miles ahead in his family’s winter fund so… he wasn’t going to complain.

The job had plenty of perks too, he supposed.

He knocked before entering and shut the door quietly behind of him, in a significantly more even mood now that he had had a moment to recollect himself. He was actually about to apologize for being rough with them when he looked up and across the room to their bed and was disarmed by a smile.

“Hello farm boy,” Alya greeted quietly, focusing more on tucking the girls in for the moment, but glancing over to receive his returning smile. And his little bow.

“Hello Your Highness,” he answered without hesitation, gesturing to the door on the left wall that connected this room to her own, “I hadn’t realized you were in your room. I apologize if we were being loud.”

“Oh I’m always in my room,” she grumbled quietly, moving a strand of hair from Ella’s face and only speaking up to say, “And I don’t mind the noise. It sounded like the girls were having fun, even if,” and she glared at them, “it was at their guard’s expense?”

The twins giggled but did not answer, offering no apology whatsoever and Alya looked back just in time to see Nino roll his eyes.

The girls were still giggly but it looked like they were getting tired, Mylene still somewhere nearby it sounded like, probably wrapping up for the night. His replacements to guard the door should be arriving soon, and everyone was getting ready to end the day.

Nino was just in the process of deciding whether or not he was allowed to strike up a conversation when Alya stood up a little abruptly, smoothing her somewhat simple (but still elegant) dress with her hands. She leaned over to kiss both of her sisters on the forehead, stepping away towards him with the intention to pass him it seemed like, and he squashed his disappointment at the missed moment. Tomorrow maybe… but she seemed to be busying herself, already at the hall door by the time she was addressing her sisters.

“Sleep tight you two, and don’t be making a fuss. You’ve been a little too rowdy today and I’m going to be giving your Night Guards a special instruction to come and put you both to bed if they hear anything. So stay in bed.”

She gave them what felt like a fake glare and Nino had no doubt they intended to ignore her entirely but… that was night guards problem.

Still though he raised an eyebrow at her hasty exit, leaving as soon as he arrived and forgoing the door that just went to her room. Instead she was going to take the hall, so she could pass on a message? But she could have just asked him to do that, he was the one passing off to them anyways.

He was going to suggest this when Alya just opened the hall door, giving the twins a final good night and Nino a goodbye of his own, before she quickly but quietly shut the door behind her, and he was alone with the girls once again.

Well the girls and Mylene but she was busy.

Nino was still looking at the hall door with a frown when the twin’s tried to get his attention but…

“Sir Guard,” Ella whined, “Ninnoooo,” and he finally turned, clearly distracted and looking back towards the hall a few times.

“Yes?”

“Goodnight!” Etta exclaimed, like it was obvious, waving a little though he was fairly close to her. Her sister copied her and Nino waved back, smiled, but then looked back to the door, a bad feeling creeping up on him.

The twins were saying something more but he started to make a hasty exit of his own, mollifying them with a few warm goodnights and assurances that he would see them in the morning, but heading quickly for the door as well.

Because it had taken him a moment to realize but the replacements for the night weren’t actually there yet.

Nino opened the door with a little more gusto then necessary and left his charges pouting a bit but he had something slightly more pressing to be concerned with.

Nino entered the quiet, stuffy stone hallway with a significant spike in awareness, not taking anything lightly just because there were others around to watch his back. Mostly because, judging by the gap in security, he wasn’t actually as covered as he had assumed.

He looked down towards Alya’s room and felt a horrible crawl of dread against his skin as he saw her two personal guards waiting obliviously a good distance away, distracted by something and talking amongst themselves. The two of them were still of course doing their job and guarding the door, but…

Nino had a terrible feeling that they were under the impression it was occupied.

‘Okay, okay that’s fine. We don’t need to freak out yet, she couldn’t have made it too far surely someone would have seen her,’ he thought to himself placatingly, looking frantically down both ends of the hall and not seeing much besides a good chunk of guards who couldn’t have possibly missed that. So she must be back inside because how could they have not seen her.

Right so… Nino shifted his weight uneasily, the clink of his boots muffled slightly on the plush, ornate rugs left everywhere. She was out of his sight for… maybe thirty seconds, which was growing rapidly as he hemmed and hawed. He had every reason to assume that surely the six other guards in the hall had seen her standing there, taken her message on behalf of the night watch and escorted her back to her room. Yeah, that’s what happened probably, he probably just missed her.

He tried to let himself breathe a little, but he felt warm and uncomfortable for awhile more anyways. That was pretty irresponsible of him… in his defense he had been directly called in by royalty and could not disobey and there was plenty of presence in the hall, and his position inside the room always constituted that room as guarded regardless of the positions at the door, but if he wasn’t at the door and someone left then he was left relying on everyone else to catch it.

And he didn’t like relying on anyone else.

But what could he do really, order one of the others to watch his door for him? Half of the guard hated him, and the royal hall was almost always reserved for senior guards so usually everyone in the hallway hated him. So they would likely not listen to him anyways, or report him for negligence.

Oh well that was a great thought… they were probably just waiting till the ends of their shifts now to tell Alix about how Alya left the twin’s room unattended.

It was like, two seconds… ugh.

The severity of their watch really must be driving the daughters crazy at this point, and Nino fought a frown at the thought. Two full weeks of constant uninterrupted watch, and it would keep on for a few more days, or so the servants had told him.

Nino continued to bear the stiff silence of the hall, the only sound the occasional chatter from Alya’s guards a ways away from him. He watched them with a skeptical eye for a while, wondering where they got off chatting so much. And moving so much, every few minutes one of them would wander off and check the windows, looking around before returning to their post.

With such diligence, inconsistent though it seemed to be they surely saw Alya leave, and surely returned her to her room. It was almost as certain that this likely irritated her which… he completely understood. He mourned his own privacy while working so closely with the twins, he couldn’t imagine that being the entirety of his life. The rumors he had heard over time of the princesses (mostly Alya) sneaking off or even attempting to evade their guard (again, mostly Alya) had been entertaining when he heard them, but now as they occurred to him they seemed a little dismal. And also a little alarming, but again, six guards in a hallway. Wasn’t even a problem. Some of them weren’t even facing this door and a few of them were talking amongst themselves but still, six.

Regardless, he wished he could offer her royal highness some kind of reprieve, more so then kind smiles and informal chit-chat whenever he could spare it. If he could give her freedom he liked to think he would, so long as she didn’t try to run off on him.

Which she wouldn’t do, and hadn’t done, especially not now.

…

Doubt clung to his back as he started to shift uneasily in place, trying to decide just how much stock he was willing to put in rumors versus the capability of his fellow guards. He watched her personal detail start talking again, laughing at something and turning away… and his fear for the worst grew past his ability to give good faith.

“Ehem,” he eventually dared, every guard in the hallway instantly turning to regard him and nearly all of them sneering. He swallowed slightly but straightened his back, trying and failing to be casual as he said, “Um, just a status report. Before I leave for the night um… but where is the eldest princess? She’s… in her room, I suppose?”

There was a brief disbelieving silence before four of the guards just straight up ignored him, the final two being Alya’s personal detail who snorted condescendingly.

“Obviously,” cracked the senior guard, his partner laughing meanly as if to mock him. “What the hell you think we’ve been doing all day?” The two shot each other a look, shaking their heads at his idiocy and returning to their not so diligent guard,

of a completely empty room.

 “Ah,” was all Nino replied.

Nino’s job, when all was said and done, was exactly as he had defined it to be before.

His job was to be dangerous and stand in front of a door, and oh man was he standing in front of one right that very moment.

An important door. Nothing more important than important doors and deciding who was important enough to enter important doors, now that was important. Now surely he wasn’t remotely important enough for this particular door but he sure was allowed to be watching it, and he was currently, right that second, watching the hell out of that door.

God damn he was so bored…

Nino shifted in place, repressing a sigh and trying not to resent the elegant stone hallway he waited in. He was very close to the center of the castle so the architecture was at its finest, the hall he was helping to watch was literally attached to the throne room so it was about as deep into the castle as one could get. Normally he’d be excited about this since it was clearly something big, but when he had made his way to his post he became aware of just how many guards had been called. The hall was very large and had a good amount of entrances, but even for all those entry points the number of guards had seemed large to him. Essentially his entire unit was present, so he was a little chagrined to realize the assignment was nothing special.

Still though, it was a little odd. It spoke to the sheer volume of important people who had been called to this meeting, and part of him fought off a vague sense of unease.

When they had first stood by and allowed entrance, he had watched noble after noble pass through, whispering hurriedly and wondering why they had been summoned, a few looking stoic and calm as if they already knew.

Again he wished he had been stationed inside instead of out here, and he suppressed another sigh. Eavesdropping was one of the perks of the job to be honest, he might not get to make any decisions but at least he got to listen to some of them. Unfortunately, fancy people were usually careful about exactly where their guards were, so even when they paced the hallways and passed him by at his various posts he only caught bits and pieces, never enough to interest him.

It was drilled into the royal guards repeatedly that doing anything with any information you might happen to overhear was treason, and of course Nino had no genuine intentions behind knowing anything, but it was human to wonder. Something to think about other than doors at least.

It had been a little less than two weeks since his escort mission with the princesses, and though he had really tried his best not to expect anything fun he was dying for something interesting again. He had been pushed back to door duty like he had expected once he returned, getting congratulated by his Captain for seeming like he did a pretty good job but not giving him anything better really. He was off the guest rooms at least and had a little more variety than normal, but it was usually doors. Patrol once! But mostly doors.

It wasn’t all dull and he still felt a lot of pride in his job, but he kept reflecting on that huge pinnacle of pride he had felt marching through the gates, bearing his seal and standing tall above the others, even just for a second. He was back to his normal armor and his normal places but he had a taste for it now and he was looking desperately for more opportunities to prove himself. Still though, he had been lucky for even that one shot, he had a feeling he was going to have to be patient.

He had seen the Princess twice since then, though she hadn’t seen him. They weren’t always required to wear their helmets inside the castle since it mostly just served to restrict vision, but one of the times she had passed him he had been forced to be wearing it. Some fancy someone had been visiting and seeing guards at the entrance with all the bits and pieces was impressive, he guessed, made them all look more uniform, but it meant that she had missed him. Not like she should have been looking for him, or like she might have even noticed but still, he had been essentially invisible in a line of identical copies as she went out with her father to greet whoever it was. Earl of whatever, he hadn’t really been paying attention.

The second time he hadn’t been wearing a helmet, or any of his armor actually, and she had missed him again. He had no chance of standing out that time, not like she did, and her gaze had passed right over him.

He had been in town in plain clothes for his own purposes, enjoying some time off and spending a little money he wasn’t used to having yet. He had just bought a toy for his little brother he thought he might like and had been heading back to the castle to either send it or store it until he might see him again, when he got caught up in a large crowd around the castle gate. It didn’t take long to figure that she had caused the disturbance, people of the kingdom calling out to their princess as she made a brief appearance of some kind. She was swarmed with guards obviously and far from the people she waved to, but he thought that she must still enjoy it. He imagined it must be pretty nice to have people crowd to you and call out to you adoringly, but as her eyes passed over him and cast out over all of the people who stood there he thought, maybe not. She stood tall and beautiful and separated, unable to pick out any of the faces or know their names.

There were parts to both sides, he supposed.

He had seen the twins only once, and they had actually been close enough to notice him. They were together, like always, walking obediently behind a pair of handmaidens taking them off for some lesson somewhere. He had been guarding a boring door during a boring day and was actually starting to space out a little when he turned at the sound of someone approaching, waking up instantly to see the two little girls.

It felt kind of silly, but he wanted them to notice him, sad when he saw how quiet and orderly they appeared. They were just children, but not here he guessed, not when their backs were pulled up and straight by the draw of the castle.

They were perfectly practiced, and as they started to pass by him he knew he didn’t have much time to do anything, or even really have the opportunity to. However right as they were walking by, the senior guard he was paired with straightened to attention and gave a formal salute in acknowledgment. Nino quickly copied him, thrilled when Etta looked up at the movement and looked over them both. As soon as her eyes landed on him he gave her his warmest and friendliest smile, and a little nod of his head for good measure.

He couldn’t deny the warmth that shot through him when she recognized him, her face lighting up and smiling back instantly. She waved at him and he risked a little wave too, and another for Ella when her sister got her attention. They only had a brief moment, unable to stop or slow but they told him good morning and said his name, and he said good morning as well. They looked over their shoulders for awhile once they passed him, glancing back a few times more as they walked the long hallway. They whispered to each other and smiled at a memory, hopping a little as they went. And suddenly they were children again.

He smiled thinking about it, trying to focus on his appointed stone hallway but distracting himself. It had made him wonder at what Alya might have done if she had seen him, that she might smile at the memory too. Her teasing goodnight hung in his mind and he shifted his weight again, aware of the fact that she was somewhere inside.

It must be really important then, this meeting. The King and Queen were both in attendance, as well as the entirety of the council and their board of advisers. Alya had entered with her parents from another entrance, he had just heard of them being there from the less important important people who came through his door. He couldn’t imagine the twins being allowed though, not if it was something tense or gruesome.

Nino turned at a sound, any change at all enough to catch his attention when his post was so monotonous. He saw the guard appointed on the other side turn as well, both of them aware suddenly of a distant shouting from inside. Nino barely had time to shoot the other guard a look before a whole rabble of voices picked up in response, a whole crowd of people abruptly trying to be heard. There was a loud booming voice above all others, and then suddenly there was quiet, the room returning to its state of discussion in an instant and he knew that this must be the king.

The other guard raised an eyebrow, making a slight face of ‘yeesh’ before leaning back, both of them returning to their stance but still straining to listen.

It was completely impossible to hear any words, not even when a single voice shouted out in disgust, but the tone none the less worried him. He tried to just mind his business, but his thoughts turned to Adrien. He was definitely inside as well and he wondered if he would tell him if he asked… probably not though. Not like it was any worry of his.

He had managed to see Adrien once so far, and it had been honestly incredible. He had stolen a moment of his time during the night, going to his room after his last shift had ended. He had been in his room alone like he said he would be and seemed ecstatic to see him though he tried to hide it at first. He was quick to give some half-assed pretense to his own guard who was stationed outside and rushed him in, and the moment they were clear he dropped all formality like he did whenever they were alone.

He had clasped him warmly on the shoulder and ran off to grab him a drink, surprising him with his eagerness as they found a moment to just be people, like Adrien sought so desperately. It was a little difficult at first, but again Adrien’s genuine nature always got the better of him. It never took long for him to forget that they were from utterly different places, even as they discussed their differences. They talked about farming and castles and cities and people. They discussed home and harvests and horses and wine, and they talked about fighting too. Nino was unsurprised to learn that Adrien had extensive training as a swordsman, having briefly saw his skill first hand when they had met in the woods what seemed like years ago now though it was only in reality a handful of months.

It had been forced to be brief, but it felt important, and good. It was nice that from the very beginning he had someone who was wholly on his side.

Now though Adrien was alone with whatever was burdening the state, but there was nothing he could do for that. He could listen but he doubted Adrien would speak, and suddenly he hated that he could give so little to him in return. Nearly nothing, except maybe friendship… from time to time.

They were all so far from him. And he was as close as he figured he would ever be. Closer than a farmhand at least, but more distant that a friend.

He could only be so much.

… but that wasn’t that sort of the point of all this?

Nino frowned to himself as he stared out at nothing, only servants in sight as they waited to enter since the meeting was surely drawing to a close. He tightened his grip on his spear and grappled with himself, wondering again just how many rules he was daring to break here. Even his place at this damn door was a risk as far as societal norms were concerned, though for the most part that scandal had simmered down.  Still, he should just be happy. And he was! He was grateful, but time and again he found himself wanting more, and wanting to do more and be more. He wanted to be a friend to a lonely prince, and he had already done a lot to be things he shouldn’t so why not? Isn’t that why he had snuck off to see him in the first place?

Ugh.

He was going to get hanged one day.

Nino snapped out of his grumbling commentary at the approach of a murmur, a budding sound building up inside the hall. The other guard he was with turned to face him and Nino mirrored him quickly, preparing to stand by as the nobles cleared the room.

The doors were opened by another luckier pair of guards from inside, both of them a higher rank than he or his companion. Promotions came with the cooler gossip, he supposed.

All four guards stood by in their various positions as people much wealthier than him filed out, and suddenly his perfectly memorized boring stone hallway was crowded with men. Some were old, a few were young, and all of them seemed…

Nino looked around, trying to keep the movement subtle so as not to stick out, but slowly scanning the faces he saw, noting how all of them appeared… unsettled. They all seemed keen to whisper but kept it tucked inside, waiting for another moment alone to discuss things too important for unimportant people to overhear.

Nino refocused as more disconcerted council members shuffled past him, all of them without exception engrossed in thought or some raging emotion they were keeping to themselves. Though the crowd was thick it was eerily devoid of talking, and Nino felt unease crawl beneath his armor.

Another man shifted in discomfort, though the burden he bore on his shoulders was not weighted in chain mail. Instead it was sagged with the mantle he carried, and his neck ached with the ghost of a crown he could not forget.

The Good King sighed, allowing himself a slight expression of frustration, if nothing more. He reached up a weary hand and held his face for a moment, looking at nothing and thinking of everything.

“Why do I feel like the more people who talk the less anything happens…” he heard his daughter mutter nearby, definitely intended for him to overhear and a much deeper sigh built in his chest before his queen spoke for him.

“The voices of the council matter Alya-,”

“Of course they do, the council I have no problem with. It’s the ten men speaking for one opinion each that takes up so much time,” Otis looked up in time to see his daughter sat with her back straight defiantly, matching her mother’s gaze. “How many times do we have to listen to these people repeat themselves? We have said nothing new!”  

“Alya!”

“The entire meeting! That entire meeting was three things said five hours ago and a hundred iterations on each!”

“That’s enough,” Otis spoke pointedly, and though Alya’s mouth was open she hesitated, and slowly closed it.

He watched her for awhile more, Marlena looking between them both before standing. She silently fixed her deep purple gown and stepped away, leaving the King with his daughter alone for a moment, the hall deserted except for a few trusted guards.

Otis watched her carefully and was unsure of how he felt about the way that Alya challenged him, refusing to look away even if she remained silent like he had ordered. Defiant in what ways she could be, and he couldn’t decide if he was proud of that or not.

“I understand your frustration Alya,” he said after a while, the first to look away as he usually was between them. “I was always the same, and clearly in some ways I still am.  It’s frustrating to go through these paces, but even if the people echo each other we have to listen to each. All of them deserve a chance to speak, and we can not proceed until we have heard them.”

“I know that…” she said slowly, her understanding at war with her impatience, and he understood that too.

“Then exercise it. It is necessary now, soon we won’t have the time to be patient. We must listen while we can listen.”

The lull in conversation was thick with energy, and Otis was bracing himself for whatever Alya had brimming up from beneath the surface of her obedience, when the sound of a heavy door swinging open distracted them both and suddenly he had two incoming targets.  

The connecting entrance to the throne room had been opened wide, allowing two little princesses to barrel inside from where they had been playing together with their handmaidens. They stormed by their mother who had gone to let them in, bringing a sudden and desperately needed warmth to the grim hall they wallowed in.

Ella ran forward to climb into her father’s lap, her sister doing the same to Alya who seemed to accept that for now at least her time to argue had been lost. Otis was sure he had not heard the last of her opinions, but by his own advice he knew it was important to hear her too. Just hopefully when she was prepared to be a little more constructive.

Otis lifted up one of his youngest and allowed himself to be distracted by relief, glad to have his family here with him. He had more discussions on this matter to endure, but for now he could just indulge the babble of his twins, preferring this din to the one that had previously dominated the hall. He gently wrangled a wayward lock of his daughter’s hair back into place as she spoke, ignoring her probing questions about the meeting and asking her instead about her games.

The twins took the bait easily, dropping the subject of their failed eavesdropping without much persuading. Alya was still ruminating quietly but did not shrug off her mother’s gentle hand when she came up behind her.

It took Marlena a little effort, seeing as Otis was happy to remain where he was, but after a few gentle pushes she managed to get both Alya and Otis to their feet, the two of them carrying a twin each as she gently guided them to their rooms for some genuine alone time. She did not have much more time to see her husband before he was called away for more arguing, and she wasn’t willing to lose this moment just yet.

Their group moved together towards the side entrance, choosing the most direct path to their rooms instead of the way they had come and allowing their guards to converge and trail behind them, more up ahead standing to the side to allow them to pass. They passed over the cold stone floor and yearned for the warm sunlight their sheltered walk back would give them, and would have been content in their family’s quiet moment had an eager little nine-year-old not suddenly shouted,

“Hello Nino!”

The King looked down at his daughter in his arms with confusion, following her distraction and about to remind her to be polite when he spotted the guard she was practically falling out of his arms to wave at, and the poor guy looked like he was going to fry.

Nino was stood less than five feet away from the entire royal family, having been taken by surprise because he was kind of spacing out, but standing at electrified attention when he realized that the King and Queen would be passing through his watch. He had already been on full alert, straightening himself to stand as tall and firm as he could to look as impressive as the guards around who outranked him. He hated that he had done nothing to fix his appearance and resented that he was not dressed in full armor, having not anticipated their proximity at all. But this?

This was way, way worse.

Nino was stood ramrod straight as Ella excitedly greeted him, Etta now leaning over as well and calling to him too. From behind the great stature of the King he was aware of Alya sliding into view, noting him with a smile that quickly evolved into a smirk as soon as she saw how caught out he looked.

There was a moment where he did nothing, the King and now Queen fully regarding him where he stood, all of them looking at him while he just totally stood there, frozen.

It was the slight hesitation in Ella’s wave that broke him out of it, his heart torn between refusing to move and saying something back, cause was he supposed to?? The rule was speak when spoken to wasn’t it? So-…

“H-hello Your Highness,” he answered quickly, Ella’s face lighting up when he acknowledged her. He tore his eyes away from the powerful presence of the King and smiled as best as he was capable. He gave another to Etta, too scared to risk a wave but bowed instead, sparing another ‘Your Highness’. He thought he might be allowed to lapse into silence, but then Alya spoke up suddenly as well, clearly expecting her own.

“Hello Nino,” she greeted him, smiling as he bowed but only because he seemed so uncomfortable, not for any desire for formality.

“Hello Your Highness,” he said again, getting hung up on a ‘Nice to see you again’ or anything else and deciding to say nothing more. It took everything he had not to squirm, the Queen assessing him and asking her oldest present,

“Do you know this guard?”

They were all still stood in the doorway, the other guards getting tense at the proximity as well and Nino could see them shooting each other glances behind Alya’s back, probably wondering what was happening just like he was.

“Yes Mother,” Alya supplied happily, her smile audible in her voice. “Do you remember our trip out into the field a few weeks ago? Nino was assigned as our personal escort, he made quite an impression.” Alya then stage whispered without really trying to hide anything, saying so that even he could hear, “Do you remember that bunny story the twins were telling?”

“Bunny story?” The King echoed aloud, and Nino thought he might collapse on the spot. To his absolutely profound relief however the Queen did not acknowledge her husbands questioning look, instead turning towards Nino with recognition.

“Oh yes! My daughters spoke of you, the guard who came from the territories. My husband mentioned you as well, I had wondered how you’ve been doing. It is nice to finally meet you.”

Nino wasn’t sure what he looked like in the moment, looking into the Queen’s face and affronted with a powerful intimidation but also… admiration. The Queen was lovely and powerful, looking him in the eye and not shying away. She looked every bit like her children, but also holding a grace that they did not yet have, an elegant purple and gold dress cascading around her and trailing slightly on the stone floor.

The Queen’s gaze was an intense and unwavering as her daughter’s, and though he was taller than her he felt infinitely small in comparison. Still though, she smiled gently and greeted him with interest, like two people passing in a hallway.

“I-it’s an honor, Your Majesty, to meet you,” he barely managed, bowing as deeply as he was capable of.

He could hear Alya’s tittering laugh though he dare not look away from the Queen, and he was sure he looked pathetic in the moment, so desperate to be viewed as impressive as the others but sure he was failing. Then again, he didn’t see any of them getting talked to.

The King hummed suddenly, wrangling his daughter back into place in his arms. Ella looked up at her father, asking innocently, “Can he come with us? I want to ask him things.”

“Yes! Like, have you done anything fun?” Etta piped up.

“Have you found anything new?”

“What were you doing?”

Nino wasn’t entirely sure whether or not he was expected to respond when the King quietly corrected, “He is working right now my dear. Don’t distract the guards from their duties.”

Ella pouted as the King stepped forward, making it clear he intended to enforce the sentiment, even if he himself looked entertained.

The Queen laughed a little as her family started to head out again, sure the guard would appreciate a little room to breathe from underneath their attention. However she did not miss the warm, yet nervous smile he gave to her daughters, nor the tiny wave goodbye he risked when he thought she wasn’t looking.

The twins were beaming over the shoulder of their father and sister, and though she only glanced back once Alya was smiling too, noticing her mother watching her and looking forward down the corridor.

Marlena could hear the guards whispering as they left, no doubt interrogating the new guy about what had transpired, though she hardly thought it was gossip worthy. The new recruit was hurriedly defending himself, and she had to restrain a chuckle as they finally moved out of earshot.

She turned her attention forward again, enjoying the sight of Ella sitting up in her father’s arms telling a story as he just stared at her in amusement.

Etta took turns telling it with her sister as they walked, Alya occasionally nodding her head in confirmation whenever her father looked over at her in confusion.

However to all of their surprise the King eventually frowned.

“He sounds easily distracted,” the King muttered, and Marlena watched as Alya suddenly jumped in, instantly defending him.

“He was alert the entire time father, it’s why he even went with them. He played with them so he could keep a closer eye on them without ruining their fun, and he wasn’t too proud to do it like some of the others may have been. He wanted to make them happy while not compromising their safety, that’s what you want from the guard isn’t it?”

“Yes!” Etta agreed from her sister’s arms. “He said we could play as long as we let him play too, he didn’t make us stop. We found the whole family of rabbits again because he helped.”

“And he gave them such a nice memory,” Marlena added in defense, matching her husbands unsure glance backwards with a slight shrug.

“Hm…” the king hummed again, looking down at Ella as she continued to squirm in his grasp.

“He was very nice to us. I like him.”

“Are the other guards not being nice to you?”

“No they are. But…,” Ella paused thoughtfully, nodding as she said, “He’s nicer. He smiles more.”

Otis hesitated, then decided to say nothing, mulling this over as the twins drifted towards new topics. They did not notice their father’s distraction, as he distantly replayed the shouting and the nothingness of the meeting they slowly left behind them.

His steps felt loud to him, in the corridor.

Heavy.

He thought of those five repeated grating arguments, and accepted that the world around their gentle home was growing more dangerous, more restless. And for his daughters, he wanted them to be happy and safe, chasing pleasant memories of rabbits burrowed in a field before they were too old. Before they were forced to listen in frustration like Alya.

As much as he could let them play he would… without risking them. He and the farmboy were alike, in that way.

---

“N I N O  L A H I F F E”

The name was shouted so loud, and so suddenly, that Nino nearly sliced his hand open in a fountain of blood, the sword he was cleaning jerking away from him as he jumped and clattering loudly to the stone floor of his chamber. One of the other guys he shared it with was in there too, sitting on his bed across from him, frozen stock still and staring at him fearfully.

Nino’s heart was instantly racing as the captain’s voice echoed through the guard rooms, and he knew she knew he was in there, and he had absolutely no idea what he had done wrong.

When she yelled his name a second time he scrambled to his feet, skittering into the hallway and nervously barking a reply. “Y-yes Captain!”

The plain stone chambers of the guard were uncharacteristically full, many of the simple wooden doors swinging open so the fellow members of his unit could poke their head out and look at him, and then the captain. However, as soon as they saw the fiery woman stood at the end of the hall with her armored hands planted firmly on her hips they instantly retreated, leaving the new guy to die.

There was a pretty decent handful of frightened looking men behind her as well, a couple gauging whether or not they could make it to their rooms before anything happened but too scared to pass her.

The short woman said nothing else, just standing there in the main chamber at the mouth of the hallway, waiting for him.

She watched him cooly as he approached, Nino unable to keep himself from glancing at her weapon which was, for the moment, still sheathed. He had never seen her without her armor on before and now was no exception, her entire visage terrifying and he was racking his brain for why he was in so much trouble right now.

He stopped about eight feet away from her, hands tight to his side as he stood at attention.

“Why, the hell, is it Lahiffe,” she finally spoke, “That I keep hearing your name, everywhere I go?”

Nino paled slightly, managing a weak and questioning, “Ma’am?”

“For having no solid name I sure have been hearing about it a lot, far more than a member of the guard should be getting mentioned by anybody.” She paused for effect, crossing her arms. “Let alone the Royal Family.”

She examined his expression, unsurprised to see wild confusion running rampant. So she continued, staring him down and speaking firmly.

“You’ve been making noise, and I don’t know what you’ve been doing but you’re sticking out and I can’t really make up my mind whether or not I think that’s a good thing. Only thing I can think of is that special assignment I gave you and now, all of a sudden, I keep catching your name. Even though we’ve done hundreds of these types of jobs Lahiffe, every single day, for the first time since I’ve had this rank,” she paused, drawing in a deep breath and freezing him solid with a look, “I’ve gotten a request.”

“...request? Ma’am?” he said fearfully.

“Yeah. A request. For you.