#rhal

Rhal was not used to silence and peace, the Castle usually being filled with some sort of yelling and chaos.

Which is probably why he stared at the soft bed in his room like it was plotting treason.

“Why is it… fluffy?” he asked, scowling at the perfectly made mattress.

“Because Lady Bish sent the maids to redo your chambers,” Pierce said from the corner,. “Apparently, pillows aren’t your enemies.”

Rhal turned. “They’re soft. And squishy.”

“They’re supposed to be.”

He jabbed a finger into one. “It’s… weak.”

Pierce arched a brow. “It’s a pillow.”

Rhal didn’t reply. Instead, he grabbed one off the bed and gave it a little experimental squish. Then, with all the seriousness of a seasoned general, he hurled it at Pierce’s face.

It hit him with a satisfying fwomp.

Pierce blinked. “You just declared war,” he mumbled. Rhal smirked. “Finally. A worthy battle.”

Within seconds, the air was filled with flying feathers and muffled war cries. Pierce ducked behind the couch, launching a counterattack with two throw pillows. Rhal rolled across the floor, dramatic as ever, and retaliated by flinging the entire blanket like a net.

“Coward!” Rhal shouted, grinning as Pierce tripped into the rug.

“You used a trap!” Pierce yelled back, laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe.

Eventually, they collapsed in a heap on the ruined bed, gasping, feathers floating around them like Daemos snow. Rhal was grinning like a maniac, his hair tousled, feathers pierced on-top of his horn.

“You lost,” he said, smug smile on his lips

Pierce shoved a pillow under his head. “I let you win. I was going easy.”

“Liar.”

“Maybe.”

The moment settled quietly between them. Rhal looked up at the ceiling, a strange feeling settling into his chest.

“You ever think,” Pierce murmured speaking up, “that this.. peace..is okay too?”

Rhal didn’t answer right away. Then he reached over, pulled another pillow over Pierce’s face, and said:

“…Yeah. But only if I still get to win.”

The roles have changed. Pierce isn't really or technically Rhal's knight, he is by default of if the king wants Rhal to be accompanied in a meeting or on a diplomatic mission, along with sometimes a sparring partner. Pierce is actually the captain of the royal guard, sometimes switching to being Rhal's general occasionally, being the captain of the royal guard requires talking and giving commands, which is why he's even talkative in this au.

Though Rhal is not nice to him when he has to watch over him, which is where some angst comes in. Rhal tends to injure his guards and knight, this tends to happen to Pierce when he watches over him, but Pierce makes excuses for him, like how it was an accident on when he badly hurt him. Pierce is not okay in this au and would have been better off as Asch's bodyguard, but it's too late for that.

But the idea was what if Leif was meant to be Asch's Knight while Pierce was meant to be Rhal's, but turns out, in a chain of events Leif was no longer fitted to be Asch's Knight and Rhal refused to have one so Pierce became Asch's Knight instead. But the thing is, what if those events never happened?

It's only Asch, Leif, Rhys and Noi going to Earth, though by Rhal's command for Pierce to go find Asch and his guards he makes it there with the help of Lady Bish.

So Pierce eventually shows up, wearing mysterious cloak but still somehow has decided to have his hair in a ponytail because you still got to look good, even when wearing a cloak.Insert a confrontation to atone for all your sins except it. It goes practically like this:

Pierce, mysteriously appears in front of the stairs(Do they even have stairs?) wearing a cloak which hides his face and general appearance: HEY! Are you Prince Asch?!

Ava:... No?

Pierce: No?! Wait- Hold on- *He goes to check some sort of paper* -let me check the plan...*Turns towards the group* yEAH! He should be here! Where the hell is he?!

Ava: Uhhh, I don't know, maybe watching TV.

Pierce: What the fuck is that?

Ava: Uh... You watch videos on it.

Pierce: The fuck is a video?

Ava: A collection of pictures is a video-

Pierce: And wHo the fuCk are yOu?

Ava: Human Ava... sir.

Pierce: oHhh... Eh, close enough.

He tries to take Ava back Daemos cause he realizes she’s a human, and humans are needed in Daemos for magic. Though he doesn't really get that far because the others and Noi managed to restrain him before he could. Then Asch walks in and he and Pierce make eye contact for a split second before Asch says "Oh hELL no," Pierce says "Oh HELL YES,"