Chapter Text
Sir Micheal Wheeler was.. melancholic most days, and the days when he is not, he is solemn. Always. Not once has he showed even a spark of enthusiasm or excitement, always staying true to the attitude he committed to.
Some say he is lost in a state of reverie, or even downright insane.
He’s the top knight in the kingdom of Perversa, ruled by King Henry. To get there, he labored for a stupendous amount of years before climbing the ranks to become one of the most trusted Knights in all the lands.
Although he is the top knight, nobody has seen his face. Not once, not ever. There are always whispers in the kingdom of a face who got mauled as a child, or other unruly events happening to him that make him so secretive. The only ones who have ever seen his face are his family and the ones near and dear to just heart— if there are any.
Most days, he is assigned to accompany the King where ever he goes, including standing next to his throne at royal proceedings, making sure nobody can hurt him, etc. A simple job, one that does not take an abundant amount of effort each day to complete, and yet part of his dream.
Sir Micheal loves his job— don’t get him wrong, but he wishes for something.. more.. perhaps, engaging. His dream is to accompany the beautiful Prince who, mind you, is the same age as him.
He may have a teensy crush on the Prince, but it’s not like he can do anything about it. He hasn’t even talked to him, not even knowing his name.
The Prince’s name was kept a secret, after all. People always wonder what his name is, but much like Micheal’s face, is a mystery.
Today, Mike was assigned to guard outside the throne room. Another boring day full of nothing except standing and the changing of the guard.
That is, until, one of his fellow knights leads in a certain Prince.
His day just got a bit more interesting. It must be time for training, and Sir Micheal must have gotten lucky to be on watch at the same time when the King trains the Prince.
It’s not like Micheal gets to interact with the boy often.
He’s only interacted with the Prince once. And that was about a year ago, when he was just appointed.
He had slipped up, falling asleep on the job.. leaning against the wall as the Prince’s footsteps snapped him awake.
“Asleep on the job?” He had said, a teasing smile on his face.
It wasn’t to Micheal per se, he would never know that it was to him because of the concealment of his face.
Lost in thought, feeling sonder, before snapping back to reality as the other knights dragged a prisoner in.
He recognized that prisoner. He had been with one of his Knightmates when the man spoke out against the King.
That was considered treason in the kingdom, and so they had taken him in, where he had remained until today.
Micheal never thought twice about this rule, after all, who would speak out against the kingdom? It does not make any sense, one should always be true to their kingdom. If they’re so unhappy, they might as well leave.
Micheal pushed the door to the throne room open, watching as the two knights entered with the prisoner and left a minute later.
He hears screaming inside the throne room. Then a sudden silence. Then a whisper. Then the sound of knees hitting the floor. Another pair of knees clunking against the floor.
He hears the King’s soft whistle, signaling for the Knights to enter.
Micheal steps in, taking in his surroundings. The throne room is how it always is— the regal purple covering Henry’s throne, soft cushions for others around it, and a royal red carpet leading to his throne.
The only things out of place are the King who is up, a rare occurrence, and the prisoner who is slumped against a chair, unconscious.
His eyes fall on— the Prince. The Prince who looks exhausted, his bright hazel eyes slipping open and shut as Henry puts a spell on him.
Henry nods at the Knights, signaling for them to take Will out of the room, and back to his bed.
Sir Micheal loops his arm under the sinking Prince’s, dragging him out.
He winces, feeling it is a bit too harsh for the gentle Prince, but ends up continuing to follow the King’s orders. Whenever he does hit a bumpy spot, though, he makes sure to cushion the boy’s legs with the soft metal of his armor as opposed to the cold stone.
He drags him up the stairs to continue to the boy’s room, eventually coming to the wooden door. He pushes it open softly, nodding to the other knight in a silent, “I’ve got it.”
He picks the Prince up, setting him down on his bed, covering him with the blanket. He hums softly, making sure the boy is comfortable before shutting the door with a soft breath.
..
Later, he gets summoned to the throne room.
He kneels in front of the King, glancing up.
King Henry looks down upon him, resting in the same position he was previously.
“Hello, Sir Micheal. Thank you for taking care of the Prince. He had some.. rigorous training. I request for you to stand guard at his door for the next few days. As you know, the dissidents are getting more and more rambunctious. We wouldn’t want the Prince being hurt, would we?”
Sir Micheal shakes his head. He pauses for a bit at the “rigorous training.” What was that supposed to mean? The Prince looked incredibly exhausted… something wrong had to have he done.
He shakes the odd feeling off, eventually nodding. “Of course, my lord. Anything specific in mind?”
Henry shakes his head, his voice almost a soft coo, “No. Just keep the boy company and make sure he doesn’t do anything.. wrong.”
Mike nods, rising as Henry lets him go.
He walks back up to the Prince’s dorm, bringing a soft chair from the Knight’s resting area to fall asleep on.
He won’t take his eyes of the Prince— not once.