Work Text:
Knight Jason, Prince Will, Hurt /Comfort 1k
Will’s heart beat painfully fast in his chest and the cool metal of the dagger digs into the skin below his chin. One wrong move and it will cut right through him, Will has no doubt of that.
He has no idea how the intruder managed to enter his chambers, how he got past the two guards stationed past the door – unless he scaled the outside of the tower and slipped through the large window from which Will usually overlooks the gardens.
The worst of it is that so far, the intruder hasn’t said a word, hasn’t stated a claim or demanded a price for Will’s safety. If there is a way out of this that ends with Will’s head still firmly on his shoulders, Will cannot see it now.
“You’re a pretty thing.” The hooded figure finally speaks in a voice so low it hardly sounds human. Will doesn’t manage to supress the shiver that runs through him, being called a pretty thing while there is a knife at his neck cannot be a good sign. “No wonder there is such a high price on your head.”
Will wants to reply, wants to ask who on earth would want his head – he hasn’t given anyone a reason to want him dead, has he? Will has always tried to keep peace with both existing allies and those to be.
There’s a low chuckle, Will feels the rumble of it against his back. It makes him feel sick to his stomach, his fear just being someone else’s amusement.
“Wondering who sent me, are you?” The voice asks again, the body behind him tilts, the tip of the daggar digs further into his skin. A small trickle of blood runs down Will’s neck.
From where he was caught by the intruder – facing the fireplace on the very far side of his chambers – Will can’t even see the doors. There is nothing in his reach to knock over or bang against, nothing that might alert his guards on the other side of the wall.
“You see, some people don’t take well when little Princes break their vows.”
Will feels all the blood leave his face. How could he have been this stupid? Of course, of course, there was only one person that he might have offended enough to send a killer after him.
“Oh, you understand now, don’t you?” Laughter, again. Will wants nothing more than to wrench himself free but he cannot do so without cutting open his own throat against the stranger’s knife.
“I didn’t break my vow.” Will forces out. It’s difficult to speak, every little movement of his throat making the dagger cut further into his skin.
The intruder clicks their tongue, a sound of clear disbelief.
“But you want to, don’t you? Did you really think your little secret would stay behind closed doors? Did you - ?”
A harsh knock stops the intruder’s taunt in its tracks. Will holds his breath, prays to all the gods that his silence is reason enough for a guard to check on him. His captor growls quietly, pulls him further into the shadows, presses the knife tighter against his throat.
“Prince William?” The door opens, a stripe of light only interrupted by the shadow of the knight stepping in.
“Look at this.” The intruder whispers so quietly, even Will held against their chest can hardly hear it. “The Prince’s golden boy.”
Of course, it had to be Jason. Will wants to cry with relief, but at the same time wants to scream at the man to leave – if his life is in danger because of what they had done, the knight’s wouldn’t be spared either…
“And this is worth refusing a Queen?” The intruder mocks, but this time his voice is loud enough to catch Jason’s attention. Part of Will wishes Jason wouldn’t see them, hidden in the dark. Of course, it’s a hopeless endeavour.
“Drop your weapon!” Jason commands as soon as he spots them, eyes narrowing and fingers tightening on the hilt of his blade. He looks dangerous this way, like the spark that would set a fire alight.
The intruder laughs cruelly, his blade digs harder into Will’s skin and the Prince yelps with the pain of it. Jason, without hesitation, draws his sword.
“Only cowards hide behind a hostage.” He says in a tone so calm that it scares even Will a little. It is the quiet before the storm, he knows that all too well.
“Let the Prince go and face me. If…” Jason swallows before he continues, “If anyone offended your Queen, it was me.”
Will wants to protest, not that he is in any position to speak. He shoots Jason a pleading look. They know nothing about this intruder, their skill or true motives, and Will suspects his knight dead on the castle floor would please the Queen all too well.
Slowly, the dagger slides from his throat. Blood still trickles from the little wound, but it is nothing Will won’t survive. The intruder hesitates for a moment, then grabs Will by the shoulder to yank him back and put themselves between Will and his knight.
Will scrambles back the second he is free, but even if he tried, he doubts he would be able to get past the intruder to Jason unscathed.
“Come on then, golden boy.” The intruder taunts in their raspy, inhuman voice. “Show me what you have.”
Jason doesn’t take the bait. He stays where he stands, his sword ready, his eyes not leaving the enemy for a second. The intruder almost seems pleased by this, another low rumble of laughter rising from their chest.
The attack comes so fast, Will can hardly follow the movement with his eyes. The intruder moves like a shadow, quick and silent, drawing a blade from under the large cloak they are wearing. Jason meets it just in time, the metallic clang of swords crashing together ringing through the room.
Will’s heart skips a beat as Jason stumbles from the impact. In all his life, he has never seen a better swordsman than his knight, but Will doesn’t think this opponent is anything like that Jason has faced. It is hard to watch as they cross swords again and again, and despite what Will wants to believe, it looks like Jason has trouble keeping up.
He needs to put an end to this.
Will doesn’t keep his sword in his chambers, not that he would be much of a match against something like this, but he would never leave himself completely defenceless. Above the fireplace, a beautiful bow is strung to the wall – not as much of a showpiece as it gives the impression, even though only two arrows are mounted to the wall below it.
Neither Jason nor the intruder seem to notice Will as he pulls the weapon from the wall. He will only have one shot at this, Will is well aware, so even when the shadow pushes Jason further and further back toward the opposing wall, he wills himself to stay calm.
Out of all of his siblings, Will has never been the best marksmen, but he still has had a lifetime of training. He notches an arrow, takes a deep breath, and draws the string back – and lets go. Even before the arrow hits, Will can tell it will be a sure shot.
But it is not.
Where the arrow should have struck the intruder’s heart right through his back, there is nothing. As if there was truly nothing but a show, the arrow passed right through – and hit Jason square in the chest.
Will gasps, his bow clatters to the floor in shock. The intruder starts laughing.
“I did not think there was anything better than my own blade striking you down.” The shadow says, stepping aside so Will can see the full damage he has done.
Jason has fallen to his knees, the arrow had pierced the thin leather armour with ease before it lodged itself in Jason’s chest. The area is already starting to stain red with blood.
“I’m sure the Queen will be pleased you have chosen to honour your vow… and rid yourself of this… distraction.” The shadow says it with distaste in his voice but Will hardly cares for its words now.
Nothing stops him when he hurries forward to where Jason has sunken to the floor, and with another burst of laughter, the shadow disappears.
“A healer!” Will shouts. It only now occurs to him that none of his other guards are around, that no one has come in to stop this fighting. “I need a healer, now!”
<hr
Will doesn’t leave Jason’s bedside for the next few weeks and not a single of his guards dares to complain.
They are still ashamed that they have failed so badly to protect their prince, having let an intruder get so close without even a single of them noticing is weighing on them heavily, Will knows that.
In a way, Jason has been lucky that Will isn’t as bad of a shot as he makes himself out to be. What should have been a killing shot through the intruder’s heart hit Jason on the other side, piercing his chest but not delivering the anticipated killing blow.
To everyone outside the palace, Jason is dead. The only family he has left, his sister Thalia, hasn’t been heard from in months, but it is for the better to leave her in the dark too for now.
Will hadn’t realised the danger he put Jason in when he had allowed the knight into his heart. A prince has his duty, and as the oldest of his father’s sons, Will knows that better than most. Neither he or Jason ever expected they have been more than they were now, behind closed doors and in the dark of the night, but… Will would lie if he claimed Jason’s affections hadn’t made him reconsider the promises of a future marriage to a foreign Queen.
Now, sitting on the knight’s sick bed, holding Jason’s hand, Will couldn’t help but feel like this was his fault in more way than one. Not only was he the one who had shot Jason, but giving him his affection was the only reason the Queen would even have sent this shadow after them.
“I can practically hear you thinking.” Jason groans quietly, snapping Will right out of his musing. “Stop it.”
Will managed a sad little smile, squeezing Jason’s hand between his own.
“How are you feeling?” He asks quietly.
Jason tries to shrug, then winces as it stirs the his hurt side.
“Didn’t think that you shooting me would ever happen like this.” He admits, and even though Will frowns, he continues. “I always figured it’d be because you’d grow sick of me, not because you try to save me.”
Will opens, then closes his mouth. What is he even supposed to say to this?
“I’m not going to get sick of you.” He manages finally, and sounds much more offended than he meant to.
Jason just smiles, and Will knows this expression already. This was never meant to be more than a few shy stolen kisses in the dark of the night and yet…
“I won’t.” Will repeats, and this time, it sounds like a promise.
Before Jason can protest, he bends down, and presses a kiss to his knight’s lips.