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Yuu didn't remember how it started
Maybe it was the way the student carried himself in a different rhythm compared to the other students. His steps, soft and gentle in comparison to the rough and loud footsteps of his classmates. He carried himself with a sense of regality and calmness, a composure most lacked with their own rashness and impatience.
That is not to say that the knight is without his faults.
The knight was known not for his excellent knightship or academics, but because of an unknown curse that follows him everywhere in the form of causing him to sleep at odd times around the day. Students whisper in criticism and judgements as he walks along the halls with a bluebird on his shoulder, chirping brightly at him and he gives a small smile back in return.
("That's Malleus' knight?" They once heard the first years mummer among themselves. "He looks like I could knock him down in one blow."
Yuu couldn't help but agree. Compared to Sebek, a mere first year but also one of Malleus' knights, the knight seemed thin and small while Sebek's frame was bulkier and taller.
"He makes up for it," Sebek once explained unhelpfully to them. "You'll see."
And they do see— that is when Sebek invited Yuu to watch them spar, asking them to be their referee.
"You can take pictures, too. Or whatever you do with that camera." The Diasomnia student told him eagerly. "What we need is an unbiased referee."
(Yuu wondered if Sebek thought he would they partial towards him rather than his opponent.)
"Silver," the knight finally introduces himself. "Nice to meet you, Yuu. You came early."
"Likewise," Yuu manages to cough up, miraculously not stuttering through their nervousness. The knight— Silver looked as calm and composed as ever. His stature was indeed significantly smaller than his junior and Yuu couldn't help but questioned as well if the Diasomnia student was actually worth his status with the far-away look in the knight's aurora eyes that signified something more aligned to Silver having his head up in the clouds constantly.
"You have a nice stance." Silver commented and Yuu turned to face him from the fumbling with his camera. "I think you would do well with a sword." He cocked his head to a side ever-so-slightly. "Do you have any experience pertaining swordfighting?"
Yuu blinked, thinking back to their days of watching his classmates play sports out on the field while he stayed on the bleachers in the shade. "... Not that I know of?"
"Oi," Sebek exclaimed, trudging over to the two of them. "Are we going to fight or what?"
"Patience is a virtue." Silver pursed his lips together. "And you're late."
"Oh, yeah?" The green-haired knight challenged, drawing his sword. "We'll see about that."
Staring at the two in confusion, the Ramshackle student moved backwards a few steps to have the two knights have their space to spar. They watched in wonder as the silver-haired knight drew his sword with equal fluid movement and watched patiently.
("You'll see.")
For what the knight makes up in size and strength, he makes it up with his agility. He swiftly dodged and stepped away from Sebek's heavy attacks, expertly moving around the practice court as if it was a ballroom.
Fumbling with their camera buttons again, Yuu successfully captures photo after photo of the two Diasomnia students sparring.
"Photogenic guy, isn't he?" Grim commented next to him. "Is he sweating or is he sparkling?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." The transfer student replied back much to Grim's grumbling. "And I'm trying to concentrate here. Be quiet.")
The knight says nothing more than is needed. Blunt words clanked bitterly through his soft-spoken tone of voice. Never one for setting his foot down first, preferring instead to nod silently as if he was trying to be as polite as possible while filing complaints at the back of his head.
("Sure," Silver nodded. "Ask me a question. You deserve it anyway from waking me up."
"Ah," Yuu straightened, "is your name just Silver?"
"Just Silver," Silver confirmed. It's hard to tell what he's thinking under the closely guarded neutral look. "Why?"
"Just... curious," Yuu answered carefully.
"Interesting," he said, reaching out to brush off a stray flower from the other student's hair and Yuu almost jumps."I- I apologize," Silver quickly apologized while pulling his hand back to show a pink flower in his pale hands. "You had a flower in your hair."
Yuu gazed up curiously at the flowering dogwood tree above them. "Must've been blooming season," Yuu observed before realizing how dumb their statement was. Of course, it was blooming season. What were you thinking?
Laughter danced into their ears as you turned to look at the normally aloof and standoffish knight chuckling. "It seems to be so." He agreed.
A smile appeared on their lips and not soon after, Yuu joined in with his laughter.)
He doesn't belong here, Yuu began to think, just as I don't as well.
He's strange in a way that Yuu didn't expect. He's pale in comparison to other's vibrant colours and personalities, tending to blend into the background. But there's always something about him that jumps out to them.
Many words were used to describe the student: loyal (Without a doubt, Yuu thought), polite (Now that's questionable), soft-spoken (Okay), blunt (Sometimes), and airhead (Yuu nearly burst out laughing).
But how would they describe Silver?
("Silver, are you cursed?"
Multi-coloured eyes peer lazily up at them. "Hm, perhaps. I don't actually know."
"Then why do you," Yuu searched quickly for a better word, drawing a blank, "sleep?"
"I don't know," the second-year student confessed as the other shot them a sheepish grin. "Maybe I was cursed." He paused for a bit and yawned. "But whatever it is, I hope I get to cure it someday."
"Mhm, say, don't you have club practice today?" Yuu asked while poking a bird that was trying to peck them.
Silver's eyes popped open. "Oh, fuck."
"Oh, aren't you such the chivalric knight going around cursing."
"We speak nothing of this." Silver said crisply, leaving a giggling Yuu behind.
Yuu never let him live that down for quite some time.)
The first-year student thought about this for some time until... well, something clicked and something glinted in Yuu's eyes.
Silver's not going to live this down either.
"You're a Disney prince, aren't you?"
The knight looked at Yuu, aurora eyes— not offended but curiously— questioning them. "A what?"
Yuu looked at him liked it was the most obvious thing ever. "Disney prince," they repeated.
Silver paused. "What... What is this 'this knee' prince you speak of?"
"Not 'this knee'!" Yuu laughed. "Disney. It's a bit shorter than 'this knee'."
"Disney," Silver repeated, testing the word on his tongue. "Is this Disney a kingdom of some kind?"
"Technically, it could be a kingdom." The first-year student furrowed their eyebrows. "But no, not really."
"I didn't know your world had kingdoms of such." Silver said as he watched the Ramshackle student think. "Our worlds must be more similar than you think."
This made Yuu lookup. "Oh," they exclaimed. "Oh, yes. So much more similar than you would think actually."
"Your world sounds nice." The knight frowned. "Do you miss it?"
"Very much," Yuu laid themselves back against the tree and sighed. "Do you miss yours?"
"D- do I miss my—"
"— your world." Yuu finished for him. "You're not from around here, are you?"
His gaze dropped to the forest floor. "No," he confessed again. "No, I'm not. But it's not like I'm from a different world."
"So you're from this world?"
Silver nodded. "I am still one-hundred-per cent perfectly human though, I can promise you that much."
"But if you're from this world, then why can't you leave? Why just not walk away from all of this?"
"I'm not bound to worlds like you are, Yuu, although I might as well be." The knight turned his face to look at them. "At the very least, you know what's on the other side of your mirror. In my case, I don't."
"Do you miss them?"
"How do you miss someone you've never known?" Silver asked back. "We're the same but we're also different."
"You rather stay here," Yuu concluded, "but I rather go back."
"Precisely," Silver stated. "I'm content with living the way I am. You, on the other hand, are not."
"I miss them, Silver," Yuu whispered, hesitantly accepting an awkward hug from him. "I miss them so much."
"And you'll get to see them." He whispered back. "Knight's honour, I promise."
"Thank you." They nod, tightening the hug. "Thank you."
Yuu didn't remember how it started
Maybe it was the way the student carried himself in a different rhythm compared to the other students. His steps, soft and gentle in comparison to the rough and loud footsteps of his classmates. He carried himself with a sense of regality and calmness, a composure most lacked with their own rashness and impatience.
That is not to say that the knight is without his faults.
The knight was known not for his excellent knightship or academics, but because of an unknown curse that follows him everywhere in the form of causing him to sleep at odd times around the day. Students whisper in criticism and judgements as he walks along the halls with a bluebird on his shoulder, chirping brightly at him and he gives a small smile back in return.
He was Silver, a lost prince but without a lost home or heart.
Yuu smiled to themselves. "Happy birthday, Silver."
— fin.