Chapter Text
Avery sighed as he was greeted by another princess, he’d been at this for HOURS
He hated it
His father, the king– had told Avery to find himself a wife, he wanted to disagree and yell, but he couldn’t
That’s how he ended up here, forcing himself to smile and flatter girl which he had found no interest in
He had danced with over 20 princesses and his feet hurt
He dreaded this, he wanted to just leave and go to bed
But he was a prince, it was his duty to uphold a pleasant personality in front of other people of royalty
He was a prince
But he didn’t long for any princess or queen
He yearned for a knight
A knight in shining armor, someone who could protect him
Avery had been lost in thought when a beautiful girl approached him and did a curtsy
It was clear that she liked him, she liked him very much
She giggled and started talking about herself, saying great things about her family and wealth
Avery couldn’t care less, in fact– he ignored her so much that he didn’t even get the chance to catch her name
He was snapped out of his thoughts by the toll of the bell, it was midnight already
“Please excuse me, your majesty. I'll be going now, have a good night.”
He forced out those pleasantries and gave the princess a half-assed smile before immediately rushing off
As he left, he saw the royal knight
The knight that the king had trusted the most, the most high ranked in the castle
D3rlord3, or Derek for short
Taking off his helmet to probably inspect for any damages
His tan skin seemed to glow under the lights of the chandeliers
His long black hair fell over his face like a waterfall
His lips looked soft and smooth
He was gorgeous, and Avery could see that too
This was actually the first time Avery saw Derek without his helmet, every other time– he would just be standing guard in front of the king
And when he wasn’t doing that, he was babysitting Avery
Avery constantly whined and annoyed him just for fun, Avery thought it was funny, Derek probably believed otherwise
“Woah…” Avery sighed out dreamily, he was baffled by the immense beauty of the knight he had always bothered
Upon hearing the prince’s footsteps, Derek immediately straightened his posture and turned to Avery
“Good evening, your majesty.” He spoke with an almost terrifying perfection
Avery stumbled and almost tripped
Derek caught him in his arms, saving the clumsy prince from hitting his head on the ground
The both of them blushed immediately, Avery's cheeks flushed a deep yellowish-green as he almost fainted then and there
The knight was even prettier up close! His eyes were a deep hazel color and he has a sharp facial structure, he was absolutely divine
Derek helped him to his feet and cleared his throat before getting ahold of himself
“My apologies, your highness… Did I startle you?”
“N-no… Not at all..” Avery muttered out shyly
The both of them stayed silent for a while, occasionally interrupted by the ticking of a nearby clock or the squawk of a crow. After a few minutes, Derek finally spoke up quietly
“...Would you like me to escort you to your room, your majesty?” Derek offered, he had wanted something to do, walking with Avery would probably be a good way to kill time anyways
Avery nodded embarrassingly quickly, as if he already knew what Derek was going to ask him
“Y-yes! Please, I'd… like that very much…”
His words slowly got quieter, he had realized how flustered he looked
“Very well then, your highness.”
Derek extended his hand for Avery to hold
“Shall we?”
Avery was going to pass out, this was too much for his poor little heart!
He took Derek’s hand with a shaky sigh and tried to compose himself, he was a prince, a noble and royal prince!
The contact only made his heart race even more, Derek’s hand was so calloused and big compared to Avery’s small and smooth fingertips, the difference was dizzying
As Derek squeezed Avery’s hand, the prince’s lips parted and his eyes were blurry
“My prince, are you feeling ok?” Derek asked worriedly
Avery didn’t respond, instead– his legs went limp and his pulse was racing
The knight immediately caught him and lifted him up with ease
Avery’s legs were hanging off of Derek’s arm and his back was pressed against his armored forearms
Avery was being carried like a princess
Derek started walking up the stairs to Avery’s room, constantly looking down at him to make sure he was ok and that he hadn’t died due to his heart exploding
Avery looked up at his knight’s face, his eyes, his jaw, his… everything
He found everything about him beautiful and perfect
The clumsy prince in the arms of a stoic and courageous knight
It was like those fairy tales that Avery had read as a child! It was intoxicating and he never wanted to leave Derek’s embrace
But unfortunately for him, Derek had slowly helped Avery to his feet
They were already in front of his room, Avery’s massive, luxurious bedroom
“Ahh… we're here…” Avery sighed disappointedly, he had been hoping to have enough time to fall asleep in Derek’s arms
“Goodnight… Derek… Um… Thank you for bringing me upstairs..” He said shyly, gosh this made his heart race
“Goodnight, your majesty. Rest well, I'll be downstairs if you need anything.”
Then, Derek did something that would’ve convinced Avery that he was dreaming
He got down on one knee and his lips touched Avery’s knuckles with a chaste and reverent kiss
The knight then stood up and left, the quiet scraping of his armor fading as he walked downstairs
Avery was left there, stunned and feeling like he was on cloud nine
He was in love with the royal knight
He was in love with D3rlord3