Not-So-Angelic Guardian

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Laggy Lagiacrus

Guest
Original poster
"So, you took the job for the money?"
"Correct."
"No sense of duty, no family that you wanted to send the money back to?"
"Nope."
"Well, you're certainly a unique person, I'll give you that. Anyway, you've proven that you're highly proficient in what you do, so I'll leave you to the princess."
Nodding slightly to display acknowledgement, Richard Williams turned away from the captain Anderson, and made his way to the princess' chambers, having been left to introduce himself by himself. There were, naturally, guards outside the room – the new man on the job had to be observed. Attempts on her life were frequent, as with the rest of the royal family. It was only natural that a bodyguard be hired – a wandering mercenary at that. Granted, he had ties with nobles who had recommended him, after seeing his business plummet, but he still had to be observed.

Richard was well-built for his line of work, to put it simply. Tall, and with muscles that looked toned enough to go toe-to-toe with the elite troops and guard, he had also shown time and time again that he was able to shrug off most blows with little more than a pained grunt. Numerous scars from such blows were spread across his body, and though they had faded, they had never truly left. His cobalt eyes had been hardened by years of experience, and his expression reflected this in turn. Cut short and at a practical length, his chestnut-brown hair's lack of style was nothing he felt strongly about. He was a soldier, not a noble.

Regarding armour, he was not in a high-risk area, so light armour was the order of the day. It would deflect or protect from a stray blow or an attack that was off-target, but as it was merely a cuirass of reinforced leather – the boots and bracers were made of the same thing, while his helmet had had to be left to one side so his face could be recognised. Underneath, it was just simple leather of a lighter shade. He was trained to make use of heavier armour, but that was strictly reserved for areas of higher risk, or if he actually went out to fight in a war.

As per his orders, he rapped sharply on the chamber doors, and stood straight. It was an instinctive reaction – appear professional, drilled and ready to take orders. It was something he had grown to do over the years, and it had not failed him."So, you took the job for the money?"
 
Kieara was reading her new book. It had been a good one she'd noted. Full of adventure, and tales of interesting battles. Fights with dragons, and other fantasy things. She loved a good book, whether it be informational, romance, or adventure. This one happened to be fantasy. Telling of warlocks, wizards, and dragons. It was right up her alley for she was a dreamer and always had her head in the clouds.

Kieara's build was petite, small, but curvy. HEr build was as any princess was expected to be. Petite and beautiful. Delicate and graceful. And sexy. She was as beautiful on the inside as she was the outside. She wasn't your typical spoiled brat of a princess, no. She was sweet and maybe even a bit niave. She was quite compassionate to others, and she always wanted to make people happy. But being a princess was often lonely. She had bright blue eyes, that sparkled with each mood she had. HEr eyes gave away everything about what she was feeling. HEr hair was in a long braid. It was chocolate brown, but it had traces of natural red in it. IT made it a nice auburn.

She wore a simple, long sleeved purple gown. It had golden accents, and was a long gown. She didn't get dressed up a lot much unless the occasion called for it. However, her simple gowns showed off her curves, and also her clevage. This one was no exception. She hadn't done it for any reason, she didn't notice. She was a bit innocent that way.

She sat reading her book and awaiting her bodygaurd's arrival. HEr father told her she'd be recieving one. She heard a knock at her door and got up closing the book. She crossed the room and opened it seeing him. She smiled and curtseyed. "Hello."
 
"Richard Williams, reporting for duty, ma'am. I have been assigned to you as your bodyguard, so I am to obey any orders issued by you, and protect you from any potential threats."
Kieara's supposed beauty, sex appeal and not-so-very modest clothing had little effect on Richard. He'd been in contact with enough women and temptresses to have grown unresponsive to their charms, and now saw any purposeful attempts to seduce him with their body tedious. In a way, this was what made him good at what he did - it meant he was a professional, unwavering soldier, forever ready to exert his power on who he deemed fit, irrespective of their assets. However, it also meant that women who genuinely wanted him were ignored thoroughly, if that was their method of getting to him.

Richard stood, straight and still, awaiting orders. It was what he had trained himself to do - it was the only thing he remembered how to do.
 
"Nice to meet you, i'm Kieara." She spoke to him with a kind smile. "HAve you been shown around the palace yet?" She asked stepping outside and closing her door so that she could speak with him as they walked. She was wanting to walk about the gardens a bit anyway. Regardless of if he'd been shown around, but if he hadn't, she'd gladly do so.
 
"I have looked at plans of the building, and memorised the layout, if that counts."
This was only natural - he had to have an extensive knowledge of the place, if he was to maintain a vigil on the princess. If there was a loose brick, a window an inch out of place, or a speck of rust on some armour, he'd know about it. It was his job to know about it. Still, he stood straight, almost to attention. This was him, and what he had been taught to be. If he was to be shown around, then he would follow without question, speaking only when necessary. He came for the money, not to make friends.
 
Kieara spoke. "Would you like me to show you around in person?" she asked with a smile. She was a friendly, bubbly little woman. She folded her hands in front of her politely as she awaited his answer. She only wanted to be of assistance, and she didn't want to be a bother to the man. That's why she was trying to be as friendly as she was. She was naturally friendly, but she was trying to be hospitable now. Even if it was the man's job to be here, he could at least be comfortable in his setting right? Right. Well, at least she thought so.
 
Truth be told, Richard never felt comfortable anywhere. A man like him was bound to have enemies, and the royals' were all too well-known. Thus, he always anticipated an attack, always tried to be on guard. He could not stand idle - not while there were still people out to kill. A wise bowman had once told him 'As long as there's two people left on the planet, someone is going to want someone dead.' This philosophy had not failed him - time and time again, he had fended off people, his lack of trust helping more than it hindered. As such, even when he responded, he sounded tense, as if he was expecting omething.
"If that is your wish, then so be it."
 
She noticed his tension and spoke. "Are you alright?" she asked then assumed that it was just him being on gaurd. She hoped she could get him to loosen a bit. She giggled and spoke. "Ok then, come on!" She said enthusiastically and took his hand leading him off excitedly. She wanted to show him her favorite spots in the palace.
 
Following her with his own pace quickened, Richard did not speak, though his mannerisms spoke more than enough for him. His eyes, focussed and searching, scanned every corner of every area they moved through. His hand was hovering at his side, ever-ready to draw his blade, and unleash a flurry of steel upon his foe. Tight-lipped and professional - she would not easily shake this personality from him. He'd read the fairy tales and children's books, and that was all they were to him - mere flights of fancy, not belonging in the harsh realities of the world. Kieara could be snatched out from under him in even a momentary lapse of concentration, so he did not lapse, nor did he try and form an attachment to her.
 
Kieara spoke. "First place I am going to show you is the pool. No one ever seems to go down there but me, so it's always empty. I rather enjoy it down there, I love a good swim. Even though I don't swim well." she told him. "Do you like to swim?" she tried to make conversation. She could get rather lonely, without her mother around and her father always busy, she was all by herself with no friends.
 
"I do it when the opportunity presents itself, as an exercise."
A simple response, nothing more. He was hired to serve and protect, not to make idle chit-chat. That aside, he was horrible at holding up, starting and just generally being in conversation. He hated being social - it just wasn't his thing. Irrespective of this, he had to respond somehow, and did so with little more than a neutral tone and a straight face.
 
"You don't ever just swim for fun?" she asked him curiously. "What's it like to be a body gaurd and trained the way you were? Would you ever take it back?" She asked him just trying to hold up conversation, and she'd like to get to know who was to be protecting her.
 
"I am a mercenary. There is not always a chance, nor is there ever the time. I do not like this line of work, nor do I dislike it. As long as it keeps food in my stomach and coin in my pocket, then I have nothing to complain about."
And that was the simplicity of it. He neither hated nor loved his work. he did not judge other people on what they did for a living. The basest human instinct was to survive, and he was surviving. That was about as deep as it went, and he saw no need for it to go any deeper.
 
She frowned. "Is that all? Don't you ever want to do anything that's fun?" She asked him. "That sounds so boring, what's the point in surviving if there is nothing fun to live for or nothing you enjoy in your life? Even if you don't hate something, it doesn't mean that you like it." She said not able to fathom it in her head as she took him into the pool room.
 
True, there were things that he enjoyed. Or, perhaps, did enjoy. He used to drown his sorrows if no work showed up, and he felt at his peak in the heat of a battle. There, he could lose himself, and shake free the shackles of his empty existence. He could become a storm of steel, a force so deadly that garrisons reeled at the mere mention of his name. Though, these opportunities were few and far between. The war had put plenty of coin in his pocket, but it had always been the same. Nobody put up much of a fight. Those that could were out fighting. He figured that being a bodyguard meant less money was spent on travelling, so he took the job. It was as simple as that.
"Fun is something I do not have time for. I eat. I train. I work. I rest. I cannot maintain my abilities or my reputation if I do not commit myself."
 
Kieara listened to his explanation. "True, but a day here, and a day there set aside for nothing but fun couldn't hurt could it?" The princess said beginning to formulate a new goal in her mind, to get her body gaurd to have fun, apparently something he was deprived of.
 
"Every day I work means more stability for the future. There will come a day when I can no longer fight, and I plan to have enough coin to see me through those days, assuming I live long enough to see them in the first place."
A contingency plan - plan for the future, and do't just live with a 'carpe dieme' mindset. That was the kind of mindset, he reasoned, that got people killed. That made them lose their lives in foolish stunts and spur-of-the-moment decisions. Fun was something that he saw as unnecessary in advancing his plans - that aside, there would be time for it when he had to retire from a life of soldiering.
 
"Well yes, but there are some things that you can only experience to the fullest in the prime of your life, and I doubt the prime of your life is considered to be in your retirement age." she said to him with a giggle. She then spoke. "Over there is the changing room, and there is the hot tub."
 
"But I can stay alive just as well if I refrain from doing them. And retirement age does not necessarily mean old age, for someone in this line of work."
It was true - he'd seen many good men have to live on the streets, all because of one injury. One that wasn't fatal, but debilitated them. It rendered them unable to fight - whether it was their sword arm being disabled, their legs broken beyond full repair, anything that stopped them. He was simply preparing for that event, should it happen.
 
"Being alive and living are two different things." she said tugging him off to another destination. This time the library. She lost herself in books often because of all her free time. She spoke again. "What fun is it to live life without anything to enjoy?"
 
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