The Princess' Bodyguard (Peregrine x RoastGhost)

Peregrine

Waiting for Wit
Original poster
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
  1. Looking for partners
Posting Speed
  1. 1-3 posts per day
  2. Multiple posts per week
  3. One post per week
  4. Slow As Molasses
Online Availability
On fairly regularly, every day. I'll notice a PM almost immediately. Replies come randomly.
Writing Levels
  1. Adept
  2. Advanced
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Primarily Prefer Male
  2. No Preferences
Genres
High fantasy is my personal favorite, followed closely by modern fantasy and post-apocalyptic, but I can happily play in any genre if the plot is good enough.
At almost precisely the turn of the hour, the air in front of the gate to the Royal Military Academy began to distort. For a second the air seemed to waver, before it suddenly ripped open into a silver-rimmed portal.

The portal only remained open for a few seconds, just long enough for a tall, dark haired young man to step through the misty portal, turn, and snap out a sharp hand-to-chest salute to the other side of the rift. As though in response, the portal quickly began to shrink, until a moment later nothing but air remained.

Kerwyn turned around to study the intricate gate, a faint frown passing across his lips before he stifled the expression into a professional neutrality. He'd arrived at the gate to wait for the arrival of Princess Adena, the precious daughter of his king and liege. The fact that he'd been pulled off the battlefield to become little more than a glorified babysitter didn't sit well with the dark-haired young man, but he had been ordered away from the fight, and he went where commanded.

Kerwyn leaned up against the wall, crossing his legs casually in front of him as he waited for Adena's arrival. However, by the time the princess' transportation arrived he'd corrected the sloppy posture, standing at attention, right fist pressed to left breast in a formal military salute. He bowed slightly as the princess appeared in front of him.

"Princess Adena," he greeted respectfully. “It’s an honor to be at your service.”

He almost managed to suppress the dryness in his tone, which hinted at the fact that the words were mere lip service, and there was somewhere else he'd rather be.
 
All morning Adena had been briefed on her schools layout and schedule for the day. Her hair was pulled up in a pony tail with curls framing her face and the rest bouncing behind her as she walked. She could hear someone talking to her, but she knew as soon as she stepped outside the plans would turn to dust. Her morning was controlled by her father and after that she would experience the sweet freedom of her boarding school. She tapped her foot both with excitement.

"Princess, please listen." A servant of her father instructed.

"I was." She informed him. She wasn't, but she remembered what the servant yesterday told her. "I will be dropped off in front of the school gate. There I will meet my bodyguard and we will attend the opening ceremony. The ranking test will follow which I'll ace. I will not boast or show extreme amounts of excitement. I will receive my rank, my class schedule, and books. After I can put my books in my locker and get ready for classes." She said. The servant smiled happy to see she was listening and continued talking about the school.

As the carriage approached the gate she could no longer hold in her excitement. Standing up she took a hold of the door and leaned out of the threshold, "Princess wait!" She heard as she jumped from the door. "Thanks for all your help this morning Nolan!" She called. She was going to miss making him panic from time to time. She stood in front of her bodyguard with a giant smile, "Please. Call me Adena." She said holding her hand out to him for him to shake.

She was ready for her first day of boarding school to finally start.
 
Kerwyn studied the princess for several moments after she arrived, waiting for her to return, or at least dismiss, his salute. Instead, she extended her hand, and the silver-eyed young man stared at it for a couple of seconds before sighing slightly and extending his own hand to shake hers.

As strict as this school might be about the quality of their students, they weren't the military, and no one here was going to stand on the decorum he'd had drummed into his head for years now. He might as well start somewhere. "Adena, then," he agreed. "You can call me Kerwyn."

"Shall we head to the auditorium hall, Pri... Adena?"
 
His handshake was solid. Adena could tell from the feel of his hand that he was a hard worker. His hands were rough but still had a soft feel to them. The pressure indicated he took his job seriously. "Thank you for your service. I appreciate you leaving the battlefield to watch over me." She said with a smile. She smirked hearing him almost call her princess. She wasn't expecting him to adjust quickly. "Yes! I'm kind of nervous, but mostly excited." She said as she turned towards the gates and started walking.

Adena took in the school one detail at a time. The campus was beautiful. There were so many places she wanted to explore on her free time. She couldn't remember what direction to go to get to the auditorium. She followed the crowd hoping she was going in the right way. She looked towards Kerwyn, "Is this the right way?" She asked him. She probably passed the directory when they walked in.
 
At even a glance, it was clear to see that the royal academy deserved its reputation as the best school in the country for learning the art of mystweaving. In a world where every resource had to be earned by the blood, sweat, and tears of soldiers on the frontlines, the academy was a place of overt luxury and decadence. Flowers lined the walkway into the academy in prismatic colors, and at the end of the walkway waited a pure white fountain, myst-powered and shooting out spouts of water in rhythmic patterns.

Each student who walked the pathway wore a tailored uniform, perfectly fitted and neatly pressed. They moved in small, chatting groups towards a tall metallic building, fitted with brightly colored stained glass windows.

Kerwyn had been to the palace before, he had seen how the wealthy lived. But he had spent the last several months on the front lines, and the entire place struck him as out of place, leaving him feeling decidedly uncomfortable in his new uniform.

"We're heading the right way," Kerwyn agreed to Adena's question, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the tall building. "That's the assembly hall. I'm sure they'll give us directions to the testing grounds after the introductory speeches are over."
 
Adena was happy to hear they were going the right way. She would've hated to be late on her first day. She slid her hands into her pockets. She knew she was told not to alter the uniform, but she thought it was unfair that the girls uniform didn't have pockets. What sense did that make? The guys could have pockets but her skirt couldn't? If she got scolded the pockets could easily be hidden by books or a backpack. She doubted a teacher would try and search her.

Following the crowd she could feel a static of energy. She had hoped that her presence wouldn't be noticed, but she could her name in peoples mouths. She took her hands out of the pockets she created. "I just want to be treated normally..." She whispered her smile fading for a moment. Picking it up quickly they walked into the assembly hall. She took a seat in somewhere between the back and the middle of the hall.
 
Adena wasn't the only one watching the crowds of people. As little as Kerwyn might like his new role as a bodyguard, he fully intended to take it seriously. When it came to his daughter the king was far more likely to behave like an overprotective fool rather than the military commander Kerwyn best knew him as. He would protect her.

As positively impossible as it was that gossiping school children were going to be able to do anything.

Kerwyn took a seat a row behind Adena, protecting her back but still quickly able to reach her if something did happen. However, the very fact that Kerwyn hadn't objected to her taking a completely indefensible position in the middle of the crowd showed exactly how improbable he considered any sort of attack.

Kerwyn certainly wasn't the only security at this school. After all, there was no way the king would take a risk with the best and brightest of the future generation. The teachers were all fully trained, retired military personnel, and other guards surrounded the area. If anything was going to happen to the princess, it certainly wouldn't be at this assembly.

They hadn't been seated for very long before the lights in the auditorium flashed, suddenly directing towards the stage at the front of the room. A moment later, and a swirl of purple light appeared on the stage. When it dropped away, it revealed a middle aged man with close-cut grey hair, dressed in the formal military outfit of the kingdom, the mystcore in the center of his forehead still glowing faintly from his use of magic. A moment later, and a burst of applause sounded throughout the auditorium.

And, with that flashy entrance, the welcome assembly for the new school year began. Kerwyn sat in his chair, straight backed and glassy-eyed, through the speeches of the school president, General Garias, the heads of the major military and technological classes, the student council president Filan Kastrid and finally the president again, to wrap everything up.

Even the bursts of magic that scattered the speeches, awing most of the rest of the audience, couldn't really capture his attention. All of the speeches focused on duty and honor, responsibility to the country, courage and glory on the battlefields to come.

All he could think was how pretty the words were, to paint over a never ending bloody battle for survival.
 
Although she should have been impressed with appearance of the school president Adena had seen flashier entrances from her father. Regardless she classed to show that she wasn't rude. For a moment she almost missed hearing her fathers loud voice. She listened to the speeches as they came and went. She knew she should be listening, but she couldn't stop looking around. She couldn't put her finger on what she was feeling. Taking a deep breath she relaxed her shoulders and tried to remain present in the moment. This is what she had waited for.

She had wished Kerwyn had taken a seat beside. She had noticed many students already knew each other and were sitting with friends. Sadly most of her friends went to other schools or were already married off to a prince. The idea of marrying at her age made her want to vomit.
 
As the ceremony came to an end, the various students stood up and quickly began to make their way towards the exit, the auditorium hall going from nearly silent to louder than the roar of a river in scant seconds. From his seat, Kerwyn caught pieces of conversations from the various students, chattering happily about how impressive the mystweaving displays had been, how inspiring the speeches had been, and how excited they were for the ranking test that was to immediately follow. Kerwyn caught one young man boasting of his accomplishments over the summer, how much progress hie'd made in quick-casting spells, and how he was absolutely certain he was going to jump up at least ten ranks from last year's test.

Kerwyn pushed his way to his feet as well, one finger rubbing the spot between his brows almost by instinct. He glanced over at Adena with a half-hearted smile. He was not looking forward to this test, and wished the king had been considerate enough to get him some sort of exemption from this entire ranking system. However, apparently it was "absolutely mandatory" for all students at the school to be ranked, and if Kerwyn intended to blend in, he was going to have to participate.

"Shall we go, pri... Adena? Or would you like to wait until the crowds have cleared a bit?"
 
Adena's emotions were growing inside of her. She couldn't decide if she was nervous or excited. The speeches made her feel excited, but the amount of people in front of her made her nervous. Shaking her head she pushed her thoughts to back of her mind. She had nothing to be nervous about. Whatever rank she received she'd be happy with. Standing up she stood and she looked forward with determined eyes.

"Let's go." She responded to Kerwyn. She walked to the end of her aisle of chairs and waited for him to stand beside her. "This will be a piece of cake for you I'm assuming." She said as she followed the crowd to their next destination. She couldn't remember if the ranking happened in front of the whole student body or not. Although she was a princess she wasn't a fan of standing in front of a large crowd.