A Real Knight
Ship: Fairytale!Tom Holland x Male reader (William)
Word count: 3448
A/N: I haven’t written anything in a long time, so sorry for this being shitty. Also just so you know english isn’t my first language. Anyway hope you like it. It’s written in a fairytale world
Once Upon a time there was a kingdom. The kingdom was known for its people who were more sorrowful than any other. They had experience pain and sorrow so deeply it was buried through generations. There was a curse upon the Kingdom, worse than any dragon or wyvern. Grieve was set to befall on every family, all having to bear the burden of knowing; that one day their sons would die on the battlefield of blood. The Kingdom had been at war with a neighboring Kingdom for centuries, but the neighbors were far more cruel and evil than any witch or beast. To serve in the army was the greatest honor that could ever be bestowed on a person. Family suffered losses every day, everyone had lost someone to the war. When someone went to serve, you knew that you would never see them again.
William Jackson had only ever seen the Kingdom from afar. He lived a day outside the castle's walls. When he was little, he dreamed of getting the medal of honor. His dad had served the Kingdom in the war and lost his life in the process. As soon as William turned 18, he was ready to serve the royal army, but his mother did not want him to. She was scared of losing him, just like she had lost her husband. When Will was little; he looked up to his dad. He was his hero but after he died and everyone in the village called him a coward; Will never saw his father the same way again. His mother would never talk about him, the pain was just too much for her.
He asked his mother for permission to leave. His mother said, “Fighting is stupid, being right here with me and your sisters is important”. The words were not enough to put his dreams to slumber. William was not going to be a failure, like his father. He knew his family would understand, someday, so he left. To make them proud, and to fill the hole in his heart.
The road to the castle was long but he took his horse and gathered supplies in a backpack he could carry around the satchel; and so, he went on. To look for happiness and adventure.
After a while William started getting tired, it was hard having to ride for that long. He had heard many stories about travelers but being one even if it was just for a day, was completely different. A headache grew and pain in his legs followed. The horse was getting tired too, but there was no time to stop. To get to the castle would take a lot of ambition and willpower. His eyes started to drift away, and he could feel his eyelids getting heavy trying to close in on him. He thought to himself, closing your eyes for just a few seconds will be OK, but he soon went into a small slumber. It did not take long for the rest to be over, because the horse came to her rough stop. William screamed out of surprise, and so did an old lady. He had almost hit her with the horse, but he was fast to act. The old lady had fell to the ground, and William immediately jumped off his horse to help an innocent. “Are you OK?” he asked with deep concern. He noticed her weird clothes; she was wearing something that looked like a cloak and her hair was as red as fire. Her nose big and eyes small; her skin was full of wrinkles and scars. “I'm fine, my dear; don't you worry about an old lady like me” her voice scratchy and abrasive. he tried not to look and her with a weird eye, she was just a nice old lady “I'm Zelda, and who are you? Young man” she looked him directly in the eye - she was not scared. “Ehh, I am William. I am truly sorry.” he was not hesitant to answer, but his mother always taught him to be nice and well adjusted. William looked at the ground trying to avoid her green eyes out of shame from his actions, that is when he saw it, a neckless. He picked it up, and written across the silver stood, “Savior's heart”. “Ma'am, I think you dropped this”, as soon as he rose; the old lady was gone. He placed it in his belt holder, not really thinking more about it. He did not have time to ask questions, because of this little run day view, he would not have time for a break later. Right now, the most important thing was getting to the castle.
Coming into the village, William kept his head high trying to avoid any glances from any villager. After the tournament he would be a part of the royal army, and his name would receive glory. Finding his way through the village was not hard, there were signs everywhere showing people where to go. He followed the other travelers as they all seemed to be heading to a big field. The field was full of tents in all kinds of sizes. Before he could get in, he had to assign. There were many tables on the field. People came from all over the kingdom, to participate in the tournament.
He raised down from his horse and delivered it to one of the many caretakers provided by the king service. “Hey, you, do you have a number yet?” a young man sitting at one of the tables asked William, taking him out of his thoughts. William took a while before he spoke “Um, no sir. I have not received a number yet” he did his best to straighten his back. There were strong men in a mile of sight, everyone had big muscles and had trained for this since they were small. His eyes wandered around, almost forgetting the conversation, he was having. “God, get your life in check, mate. If you want to be a knight, you can not just stand there looking like an idiot. Okay?”, with the last word, the young man smashed his hand into Williams chest giving him a with the number, 136. To think that they were already that many competitors, made William stomach turn.
He knew that competitors had to share tents. Williams sleeping mates would be number 53 and 17, as assigned on the tents. He stood outside of the tent, not knowing what to expect. He slid through the fabric and walked in hearing two people talking.
“You know I could beat you in a duel any day of the week”, one said to the other mockingly. “Yeah, right, I have always been a better swordsman than you, and you know it”, he commented back. They stopped their conversation as William stands came to a hold. “Hello, I am William Jackson and I am excited to share this journey with the both of you”, William did not notice the confused expression across the two young mens faces as he talked. “Mate, relax, is not like you will be here tomorrow”, the raven-haired boy said in a bitter tone. “Hey James, do not scare him. Do not think about him, he is just a prick”, the young man slammed his hand over the raven-haired boys head.
The blonde man stood up and walked across the tent making his way to William. “I am Thomas”, he said taking his hand out of his pocket for William to greet. “William”, his voice was shaking as they connected their hands, he felled a cold chill run down his spine. He brushed the feeling off, thinking it was just intimidation. Thomas was a Noble man; you could see it on his clothes. He was wearing assessments of a higher caliber. Metals at William had never seen before. He had never seen anyone look as ravishing and elegant. His own appearance now seemed humiliating. “You already said that, mate”, his voice was soft and sympathetic, William felt embarrassed. William looked down trying to avoid eye contact. He made his way over to what was clearly the spare bed.
Conversation was shared about the upcoming tournament, William did not like James that much. He seemed entitled and immature, talking about the girls that would die to marry him after he had won. William would admit James was handsome, but not like Thomas. Thomas had golden curly locks, and eyes as brown as chocolate, his scent was as delightful as roses. He had brood shoulders and a gentle smile. No one in Williams village looked like that. He knew that even though they could act like friends today, tomorrow would be totally different, they would turn on him.
The competition was hard, and there were legends about the blood spilled on that field, but honor came with a great price and William was ready to pay it. He hated the thought of hurting an innocent. The way James talked, made him sick. He could not think that people enjoyed others in pain. It was clear that Thomas did not agree with James values.
As conversation dialed down in the tent, Will found himself thinking about his mom. His mom was not a woman of honor. To her safety was the most important thing – or at least that was what Will thought. She would be proud and admit her wrongs when he came home with a medal. He was going to be everything his dad could not; a real soldier and hero.
He went outside to clear his head all the thinking was giving him a headache so hard it burned. Men were gathered around bonfires laughing and drinking. Will needed to find a quiet place. Today had been too much for him to handle. When he woke up this morning, he could only imagine what being here was actually like. His dad used to talk about the castle like it was a magical land, where everything was possible. As much as he hated his dad, he was right about that.
After walking for a couple of minutes he finally came to an opening, it was a training station. There was a sign saying, “Closed till tomorrow”. William knew then many came a week before the tournament; just to train. He took up his sword from his belt and stood in position ready to fight. Everything he had ever learned about swordsmanship came from his dad. For a man who died in battle, he had some great skills. He started to practice. He tried all the different moves he could remember. His blood started to rise as well as his heartbeat. He was angry, at James, his dad, his mother, but most of all himself. One hit after another in the air and anger filled his bones. He had to succeed. Sweat dripping down from his forehead, as his muscles started getting sore. He did not notice the time passing, but at some point, he cracked and threw the sword directly into a tree. So, Will went to pull it out, but half of the sword was stuck. He could hear a group of guards coming; getting in trouble was the last thing he wanted. No one was allowed to be there after hours, so he ran. He had to give up on the sword anyway, it was scum. He did not talk when he came into the tent, he just laid down on this bed and closed his eyes trying to drift away.
- “I hate you. You are so much like your father. You are a real disappointment to this family. And I do not ever want to see you step your foot inside my house again.”.
- “You are at least just as bad as me. I saw you try to practice but you will never be a great warrior with those little girl moves.”.
The next day came as fast as the other ended, and with the sun they all rose. Thomas kept looking at Will, he felt the pair of eyes on him. For Will this was only going to be the day, where his life really started. Will had not brought any food with him. James on the other hand had a whole crew of people bring him food, he did not even want. Thomas chose to share his plate with Will. “Why are you doing this?” Will asked. “Because it is the right thing to do. Come on, I can not let my teammate starve” he smiled back. Thomas handed him a piece of bread; their fingers glanced each other briefly. They all ate in silence, Will and Thomas sitting on one bed and James on his own.
Nightmares were normal for William, being a disappointment was normal for William. That is why bringing honor to his family meant so much to him. He had to be worth something, he could not just be a good for nothing man. His dad died a coward, and that was his biggest fear, being a coward.
Soon they all left the comfort of the tent and went out to fight for honor. As James took out all his weapons, William started to feel lost. Without a weapon he could not compete, no weapon no honor. James left, and Thomas was just about to follow but stopped when he saw the look on Williams face. “You know if you need anything you can just ask” as soft as Thomas voice was, it did not help with Will lose his distress. “Thanks, but I am fine”. Thomas just nodded and proceeded walking out. There was something off about Thomas, but William could not put the finger on it. Brushing the feeling off he rose from his seat.
William had spent 20 minutes getting ready, trying to get all his armor and gear on by himself. There was not long until his third match of the day. When he had showed up to his first battle a random man came and handed him a sword. The sword looked brand new and expensive, but William did not have time to question it. He won easily, gaining back some of the confidence, he had lost overnight. After the third match, there would be a break. So, the rich could gossip and feast. The king was supposed to give an inspiring speech, and everyone had to listen.
William had not hurt anyone yet, and he was not planning to. People came to serve not to die. William was not a killer, he just wanted to help stop the war. He was a fighter. William knew that he would leave a changed person.
Then a man came into the tent he was standing in. Before turning around William thought it was just one of the helpers, but it was not. There standing before him, was Thomas. Even though that just seen each other this morning. He looked a lot different with all his armor, he had a small cut on the higher cheekbone. “Hey” he said. “Ehh, hi”, what was he doing here William thought. “I just wanted to make sure you got the sword”, so he was the one that sent it. “Yeah thanks, how did you know I needed a sword?”, the question came out sounding more defensive than intended. “I saw you last night at the training station. You were quite impressive if I might say so myself.”, he saw me. William grew embarrassed, no one had ever called him impressive. Not even his sisters, who was his biggest fans. “I have not seen you fight but I can only imagine the kind of swordsmanship someone like you would carry.” William walked a step closer to Thomas. “Someone like me?” Thomas took a step as well. “I mean you are already perfect”. “I am not, at least my dad do not think I am. To him I am a disgrace to our family” he had a sad tone over his voice. “My dad was awful too. “If that helps”. Try not to sound so inconsiderate you idiot, Will thought after he spoke. “Was?”, the question hit hard. “He died in the war”, talking about it made Will feel vulnerable. “I am so sorry for your loss”, Thomas said sincerely. “It is OK, like I said; he was awful.”, just thinking about his dad, made his skin crawl. “Still a loss is a loss”, spoken like someone who had felt it. “My big brother died too” he talked again after a small pause. With all the talking William had not noticed just how close they were. Only a couple of inches from each other. William could see Thomas eyes starting to water, he was trying not to cry. “Sometimes I miss him, even though I do not want to” Will said trying to break the silence. Thomas now letting a small huff out moved closer to Will. William did not know what to think, as Thomas wrapped his arms around his torso. First in shock, he did not do anything, but soon he reciprocated the hug. It was nice being so close to someone, to feel safe. Will started to feel his own eyes watering. they both snuff their noses at the same time and a chuckled escaped from both of their lips. They pulled out slowly from the hug, so they were standing face to face. William felt something he had never felt before. He felt happy in this moment.
“Prince Tom, your father needs to see you right now!”, a man interrupted their conversation. Prince, who is a prince. Wait he said Tom - as in Thomas? William almost lost his mind; Thomas was the prince? “Good luck out there. Will I see you later?” Thomas asked calmly, he sounded like he thought William already knew. “Yes”, Williams thoughts were at war. Thomas smiled and left.
Even though William had just won his fight, all he could think about was Thomas. The fact that he was the prince. He should have been happy about all his victories, but now he did not know what to feel. Everything seemed different. He enjoyed fighting - but maybe he wanted more from life. He started walking around waiting for the king's speech, Thomas father's speech. A man carrying mail, went around handing it out. “Are you William Jackson?”, the man asked. “Yes, I am.”, who would have sent me a letter. “Take this” he handed him a beige envelope. He could see his mom handwriting cross the paper. He turned the envelope around and used his fingernails to open the letter. The letter read:
My dear William.
Hope you get this soon. I miss you and I am sorry. I should have been a better mother, but everything got so hard after your dad died. I know that I do not talk about him a lot, but I really miss him. I know that I should have defended him, when the people in town called him a coward, because he was not. He was good hearted, just like you. He cared more about saving a life, then killing. He never got to tell me what happened, but I talked to one of his friends the day of the funeral. He said that your dad had seen a man crying out for help on the battlefield. He was specifically supposed to stay on duty, but he could not watch a helpless man die. He fought his way towards the man and saved him. When he was not on his post people thought he chickened out and ran. He was brave running onto that battlefield saving a man's life. His friend said that when your dad came back with the man, they took him back to the camp. Your dad got hurt along the way, and with the paramedics being occupied saving the man’s life, your dad died form an unknown wound. People started calling him a coward and have never stopped. His friend tried to stand up for him and tell the truth, but no one believed him. That the reason why I have been so hard on you. I know you and your dad share the same heart and helping people is what you do. You have a savior’s heart. So even though it is hard and losing your dad almost killed me, I will support you.
I love you and I hope to see you soon.
- Mom
He reached into his belt holder and took out the silver neckless, “Savior’s heart”. He knew what he had to do. He knew what to fight for.
