I’LL PROTECT YOU WITH MY LIFE
Day 01: role reversal
Rating: T
A/N: My entry for another @lightisdays2k lightis week (2020) yaay! hope you guys like this short fic (2.3k+ words) i’ve written. i’m sorry if i got some of the original plot wrong BUT this is my own au, so deal with it. lol
"Princess Claire Farron, as one of your Father's will before he…"
Silence soon cut through the halls by the sudden pause.
"...died," the future queen of Bodhum finished the sentence for him as her advisor.
She's seated in a black throne wearing the royal crown and a long black dress carefully embroidered with pearls, making her look more regal yet daunting. Her pale aqua eyes looked sharp, ready to slit the advisor's throat standing before her.
Why were they afraid to say the word? Whatever they say would not change that her father's gone.
She had read her father's last will before he got killed, and one of them was having assigned a royal guard - like a bodyguard - for her, which she knew, and her father knew, she didn't need.
The advisor fidgeted in his place and cleared his throat. What a sore to look at!
She huffed but stayed silent as she was taught to listen. She waited, tapping her black heel against the black marbled floor.
"A-as I was saying, your highness…"
"Cut to the chase," she cut him off, clicking her tongue.
"H-His late majesty wanted you to have someone to look after your back."
Just as she thought.
She scoffed which echoed coldly across the wide hall making everyone silent and their breathings shallow.
"I told you I don't need a bodyguard. I'm afraid I’ll end up saving their asses instead."
"I-I know, Your Highness. But they've come a long way, so if you would kindly let me bring him before your presence and meet him." The advisor bowed gallantly.
The princess tapped her fingers against her seat as she thought for a moment. Then she said, "All right."
With that, the advisor bowed again before he walked away.
She sighed, pissed.
A minute had passed, but for Lightning - the name she began to call herself since her mother died from the same war her father had been killed - it was forever.
The huge double doors pushed open and a sound of footsteps clad against the floor, echoing through the stillness. Slowly, the advisor appeared from the shadows along another stranger, who was also wearing black. Their face hidden in the dark as the only light serving the throne was the one coming from the huge windows, but it still wasn't enough to brighten the place for its high ceilings.
"Here he is, Your Highness. Let me present to you Sergeant Noctis Lucis Caelum." Her advisor stepped aside to make way for the Caelum guy who stepped forward, revealing his face through the light. His hair black and spiky but it reflected blue as light touched it.
He bowed with grace and authority before her. "Your Highness."
"Leave us be, Sazh," Lightning said, referring to her advisor, who, then, silently took his leave.
"What made you come here, Sergeant?" She asked, her voice flat. She straightened in her seat.
Noctis slowly raised his body, lifting his gaze to her. His dark blue eyes shone yet his face, unreadable. But the princess admitted that she didn't expect for her would-be bodyguard to look so well and young. She, maybe, was expecting something rougher and older.
She smirked to herself. He looked like a total weakling. Her father never really knew her and what she wanted or needed.
"I was trained to look after Your Highness. The King had chosen me."
Now she wanted to laugh. Her father never mentioned anything about him or someone he would train to look after her.
"You do know, rather, must know, that I don't need anyone to look after me," she leaned on her seat, crossing her legs.
"I understand. But it is my duty--"
"Thanks for your service, Sergeant. And for your loyalty, but I am sorry to send you back this instance…" she trailed off as an idea hit her. The corner of her lips pulled up into a slight curve. "Or maybe you can go look after my sister for me, since I don't trust the man assigned to guard her. Then report it to me the next morning. Your choice."
The sergeant paused and looked at her carefully. After a moment, he sighed, "All right."
"All right, what? You're going to leave?"
"I'll look after you and your sister," he said slowly, stressing each word.
"What? I didn't mention-"
"I told you, Your Highness, that I was ordered by the late king to look after you. And as you commanded, I'm going to look after your sister as well."
Lightning huffed, glancing down as she thought for a moment. She had to do this for Serah. She couldn't brush the idea of her sister developing feelings towards her bodyguard whose name was Snow Villiers, as what the rumors said. Though, her sister disputed that it wasn't true, however she didn't trust her this time. I'm sorry, Serah.
She lifted her gaze back to the sergeant and said, "All right."
* * *
The smell of roses wafted in the air. Closing her eyes, Lightning basked in its scent and let it embrace her. The rose garden was the only thing her late mother left as her remembrance. So, she made sure to look after and took care of it herself. It had become her favourite place to go to in the palace. It felt like her mother was there, and never really left.
Reaching for a rose, she heard a faint rustle among the bushes. She stopped. Her senses told her she wasn't alone.
"Who's there?" She called, turning her body slowly. "Show yourself. I know you're there," she said when, whoever was behind the bushes, didn't come out.
Then a pair of black boots appeared, the Sergeant revealing himself.
She crossed her arms, shifting her weight on her other leg. “What are you doing here?”
The sergeant shrugged. "Watching you?"
Lightning squinted at him and drawled, "Watching, huh… Well, it looks like you're stalking, by hiding in the bushes."
"Since you said that you didn't like me to watch over you. But I shan't fail the late King of what he ordered me to do as a promise, so I decided to do it in secret."
She scoffed, shaking her head once. "You have a weird sense of humor, aren't you? Besides, we all know he's dead so whether you keep your promise or not wouldn't matter."
"No. A promise is a promise."
"Are you going against me, Sergeant?"
The sergeant straightened his back and bowed slightly. "Forgive me, Your Highness. I do not intend to."
"I am, as you call it, Your Highness. So whose orders are you going to follow?"
"Whoever rules the Kingdom."
"And that's me."
"And your father…"
Lightning gave him a sharp look. This man's testing my patience.
"May I ask a personal question, princess?"
She regarded him a moment before she nodded her head.
"Why is it like you're going up against what the late king wishes for you? It's for your own good."
Her hand balled into fists. Her jaw rigid. "He never knew what's good for me. All he cared about was the Kingdom. And now he thought he knew what I needed? Where was he when I needed him the most?" She then sighed sharply, closing her eyes. Her heart hammering wildly inside her chest. And she thought she revealed too much.
Shooting a glare at Sergeant Caelum, she waited for him to say more or for him to scold her that she got her father all wrong. She wanted to know if her father really cared about her, but all she got from him was a nod of understanding. How disappointing.
They turned silent and still. None made a move. Yet the silence was disturbing, when a gentle rush of wind blew past them, making the rose rustle, as if her mother was urging her to say something. But she’s lost for a moment. What shall I do, mother?
The sergeant cleared his throat, stealing her attention. "Then... will you just let me do what your father wishes this time and watch over you?"
She sized him up for a moment. Her mother raised a queen that could defend the kingdom, not to be looked after. "On one condition. Defeat me in a spar."
* * *
Lightning took him to the training grounds. In her hand was the Blazefire Saber, her personal weapon which the gods had given her on her 18th birthday.
"Where's your weapon?" She asked when she saw Sergeant Caelum holding nothing.
Without uttering a word, Noctis held his hand, palm open in front of him and then a sword materialized into thin air.
How--
Her grip tightened on her gun-blade, her brows furrowed. She looked at him grimly.
The sergeant swung his sword and placed his body in a stance.
With a faint huff, and stillness surrounding them, Lightning charged first, swinging her weapon to him which he countered with his sword.
His sword, Lightning thought, was not unexceptional. Surely, an ordinary person wouldn't be able to gain it. Her eyes flicked to his dark blue ones, feeling an unexpected force. She broke out from the contact and was thrown backwards, the sole of her boots glided against the smooth wooden floor. Good thing she had her balance in check, or she might be thrown off.
"Who are you?" she uttered, almost like a whisper, looking at the man with disbelief. Where did her father meet him?
The sergeant stood straight, his sword disappeared as he placed a hand on his chest and bowed. "I do not wish to fight you, Your Highness. As I told you, I'm here to watch over you."
"Yaah!!!!" Not giving him the chance to utter another word, she launched at him. And in a blink of an eye he vanished into thin air and appeared right behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulled her close to his body before she could make the fall; her sword fell from her grip. She grunted, and gritted her teeth, trying to hide the pang of embarrassment and humiliation. She's the queen, she must be better. Do better.
"Let go of me," she grunted between her teeth, and the sergeant did so, gently.
"I told you, I do not wish to fight you," he said.
She turned at him, frowning. Her pride refused to speak to him, but the way he held himself only humiliated her more, and was telling her to act how a royalty should.
She held her chin high despite being shorter just a few inches than him. "All right. I can see you’re fit to watch my sister. But not me. I can handle myself."
"I've sworn my life to you."
Lightning paused. Sworn his life. Normally, all of her soldiers had sworn their lives to her, but he, this sergeant, the way he said those words carried such weight as if he’d been preparing all his life for this. To serve their kingdom. Or worse, to serve her, solely.
Not wanting to give up to him yet, she sighed. "Yes, I know. And that means watching over my sister. She needed you more than I do."
The sergeant, intently, stared at her. She shifted on her weight and about to glance away when he spoke, "I know. But how am I going to look after you?"
She chuckled, which sounded like a scoff. She couldn't believe this guy. "You don't need to look after me. I thought we had an agreement that you'll look after my sister."
"Yes, but you are my priority. Don't make me stop now."
"You're stubborn, are you?"
"Maybe."
Then the words, she had been wanting to ask, just slipped off her tongue. "How could you have the ability to materialize a sword and teleport? What are you?"
A faintest smile touched the sergeant's lips. "You are curious it seems, Your Highness."
She didn't like the way he’s looking at her. And that smirk.
"No. I'm not," she tilted the corner of her lips then she spun around, turning her back on him and started to walk away. However, she felt his presence behind. Urgh! She wasn't going to live like this with someone following behind her.
"Stop doing that, you're creeping me out!" she said, sharp.
She heard him smirk. "My apologies. If you want we could talk."
"All right. Tell me how you got the power then I'll let you look after me. Don't leave one bit of information."
"Certainly, Your Highness. I got it from a near death-experience when I was young. We have been attacked from the war ten years ago…."
Lightning could still remember it, she was eleven and that’s when her mother died.
Bodhum had been at war against Niflheim, wanting to get their hands on the crystal, which they won. But the enemy kingdom attempted again, two years ago, which her father had sacrificed his life for. And in her reign, she vowed she would not let what her parents sacrificed to go to waste. She would protect the Kingdom and the crystal as her life. But this sergeant, listening to his story… Etro had blessed him and gave him a prophecy of protecting it - the crystal - thus, her father had chosen him.
But why him? And not… me?
Was it also the reason her father tasked him to look after her?
"It was a curse. I know that someday, I'm going to pay its price and sacrifice my life for it… But I'm ready," he said, finishing his story.
She stopped walking, and looked at him. If that was so, and he was called to protect the crystal… she had made her decision.
"No, you're not cursed," she said, "because I need you. And you're not going to die… because who will protect me, then?"
Her face turned soft and then... she smiled.
And thought, ‘I have to protect him with my life.’
