UNBOUND KNIGHT - independent knights who were a sword for sale.
BANG CHAN was the most well-known and expensive unbound knight throughout all the land. freelancer knights like him held a nasty reputation for being unloyal and turning their back on their king or queen as soon as the job was done. you couldn’t believe that your chancellor would allow someone like him into your castle, let alone the citadel, and you refused to look like a fool and trust him. as queen of the kingdom, you had to walk on eggshells around bang chan.
at a ripe, naive age, you became the youngest queen to ever rule the kingdom and you had absolutely no clue what you were doing.
after your parents had passed, and you being the next in line to hold the crown, all your etiquette training and useless bible studies couldn’t have prepared you for the load of work that came with being a high ruler.
sure, the aesthetics were cool. you don’t think you’ll ever tire of wearing the mountains of jewels or eating off of plates of gold.
but all of that came with a price.
practically all other kingdoms had their eyes on you.
either they wanted to marry you into their royal family as an alliance or they wanted your head on a spike.
so yeah, you were quite popular amongst the kingdoms.
and that’s how you came face-to-face with a scruffy-looking knight without only a sack and a white horse to his name.
“your highness, this is sir bang chan. he will be accompanying you wherever you go,” your chancellor said.
“your highness.” the knight in front of you took out his sword and bent at the knee. “i vow to protect you with my life.”
you pulled your chancellor to the side so the knight couldn’t hear, making sure to keep an eye on him as you bit your chancellor’s head off.
“you hired a freelancer!?” you hissed at him. “are you mad!?”
“with all do respect, the council is just looking out for you. it’s a very dangerous time for you right now.”
“so you hired a sword who works for money, not loyalty,” you scoffed. “isn’t this why i have a royal guard? i already have the top knights in the kingdom -”
“who the other kingdoms are well aware of. no one knows that we hired sir bang chan for you. he is the number one knight in his class and this is the safest bet for you right now.”
“how do we know he’s not hired by some other kingdom to spy on me? what if he kills me in my sleep!?”
“he may be unbound, but he’s still a knight, not a hired assassin.”
with an unladylike groan, you caved into your chancellor’s demands.
“if i die, i’ll make sure you’re thrown in the dungeon for life,” you threatened. “how long do we even have him for?”
“we have him as long as he accepts our payments and agrees to any conditions or duties we assign him.”
“so you’re saying the expiry date is uncertain.”
“well, yes...”
an annoyed sigh escaped your lips. just when you thought that the castle was the only safe place from any enemies, you now had to walk on eggshells in your own home as this unbound knight followed you everywhere.
“you may stand,” you told the scruffy knight.
most knights in your kingdom held a stoic expression when they were on duty. not this one, though.
this one liked to smile.
maybe that was a unbounded thing...
“it’s nice to meet you. i’m -”
“queen _____, first of her name, and the youngest to rule,” a mischievous sparkle shone in his eyes. “i like to do my research on my employers. i know all about you, your highness.”
“of course you do... well, let me take you to your chamber.”
you and chan ended up in the empty chamber right next to yours.
the two chambers were the only rooms in the whole tower and you had hoped to keep it empty for the sake of your own privacy, but your council thought otherwise and took it upon themselves to assign him that room.
for a queen, you didn’t have much power over your council.
“wow, this is probably the nicest place i’ve ever stayed at,” he beamed, eyes scanning the mediocre chamber. “most of my high-ruling employers put me in the stables. thank you.”
that was my original idea, you thought to yourself. “you’re welcome. do you have sleepwear?”
“no, but i don’t need it.”
“ugh, that’s filthy! come, we’ll get you fitted for some clean clothes.”
“your highness, it’s all right -”
“this is an order,” you demanded, already halfway down the hall.
the seamstresses fitted the dirty knight for new, clean sleepwear and everyday wear. chan had never felt so extravagant before.
“tomorrow you’ll be fitted for your armor,” you said on the way back to your chamber tower.
“that’s all right, i won’t need it.”
“you won’t need armor?”
“if i’m going to be your secret knight, i can’t stand out and wear armor like the rest of them. i need to look as plain as i can,” he shrugged. “besides, i usually don’t wear armor.”
“isn’t that dangerous?”
“i’m still alive, aren’t i?” he winked playfully.
“if you think you can survive without it, be my guest.”
when your chancellor said that chan would accompany you everywhere, you didn’t expect him to do it so literally.
from fulfilling your duties or errands outside of the castle to simply walking you to the dining hall, chan fulfilled his end of the deal and did just as the council told him.
growing up as an only child, you had a lot of alone time and freedom to do as you pleased, considering you were the princess.
but now, with nearly no privacy aside from sleeping and bathing, you felt like you were being suffocated.
it wasn’t chan’s fault, but sometimes you wished he wasn’t so freakin’ good at his job.
the only way you could get any alone time was to sneak out, and so for the first time as a queen, you tiptoed out of your chamber just before dawn.
and just when you think you successfully passed chan’s chamber, he opens the door abruptly and poked his head out into the hallway.
“your highness?” he whispered. “where are you going?”
“how did you know i left the room!?”
“i heard your door open. these walls aren’t really insulated.”
“well, if you must know, i will be going to the market this morning. alone.”
“oh, ok. let me just get my coat -”
“no, i mean alone alone! just me!”
but chan ignored your whining and slipped on his coat as he led the way to the gates. he was like a walking zombie with his eyes barely open and feet dragging against the ground lazily.
you almost felt bad for dragging him with you.
almost.
the sun had already risen by the time you and chan arrived at the market and it was already filled with townspeople chattering about while buying and selling their goods.
“it’s a beautiful market,” chan noted, picking and snacking on small fruits and nuts as you passed the stands. he offered you a strawberry and you took it happily.
“i know, i love it here. i don’t have time to go with the cooks or i never wake up in time and today’s my first time visiting again since before i was crowned.”
“which shop is your favorite?”
“the flower shop, of course.”
ahead was a small wooden stand surrounded by the kingdom’s most colorful and beautiful flowers. you were the shop’s loyalist customer who always ordered everything from centerpieces to commencement arches. no other shop could bloom more beauty than this one.
“ah, your highness!” the kind man greeted. “we’ve missed you here. to what do i owe the honor?”
“nothing particular! i finally had some time to visit. are the sunflowers in bloom yet?”
“oh, yes! they’re almost six feet tall now! let me snip you some.”
chan watched your eyes sparkle with glee as you were handed the freshest bouquet of yellow sunflowers. the sun glowed softly behind you, creating a halo around your beautiful face and chan thought just that.
you may have been one of the most uptight employers he’s ever worked for, but you were definitely the most beautiful.
“it’s rude to stare, sir chan,” you said, not looking away from your precious bouquet. “men in this village can’t even dare to look in my direction.”
“i’m not like most men.”
after paying the shopkeeper, you walk off in a random direction for chan to follow. “i suppose you’re not.”
“those sunflowers really suit you.”
peering up at your hired sword, you were given another one of his famous smiles that reminded that you should be careful around him. his smiles were either out of politeness or because he was silently teasing you, but there was something behind them you couldn’t pick up on.
“do you really think so?” he nodded. “thank you. i think so, too.”
after hours of walking around the market, picking up breakfast and showing chan the local blacksmith (where you insisted on purchasing a shiny new dagger for him), you head back to the castle with all of your goods in his arms and the bouquet of sunflowers in yours.
after that morning, you find yourself warming up to your unbounded knight. no longer did you find him too much of a burden or a leech. you still didn’t think you needed him to be with you 24/7, but he did bring you good company.
it’s not like you had many friends in the kingdom, anyways.
you were standing outside his door for about fifteen minutes, contemplating if you were going to invite him to go to the dining room with you or not.
i mean, he would have found out where you were and joined you eventually, but you thought you should save him the trouble.
chan peaked through a small crack before fully opening the door to you. he raised a curious brow, but still held that darling smile of his on his lips.
“your highness? do you need anything?”
“i-i’m heading to the dining hall now.”
“oh? are you asking me to join you?” you saw the way his lips curled more mischievously and now you realized your mistake. you weren’t going to hear the end of this from him.
“no! i’m telling you because you have to follow me anyways...!”
“whatever you say, my queen ~”
the next time you showed him any sort of indication that you didn’t mind his presence was not exactly how you’d hoped.
there was a party in the village to celebrate your first year at the throne and you were feeling more uneasy and bashful as usual. chan thought you were just someone who was always on edge, but today was more noticeable and he was afraid you were going to have some sort of panic attack.
as you sat on your throne overseeing the celebration, you felt a hand rest on your shoulder, causing you to jump.
“are you ok?” chan asked you.
“yeah, i just don’t really like all this attention... i just feel like i’m being watched.”
“that’s just me,” he said, shooting you a wink that unusually eased your heart.
and before you knew it, an arrow shot straight for your head.
if chan’s quick reflexes hadn’t stopped it, you would have been dead.
but he didn’t catch it. the arrow shot through his hand, lodging it right in his palm.
“o-ow...” he hissed.
the whole kingdom erupted in loud screams and all the townspeople began to panic and run back to their homes.
“your highness, we have to leave,” your chancellor said, dragging you back to the carriage.
“wait, but sir chan -!”
“the council will take care of him.”
throughout the entire carriage ride, your thoughts were focused on the safety of the towns people and chan. you hoped your council could ease everything but you wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight until you made sure chan was ok.
you immediately went to the infirmary when you arrived at the castle and chan was already there with the arrow out of his palm.
“chan!” you called out while running to his bed, not bothering with formalities.
“your highness? what are you doing here?”
“i’m making sure you’re ok, you fool! how could you just get hurt like that!?”
“you would have been the one hurt otherwise! what other choice did i have?”
“y-yeah, but now you have a hole in your hand...!”
“i’ll be fine, i promise. it’s just a scar compared to everything else i’ve been through. there’s no need to worry,” another smile held his lips, shaking from the pain of his hand. “it’s my job, remember?”
oh, right.
it was his job to protect you.
that’s what he was paid to do.
he was only doing what he was hired to do and nothing more.
“right... your job...” you cleared your throat, now embarrassed for showing him that you cared him even a little bit. you were now reminded about your distaste for freelancers. “heal well, sir chan.”
“wait, your highness -”
but you were already out the door.
from then, the interaction between the two of you was down to a bare minimum. not much talking on either ends and you merely shared each other’s space.
it was quite hurtful that he didn’t want to talk to you, either. weren’t you supposed to be the one giving him the silent treatment? you knew how much of a loud mouth he was, and now you were lucky if he asked you to pass the salt in the dining hall.
maybe he regretted being hired. but that couldn’t be the case, could it? he would have left with his bags of money by now.
so why did he stay?
the next time you held a legitimate conversation was in the middle of the great hall dressed to the nines and surrounded by other royals across the land.
you didn’t even want to go to the ball in the first place and you really didn’t want the chancellor to pair you up with some random, uncomfortably handsy lord from a country you’ve never heard of.
before the chancellor could do so, chan stole you and swept you away in the crowd of people.
“what are you doing?” you hissed at him.
“dancing with the queen,” he shrugged. “i didn’t think you’d want to dance with any of these old warts.”
chan took your hand in his and placed the other on your hip and you two waltzed and twirled around like the other royals.
“you’re an excellent dancer, your highness.” as time passed, you realized his hand snaked its way to the small of your back, pulling you closer to him.
“of course i am. it comes with being a queen. you’re not so bad yourself.”
“i learn a lot on the job.” the orchestra had slowed down and now the gap between you and your dashing knight was almost gone. for the first time in a while, you felt his eyes on you. “you look beautiful, your highness.”
time had slowed, the music had faded, and you were left with a handsome man looking at you like were his precious jewel.
“i-i need some air.” you escaped from the crowd and out to where all the carriages where.
you were so tempted to hop into yours and just go back to the castle where everything would make sense, but even now you felt like your castle was a place of confusion.
being the great unbounded knight that he was, chan followed you right out, grabbing your hand before you could escape.
“you’re making it really hard for me to do my job, you know. what’s up with you lately? you’re not talking to me, you’re avoiding me, you can’t even look me in the eyes anymore! did i do something wrong, your highness?”
“yes, you did!” you shrieked, catching chan by surprise. “you’re an unbounded knight! you have absolutely no loyalty to any crown! i am thankful that you saved my life, but all i can think about lately is if someone else had hired you before we did, you could have been the one behind the arrow!”
“you’re right. that’s how my job is. i make a living of doing other people’s dirty work.”
“so i’m just another job to be fulfilled?”
“that’s how they all start! but whether i’m paid in gold or in copper pennies, i’d still protect you with my life.” chan reached out to tuck a loose hair behind your ear that escaped its hold during your frantic run. “you’re my queen. i won’t let anyone lay a hand on you. not even during a waltz.”
“so that means you’re staying, right? you won’t leave anytime soon?”
your begging eyes were just too cute for him to refuse. “do you like me that much, your highness?” he teased.
“i... like your company...”
“i’ll take that as a yes.”
“will you take me home?”
“i’d be happy to.”
after carriage arrived back at the castle, chan dared to hold your hand as you walked up to the tower to your chambers. he dropped you in front of your door to bid you a goodnight.
“sweet dreams, your highness.”
before he could leave, you pulled the collars of his jacket down and pressed your lips to the handsome knight. and as if he was hoping you’d do so, he lifted you up and carried you to your bed.
pieces of clothing were tossed off your bed and onto the floor. you both spent the entire night under the sheets, tangled in each other’s arms, lips only leaving skin to come up for air.
neither of you slept that evening.
“stay here with me,” you whispered that morning, running your hands through his curly hair. “i’ll pay you however much you want. just stay.”
“i was yours the second i saw you, your highness. i’m all yours.”
