A knight of the woods (skfs)
[Sfw, Fantasy Au Skfs + original pics]
Sukuna was an honorable knight once.
A knight kings from all kingdoms prided themselves on having among their lines, fightingt in their army. He was strong and fierce, capable of winning any battle, no matter how impossible it had seemed at first.
Under his command any man would fight until his very last breath, win against their enemies even as they slowly faded, bleeding out and getting closer to their death thanks to a mortal wound. There were no men like him anymore. Or that was what most lords and kings had said, praising his abilities and his service to their lands.
But all the blood staining his hands came with a price, with the curse of all the dead bodies he had torn apart, hunting the so admired knight every time he closed his eyes. But, what was more obvious, was this unstoppable anger that managed to take control of him from time to time, a fury he couldn't repress, adding new sins he wouldn't even dare to say at loud to the endless list he already had.
Sins that made him want to beg for forgiveness at the feet of every God he could name, even when he was fully aware of how some sins could never be forgiven. Those sins were the reason behind his punishment, what had managed to turn him into an exile, banished from every known land and every town his horse could ever take him to.
But after months travelling, he was tired. His bones were sore after so many nights resting with just the sky above his head; his armour was now covered in dirt, almost unrecognizable without its usual shine.
Sukuna felt the sweat dampening his hair after another long day on the road, his scars itched uncomfortably under the sun of an incoming warm spring, and the different layers of dirty cloths. This would be the first spring he would spend far from the finest tournaments the lords liked to celebrate when the winter came to an end. The first without basking himself in the cheering of the common people and the praise of the nobility. The first in a really long time, without enjoying the company of the most beautiful ladies of the land.
He needed a drink. He needed to forget what he had lost, but there was no tavern he could enter to, and no wine that could satiate his thirst.
After a while, the Sun seemed to get shy, it rays barely caressing his skin anymore, as he saw himself surrounded by trees. Before him he could only see the forest.
Just this dense layer of green matter. Forest and forest, and more trees, and grass, and bushes, and just every possible thing shining in that fucking green shade.
He had been on the countryside not much before, and suddenly, there was no clearing to be seen. Why was everything so fucking green?
He felt intimidated for an instant.
But if he listened carefully, he could hear the familiar whisper only water could create as it flowed, apparently not so far from him.
Well, he could defenitely wash himself and rub all the shame off his skin, maybe even drink some fresh water. He was, most likely, lost, but he didn’t seemed to be completely doomed.
Sighing, he got off his horse and guided the beast towards the sound, as they both walked through the bushes, hoping to find the river before the sun started to fall behind the mountains.
There was still plenty of light, so he could see the ground he was stepping on, but the forest and its nature made him feel like he was surrounded by some powerful force, some sort of energy, like he was getting himself inside of a lion’s den. The sun was still high in the sky, but thanks to all the vegetation, there was not enough light for him to feel at ease.
And Sukuna had never believed in those tales some soldiers liked to whisper around the campfire, stories about spirits and creatures people assured they had seen. Beings living in the woods, mysterious areas just like the one he was exploring.
But now, completely alone and surrounded by that beautiful wildness, Sukuna started to wonder. Maybe he wasn't truly alone in that forest. Maybe there were creatures hiding in the woods, waiting for the perfect moment to attack careless humans like him.
Sukuna couldn't help but look carefully at every direction, searching for something, anything that could be an enemy and offer some reason to his paranoia, something that could explain why his instints felt so on edge. Any figure of an imminent danger would be more comforting than this utter loneliness.
A he approached the river, he felt those waters, dark and mysterious, tempting him with its coolness. Almost like it could call him.
He kneeled before the flow, letting the metal pieces of his armour crackle against the ground as he got them off, slipping off his gauntlets and even some of the arm pieces that bothered him a little too much. Then he leaned over the surface to wash his hands and get the first mouthful of fresh water.
Groaning in delight after so much time without a drink that wasn't as hot as his own urine or much closer to mud than to an actual liquid, he felt like he was taking a sip of the gods’ sweet nectar. He was so enticed by the waters, by the easiness it brought to his sore neck and shoulders; he didn't notice the strange presence lurking in the river.
A pale figure emerging from the deepest part of the stream, looking curiously at the knight, still with his features half hidden by the flow. His skin was bright like the moonlight, and his face was framed by long strands of dark hair, it was just as black as the river's own wonders, and it was adhered to his features like moss attached itself to a rock’s surface.
When Sukuna raised his gaze, when his eyes fell over the creature's face, it wasn't his deadly coldness or the contrast between his skin and the liquid darknes enveloping him what amazed him; but those deep green eyes. Just as green as everything around them was, and yet, so incredibly unique.
Sukuna was paralyzed. He couldn't move a single muscle, too mesmerized by this extraordinary being. Not even when the creature, so similar to a young man, raised himself over the waters, only covered by a thin layer of white cloth, dampened and pressed against his body like a second skin.
His figure, every curve and soft mound, was presented to Sukuna like a gift from the Gods themselves. Such a beautiful creature, covered by intricate jewellery crafted with gems as green as his own eyes... He felt unworthy of his presence. And there was an aura around him, an energy of some kind that made it crystal clear, that announced he was not a human.
He was above them all. He was the river, but he was also the forest. He looked soft and delicate, but also sharp and dangerous. He was a force of nature, crude power contained in a tangible, exquisite body. And he didn't even have to lift a finger to prove it.
Sukuna already knew what he had encountered.
The same way he knew he had found his new master.
