Fairytale AU (unpaid-protector)
Alfred rolled in the weapons into the palace grounds, after of course being thoroughly inspected by the guards at the gate. He delivered the cart to the armory, where he normally would, and collected the payment that was due for it before preparing to head back out.Â
He paused, however, a bit confused when all the guards suddenly started rushing past him out of the room, leaving him almost alone. That was, save for one guard, who took it upon himself to make sure Alfred himself wasnât up to anything. Reasonably.Â
âYou are no longer allowed to be in here at the moment, I will relocate you to an area until further notice.â Declared the guard, gesturing for the young smith to follow.Â
He could still hear shouting through the hallways, something about the princess, but he couldnât really make out everything that was being said.Â
The two alone in the corridor, Both Alfred and the man next to him hesitated, looking around when it appeared as if all light was being sucked from the surrounding area into one spot behind them. They both spun around when it sounded like someone just dropped.Â
âPrincess!â The guard beside him rushed to the side of the unconscious child. Alfred didnât move, almost frozen in place, he didnât know what was going on, or what he was supposed to do.Â
Not even a minute later, another figure appeared, this time, very much conscious and did not look like he was there to help. In fact, a dark grin crossed his lips when it was Alfred, whoâd finally jumped into action, pulling a sword heâd learned to carry due to bandits and putting himself between the menacing man and the princess.Â
âGet the princess out! Quick!â He shouted to the Guard, whoâd also stood up to defend. Hesitating, he put his weapon quickly, and grabbed the child, ready to run.Â
âYouâre brave for a smilthâs boy~â The gentleman cooed before them, âYou wanna protect the princess that bad? Fine!âÂ
Tightening his grip on his sword, Alfred clenched his teeth and ran at him, but that was the last thing he remembered before waking up to being shaken, a small voice calling âMister...â, and the hard floor.Â
He let out a small groan, and rolled onto his hand and elbow, before jumping slightly to look around. The castle he found them in, looked old and abandoned. Dust and cobwebs covered almost every inch, and the furniture that had been there was either broken, or covered with dusty sheets. His eyes fell on the young princess who was kneeling down next to him, and how had been shaking him to wake him previously. Her face was bright red, her cheeks stained with tears and her bright green eyes screaming in fear. âP-princess...?â
He was about to stand, and see if he could find a way out, or at least where they were, when a sharp, stabbing pain, ripped itâs way through his chest and across his entire body. Like getting run through about a hundered times. His eyes squeezed shut as he managed a weak cry when he collapsed. The princess on the other hand, her eyes went wide, and she let out a small shriek of her own before running to hide behind one of the many large pillars that lined the basilica like ballroom.Â
He heard something crack and collapse behind him, what sounded like a good section of the roof above. When the pain subsided finally, and he was able to breath finally, he couldnât help but feel different. when his eyes opened on the other hand, it all looked different too. Not only was the room a lot smaller, the lights were different, and colors seemed off.Â
Looking down, he saw bright golden scales like... like a dragon!? He panicked, he stumbled a bit, and of course knocking over even more than he had before, he let out a shout, which only came out as a loud roar. Finally, when heâd managed to calm down as much as he could, remembering the princess was still somewhere in the room, he could hear more. He could hear the quiet sobbing in the corner of the room, tucked behind a pillar, he could feel the air shaking a bit around her.Â
With a few careful breaths, he let out a whimper, and laid himself down on the floor, his head resting on his arms in front of him, and closed his eyes, at this point, not sure how long this would last, but hoping, really praying, that it wasnât for long. He wanted more than anything, to comfort her, but also knew that he was part of the reason for her fear. With resignation, his eyes closed, as he could do nothing more than listen, not wanting to make another sudden move and scare her again, though he himself was also terrified.Â