Like a Rebel [Limitless and ao~no~demon]

[Limitless]

Things had come a long way from they were kids, that was for sure. Rush still wasn't sure whether to look back fondly on those days or not. Sure, he'd made a friend in those days, one he would be a fool to disregard, but that friend had turned out to be a prince and as a commoner, their lives had been completely different when they weren't out playing together. Not only that but as the years had gone on, Rush had gradually come to see that his country of origin and that of his friend were not on good terms. Eventually this resulted in Rush's country being absorbed and everything changed.

When he understood what had happened and who his friend was in relation to what had happened, it had taken the young brunet a long time to reconcile how he felt. It was made easier by his friend being a bit of a rebel though, that was for sure.

Eventually Rush had forced himself into a decision and enlisted in the army. He took to the sword like a fish to water and learned to hold his own with the best of them. He did it without his friend knowing too, wanting to prove himself, wanting to have something to talk about when they next met up. It wasn't uncommon for people not of noble descent to become soldiers, but it was a little unusual for them to rise the ranks and earn knighthood and Rush did just that.

He still often found himself with the menial tasks of guarding a door or patrolling the ramparts, but there could always be worse tasks, of that he was sure. And surely the prince would be proud of him for how far he'd come, how he had committed to being a knight and taking that responsibility seriously. Maybe one day he'd even end up with the priviledge of making it into the royal guard and his friend and prince could be under his direct protection. What an honour that would be!

Not one particularly prone to flights of fancy though, Rush brought his mind back to the present, finishing up with donning his armour. Securing the last straps and making sure his standard-issue sword was in place at his hip, Rush moved off to take up his position on the ramparts for patrol.

 

[ao~no~demon]

Oliver didn’t know why his companion had asked him to join him on a walk on the ramparts, but he wasn’t about to question it when it was obvious his companion wanted to speak to him about something. Though they were both walking in silence, both stalling for conversation and not wanting to be the first to break the silence. Though Oliver didn’t know why since it was the other that called him here.

After a few more seconds of silence his companion finally broke the silence. “You still haven’t told father what you plan to do.” Oliver looked up at his older brother, the second prince Alexander. “I was unaware that had too. Yet.” Best keep the conversation light. Alex was an ally. One of the few he had at court. Alex brought them to a stop on a part of the ramparts that over looked the ocean. “If you don’t chose something he will, and he’s already told me he wishes for you to join the military.” At this Oliver did looked surprised. “Tell me your joking?” This had to be a joke. There was no way in heaven or hell that Oliver would survive being placed in the military.

Oliver was described most as delicate. Especially when compared to the rest of his siblings. So much so that his fathers imperial consorts had taken to mockingly call him the doll prince. He had inherited his father’s height, but that was it, except for his emerald green eyes. Everything else came from his mother. His ridiculously slim build, high cheek bones, inky black hair. Combine that with his utter refusal to do anything that would be considered physical labor and he was easily the smallest in his family.

His brother only shook his head. “I’m afraid I’m not.” The conversation fell into silence again. “Well i’ll leave you to your thoughts. Think carefully about you want to do Oliver.” With that his brother turned and left. Leaving Oliver with plenty to think about.

 

[Limitless]

Blond hair blowing gently in the wind, Rush peered out over the lay of the land visible from the height that he was. Not the highest part of the castle by any means but with land gently sloping away, it placed him plenty high enough to see any threats that might be approaching. Not that any of the soldiers patrolling the ramparts expected any kind of attack. The kingdom had enjoyed a peacetime for longer than Rush had been at the castle, far longer and while there were often tensions between kingdoms, there was presently no hints of an end to the peace the kingdom enjoyed. Part of Rush was disappointed by that.

The monotonous routine patrol was broken though, by the appearance of the princes. Of course the soldiers still had their own jobs to do but now they also had to worry about the members of the royal family being exposed. No-one expected an archer to be hiding in the undergrowth but having the princes nearby put an extra little bit of responsibility on the shoulders of the soldiers who would rather not have it. Rush didn't mind though.

Keeping an eye on the pair until one of them left, Rush contined his patrol even then, as the others did. He was even courteous enough that he didn't try to overhear their conversation. The blond wasn't a goody-two-shoes but he was particularly well-known for taking his job very seriously, whether it was scrubbing pots in the scullery or poking holes in training dummies. If he wasn't already tasked with patrolling the ramparts, he would have offered to escort the prince back down into the castle proper but abandoning his post was the last thing he wanted to do. So he remained, keeping a wary eye on the land beyond the castle walls and on the prince who hadn't followed his brother back downstairs. He could only imagine what the pair had been talking about.

 

[ao~no~demon]

Sir Tristan was the head of the group of knights and soldiers that were out doing patrols at this time. He was an weathered older man, with a scar going across his face. He was also a stern man, but not unkind or un fair. Noticing that the youngest prince was without protection, the young prince hadn’t chosen his own knight yet or a royal guard although it was his personal opinion that he should have done so years ago, decided that it would be best to assign one of his man the task for as long as the boy was here. It wasn’t a secret among the castle that this particular prince refused physical activity and would be hard pressed to defend himself in case of danger.

Scouting among his men he searched his men for the one bested suited for the job. He knew some of the younger knights would love to get out of patrol duty, though watching the young prince would most likely prove to be just as boring depending on how long the young man stayed. While mulling over possible candidates a bit of blonde caught his eye. Rush. Yes the young man was certainly diligent in his work. He would certainly take this task seriously, and out of the young men here he was probably the best choice. Decision made the old night walked over to the blonde soldier. Telling him of his new assignment.



Oliver slammed his fist on the stone ledge. Damn that man. Damn him to hell. He knew exactly what his father was trying to do. By placing Oliver in the military he was essentially signing Oliver’s death warrant. What better why of killing of his reverent son then by having him join the army. He would be killed the second he entered the battle field and the emperor wouldn’t have to get his own hands dirty. It was the perfect plan. Oliver was so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed that someone was coming up behind him.

 

[Limitless]

Although slightly unusual with the appearance of the princes, the day was looking so far to be an average one, or so Rush thought until his direct superior approached him with a new assignment of sorts. The more the man spoke, the wider Rush's eyes seemed to get as he listened to his new orders. Bodyguard to the prince for the duration of his stay at the castle? What an honour! Rush could hardly believe his luck. Sure it was an increase in responsibility but the blond would rise to the challenge, and he'd get an increase in pay to boot! Rush's eyes slid over to the prince as he received his instructions and he nodded when appropriate before saluting and letting the senior knight be on his way. Not even any time to adjust to his new posting, just go over there, introduce himself and go from there.

Rush didn't expect it to go down very well when the prince hadn't chosen his own in all that time. There had to be a reason and Rush just tromping on in and expecting prince Oliver to just accept that seemed unlikely at best. Nevertheless, Rush did have his orders and he wasn't about to disobey them.

"Ah, excuse me, your Majesty," Rush began, slightly awkwardly. "My name is Rush Noremi and I've been instructed to accompany you for the duration of your stay here, acting bodyguard until you choose one for yourself. I apologise for any inconvenience this might cause but I can assure you that you are in safe hands. I will do my utmost to protect you, should the need arise for such." Not the worst introduction, right? How was a simple soldier supposed to properly address royalty anyway? It wasn't something that had really come up before. Normally the only time they really had to react to royalty was when they were on parade. Hopefully he hadn't made a bad impression.