Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

He was tired. He was so, so tired. And yet, he had succeeded. His hair had turned a mixture of dark grey and brown, an ugly, muted mess of dirt and ash. He absentmindedly thumbed at the length falling over his left ear, trying to ignore the dull throbbing of his feet as he trudged through the muddy meadow. His ears couldn’t pick up the constant scraping of metal that he knew surrounded his body, either due to exhaustion or the howling wind that whipped the grass in waves. Briefly, his vision blacked out, causing him to stumble. It was only for a second, but it was enough to send him falling forward, landing harshly on his knees. His sword hand had swung out to help soften the fall, dropping the lithe weapon in the process. He paused, finally feeling the full weight of the armor pulling him down, down, until he allowed his body to rest, face half sunk into the wet ground like a child wrapped in his mothers bosom. His eyes softly fluttered shut, grass tickling his nose and lips. He allowed himself to wonder whatever had become of his bereft helmet before the world quieted around him and his pain melted away into the blackness.

Sir Riku?

The man could not move, tied down by the heaviness in his mind. He felt nimble fingers unbuckle his breastplate and shoulder straps, but his eyes did not open. He heard voices far away ordering strong arms to lift his body, but his limbs did not respond. He smelt the sharp scent of blood staining his side, but his voice did not call out for help. Visions of people long gone swarmed behind his eyelids, urging him to rest, to sleep, to fight, to awaken, atavistic in their desperation to quell the soothing call of whatever lies beyond. A face mirroring his own, older yet unchanging cradled him to their chest, whispering words of comfort. His existence rocked like a boat in the water, teetering between suffering and nothing, but he was not allowed to answer. Hands pressed into his soft flesh and ripped a cry from his throat, a rag shoved into his mouth where he bit down to help ease the pain. His eyes opened wide, blurry tables coming slowly into focus, surrounded by faces askance. At what, he hadn’t the mind to imagine. He drifted away once again from consciousness.

The pain had subsided just enough to allow him the clarity to take in his surroundings. A bed in the infirmary, bloody and wet. A priest in the corner speaking to the familiar face of the royal physician. Sunlight gently making its way past the thin linen covering the window onto his cheek. He forced his arms under him, counting to ten and gritting his teeth before he pushed against the bed, up to a sitting position and eyesight darkening at the burning at his waist. The priest caught his eye, and directed the elder man towards Riku.

"Sir Riku, the fact that you are alive on this kind morning is no small feat."

The candor of the physician had Riku looking towards the window, away from the evidence of his brush with death. Had it been that bad? Had he not fought, and won, and returned in one piece?

The hand of the priest fell to his shoulder, heavy and comforting.

"My child, I thought you had left us last night."

Riku felt a twist in his heart. A shadow in the back of his mind reared its scaly head, the memory of claws like daggers tearing through metal into flesh bringing with it another flash of pain. Riku’s hands swept to press against his side, hunching over and trying to calm his mind.

“I must go to the King at once, and tell him what I have done.”

He moved to stand, only to find that his legs would not obey. He strained, adrenaline rising through his chest, but the physician pushed his chest gently, forcing the knight back against the pillow.

“Be still, and rest. Your body has carried you home where others would have fallen, and you must give it time to heal.”

Riku glared, before hanging his head.

“The King knows of your return. I’m sure he will want to hear of your journey.” Riku started at the physician's words. “No! He mustn’t see me so weak. Please, keep him away until at least I can stand.”

The elder man gave a small smile that looked more like a grimace, before nodding. “Let’s get you into a private room, a clean bed.” He looked towards the priest. “Father Michael, please call for help bringing Sir Riku to his room.”

~~~

It was slow and painful, but by the time the sun was nearing midday he was safely in his own quarters, far more elegant than the barracks that he shared with the other knights. It wasn’t frequently that Riku was there, only ever to sleep before returning to the training grounds or patrolling the town. A castle servant now knelt on the floor near Riku, carefully cleaning blood from his body as the physician watched on.

“Xehanort, how long until I can get back to my position?”

The man gave a hearty laugh, “That is Master Xehanort to you, young sir, I see near death has not changed you a bit.”

Riku brushed his hair out of his eyes, looking up towards the physician. “How can I ever address you as Master when I know of the mess you make when you eat.”

Xehanort moved to sit on the bed next to Riku, looking at him for a beat before wrapping his arms carefully around the knight to avoid disturbing the now fresh bandages. “I was so worried about you, my boy. Your father would never forgive me if you did not survive.”

Riku patted his back slowly, awkward at the display of affection that his guardian so rarely showed. “But I did. My father, I think he was there with me. He comforted me in my pain.” Riku said softly, pulling back from Xehanort and placing his hand on his own heart, feeling the soft thumping beneath his fingertips.

“You look just like him. I have no doubt that you and he share a heart.”

Xehanort stood abruptly, interrupting the reverie that had fallen over the room. His servant jumped up from the floor, and the physician beckoned him out the door. “Farewell for tonight, Sir Riku, and rest. There will surely be a feast when you are well.”

Chapter Text

Riku stood outside of the Great Hall, waiting for the King to call him in. He leaned against the wall, across from Sir Axel. The older man stood at attention, diligently guarding the doors, but Riku saw how he studied him out of the corner of his eye. Riku stayed silent. Axel would surely hear the recount of his tale in five minute’s time, and Riku had no desire to waste his voice.

The door clicked as the guards inside the hall prepared to pull it open, and Riku quickly straightened his back and took his place in front of the doors. Axel now looked at him fully, nodding at him before helping to guide the doors. Riku did not hesitate, striding forward with as much strength as he could muster, head held high.

It seemed to take forever to reach the platform where the King sat in his throne, Riku’s footsteps bouncing off the walls and his newly cleaned armor clanking. As soon as he was close enough, his head fell towards the floor and he knelt in reverence, stilling with one hand on his knee. He heard ruffling above him, and then a strong but quiet voice called out, “Rise.”

Riku did so, willing himself not to shy away from the King’s gaze.

“Sir Riku, I already know that the dragon is slain.” The King’s voice was old, almost creaking as he sat relaxed in his intricately carved throne. “A scout has seen the beast dead, and the party sent to collect the corpse should return tomorrow. I am pleased that such a scourge has been rid from this world. But tell me, son. How did one so young as you defeat it?”

Riku saw the dragon before him, only slightly bigger than the biggest horse in the stables but muscles clearly rippling under its scaled body. He saw the yellowed fangs as it raised its head, jaw unhinging in a cry. He saw the great wings of the beast laying limply over the ground, mangled and twisted and unable to move. He saw it lunge toward him, desperately trying to snap off his head.

“My lord, it could not fly. It wasn’t a fair fight, it was crippled before I ever got to it.”

The King waved a hand as though to swat his words away. “Nonsense! This same beast has taken more than a few lives. The neighboring kingdoms could not kill it. And yet, alone, one of my knights came out victorious! Sir Riku, you shall be rewarded. Tomorrow, a feast!”

Riku recognized the dismiss in his tone, kneeling once more before rising and turning swiftly, thankful for the heavy doors putting a barrier between him and the throne. Riku hung his head, feeling none of the honor and only shame. It was a mercy killing, and still he had to fight for his life.

Axel turned to him, abandoning the pretense of being a good guard. “Truly amazing, Riku. I heard that many a knight from other kingdoms were felled by that dragon.” Axel looked at him with something akin to awe. Riku curtly nodded, continuing on to his room.

It wasn’t unusual for knights to be sent on quests. Riku knew that he was to prove himself. The dragon had posed no significant threat to the kingdom, at least not for now. Questing knights were always half expected not to come home, but given the apparent mortality rate of that beast, Riku couldn’t help but wonder if it was intended for him not to come home. He hesitated outside of his room, before shaking away the thought. In all honesty, the King probably picked him at random, knowing that he was still a little wet behind the ears and his death wouldn’t shake the hierarchy in the barracks. The King probably just needed some sacrificial lamb to say that he at least tried to slay the beast. It was just luck that Riku actually succeeded.

Riku pushed the door open and sat carefully on his bed, barely managing to get his chainmail armor off on his own and placing it gently on the floor. He peeled his undershirt off and looked at his side in the mirror. It was still bandaged, but he could put a bit of pressure on the wound without too much pain. It would surely be a nasty scar though.

He readied himself for bed, still far too early for the sun to be anywhere near setting but the effort it had taken to walk through the castle in his chainmail was enough to make his body ache with exhaustion. Xehanort had told him that he would need another week at the very least, but the King was getting impatient - what with the beast arriving tomorrow. As Xehanort had said, he wanted a feast.

~~~

It seemed as though every single knight, noble, squire, and royal in the Kingdom was present at the feast. Even the young princess Xion sat at the large table spreading the length of the room horizontally to the throne, her nursemaid helping keep the toddler upright. All four princes were present as well; Roxas and Sora, who were hardly ever seen at royal events, then Vanitas, and then the Crown Prince Ventus. Ventus sat at the right hand of his father, golden circlet glinting in the twilight.

Riku was one of the last to appear, as per the King’s request, and as he made his way into the now lively Great Hall, his heart nearly stopped. There, hanging from thousands of almost invisible wires was the dragon suspended above the banquet tables. He forced his feet to keep moving, carefully keeping his eyes trained forward. His wound tingled, as though reacting to the proximity of the claws that had nearly ripped his intestines out. As he reached the front and kneeled once more before the throne, the King stood and held his hand out to quiet the chatter.

“Loyal subjects…” the King drawled, “the dragon is slain!” The crowd erupted into cheers, as though they hadn’t been sitting under the corpse for at least thirty minutes already. The King raised his hand once more and immediately the quiet returned.

“Rise, Sir Riku.” He obeyed. “You fought this vicious creature alone, showing no hesitation. You dragged yourself, severely weakened yet victorious, all the way home.”

Riku suppressed a cringe at that. He couldn’t have expected the King to not know, but why tell the entirety of the kingdom how he had had his ass handed to him?

“You survived, where a more cowardly man would have given up. For this, I name you Sir Riku the Bravehearted!” The crowd cheered once more, less boisterous than last time and Riku wasn’t sure if he wanted to be embarrassed by the praise or ashamed of a name he felt he didn’t deserve. The King continued.

“You have proven yourself a worthy warrior, and you are deserving of a reward.” Riku hoped that the reward would be to move back into the barracks and begin patrolling again. “From henceforth, you will be the Knight of the Body of my son, Prince Sora!” The fellow knights could be heard whooping and whistling as the King laughed deeply. Riku felt his breath catch in his throat. He hadn’t expected that at all. Prince Sora was third in line for the throne and showed absolutely no interest in royal duties. He didn’t dare meet the boy’s eyes, but he could see the young prince looking around at his brothers in bewilderment. So the Prince didn’t ask for him.

The King noticed that Riku hadn’t moved, and said to him lowly, “Take your place, boy.” Riku hurriedly bowed to the King and walked behind the table, past the entire line of royals to where Prince Sora sat on the end. He took up place behind him and slightly to the right silently.

“Let us feast!” The King bellowed. No, no. This was all wrong. A Knight of the Body must perform the sacred ritual to bind their soul to their master. Was this some sort of joke? Was this public humiliation punishment for Riku killing the dragon instead of dying? He shook his head at the thought as he had done before. He mustn’t question the King’s motives. He was no traitor after all.

Riku stared at the back of the Prince - his Prince’s head. He noticed the tips of his ears a deep red as they peaked out of his unruly mop of brown hair. Riku stood stock still, slowly dragging his eyes upward to meet the face of the beast. It looked… sad, hanging there with no life in its eyes, none of the ferocity that had shook Riku to the core as he had fought with all his might. He closed his eyes, imagining what the dragon may have been like before it had a bounty on its head, soaring through the skies, scales reflecting the warm glint of the sun.

~~~

It was only around an hour that Riku had to stand there, before his Prince abruptly shot out of his seat. Ventus turned to his younger brother with a questioning glance, but Riku couldn’t hear the words that were exchanged over the din of all the guests. The - his - Prince stepped to the side and began walking towards the door near the other end of the table, clearly having had enough of the festivities. Riku waited until there were around seven steps between them before following, not bothering to wish anyone else goodbye.

The side door closed heavily behind him, muffling the noises of the Great Hall. His Prince didn’t slow down, and Riku continued following him. He didn’t want to crowd the boy, but he had never been in this wing of the castle so he desperately didn’t want to lose him in the maze of hallways. No sooner had he thought that than his Prince turned a corner out of sight. Riku maintained his speed, figuring that he would see the boy just ahead, but when he too turned the corner his Prince was nowhere to be seen.

Riku immediately froze, allowing his ears to search for the sound of boots against stone. It wasn’t difficult to catch the hurried clacking, but Riku’s own armor easily drowned out the sound. He could not move if he wanted to hear, but he could not hear if he wanted to move. Frustrated, Riku huffed. Based on the speed, surely Prince Sora was trying to lose him, but as his Knight of the Body, he had to follow.

He closed his eyes and focused on Prince Sora’s footsteps, hoping he could memorize their direction and then follow. Luckily he heard the creak of what was no doubt the door to his quarters, and immediately began retracing where he believed the boy had gone. Soon enough he found himself in front of an ornate door, a metal rapper in the shape of a star handing in the middle. Riku knocked the rapper three times in quick succession, not wanting to disturb the - his - Prince without permission, but hoping for confirmation that this was, in fact, his room. There was no answer, and Riku didn’t know what else to do but stand there hopelessly.

He knew the knight’s code. He knew that until he said those sacred words, he was not bound to this boy, but his oath to the King two years ago would not allow him to disobey the King’s orders to take his place at the - his - Prince’s side. His body ached from standing, and he wanted nothing more than to return to his own room and slump onto the bed, but he had not yet seen his Prince. He did not know if he had found him, but it was clear that the boy did not want to see him right now regardless.

So, Riku’s mind was made up. He would wait here until he could confirm that he knew where his Prince was, and then take the blatant ignoring as dismissal and go get some rest.

~~~

Riku didn’t know how long he stood there. He was certain, now, that this was Prince Sora’s room, as he watched first Vanitas and then Roxas retire to the rooms on either side of the one he was standing guard at. That was a good sign, but he cursed the oaths he had made to the knight's code as his soul told him he must stay, he must confirm with his eyes.

The wound in his side protested as he forced his back to stay straight, he ignored the growl of his stomach as he had not been allowed to eat during the feast. Perhaps Prince Sora was cruel, or perhaps he was simply unaware of the responsibilities of a personal knight. The boy was younger than Riku, but only by a year or two. Riku had been following in his father’s footsteps ever since he was but a babe, memorizing every aspect of the knight’s code until he could recite it backwards. Prince Sora, on the other hand, had a reputation of… how to put it kindly… carefree whimsy. Surely he wasn’t doing this to Riku on purpose…

Riku hadn’t noticed his eyes slowly drifting shut until he heard the door to his left open. He shot up straight once more, looking forwards instead of meeting the Prince Roxas’s eyes. His eyelids drooped, and he was so focused on keeping them open that he didn’t remember to turn around and peer into Prince Sora’s room when Prince Roxas strutted in. He only realized his missed opportunity when the door slammed shut next to him.

Riku quickly rubbed his eyes to try and bring some energy back into them, but slowed when he heard voices float through the door. He strained to listen to what was being said, but then hesitated. Was this a breach of privacy? No, he is just confirming that Prince Sora is in there. Does he even know what the boy sounds like? Well he should listen anyway to see if there is a threat to the Prince’s safety. Is he implying that Prince Roxas could threaten Prince Sora’s safety? No, no, that would be treason to assume.

He internally fought with himself, trying to determine the best course of action when the door swung open again.

“Sora wants to see you.” Prince Roxas said lazily as he meandered back to his own room.

That woke Riku right up, though his body complained when he forced it to move, stiff from standing for hours. He knocked once, twice, then pushed the door open.

Chapter Text

Prince Sora was sitting on his bed, facing the open window where diaphanous curtains swayed in the breeze and the moon hung low in the sky. There were no candles lit, allowing the moonlight to create long silver shadows across the floor. Riku walked far enough into the room for the door to close, and then quietly got to his knees, trying not to disturb the silence with his armor. He kept his head bowed as he heard the boy shift on the bed.

He held his breath, listening for more movement from his Prince, and was rewarded with the soft pad of feet on the wooded floor until the edge of a white nightgown came into view. Riku dared not move.

“You shouldn’t have waited for me.” His voice was quiet but firm. Riku bit his tongue. “You really take this whole thing seriously, huh?”

The inflection at the end of his words sounded like a question, which was good enough for Riku to answer. “I live to serve my King.” A tan, freckled face came into view then, the Prince having squatted down to look Riku in the eye. Riku’s eyes widened at the unexpected intrusion as the boy giggled. “He’s just using you to fuck with me, you know that. Right?”

Despite the questioning tone, Riku did not answer.

“Alright, stop kneeling on the floor like a dog.” The knight’s brows furrowed, but stood up nonetheless. He remained silent but stared at the younger, never having been quite so close before. He was certainly beautiful enough to be royalty, but his blatant disregard for the hierarchy shocked Riku. The Prince was in turn looking over Riku, his eyes big and almost grey in the moonlight, before taking a step back.

“You look exhausted, take off your armor and take a nap or something.”

Riku perked up at the thought of going back to his room, but sighed as the Prince pointed him towards a big settee and chucked a blanket at him. “Better sleep soon because I have an early day tomorrow.”

Riku bowed his head and began unbuckling his armor, thoughts whirling faster than he could keep track of. He had said no oaths to the Prince, but the King had commanded him to stay by his side. Surely if he intended Riku to actually be his personal knight, he would have had them perform the ritual of bonding at the feast, no? But then again, Prince Sora seemed to believe that Riku was to act as a bonded knight, even if the oath had not happened. Perhaps the King had intended them to perform the ritual in private? But the Prince had made taken no actions to accomplish that, and besides, that wasn’t normally-

Riku’s thought process was interrupted by a pillow to the face, causing him to drop his now removed armor on the ground with a clash. “I can hear you thinking from all the way over here!”

Heat rose up Riku’s cheeks as he glanced over to where the Prince now laid sprawled across his bed, looking through his lashes at the knight. He set up the thrown pillow on the settee and laid his head against it, covering his body with the blanket.

“Do you ever speak?”

“Never out of turn.”

“Right, we will break you of that habit.”

~~~

It seemed like only an hour passed before the sun was strewn across the room, pulling a groan from Riku as he turned in his makeshift bed and covered his eyes with his arm. He laid like that for a beat, before forcing himself into a sitting position. He glanced around the room, pulling his undershirt away from his body, slightly damp with sweat from the blanket. The Prince was still asleep on his bed, brown skin glowing in the dawn. He stood up quietly, folding the blanket and stacking the pillow on top, deciding that he would run home to his room to get a fresh set of clothes and maybe a quick bath. If Prince Sora woke up while he was gone, he’d just say that Xehanort had requested to see his wounds in the morning.

Riku looked towards the pile of plate armor that he had abandoned on the floor, wondering if he should risk taking it back with him. He would only need to wear chainmail today so no point leaving it behind. Very slowly, Riku lifted the armor, wincing as metal scraped against metal. Luckily, the Prince didn’t stir and he was able to slip out the door.

He let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and hurried through the corridors, retracing his steps from last night. He didn’t want to go through the Great Hall back to his room, but he was able to flag down a servant to point him in an alternate direction.

Once he was in his room, he busied himself with washing up and changing. He figured that half-sleeve chainmail should suffice for the day, lifting the cool metal over his head to rest on his shoulders. He looked himself over in the mirror as he tied his scabbard around his waist, before noticing the morning shadows getting smaller. He closed his eyes and inhaled through his nose, before leaving back to the Prince’s room.

He paused outside the door and heard the boy moving about, so he pulled the rapper back and let it drop. Muted through the door, he heard the Prince call out “enter!” and so he pushed his way in.

His Prince was standing there, struggling to pull a thick lined vest over his head. “Well don’t just stand there…” he huffed.

Riku started, and hurried his way over to yank the cloth down. He couldn’t help but smirk at the disheveled look of the boy’s hair, eyes wandering over his features for a second too long before stepping back. He smoothed over his face back to its generic ‘on guard’ look that he had spent so long perfecting and moved out of the way.

Prince Sora continued to dress himself, and Riku stared very intently at the wall. It was only when Riku’s stomach grumbled that the Prince addressed him again. “Did you eat this morning?’

“I did not.” Prince Sora crossed his arms and tapped his foot, before heading to the table next to his bed and grabbing a plate of food that had surely been breakfast brought by a servant. He crossed the room towards Riku and loudly placed the pewter onto the dresser that Riku was standing near. “Eat.”

Riku looked towards the plate, sausages still slightly steaming, a pile of grapes on the vine, and bread with no more than two bites taken out. The Prince clearly hadn’t eaten much, but who was Riku to question him?

Riku popped a grape into his mouth when Prince Sora continued talking. “Do you find it… sensible, to throw a feast to honor a knight, only to delegate him to a position in which he cannot eat any of the very food meant to celebrate him?”

Riku shifted slightly, unsure of how to answer. Riku had pondered the very same question the night before, but surely Prince Sora knew that questioning the King out loud could very well be seen as treason… and yet the Prince looked at him expectantly, awaiting his answer. Perhaps these things weren’t so strict when it was the King’s own son. Or perhaps this was a test. He decided on the safe answer.

“All achievements by the knights of this kingdom reflect back upon the greatness of the crown…”

“You sound like you’re reciting a history book at me.” Prince Sora shook his head, before heading for the door. “Come, o heroic knight of legend. I have brothers to annoy.”

Riku followed the boy through the hallway, watching as Prince Sora pounded first on Prince Roxas’ door, then Prince Vanitas’, calling out to them to join him in skipping his lessons. Riku refrained from rolling his eyes, wondering if this was what the Prince meant when he said he had an ‘early day.’