"WHAT THE HELL IS EVEN A BLACK KNIGHT???"

 

The king calmly regarded his chancellor who was currently flipping his lid. The chancellor was yelling and gesturing wildly after he had followed the king into his private office, "Are you Completely INSANE???" The king sighed as he returned to his desk and once again was grateful for the sound proofing he had installed to keep conversations confidential, "Calm down, Kyle."

 

Kyle looked at the king, "Calm down? CALM DOWN???" He stabbed a finger at the king, "YOU! You thought this up with that kid, didn't you? AUGH! How? Do you have any idea what an uproar this has caused? The Nobles have lost their minds!" The king smiled and his eyes sparkled, "Really?" Kyle made a fist and pressed it up under his nose as he took a moment to compose himself, "Do you have any idea-"

 

The king cut him off, "Listen. No, I didn't plan it. I didn't expect it. However, he was willing to give me an oath and as you yourself asked, 'Can He Be Controlled?' Well, I think an oath goes a long way towards controlling him."

 

The chancellor pointed at the door, "But THAT oath? Did you listen to it?"

 

The King nodded, "Yes. He'll do what is right, and if he needs to, he'll ignore the law." He stabbed a finger at the door as well, "Those squabbling nobles have been beating each other and myself up with their bureaucratic abuse of the law and proclamations put down by kings centuries ago! I've been trying to find a way to put the fear of the throne back into them again and the gods damnit that boy gave me EXACTLY what I need!"

 

Kyle's eyes bugged out as he hunched over and reached with trembling fingers twisted into claws towards the king, "You gave that power to someone with a DEMON'S HEART!" The king swiveled his chair away, "Almost nobody knows that." Kyle's face turned red with frustration as the king continued, "And... if he abuses his power, we'll have him killed."

 

Kyle froze and cocked his head to the side, "What?"

 

The king steepled his fingers, "I want to believe in that boy, but the truth is, I cannot. If I put him in a position where he can screw up and goes too far, then if I put him to death, it will make nice-nice with the nobles, while giving us a justifiable reason to put him down." Kyle straightened up, "Hmm... Give him enough rope to hang himself, eh?" He paused, "Again." He tapped a finger against his upper lip a few times as he thought about it, "A bit... cold... coming from you, but I see the reasoning." The king nodded, "Think of it as a test. I'd rather Reed break under pressure sooner rather than later. Besides, I liked that oath." The king got a far off look, "He's not my sword, nor my shield, but my hope."

 

Kyle facepalmed, "Sire, you are far too much of a romantic. You need to stop this and start being practical!" The King snorted at Kyle, "Oh HUSH. Seriously. YOU worry too much. I'm sure it will all work out in the end." The king turned to look out the windows behind his desk and at the courtyard below, "Maybe Ryan can't stop from turning evil, but if he can understand the law and keep his word, maybe he can still serve the kingdom." Kyle sighed and dropped into a chair, mentally exhausted, "Friends close, enemies closer, eh?"

 

"Has our spymaster assigned someone to Reed, yet?" The king inquired. Kyle thought for a moment, "Actually... she sounded quite dodgy about it." The king turned to look back at Kyle, "How so?"

 

Kyle shrugged, "She said, 'the perfect choice has volunteered.' She didn't say she assigned someone. I am always wary when she phrases simple things in complex ways." The king nodded slightly as he turned back to look out the window, “I'm sure she'll keep him well in hand.” He sighed, "If not..."

 

"I'm afraid we'll have to rely on Zachariah."

 

---

 

Ryan finished washing out his hair and looked up into the mirror, "The dye didn't work very well on the eyebrows." He pushed them back, "I just don't get it. I have managed to figure out so many different ways to manipulate my aura, yet I cannot accomplish changing my hair color." He tilted his head forward to look closer at his hair, "This should be so simple, yet it's beyond me." He looked back at Charity, "It's almost as if I'm healing my hair." He looked back at the mirror, “But hair is made up of dead cells so that shouldn’t be-” then cursed, "Gosh Darn It!" The black dye in his hair was already fading.

 

Charity inwardly suppressed her guilt at not being able to explain to Ryan what was going on. She reached over to pat him on the shoulder, "I don't understand why you want to change your hair color. I think it's a wonderful shade of silver." Ryan shrugged, "It's way too visible at night. I don't like standing out." He reached over for a pair of shears, "Guess there's only one option left." Charity grabbed Ryan's hand, "NO!"

 

He looked at her a little startled. She paused, realizing she was being too forceful, ~He'll definitely start to wonder if his hair grows back before his eyes.~ She gently took the scissors away, "There are... social implications to having a shaved head." Ryan looked quizzical, "Like?" Charity looked away, "Nothing I can repeat in good company." Ryan just tilted his head to the side, "Like a... oh. It has something to do with sex, huh?" Ryan sighed and looked at the mirror, "I suppose I could... make a hood or something."

 

Charity inwardly let out a sigh of relief, "Reed, maybe you should just focus on returning to school tomorrow and stop thinking about your hair and..." She looked a little worried, "Are you certain you won't change your mind about the clothes?"

 

Ryan sat back and nodded, "Of course. The spymaster was kind enough to give me a breakdown about how my relationships were in that place. I don't remember any of them, so I don't miss anyone. None of them liked me except for my roommate, and even then I think that was more because he didn't have a choice." Ryan got up and walked over to his wardrobe to examine his 'school outfit', "I got approval from the king and the headmaster. It was like pulling teeth, but I got it."

 

The outfit was less of a school uniform and more of black armored ninja suit without a mask. It came with reinforced elbows and knee pads, a holder for his axe on his back, a flax vest with chest plate inserts, and steel reinforced boots. Leather pouches and a number of concealable knife sheaths completed the outfit. Basically he was going into the school ready for open war, which was the point. As a compromise, he did have the official school uniform patch put on the shoulder, but it really was too little, too late.

 

Ryan looked at the matching fingerless gloves and stuffed them in one of the suit's many pockets, "I'm a black knight. I have to look the part as well as be ready to fight on a moment's notice. Going to school is a secondary concern." He looked at Charity, "Besides. Full plate just ain't my style." Charity just looked more concerned, "Part of the reason for going to school is to learn how to make friends with the other nobles."

 

Ryan leveled a flat glare at her, "You're kiddin', right?" Ryan walked over to pick up the papers he got from the spymaster, "I was a pariah before this crud happened. My only course of action is to win over a few key individuals that will smooth my way through the courses and to appear so prickly to everyone else that it is no longer worth the time and effort to attack me." He dropped the folder, "So if I must appear to be some dark, brooding, edgy try-hard, so be it." He shrugged, "As long as they don't waste my time."

 

Charity nodded, but looked sad, "If I may say, you are already a prickly person, but if you just let people get to know you, they would certainly see what a selfless and giving person you are. You help people around the castle all the-" Ryan interrupted, "Commoners. I help... commoners." Ryan sighed and rolled his eyes, "The other nobles avoid me like the plague. I am but a halfling to them." Charity's hands flew to her mouth as she gasped, "I-I-I am so sorry! I didn't realize-" Ryan looked at her sideways, "What the hell does that mean, anyways? I thought halflings ate a lot and lived in hills."

 

Charity blushed furiously and stammered before she composed herself, "It... is... the most offensive insult imaginable. It means you are only half a person. Most... half dwarfs are abandoned by both parents and wind up living on the streets where they are beggars and thieves. So, to call someone the... H-word... usually results in a fight." Ryan nodded slowly, "Ah. Like the N-word. Got it." Charity looked curious, "Uhh... may I ask, what is the N-word?" Ryan looked at her, "Hey. Even I got my limits, okay? Some words just cross a line that shouldn't be crossed." Charity nodded and accepted his reply.

 

Ryan looked in the mirror,"It is so odd. Half-dwarves inherent the hight of a dwarf, but the slim build of a human. Genetically speaking, that doesn't make sense." Charity asked, "What is genetically?" Ryan almost started to explain, but shook his head, "Another time."

 

Ryan went back to cleaning up and then returned to his bedroom to finish packing, "I'm glad you are coming with me. Not sure how that's going to work, but I'm glad all the same. The headmaster said he'd arrange something." Charity smiled, "I've grown attached to you. I don't know why. You are a great deal of trouble but... I know your heart is in the right place." Inwardly she cringed at her own poor choice of words.

 

Ryan didn't notice, "Well, I should mention... about the whole... I'd... marry you if I was twenty years younger… thing." Charity blinked and looked at him a bit surprised, "I believe you were dying at the time. I didn’t put much stock in what you said back then." Ryan nodded and looked away, "Listen. I'm not interested in anyone. I'm single and it is going to stay that way because I'm not over my ex. The gods said there might be a way, so as long as there's a way..." He looked up at Charity, "I'm going to stay loyal to her. If things had been different..." He let the rest of the sentence remain unspoken. Charity nodded slowly, "I understand. And I like you as well, but not that way."

 

Ryan scratched the back of his head looking anywhere but at Charity, "That's a relief." He paused, "Truth is, I don't want to lose you as a friend. You have been a rock to me and I need you more than I would like to admit." He paused then finally looked her in the eye, "I'd be lying if I didn't say that I wish things were different. You are an amazing woman. You deserve an amazing guy. I hope you find him someday. While I need you, if you find him, go for it!" He spread his arms wide and shrugged, "What kind of friend would I be if I stood in the way of your happiness?"

 

Charity lowered her head and blushed, "I feel the same way." She looked up with a smile, "You deserve someone special as well." Ryan smiled back, "I already found someone special. I lost her, so all I gotta do is find her again." Charity opened her mouth to say something, then thought better of it and just nodded instead. Ryan stood there in the awkward silence, shuffling his feet before he cleared his throat, "Anyways. Let's finish packing. You said we'll be returning with everyone else?"

 

Charity walked over to pick up a suitcase to put on the bed, "Yes. The mid-spring break will end tomorrow. You will be returning after only losing two weeks of school... effectively." Ryan sighed, "And I get to look forward to half a semester of learning how to drink tea and waltz." He shook his head and muttered as he walked into the other room to check to see if he missed anything, "It's times like this I wish that demonic infestation had actually killed me."

 

Charity, standing behind Ryan where he couldn't see, grabbed her mouth and held it tight to stop herself from sobbing out loud.