Soldier, Poet, King. || Chuckle Sandwich x Reader

4

When the three of you arrived back at the castle, it sure was a process. If poor Charlie wasn't nervous enough, the guards insisting to search him up and down didn't make it any better.

Though, getting through all of the security was a huge weight off of his chest. The poor guy barely had anything in his bag- just a small leather sack filled with coins, a few of his poems stacked together, and a pen with dried ink on its end.

Despite being protective of only you at first, Ted now seemed to adjust to Charlie quickly. On the carriage ride back Charlie attempted to make conversation, and to your surprise, Ted actually responded here and there. So when the other guards at the castle wanted to pat Charlie down and do a full body search, Ted immediately declined, lying and saying he already did one himself.

You thought it was sweet, in all honesty. But you weren't sure if it was Ted just trying to be protective of Charlie's well being, or if the poor guy just looked that harmless.

As soon as Charlie got his possessions back, you smiled and led him to the guest rooms, Ted following behind the two of you and watching like a hawk. Any servant that glanced at Charlie weird would get an immediate death glare from Ted, causing them to scurry off and continue their jobs.

"Well, here we are! This is an empty room we have here- it's not too far from my room, so if you were to ever need something, you can ask me!" You explained with a small smile as you twisted the door knob, pushing the large door open.

Immediately Charlie's eyes widened a bit, stepping into the room he couldn't help but look around. "Woah.. this is- huge." He said softly, finally looking back at you, a big goofy grin plastering across his face. "What can I ever do to repay you..?"

Smiling a bit, you just stood there, placing your arms behind your back. "Nothing, Charlie. Let's just call this your payment for agreeing to play for the wedding." You hummed softly. "Now, a servant will be by shortly to escort you to a bathroom to get cleaned up, and to get you some new clothes. I don't want to be mean, but- your clothes are, well.."

He smiled sheepishly before rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah- they aren't the best.. it's one of the only outfits I can still fit into, really." He chuckled softly.

"Well, I promise you we'll get you some more. When you're all cleaned up, I'll have them lead you to the throne room so you can meet the king. He'll have to get a good impression of you, afterall." You said softly, before stepping out of the room. "Make yourself comfortable, alright?" And with that, you carefully closed the door behind you, allowing your smile to die down.

Ted seemed to notice this immediately, standing by your side. "Is something bothering you, your majesty?"

You couldn't help but give a small nod, rubbing your hands over your face as you frowned a bit. "Did you see what condition he was in, Ted?" You asked, feeling your positive mood begin to melt away. "He had barely any money to fend for himself. Barely any clothes to dress in."

"I hate to say this, your majesty, but.." Ted began, keeping almost a blank state as he spoke. "It seems like most people in the village were that way. Their clothes, houses.. all of it looked to be poor."

That statement didn't help your mood whatsoever. But now, instead of only feeling sorrow, you began to feel a bit angry. Dusting yourself off, you gave a small huff, storming your way towards the throne room. Ted followed quietly, already knowing in his mind that things weren't about to go well.

As you suspected, Schlatt was sitting on his throne, talking with a guard, seemingly about something important. His eyebrows were furrowed, and he held a few papers in his hands, almost crumbling them with the strong grip of his hands. Though, as soon as he saw you enter the room, his mood seemed to change.