"GUARD." [CHILDE X MALE READER]

I

Your majesty," An unknown voice coming from the other side of your door rang out, a pathetic attempt to capture the ever so valuable attention of yourself.

"Ye–Oh,, well that doesn't make any form of sense.." you trailed off, receiving a dissatisfied sigh from the guard, who waited so patiently for a moment of your time.

Your brown eyes scanned across the stack of scattered, messy brown-hinted papers resting on your desk. Being the next in line to the throne of your kingdom came with many perks, yes, but also many negative attributes you weren't warned of.

"Sir!" The guard pleaded, by the whine at the end of his wish, you could practically smell the desperateness. "Yes, guard?" You replied, eyes still focused on the confusing legal documents in front of yourself.

"What on–" Your rambles were interrupted,

"May I enter, sir?" You huffed out, annoyed, before turning around in your chair, hands immediately going to your lap. "Well, If I answered your pleas, being allowed to enter would only make sense, would it not? Guard."

The change of tone at the end of your sentence only caused further irritation for the guard. He reluctantly placed his sweat-infested hands on the handle of your door, a small layer of dust coating his face as he pushed the solid-wood oak open.

You fiddled with the skin of your thumb, "What could be so important to intervene with my studies, Guard.." Your eyes narrowed in on the small copper-plaque on his chest, with your intruder's last name on it. Recognizing him as a lower rank soldier.

In your kingdom, a soldier, well, more so survants, rank was visible by the colour of the plack they were bestowed with. Copper, being the lowest, also known as the "Starting point",

Meant they were quite literally, worthless. These guards are often pressured into joining your family's long-line of servants, why? Because the job demand is simply outrageous, but you could never have too many guards!

So being a soldier was usually the only bearable option. Being a Copper guard meant you were tasked with the most aggravating duties. Cleaning, though not simple things like dishes, much more complex and rather disgusting things.

For example, tidying up the horse stalls, cleaning the horses themselves. You'd think that's not too bad, picture this;

A group of 5 royals, effortlessly racing against each other, all with their own stallions, down the track infested with bugs, mud, and dirt. The stains only darken as the royals don't care for dealing with the aftermath, afterall, that isn't their responsibility.

That's yours!

Bronze, is next.

Although it isn't the lowest of the low, it's not a pleasant title either. Of course, moving up in the ranks was always respected by others, and you gain just a tad more respect from the family you're serving, it's only still slightly better.

I'd suggest you make the most out of being humiliated by your peers, also known, usually as your superiors. Overconfident? Most definitely, but hey, you gotta fit in somehow.

Being bronze means you're able to take minimal time off, but only in small portions, only two days, max. Have a problem with this system and bring up your issue?

Congratulations, you now have infinite time off! You just got fired. Speaking up against problems almost always results in termination, and often, execution, if you're found to have disrespected any member of the royal family.

To put it simply, bronze isn't special. You're just, ordinary.

Sliver, 3rd highest. Sliver is when you're above average, your daily task? Make others miserable, if you aren't, you aren't doing your job correctly. Being a sliver soldier means you take care of any the royal families animals around the castle,