"GUARD." [CHILDE X MALE READER]

II

Darkwood cleared his throat, before pushing himself off of the ground, dusting off his knees, but of course, there wasn't much to rid off, due to the fact that your rooms hygiene had to be a certain level, maintaining cleanliness.

His gaze went from his shaking hands, to yours, the sound of your shoes clicking against the marble flooring echoed throughout the halls, maids and other lower-ranked guards scurried off, higher ranks avoided eye-contact.

One of the many things you quickly learn about once you become a guard in the Cælius kingdom, is to not speak out of line, better yet, don't speak to you at all.

You hummed quietly, dragging your feet slowly across each solid-gold step, your hands were busy tracing shapes of different varieties, stars, squares, you name it.

Your solitude was put to a stop by a stern voice.

"[Name]." You glanced up, your gaze now on your irritated father, his arms crossed together, the sunlight shining directly on his hair, highlighting the lucious brown waves with hints of gray peeking out from the surface.

"You're late."

"Oh really? Thank you for this piece of life-changing information, dad!" Your sarcasm caught the ears of many, guards held their hands over their mouths, trying their absolute best to silence themselves.

"[Name], I'm not fucking joking around. This meeting is important, it decides the outcome of your future." This, this caught your attention, eyes widened, suddenly fear pulsed throughout you.

"Am I completely understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Good, follow me." You nodded, jogging down the rest of the stairs, heels continuing to clack against the floor, catching up to your dad. He lead you into what your family calls, "The meeting room."

It's one of the few occasions your family can be seen whole, where your family is all gathered together.
The door slammed behind you, dusting dancing off the walls.

Your brothers and sisters glared at you, shame present in their gaze. Some mouthing curses, others refusing to make eye contact. Being late was always seen as disrespectful and unacceptable, that didn't stop you from bending the rules though.

Your assigned seat was in between your father and mother, your mother stared at you, disgust hinted in her posture. Your mother, Queen Aureila, was always an easy person to read.

That was one of her many flaws. Despite her having many negative attributes, she was no person to underestimate, many describe herself as a witch, she's inhumane, horrifying, barely tolerable.

Your father, King Cassius, respected no one but himself. He was seen as a role model for the young boys scattered across the kingdom, praised day and night, he was a man like no other.

Seen as a heartless man, stuck in a void of eternal power for his entire life to many, he never put down this crusade for no one. Rarely for his wife, the only thing that was viewed as important in his eyes was the safety of his kingdom, and the life of his wife.

No, not his children. They're just vessels that'll carry on his legacy, and with that, his unfortunate reputation. The sound of a gentle knock was heard outside the room, distracting everyone, "Enter." Cassius said, revealing three guards, clearly foreigners.

"State your name and empire you come from, men." His tone was harsh, but understandably so. One of the three men came forward, bowing before speaking. "Captain Kunikuzushi,

leader of squadron 5, we come from the land of snow, Snezhnaya, barring a message, King Cælius." Your father nodded,

"Very well," He gestured for the purple haired male to continue, dressed in a white suit, with an off white cape draped over his shoulders, hints of red and purple blending into the fabric.

The label of the neighbouring kingdom pride and joy, their biggest accomplishment, "FATUI" was plastered all over his outfit. The captain cleared his throat before turning towards one of his lower ranking officers, handing him a stained brown piece of paper, rolled up, held by a blue ribbon.

Captain Kunikuzushi pulled the piece of satin in one go, you watched carefully as the blue ribbon danced through the air, falling onto the ground, you averted your gaze back to him, interested in the message.

"Attention King Cassius,

I, Queen Kira, Leader of Snezhnaya, often referred to as the Tsarita,

Would formally like to request the transfer of one of my best soldiers, Tartaglia, to join your kingdom. I heard that the guard that was assigned to guard your son, [Name] Cælius, was unfortunately terminated.

I'd like for Tartaglia to be the personal guard to [Name], I'm well aware he was chosen to take over your spot for king, Tartaglia is a strong warrior, in your terms, he would be considered a 'Diamond Guard.' "

You could hear the disgust in the Captain's voice as he spoke of whoever this Tartglia was, he cleared his throat before continuing,

"I assume transferring one of my best soldiers to you unprompted seems nothing but suspicious, but I can assure you, this is simply a gift. Tartaglia is a valuable asset, hes strong, courageous, and follows orders with ease.

I thank you and Queen Aureila for all of the wonderful acts of service you do for my kingdom. Please consider my offer.

Sincerely,

Tsarita."

Captain Kunizushi handed the paper back to his lower ranking officers, patiently awaiting a response from your father. "Kunikuzshi, was it?" He asked, stepping forward to the shorter male, glaring down at him.

He nodded with ease, "Yes sir."

Your father turned his back to the male, pacing around the room silently, "Would you say this 'Tartaglia' is trustworthy, would he put his life on the line to protect my son," He pointed at you, suddenly, everyone started staring daggers at you, including the foreigners.

Kunikuzushi sighed before answering, "Sir, I personally, do not like Tartaglia, we do not have common ground, resulting in us often finding each other in a disagreement, though, I can say every word in that message was accurate and truthful. He is a wonderful soldier and a great friend to trust in to many. I do not doubt his ability to protect your son."

Your father clasped his hands together, "That concludes this meeting. [Name]," he turned to look at you, receiving a confused glare, "This 'Tartaglia' boy will be your personal guard from now on."

You nodded and felt a spark of excitement ignite your body, toying with guards was your favourite thing, it was truly an accelerating feeling to pick a person, who was ever so confident into nothing but a coward, watching them crumble at your words.

"Dismissed." Your father chimed, leading the Snezhnayan guards out to the exit, your brother and sisters pulled themselves out of their spots, to go back to their chambers.

"[Name]," Your attention was captured by the sound of your older brother, you turned around, "What it is, Kaeya?" He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, before replying, "Take this seriously. Don't fuck it up, like you always do" His warning sent an unnerving feeling through your body, as he walked away.

The last part of his sentence didn't go unrecognized, what did he mean "Like you always do"? I mean, sure, you did carry a title as the family member who's made the most guards scurry off in anger, quitting their positions.

But that was simply an issue of their own! It's their fault they can't handle a bit of teasing, whatever. You disregard the short conversation with your brother, and walked it off, deciding to head out for a stroll in the garden.

Exiting the meeting room, to your left, were two large glass doors, shining rays of sunlight into the castle, providing it with gorgeous natural lighting. You pushed the doors, letting the sun reflect on your tanned skin, you were greeted with the pleasant scent of flowers, and the sound of bees buzzing around you.