Dream Team Oneshots

The Knight's King (DreamNotFound) [1]

CW: blood and injuries described, mentions of near-death experience

"You're injured." The king said, the first words from his mouth upon catching sight of his top ranking knight.

George looked up at his king after bowing before him, blinking slowly. "Your majesty, it is only a small cut. I apologize if the messiness is impolite of me. I was told to see you directly after the fight."

"No, no," king Clay muttered and shook his head. His voice was soft, and he examined the cut that graced his knights arm carefully. "Don't be silly, it isn't that at all."

The king rose from his ornate throne and approached him. George stood very still. The king did not approach people. His people were meant to approach him. Still, the king drew nearer to him, and George waited carefully in place to see what he would do. He couldn't help it when he jumped as the man grabbed hold of his arm, surprised at the touch.

"My apologies," the king said, hand already removed from the knights arm. "I should have asked first. Would you allow me to examine your arm, George?"

George swallowed thickly, shiver running down his spine at the sound of his name coming from the king's lips. George did not dare to look down at them despite the aching urge he felt to do so.

"You are my king," George said after collecting himself. "I will never refuse anything for you, sire."

"You are allowed to tell me no here, my Knight." The king assured. "When it comes to something like this. You are my Knight, and you follow my orders, but you are human as well. I will treat you as such."

George almost hated his king for being so kind. Except, he didn't really. Quite the opposite in fact.

"I don't mind, sire." George answered honestly. "You only caught me off guard. I am a knight, after all. When you are under attack as often as I, it is easy to mistake something small for another attack."

The king frowned, and George felt his blood run cold. Had he said something wrong? Was the king upset with him? In the middle of this rush of questions the kings expression had already changed back to a more neutral one, and he began to speak again.

"So, it is alright for me to examine your wound?" The king questioned, holding a hand out towards George's. George stared at it for a moment, dumbstruck and caught terribly off guard. He didn't mind though, and he felt it would be rude to leave the king waiting a single moment longer, so he nodded quickly and placed his hand into the kings.

George felt his cheeks redden as his hands met the soft skin of his king's hand, embarrassed by the rough and calloused hand of his own. He had been in many battles, handled many weapons, and gained many new injuries that left ridges and scars across his pale skin. He was almost sure the king would recoil his hand the moment their skin touched, disgusted by him, but he did not. Instead his thumb smoothed across the rough skin of George's hand, and the king's other hand rose to rest on his arm, near the cut that had torn open the sleeve of George's shirt. The king's soft, clean hands met with the mostly dried blood around the knight's wound, some of it staining the tips of his fingers a dark red.

"You need to attend to this." The king spoke after a few moments of awkward silence, eyes raising to meet George's. The knight averted his gaze downward to his arm, swallowing hard.

"Yes, sire. I intended to after our meeting."

"That won't do." The king said, letting go of George and stepping past him towards the throne room's doors. George turned to see what he was doing, frown on his lips and eyebrows furrowed. The king looked back to him briefly, raising his hand in a beckoning motion. "Come, my knight."