Chapter Text
Prince Lawson was the kind of Royal prince that made the entire castle staff pray for patience. Too sharp-tounged. Too reckless. Too pretty for his own good.
And Chance knew it. He knew the whole castle staff would rather just listen then to argue with him, a simple "no" could turn into long hours of back and forth arguing, completely useless and avoidable. Unfortunately for the kingdom, Chance was completely untouchable
Prince Chance Lawson, the youngest prince of all of the kingdoms. All velvet cloaks, jeweled rings, arrogant smirks, and a cocky confidence. He snuck out of the castle walls and disgusted himself as a commoner, skipped council meetings, and somehow he always walked away grinning
Every knight assigned to protect him either quit or got dismissed by Chance himself.
Which is why the King finally summoned the kingdom's most loyal and brave paladin, Mike Wheeler. Calm. Disciplined. Honorable.
Everything Chance desperately needed.
─────
The castle training grounds rang with loud clashes of steel and shouting.
Knights of many ranks sparred below the blazing afternoon sun while nobles watched from the shaded balconies above.
Unfortunately for Chance, he was one of the many nobles who watched this very boring sparring session. Honestly, Chance found the thought of men fighting with swords to be pretty boring. He would much rather escape this castle and cause whatever trouble he could.
Previously, his parents Nathaniel & Maia were talking about discipline. How Chance should stop rebelling against them, specifically more towards his previous knights....
See Chance never "kept" a knight for a long period of time, he always found them annoying. Chance hated the thought of someone following his every move every single day, never ever giving him his personal space. The longest Chance has held a knight was 2 months,
Chance had to purposely TRY to get rid of this one- what was his name? Luke? Louis? No it was definitely Lucas. Lucas was very determined to stay. He was loyal and fierce but Chance being himself hated it.
Chance just hated anyone who had to "babysit" him. Lucas was very logical and sometimes funny, but Chance would rather take that to his grave than to admit. Eventually, Lucas just had to go. It wasn't dramatic, it was just "Goodbye" dismiss by Chance.
From that point, he hasn't been assigned a knight or "bodyguard" what ever you want to call them. And he's been grateful for that. Now he's just got to hope his parents don't remember to get him another knight again.
Currently, Chance is sprawled lazily on a throne like chair across the balcony railing, just above the arena with a very shinny goblet in hand, boots kicked up on the railing like owned the world.
Because technically?
He totally did.
"That's him?" Chance asked loudly, not bothering to lower his voice. "That's the legendary paladin?"
At that moment, Mike arrived in full paladin armor, silver-plated with a red cloth draped across one shoulder, sword strapped neatly at his side. Clean. Very much controlled. Possibly intimidating to others in the most quietest way possible.
Soldiers one by one stop sparring and straightened immediately when Mike passed by them.
Mike paused right as he heard Chance's voice, he glanced upward to the sound of the voice.
Immediately, Mike understood why everyone looked exhausted.
Chance was beautiful in the 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 aggravating way imaginable.
Dark black messy hair from the wind. Gold embroidery hanging half-undone across his Royal green coat. Smirk sharp enough to cut through paper.
Mike already disliked him.
"He looks boring," Chance continued.
"I thought heroes were supposed to be larger than life itself" Chance said.
The nearby knights all looked horrified by the words that came out of the prince own mouth. The knights all looked at each other to see if they actually all heard the same thing, someone insulting "Mike The Brave" himself.
"Your Highness." Mike bowed stiffly anyway.
Chance leaned farther over the railing, actually making an effort to sit up straight for once.
"You bow like you're attending some sort of funeral." Chance said with bitterness.
"I was assigned to protect you, Your Highness, not to be the source of your entertainment." Mike said immediately.
A few nearby soldiers coughed to hide their laughter. Chance's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, interesting. So the brave paladin does talk back. Very interesting.
Chance immediately got up from his throne like chair, still carrying his goblet in hand as he disappeared from the balcony. He couldn't believe this, he needed to face this so called "Mike The Brave" for himself.
A few moments later, he causally strolled into the training arena itself, ignoring the quite panic from the nearby guards.
Chance stopped directly in front of Mike.
Chance being shorter than him by just enough to be very irritating.
"You're Mike Wheeler, " Chance said. "The brave."
Mike nodded once at the prince right in front of him. Chance started to circled him slowly like he was inspecting a horse for purchase. Drinking ever so slowly from his goblet as he eyed Mike coldly.
"Hmm..." Chance hummed to only himself.
Mike's eye twitched slightly at the prince's action,
"Something wrong, Your Highness?" Mike said, trying to sound as calm as possible. Not wanting to give off a bad impression already.
Chance stopped in front of him again, smiling... sweetly? Which somehow felt way more threatening than anger for Mike. Way too creepy that it gave Mike the slight chills.
"You don't look so brave." Chance stated.
The arena went dead silent after Chance's comment. No knight dared to cough this time.
"And you don't look so responsible, Your Highness"
A knight in the background almost choked on air.
Chance blinked. Then grinned. Not offended, excited. Because no one has spoken to him like that. No one dared to speak to him like that. Ever.
"You've got a death wish or something Sir Wheeler?" Chance said 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘭𝘺...
Mike stepped closer instead of backing away.
"I was sent here to keep 𝘺𝘰𝘶 alive, Your Highness. That may require surviving you first" Mike said while narrowing his eyes.
Oh, they hated each other immediately.
Which somehow made the ever growing tension between them worse.
Chance expected fear, Mike gave him resistance. And Mike? He completely expected immaturity.
Instead he found someone dangerously intelligent hiding beneath all that arrogance.
After this, Chance purposely tested him constantly.
──────
From here, Chance would constantly start to sneak out of the castle during nights just to see if Mike would catch him.
Picking arguments during Royal dinners.
Deliberately provoking dumb fights while disgusted as a commoner while out in the town.
And every single time? Mike would stopped him. Not gently either.
At one point Chance even tried to climb out of his bedroom chamber window at midnight, only for Mike to calmly grab the back of his cloak without even looking up from his scroll.
"You're not going." Mike said casually.
Chance scoffed. "You can't command me! I'm the prince remember, I'm the one in charge here!"
"No, " Mike agreed very calmly. "But I can drag you back inside."
Chance just stared back at him.
And at that exact moment Chance realized two very horrifyingly things. One, Mike Wheeler was completely immune to any Royal intimation. Two, whether he like to admit it or not, that was maybe the 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 attractive thing Chance had ever seen in his life as a prince.
Meanwhile Mike's suffering was entirely different. Because beneath all that bratty arrogance... Chance was also brave too... Recklessly brave. Stupidly brave. The kind of brave that makes Mike's blood boil, furious even.
Chance would voluntarily step in between multiple servants and extremely cruel noble pricks without hesitation. He'd sneak food to the maids who haven't had a chance to eat or even rest. He'd argue with corrupt advisors directly to their faces even when it endangered his dad's country politically.
Prince Chance Lawson cared too much.
He just hid under sharp k-9 teeth and lots of arrogance.
Which almost made Mike's job infinitely harder, almost as hard as slaying a 3-headed dragon.
────────
After Chance got introduced to his very "trusted" paladin bodyguard, he declared to himself that he would make Mike's normally easy job a living nightmare.
───
𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗬 (The assignment)
Mike's first day as officially guarding the prince started off easy, until it started going with humiliation. Well at least for Mike, definitely not for Chance.
Chance just simply disappears.
One second Chance is besides him during some random royal council meeting, lazily spinning a quill in between his fingers, definitely not paying attention to what the other nobles are complain about. And the next?
Gone.
Mike immediately notices, everyone else? They don't. They keep talking like nothing's happening. Mike slowly stands up before speaking
"Where's the prince?" Mike speaks with concern.
The room freezes, a servant whispers towards Mike,
"... The prince does this sometimes, he just ups and leaves whenever he likes" the servant said.
Mike's eye twitches slightly. He immediately excuses himself and rushes right out of the council meeting in a rush.
After three long hours, Mike finally finds Chance wandering the city marketplace. Chance is wearing a very bad disguise if you ask Mike, a simple hooded cloak, eating a possibly stolen pastrie while betting money on some random street fight.
Mike walks through the crowd like a calm strom. Choice spots him and groans loudly and very much dramatically.
"You FOUND me already?" Chance said with annoyance. Scoffing and rolling his eyes, not even trying to hide his anger.
Mike immediately grabs the back of his cloak and drags him away from the random street fight, making Chance drop his pastrie.
"Uh excuse you I was eating that!" Chance stated loudly trying to find his balance as Mike practically dragged him through the city.
"You probably stole that anyways" Mike responded immediately.
"I did no such thing! I pay for things!" Chance counter Mike's claim.
"You left the castle unattended" Mike continues, pushing Chance in front of him.
"I left the castle bored." The prince said plainly.
"You are the heir to a whole kingdom, you can't just up and leave whenever you want to" Mike said as he kept his head up, guiding Chance right back to the palace.
"And yet I'm somehow still capable of free will" Chance said.
Mike continues to guide Chance through the streets of city while Chance loudly complains the ENTIRE time.
"People are staring" Mike said, trying to shut the prince up.
"They should!" Chance continued to complain loudly.
By the time they both return to the castle, Mike already had a wicked headache all thanks to a very annoying prince who makes his job more difficult than it needs to be.
But Chance? He decided instantly that ruining Mikes sanity is going to the most fun thing in the whole wide world to him.
───
𝗧𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗗𝗔𝗬 (The horse incident)
Mike always wakes up before sunrise, why? It's just one of the many things drilled into you when you choose the paladin route. Chance does not wake up before sunrise, why? Because he assumes he can sleep in if he wants to.
And this leads to Mike assuming (incorrectly) that maybe today would be a nice regular day that, peaceful hopefully.
But something snaps Mike back into reality as he hears a loud screaming from the royal stables.
Mike immediately places his hand over the sheath of his sword out of instinct, he didn't know what to expect when he would arrive at the stables. Maybe assassins? Maybe robbers? A damsel in distress maid in need of assistance?
Instead of a beautiful maid in need of help he finds a stable boy panicking, horses running loose everywhere, and a prince who was laughing hysterically.
Mike stares in absolute horror.
"... What happened..." Mike said, looking at his surroundings in horror.
Chance is holding a apple for some reason, maybe he was trying to feed the horses before... Well the whole stable went crazy.
"It seems like this horse isn't very fond of me" Chance said while taking a bite out of the apple he was holding.
Mike just stared at him in horror.
"You tried to ride General Harrington's warhorse?" Mike raised his eyebrow at the young prince.
"I thought it needed some confidence." Chance said simply.
"What is that even supposed to mean in the context of this issue? That horse has trampled two men before you know that right?" Mike said in annoyance and slight shock.
Chance grins, "sounds like a skill issue to me." He said
And like faith just didn't want to be on their side, General Harrington's horse charges right towards Chance.
Mike instincts kick in and immediately shoves Chance aside before the animal SLAMS right into the stable gate. The stable boy immediately rushes towards the horse, looking very worried and maybe even terrified for the horse.
Chance lands in the nearby hay, blinking up towards Mike. Mike is fuming now, furious could even be a understatement.
Mike tried to calm himself before speaking, he didn't want to yell at the prince in fear that it would loose him his honorable tittle. So what came out of mix was a mix of anger and "I'm not trying to loose my job."
"You could have died" Mike said.
Chance laughs instead.
"But I didn't." Chance said way to causally, he brushes hay off of himself before trying to get up. But at that moment, Mike grabs his arm hard enough to stop Chance from being able to stand up completely.
"That is not the point." Mike said in a stern tone.
And for one second- just ONE, Chance sees real fear under Mike's anger.
It catches Chance off guard to say the least, enough that he actually goes quite for a quick second. The prince looks up at the paladin, his eyes move across Mike's features. The way his brow lifted when he was angry, the sharp edges of his eyes when they narrow down, his sharp jawline, sharp tip of his nose.
Then, before Chance could even think before speaking he says,
"You know, you're prettier when you're angry"
There's a good solid 30 seconds of pure silence between both of them. Mike still holding onto Chance as he processes the words that he heard coming out of the princes mouth. The thought seemed to finally register through Mikes head as he immediately legs go of Chances arm and drops him back into the pile of hay, leaving him there and walking away.
Chance process what just happened, did he really say that? Is he insane?! That breakfast he ordered earlier must have been laced with something! Chance would never say something that...!
Chance sits up from the hay, he scoffs before shouting out towards the paladin whos currently walking away.
"THAT WAS A COMPLEMENT BY THE WAY!"
Chance tried to redem himself after that horrible comment, he brushed hay off himself before starting at Mike walking away.
"Whatever... " Chance scoffed.
───
𝗪𝗘𝗗𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗗𝗔𝗬 (The knife fight)
Chances parents invited over some noble from the outskirts of the city. Apparently his family has been friends with the noble family for centuries. Chance didn't know the guy so he could care less about him. Well that until the visiting noble challenged. Which is normally not a problem. Expect Chance is TERRIBLE at knowing when to stop talking...
"You fight like your father negotiations treaties!" Chance said way too cocky and lazily.
This seems to anger the noble very much for some reason, this is probably the less mean thing Chance has said to any noble. The noble should be thankful!
"Poorly" Chance continued.
Meanwhile with Mike, he was standing right behind the prince. Hands behind his back, well up until Chance opened his mouth is when Mike puts his left hand over the hilt of his sword.
"Oh no..." Mike mutters underneath his breath. Hoping. PRAYING that Chance would double down.
Before Mike could intervene between Chance and the noble, the noble throws the first punch at Chance. Knocking Chance right over to the ground.
Everything erupts.
Chairs crash. People scream.
Maids run around. Soldiers run towards the noble to pull him away from Chance. Chances father runs towards Chance while his mother stands there in shock, mouth covered by her gloved hand.
Chance is on the floor, starting up at the chaos in front of him. He glares at the noble before immediately pulling out a dagger he always kept in him. He gets up and runs towards the noble.
Mike immediately intercepts before Chance could even reach the noble and possibly stab him. Mike forcefully pulls Chance away before shouting orders.
"Take the noble away! Get him out of the palace!"
The gaurds pull away the nobel with force as the noble screams out towards Chance. Something Mike can't make out but he knew it was possible threat.
Mike doesn't let go of Chances hands until he heard the gates slam close behind him. When he did, he shoves Chance away but not before he forcefully grabs the dagger away from Chance.
The King makes his way to his son, scolding him loudly, Chance crosses his arms in protest and his mother tries to calm down her husband and tries to reason with him.
"Well he started it! It's not my fault he lashed out at me!" Chance desperately tried to defend himself.
"You escalated it." Mike spoke up abruptly. Dusting himself off before ordering a maid to take the dagger back up to the princes living chambers.
"Excuse you! Who are you to speak about this! He insulted me remember!" Chance said, raising his voice toward the paladin.
"You insult everyone, suddenly it's not okay when they insult you back?" Mike said way too calmly for Chances sake.
"That's different!" Chance said with attitude.
Mike physically grabs Chance and hauls him out of the throne room hall, his parents don't even try to interfere with Mikes actions.
"That poor boy... " The queen speaks out softly to her husband, the king not even knowing if she was talking about their son or Mike.
Outside the hall, Mike finally snaps,
"What is WRONG with you!?"
Chance yanks free of Mikes tight grasp on him.
"Oh, there it is! The legendary patience finally died!" Chance said with fame triumph.
"Do you always provoke people? It seems like you provoke people constantly." Mike said with slight furry in his voice.
"And you seem to care constantly" Chance said abruptly again.
Mike freezes, Chance steps closer.
"You know what I think Sir Wheeler?" Chance says way too softly for Mikes comfort.
"I think you're angry because you can't decide whether you actually hate me... or want to save me." Chance said boldly, still speaking in that same soft tone.
Mike's face hardens instantly. He clears his throat loudly before answering.
"I already know the answer" Mike said.
Chance smirks before stepping away from him,
"Liar" Chance states before walking away from Mike with a very proud smirk on his face.
───
𝗧𝗛𝗨𝗥𝗦𝗗𝗔𝗬 (The escape attempt)
Chance attempts to sneak out during the middle of the night through his bedroom balcony. Something he has done countless times with and without knights protecting him.
Unfortunately for the prince, Mike is already waiting outside for him. Arms crossed, fully disappointed. Chance nearly falls of the balcony in shock.
"... WHY ARE YOU THERE!?" Chance states loudly.
"Because this is the third time this week that you tried to sneak out through your balcony" Mike said simply.
"You can't just lurk outside my bedroom like some crazy haunted knight! Psycho!" Chance try to defend himself with a very poor claim.
"And yet here I am" Mike said.
"Well you can't stop me, I'm going out!" Chance said, walking past Mike towards the edge of the balcony railing, he puts one of his leg over the railing before he's obviously stopped by Mike.
"This is such a lame escape, Your Highness" Mike address him by his tittle, sounds weird for Chance as he hasn't heard that name come out of Mikes mouth for a while.
Mike pulls Chance back onto the balcony before Chance could pull any more stunts, at first Chance was deciding if he should resist but that thought immediately changed when his brain process the drop from his balcony and the actual ground.
"I had a plan!" Chance stated before being dragged into his bedroom chambers.
"You almost jumped off a balcony" Mike said before closing the balcony doors behind him and locking them.
"I said 𝘢 plan. Not a good one." Chance admitted.
Chance is laughing, Mike is not.
"Why do you keep running?" Mike spoke up quietly.
Chance's grin slowly fades.
"Because this castle feels like a cage"
"Oh..." Mike said.
That answer didn't seem sarcastic, well at least to Mike. Mike hesitates for the first time all week. Chance notices immediately. Then ruins the moment on purpose.
"But ur you'd like, brave paladin, I can continue sneaking out only when you're available to dramatically dragg me away." Chance said.
And just like during the horse incident, Mike walks away before he says something regrettable. Closing Chance's bedroom chamber door.
Chance watches Mike leave, he couldn't tell if it was the lighting caused by the moonlight or the candles but Chance could have sworn he saw a small smile on Mikes face.
And honestly? Mike almost softened at that dumb comment. Almost.
───
𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗬 (The festival disaster)
Today in the city there was a festival, fireworks, drunk villagers, thieves, dancing, food. The complete usual of a festival.
Chance insists know attending the city festival disguised as commoners.
Mike refuses.
Chance goes anyways in disguised,
Which means Mike has to chase him through an ENTIRE festival filled with all the drunk villagers and thieves.
Mike finally finds Chance at a place he should ABSOLUTELY NOT be in. Chance is currently standing on a tavern table leading a drinking song. How does he know the lyrics to the song? Mike doesn't want to know.
Mike is horrified, Chance should not be here because of his young age. It also seems like Chance had some sort of drink(s) when Mike was trying to look for him because Chance points at Mike immediately when he stepped foot inside.
"MY KNIGHT HAS ARRIVED!!" Chance stated loudly. Everyone cheers.
Mike sighs before muttering a quite "no" underneath his breath.
Chance jumps down and grabs Mikes wrist, he pulls Mike into the crowd that was surrounding him just a couple seconds ago when he was on the table.
Mike absolutely refuses to dance. Well for exactly thirty seconds.
Until Chance accidentally-on-purpose spins directly into him during the music. And to Mikes slight horror, his hands are suddenly on Chances waist to steady himself.
Both freeze.
Chance looks up slowly. Mike immediately let's go like he touched fire. Mike clears his throat before trying to compose himself.
"Forgive me, Your Highness. I only meant to steady myself... That's all" Mike said, bowing his head down in slight embarrassment.
Chance looks at him before his typical grin returns with full force.
"Oh this just became interesting right Sir Wheeler?" Chance said slyly.
"Don't" Mike lifted his finger towards Chance, slightly glaring at the prince.
"Too late."
───
𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗗𝗔𝗬 (The storm)
A huge argument came upon the paladin and the prince, massive, why? Well because Chance just sneaked into the nearby cursed woods after hearing rumors about deadly monsters.
Mike has to obviously go out and look for him, and the worst part? All happening during the middle of a thunderstorm. Great.
Mike finds Chance surrounded by evil forest creatures in the middle of a thunderstorm.
The fight is brutal.
Mike had to tear down every single creature all while also trying to push Chance behind him since the prince so desperately wanted to join in the fight at help him. Which only led Mike to scream out to him to stay behind him.
Many shrieks were let out all thanks to the mysterious creatures. Mike tears through the monsters like some sort of divine wrath itself. Mike was out of breath by the end of it all.
After it was all over, Mike completely loses his temper.
He shoves Chance without thinking up against a tree.
"What were you THINKING!?" Mike full on yelled at the prince, not caring if he sounded respectful.
Chance finally shouts back instead of joking.
"I WAS THINKING I DIDN'T ASK FOR A SHADOW!" Chance raised his voice as well to Mike, trying to push Mike off of him.
"You would be DEAD without ME!" Mike bit back.
"Then maybe you should STOP acting like I'M fragile!" Chance bit back even harder.
Lightning flash immediately after Chance finished his sentence.
Rain starts to pour down them.
Mike's breathing hard. Chance is also breathing hard.
And suddenly they're very close.
Way too close.
"You infuriate me," Mike says.
Chance's expression flickers.
"... I know." Chance said too quietly for Mike to hear but somehow he did, or maybe he's just really good at reading lips.
For one horrible second it 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 becomes something else.
Then Mike steps away first.
Chance looks strangely disappointed.
───
𝗦𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗬 (The truce?)
After an entire week of chaos? Silence.
No fights. No insults. No running away. No weird tension.
Nothing.
Which honestly scares Mike more than anything.
He finally finds Chance sitting alone in the castle library reading by a window.
He slowly approaches Chance like he's some fragile bomb. Mike stands there for a couple awkward seconds before speaking up.
"...You're quite today." Mike says too casually.
Change shrugs
"You look tired."
Mike blinks at that response.
"That has never stopped you before" Mike said.
"Maybe I'm growing as a person." Chance said back far too quickly.
"You're not"
"Probably not"
Mike should leave after that, instead he stays.
Chance eventually glances over.
"...You still gate this duty?" Chance said softly.
Mike looks at him for a good long moment.
Then,
"I think this duty is trying very hard to get himself killed" Mike chuckled a little, his attempt to lighten up the mood a bit.
That earns a small faint smile from Chance.
"But?" Chance says.
Mike sighs heavily regretting this whole conversation.
"But I'm beginning to slowly understand him bit by bit" Mike admitted.
That wipes the teasing smile right off Chance's face.
Because nobody ever tried to understand Prince Chance Lawson.
Ever.
And Mike?
Mike just accidentally did.