At Her Majesty's Service - a Fantasy Realm RP (private)

[AJbestpony]

In the world of Frawtrac, many different kingdoms and nations coexisted alongside one another. Elves, Dwarves, Beastfolk, and humans alike all prospered in their respective lands.

In particular, there was the greatest of the human countries, Lanwellsting, which was ruled by the benevolent Queen Serena.

Serena was widely loved by many for her generosity, grace, beauty, intelligence, and compassion. She had ruled for nearly twenty years, and already quality of life had nearly doubled for her subjects. Most desired little more to keep them happy.

The same could not be said for the queen herself. Three times she had been married over the course of her reign, losing two of her husbands to illness and another to war. All three times she had been widowed, she had also been left childless.

Much as it pained her, she had begun to resign herself to the possibility that she might never have a child of her own. If such was a possibility, she realized, she would just have to make one for herself.

That idea had come to her rather suddenly one day, when the youngest of her elite knights assumed his place at her side to guard her.

[GreaterGood]

Ser Laurel Vickta knelt outside of the queen's room, his tabard elegantly flowing around his armor. His helmet, which bore the crown of his namesake, sat on the ground next to him. His personal heraldry, vert with an argent bend that contained three sable crescents, was proudly displayed on the shield beneath his right pauldron.


Laurel looked up to face his queen, revealing a very young-looking face for the typically-experienced knights of the realm. He had deep green eyes, like emeralds shimmering upon his fair-skinned face. His brown hair was chin-length, and he lacked facial hair... mostly from an inability to grow any and have it come in properly. Freckles dotted only the tops of his cheeks. He was a man of twenty-one, but he barely looked a day over nineteen.



"Your Majesty," The Knight said, "The lord commander has assigned me to follow you today while Ser Gideon is off questing."

[AJbestpony]

"Very good, Sir Laurel," Serena said in approval, looking the young man over, finding he seemed to be the most ideal specimen of what one of her knights should embody. With one multi-ringed hand, she gestured for him to post himself beside her throne. "The day looks to be long, but I mean to use every moment of time to our advantage."

Sitting up in her throne with her arms folded on top of her maroon silken dress, Serena momentarily fiddled with her crown as it rested atop her brow of neatly braided long blonde hair.

Thus began her usual afternoon of holding court, hearing the pleas of various petitioners and granting them as best she could.

After the afternoon, she broke for supper, which she took in her bedchamber, as she had done every night since her last husband had succumbed to a severe case of food poisoning. All the while, she stole an occasional glance at her protector.

After her maids had prepared her supper, she took up her utensils and began to eat with the utmost grace and dignity, as she did everything else. After swallowing a few mouthfuls, she finally turned her attention to Sir Laurel. "You grew up in an orphanage, did you not, my good knight?"

[GreaterGood]

Ser Laurel stood beside his queen dutifully though-out the entire day, eventually following her into her bedchamber. Things passed by remarkably swiftly for him, as he had very little interest in holding court. His eyes and ears were focused for the glint and clang of concealed weapons, and his hand never strayed far from the hilt of his broadsword.


Ser Laurel had been taking a sip from his waterskin, only to spit it out as the queen let loose something he did not expect. She wasn't meant to know that he wasn't his father's legitimate son, in truth none were. His family tragically lost their first son in a jousting accident, and swiftly adopted Laurel, a similar-looking boy of the same age, to preserve their house's right over their land.


"Forgive me, your majesty," Ser Laurel said as he got onto his knees to clean up his mess, "But... how did you come to learn this!? Please do not tell me you mean to strip me of my rank! I may not be Lord Vickta's trueborn, but there is nothing more that I desire than the life of a knight!"

[AJbestpony]

Serena was taken aback by how nervous Sir Laurel abruptly became, trying her hardest not to chuckle at his flustered demeanor. She then gestured for one of her maids to help him clean up the water, before saying, "Relax, Sir Laurel. I intend to do nothing of the sort. The only reason I ask was because if you were not recognized by your family for much of your life, it would stand to reason you were denied the warmth and accommodation normally afforded to someone of your station. Is that the truth of the matter?"

Serena had chosen to bring up this matter because, just as he had had his eyes on the queen with the purpose of protecting her, she had her own eyes on him for another reason altogether. She had chosen tonight to finally make her move. But first, she wanted confirmation from him on his upbringing.

[GreaterGood]

"It is the truth," Lauren sighed, standing up and straightening out his posture, "But warmth and accommodation are not knightly things. Our purpose is one of cold, unwavering duty. Every day I try to purge the warm, mushy weakness inside of me..."


The bright-eyed young knight had been brought up by a lord who wished to purge his positive demeanor. If he was to take the place of his favorite child and only son, he was to be beaten into the shape of a perfect, worthy lordling. He'd grown to hate some of his most positive attributes for no reason than them not being knightly. All of this was on full display to the queen, of course.


He read like an open book.

[AJbestpony]

That was just what Serena had been hoping to hear. She wanted someone who had been deprived of proper parental care, almost to the point of being starved for it, so that he might be that much more willing to accept it if offered from someone else.

"In that case, I have a proposal for you, Sir Laurel," she declared when she had finished the last of her meal, "Allow me to show you the care which you never knew yet clearly long for. Be like the son I never had to me, and I'll be the mother you always wanted. I'll not hear a word of protest on this matter. I may be childless, but a queen is expected to be a mother to all, especially those who look after her so well as you do."

She anticipated that he might hesitate, but not for long. At any rate, soon as he accepted, his fate would be sealed.

[GreaterGood]

"Forgive me, my queen, but I..." Laurel began to speak, before his eyes were locked into the queen's gaze.


He stared at her for almost a minute before his mind began to break. For reasons that were beyond him, it felt like an entire lifetime of repression was starting to snap into his head. He started to question his goals, his aspiration to take up the quest at some point, his very reason for living. With a clang, his armored body fell prone.


"I'm not in control... any longer..." He muttered, "My queen... I don't think I can make such decisions anymore. I was denied a childhood, grew up to fast... the stress, it is tearing me to pieces."

[AJbestpony]

Serena was quite pleased by Laurel‘s ready compliance. She leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his forehead, before she slowly pulled him to his feet.

“First item of business, we should get you cleaned up,” she proposed, before looking to her attending maids. “Ginny, Asha, please draw a bath for Sir Laurel at once. He has had a long day, and I would have him spotless for the night.”

[GreaterGood]

Laurel felt weak and lightheaded. It was clear he was starting to regret his decision. but it wasn't one that he could go back on. He was still, and always would be, at the queen's mercy. His existence was now in her hands to do with as she pleased.