[Legend of Sun Knight] fic: A Vice-Captain's Tale - Suggestion #8

Feb 11, 2015 22:25

Title: A Vice-Captain's Tale - Suggestion #8
Fandom: The Legend of Sun Knight
Words: 3,395
Summary: The vice-captains of the Twelve Holy Knights never thought that their jobs would differ so vastly from their expectations. Tyler has really been missing out.
Notes: Stubborn chapter was stubborn. Should've expected this from the stone knights. =P I don't even know what happened to the word count. This almost doesn't feel like a VC chapter...! Enjoy this... rambling chapter...

Suggestion #7: Jot Down Notes

Suggestion #8: Speak Your Mind

Faterlin's physique was not bad. Although he was of average height, he had a strong build. Among the hell knights, he numbered among the top in skill. I could always count on having a rewarding spar with him, just as much as I couldn't count on his help with looking over documents. Despite his general lack of finesse, he was still the person I confided in the most.

After all, when I had been the acting captain, it could be said that he had been the unofficial "vice-captain." After the former Knight-Captain Hell selected me as the vice-captain of the Hell Knight Platoon, I had had to carry out the Hell Knight's duties in my captain's stead during his absence. I could not have done so without the help of the other hell knights, especially Faterlin.

"What?" Faterlin said. He tried to brush his bangs out of his face with the back of his hand, only to plaster them against his face instead. My eyes trailed over his forearms and then his torso. Unfortunately, his clothes made it impossible to see how well-defined or not his muscles were, but he was definitely far from scrawny.

He might be able to pull it off...

But when I imagined Faterlin in a leotard, I could not help myself from mentally wincing.

How in the world is my captain able to wear it so gloriously?!

Suddenly, Faterlin snapped his fingers in front of my face. "Yo, zoning out there, Cap?"

Frowning, I pushed his hand away. "I'm not the captain."

"What, so I can't call you that anymore?"

"We have an actual captain, you know," I said.

He sniggered. I resisted the urge to hit him. He asked, "And who was it again who refused to call him Knight-Captain Hell? Who told us he would never in a million years accept someone who wouldn't even show us what he looked like? Who dueled him again and again?"

"Me, me, and me," I grumbled. Just thinking about how I had treated my captain made me wish the earth would crack open and swallow me up. How utterly mortifying! I covered my face and muttered, "I can't believe I called him weird to his face."

Faterlin laughed. "He is weird."

"Faterlin!" I protested. "Be more respectful. He isn't weird." Immediately, an image of my captain clad in skin-tight clothes with a mask over his face came to mind. I faltered. "He's just... unique." Then, I held myself taller. "And he's an amazing swordsman. And the most patient person ever, and-"

Faterlin laughed even harder, cutting me off mid-sentence. "Oh Cap, you've fallen hard."

Don't hit him. "I'm serious."

"Yes yes, Cap."

"I told you already. I'm not the captain, so don't call me that."

For a brief moment, Faterlin made a face. I could guess what he was thinking. But to me, you were the captain. While I was thankful he was one of the few who had acknowledged me as the leader, I didn't want him to be disrespectful toward our captain. Eventually, he said, "Then, what should I call you?"

Relieved, I answered, "Tyler. Just Tyler."

Tyler. Not "stand-in Hell Knight." Not "Tyler-because-we-don't-know-what-to-call-you." But just Tyler. Tyler the vice-captain.

"Okay, 'Just' Tyler. What's on the schedule today?"

Don't hit him... Don't hit him...

I couldn't help it. I shoved him.

"Hey!"

"On the schedule" today, other than shoving Faterlin, was a mission with the Stone Knight Platoon. While I had been practicing my sword, Vice-Captain Stone had come with news of a joint mission between the Stone Knight Platoon and the Hell Knight Platoon. Knight-Captain Stone was the leader of the mission, while the Hell Knight Platoon would aid him.

"Who are the strongest men in the Hell Knight Platoon? Not including you, Tyler. Not that you're not strong. I already know you're strong. Who else would you recommend? We don't need a large number of people, but rather strong people who can carry out the mission. You know, quality over quantity?" Vice-Captain Stone had said all in a single breath.

I had stared. Like always, his ability to ramble was eye-opening. Just like how I had observed the shopkeeper of the clothing shop Vice-Captain Moon liked to frequent, I studied Vice-Captain Stone, trying to figure out just how he was able to regulate his breathing to allow him to say so much without suffocating.

He shifted under my gaze.

After asking Vice-Captain Stone to elaborate on the mission, which resulted in another five minutes of rambling, I finally managed to decipher from his words what he required of me. I then went off to round up my men. If Vice-Captain Stone wanted the strongest from the Hell Knight Platoon, then Faterlin would of course be among my top pick.

Our destination was not far from Leaf Bud City. In fact, it was merely a town away, where one of the barons lived. As we approached the baron's lands, fields of crops came into view. The workers on the fields didn't stop what they were doing, but they did start whispering.

"Are those the Twelve Holy Knights?"

"Can't be, right? They're wearing such dark colors."

"Don't you know that the 'cruel, cold-hearted' faction is famous for wearing depressing colors?"

"Really? Oh, what about that knight at the front? He's not even wearing a shirt! Is he even a knight?"

I darted my eyes at Knight-Captain Stone, offended on his behalf, but all I could see was his back. They weren't wrong about him not wearing a shirt. Except for his huge sword that was strapped to his back, his broad back was like always, bare, displayed for all to see. He rode with excellent posture, which drew my attention to his back muscles even more. He didn't even twitch at the gossip the workers were spouting and merely continued riding.

Sometimes, I would think to myself that Knight-Captain Stone looked much more like a warrior than a holy knight, but I would always quickly squash my disrespectful thoughts. Besides, Knight-Captain Stone's physique was amazing, something every holy knight should aim for. Not everyone had the build to go around without a shirt like him, and from a quick glance at the Stone Knight Platoon, I could already tell that quite a few of them wouldn't be able to wear a leotard proudly, let alone go without a shirt. My platoon was very much in the same state.

We definitely need more training.

"Why doesn't your captain wear a shirt?" Faterlin suddenly asked Vice-Captain Stone without any tact.

"Faterlin!" I immediately admonished. Although I was curious too, especially when all I knew was that Knight-Captain Stone was said to have stubbornly refused to wear a shirt for some reason, it wasn't in our place to pry into a knight-captain's affairs. I still couldn't forget the disrespect I had shown my captain.

"Why does your captain wear a mask and leotard?" Vice-Captain Stone asked in return without holding back at all. Once he asked it, he immediately clapped his hands over his mouth in some sort of reflexive reaction, but then he darted his eyes about, dropped his hands, and quickly whispered in a hushed voice, "I mean, I've been wondering about that. Is it because he does spy work? But while body-hugging clothing is great for that, doesn't the mask and leotard make him super suspicious if he does get spotted? Wearing that kind of clothing is totally screaming, 'I'm a suspicious person!' Besides, is there a need to stay in that kind of outfit even when he's not on a mission? It makes me wonder if it's more of a preference than anything."

Despite the truth in his words, and the fact that I'd wondered a lot of the same myself, I felt I needed to be offended on my captain's behalf. He was not suspicious!

At least, not... overly suspicious.

But before I could say anything in my captain's defense, Vice-Captain Stone had continued talking again, his words nearly tumbling over each other. He kept patting his horse, hands twisting and untwisting the mane. The poor horse.

"Tell you what, since we're trying to show you the ropes around here, which I guess makes you part of the club, I don't mind sharing what I know. I'll tell you why my captain doesn't wear a shirt if you tell me why your captain wears a mask and leotard. How does that sound?"

He shifted and glanced at me furtively.

If you're nervous about gossiping, don't do it! How are you able to talk so much anyway?! And do you know that your captain is right over there, which means he can probably hear us talking?

I also wondered what he meant by "showing me the ropes" and "being part of the club." What club?

Faterlin scratched his head, looking like he very much wanted to share why our captain wore a mask and leotard so that he could find out why Knight-Captain Stone always went about without a shirt, but fortunately, he didn't know why our captain always did so. I didn't know why either.

But Faterlin soon grinned and said, "Deal!"

Deal?!

I narrowed my eyes at Faterlin. He merely shrugged at me and mouthed, "It'll be fine!"

Knowing Faterlin, he was probably just going to make something up!

However, before either of them could start their exchange, a different voice said, "We're here."

I jolted in shock. Turning my head revealed that it was Knight-Captain Stone who had spoken. He was currently shaking his head at his vice-captain, who quickly clapped his hands over his mouth again.

Even though Knight-Captain Stone didn't berate me, I felt duly chastised. I should have tried to stop them.

Through his hands, Vice-Captain Stone mumbled, "Sorry, I might've said too much again."

Exactly! You can't go around gossiping about your captain with him right there! Or even when he's not there! Faterlin, you shouldn't encourage him either!

Knight-Captain Stone shook his head again, but he didn't scold his vice-captain. All he said was, "Remember to keep.an eye out, but leave the talking to me. Don't open your mouth."

Vice-Captain Stone hurriedly nodded, hands still clasped over his mouth.

However, after thinking it over, Knight-Captain Stone added, "Unless I tell you to."

Then, I watched Knight-Captain Stone urge his horse to trot to the front again.

What a friendly captain! His voice hadn't even turned stern this entire time, except when he'd cautioned his vice-captain not to talk... which, I really couldn't fault him for.

Once we entered the building, Vice-Captain Stone immediately began doing his job. Actually, I should say that he had been doing his job the entire time, even though it hadn't seemed like it. Without the distraction of the gossiping from earlier, I could now hear him muttering to himself. Into his hand. He was trying to muffle himself but wasn't really doing a great job at it. Anyone walking right next to him, like me, could hear him clearly.

"Fields are seventy-five percent empty. The harvest doesn't look so great, but crops show signs of recent harvest. Many women were working the fields. Seven out of ten of them were ogling my captain. Servants at the door are carrying swords but don't have the correct grip. The servants along the halls..."

He even went on to speculate about what had been served for breakfast based on the empty dishes he had seen the servants carry out, and then he began mumbling about their laundry.

Listening to him was making me dizzy.

Finally, we came to the room where the baron and his wife would be receiving us. Once his captain glanced at him, Vice-Captain Stone immediately stopped talking, letting his captain take the stage. He even covered his mouth more tightly with his hand, looking almost as if he thought the room stunk. Perhaps he would benefit from wearing a mask like my captain.

Faterlin and I followed them inside while the rest of our platoon members waited outside. The servants kept darting their eyes at us. We must look fairly suspicious -- a shirtless knight, a knight with his nose and mouth covered, and two knights clad in dark... what had they called it... oh right, "depressing," colors.

I wasn't completely sure about the details of the mission, but it sounded like the baron had requested help from the Church of the God of Light regarding bandits that had been stealing their crops. I was even told that they might have a spy in their midst, which was why the bandits always seemed to know the best time to sneak onto the fields. Because they had sent most of their men out to guard against the bandits, only the elderly and the women were left to work the fields. However, the men they'd sent were merely farmers and not actual fighters.

Vice-Captain Stone stepped closer to his captain, eyes darting up and down nervously, until his captain sighed and motioned for him to speak. Only then did Vice-Captain Stone drop his hands in relief and stand on the tip of his toes to whisper into his captain's ear.

His captain nodded, eyes contemplative, and then he turned to begin the negotiations. Seeing my curiosity, Vice-Captain Stone walked my way and looked very much like he wanted to speak. Helpless, I turned my head slightly so that he could whisper to me. He quietly filled me in on what he'd said. "They're mostly telling the truth. I could tell based off of what I'd seen. The fields were..."

He continued rambling, but my attention soon drifted to Knight-Captain Stone, who was in the middle of negotiating funds with the baron. It wasn't often that I got to see Knight-Captain Stone on one of his diplomatic trips. Both the baron and his wife were staring at him intently as he spoke. Although Knight-Captain Stone didn't have Knight-Captain Sun's radiance, Knight-Captain Judgment's authority, or Knight-Captain Storm's charisma, watching him made me realize that he was the type of person who made you want to speak with him. I would not find it strange if the baron and his wife ended up sharing their entire life story with him.

It kind of made me wonder if his vice-captain had always been long-winded, or if he had become long-winded after joining the Stone Knight Platoon.

Tyler, that's a disrespectful thought! I chided myself. It's definitely not Knight-Captain Stone's fault that his vice-captain speaks so much. I think...

The more I watched, the more I felt that negotiating with Knight-Captain Stone could not be a fun past time. He was known for his stubbornness, but he was just so nice about everything that it would feel wrong not to do what he wanted. I watched in amazement as Knight-Captain Stone persuaded the baron to make donations to the Church of the God of Light for three months when the baron had suggested donating only for a week. Both parties even came out of it smiling!

Once negotiations were done, we made short work of the bandits thanks to Vice-Captain Stone's observations. I have no idea how food and laundry relates to everything, but somehow they were exactly what led to Vice-Captain Stone deducing the involvement of the baron's adviser in this entire bandit business. The baron's right-hand man had purposely advised the baron to send out all of the men, which actually left them even more defenseless than before. The men hadn't even been sent to anywhere useful.

In a second meeting with the baron, Knight-Captain Stone had given his vice-captain a look, signifying that he could finally remove his hands from his mouth and actually speak. With a grateful look, Vice-Captain Stone had let his hands drop, and then he spoke a mile a minute without holding back at all, unearthing every little detail related to the case (and even some unrelated details). Knight-Captain Stone merely nodded at the correct parts.

When all was said and done, the baron was devastated at the betrayal, as well as completely exhausted from Vice-Captain Stone's ramblings, but he could not thank us enough. While we listened to his words of gratitude, I once again saw both the baron and his wife staring openly at Knight-Captain Stone. They must really like talking with him, huh? Enough to look him up and down...

I blinked. When I turned my head to see if Faterlin had noticed anything, a bunch of servants quickly averted their gazes.

Wait, were they staring at me too?

Actually, Faterlin was also garnering some attention too.

I frowned. I'd thought that they'd at least be less wary of us now that we'd solved their bandit problem, but perhaps our dark clothes still gave off too ominous a feeling.

Vice-Captain Stone, upon seeing my confusion, cupped his hand by his mouth to whisper to me. "Seeing as you're part of the club now, I'll clue you in. You see, there's a story behind the no-shirt business, and it all started with the Pope..."

I stared at Knight-Captain Stone's back, pitying him for having such a talkative vice-captain. By the end of this mission, I'd probably even learn what color Knight-Captain Stone usually wore for his underwear!

As we walked out of the building, I couldn't help but ask my fellow vice-captain, "Do you have anything to say to me?"

All in all, this seemed to be a normal enough mission, which I greatly appreciated. However, based off of my recent experiences, from watching Knight-Captain Storm get slapped by his vice-captain's girlfriend, to having Vice-Captain Metal tell me to take notes, I didn't quite believe that this was all that innocent of an outing.

"Huh? Haven't I already said a lot?" Vice-Captain Stone said. He blinked at me in confusion.

So even you know it? But that's not what I'm talking about...

"Oh!" Vice-Captain Stone hit his hand on his palm in sudden realization. "Do you mean-"

But before he could finish speaking, we heard a very quiet, "Meow."

I didn't really pay any attention to the cat's meow, but then the person in front of us suddenly stopped walking, and I nearly bumped into his bare back.

Yes, it was Knight-Captain Stone who had stopped walking. He glanced around, and with large strides, walked over to the wall. Then, he knelt down.

There, by the wall, was a very tiny little white kitten.

Knight-Captain Stone gently picked the kitten up, eliciting a tiny mewl, and held the kitten in his hands. The thing was so small, it could fit entirely in his palm. The kitten looked even tinier next to Knight-Captain Stone, the tallest among the knight-captains.

Still kneeling, he glanced up to speak to his vice-captain, only to realize my presence, as well as the presence of Faterlin and all the other hell knights. We all stared at him and the kitten dwarfed by his hands. He looked away and quickly said, "It's not that I like kittens. I definitely don't like kittens!"

Even while he said so, he lightly patted the kitten's head, causing the kitten to close its blue eyes at the touch and purr. Then, Knight-Captain Stone shot a look at his vice-captain.

Before I could say anything, Vice-Captain Stone turned to me and immediately started blabbing at his captain's behest. "Of course my captain doesn't like kittens! Why would he go around saving cute little animals and helping stray little kittens find their mothers or a good home? Oh no no, he would never go around saving small animals, such as nursing a bird with a broken wing back to health, or making sure a caught fox's leg heals. But, Tyler, wouldn't it be sad leaving this kitten all alone to fend for itself? Isn't it just the cutest thing ever? Look at those cute blue eyes! And those little paws! And that tiny tail! It would be sad not to help! Won't you help us try to find the mother? Surely, we holy knights can do something as simple as that."

I blinked. Vice-Captain Stone, like always, spoke so much that I could barely understand what his main point was.

I think he wants us to find the mother of the kitten?

Unfortunately, we couldn't find the kitten's mother.

So, we took the kitten back with us to the Holy Temple. On our way back, I learned from Vice-Captain Stone that this was far from an uncommon experience with the Stone Knight Platoon.

It kind of made me wonder just how many of them had pets. That was the thought that ran through my mind when we parted, as well as the thought...

In the end, did Vice-Captain Stone have anything to tell me?

Perhaps he really didn't have anything he wanted to tell me, because if he did, I never learned of it.

The Eight Suggestion for Serving Your Captain: Speak Your Mind (For Your Captain When He Can't)

to be continued

Suddenly, Faterlin. I think he's only ever mentioned once, in V7, haha. I imagine he is kind of like Tyler's Ed. I had fun writing him. ;)

This chapter was just as long-winded as Vice-Captain Stone. :'D;;

Suggestion #9: Prepare Small Gifts

fic type: longfics, the legend of sun knight, fic: a vice-captain's tale

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