#that is a divine vow. so strong it is revered. so strong even the lowliest stray can become noble.

[dirtytransmasc]

Knight!Spider anyone?

Spider who was born within the borders of a great kingdom, to the man that sought its end, who sought to crush an empire, and nearly succeeded. Spider who was taken as a ward upon his father's death, his mother killed in one of the many great battles. the punishment for his father's sins, the consequence that should keep the boy from following in his footsteps; becoming the sworn knight and armed protector to the children of the kingdom — the Sully children.

he was raised with the intended purpose of protecting the Sully's, of being loyal till his last breath, so he could never question the opposite, never take the path his father did. the order was given out of fear and resentment, misplaced anger, and that slowly faded as the boy grew, as he took the role with ease and pleasure.

and he takes in stride.

after years of being raised next to the Sully children, with the intent on breeding good nature between the boy and them during childhood, he was honored and giddy with excitement when his seventh birthday came around, and he was made a page to some knight or another— perhaps it was Tarsem, a knight close to the royal family, the should-be heir to the throne, had his brother not died in battle. he had the loyalty and the position to keep Spider close and be a good influence —even if it meant chores and busy work.

he runs messages around the castles and mends clothes and carries meals. but he also sits close and listens to stories from his knight and feels pride when his efforts against training dummies with his wooden sword are praised. he enjoys the time he spends around the other knights, learning from them, partaking in the rough housing and the training and the stories and all the things of that nature. even his classes, as a knight must be educated.

all the years as a squire, the grueling training, the long hours, the early mornings, the scrapes and bruises, the aching muscles, the hazing of older knights and warriors. he keeps his chin high. he tends the horses (and maybe the dragons too? if we go for fantasy route) with care, polishes the armor, trains against the dummies, gets thrown around by the knights, follows their beck and call... but he always gets up. every morning. every hard fall. every tumble. every collapse of frustration and exhaustion. he gets up. he keeps his smile one his face. he loves it despite the hardships.

he earns his armor, mends his old leather gear, his golden curls in braids, carries his sword. he proves himself. he rises the ranks and above the rumors and through the fears. he proves himself to be loyal and good. he earns respect and reverence. by the time he is reaching the end of his tenure as a squire, he is beloved, or at the very least, respected, by his kingdom. not even Neytiri hold ill-will towards him.

he partakes and tourneys and hunts, through all stages of his journey to knighthood, in different capacities. sometimes he stays with his knight and helps him prepare. sometimes he is meant to watch over his siblings and keep them from too much trouble (Neytiri and Jake are desperate parents at the end of the day), and when he's old enough, he partakes in the games themselves, earning some valor in the public eye, impressing other houses and lords and ladies.

and every moment he is allowed, he spends by the Sully Children's sides. they're his siblings. he took his duty to heart before he was even knighted, when he was just a page or a squire.

he'd stand over them, higher on the hill of the creek bed, alert, hand on his dagger or short sword, depending on his age, ready to take down any foe, even if there was no threat of one.

He is even worse in crowds, or during events, kept close to the family's side, always ready. nothing can soothe him, truly, he just waits, even as his siblings rope him into fun and mischief, part of him is still waiting.

at ten or so, he has an infant, a baby girl, Tuktirey, a fragile little thing, pressed into his arms, arms strong enough to lift a sword and take a life if need be, he has to be careful she isn't hurt by his arm guards, shifting her around softly, before petting his calloused fingers, fingers trained to hold a weapon, over her soft face.

"you will be sworn to protect her, do you understand?"

and he does. he wants to. he would never need to be sworn. she's precious and perfect. even as she pulls at his golden hair and tugs at his armor. that's his baby sister. his responsibility. he'd die for her.

he trains beside his brother's. Neteyam is only a few years behind him, and being a royal, he manages to skip most of the page and squire hazing. He goes through the motions, but it's not as thorough as Spider's training was. he serves his own mother and father. and so does Lo'ak, a few years after him.

and Spider is the boy they train with. had he been a bit older, they probably would have been his pages, and because of the fact that Jake and Neytiri aren't as active as fighters anymore, he definitely takes up the slack in their mentorship (outside of his own knight and the other knights and teachers assigned to him)

he teaches them and duels with them. they spend hours in the training yard. Spider learns their habits and techniques so he can always be a step ahead of them, so if worst comes to worst, he can get between them and their would be target. so he can protect them.

they spend so many afternoons sparring, hour after hour. when they're thoroughly bruised and sore and exhausted, they'll sit in the dust of the training yard and laugh. Spider will critique his brother's, and they'll pout about it. he'll praise them too, and smile when their face's light up.

Lo'ak will ask if they'll be knights together, and he promises they will, they'll be the best knights anyone has ever seen in any kingdom. Neteyam asks him if he'll always be his King's Guard, he promises that he will, and that he'll always keep him safe.

and Kiri is the princess, as odd and quirky as she is, to Spider's knighthood. Spider watches over his little sister and her antics, watching over her in the forest when she wants to go on strolls or rides on horseback. he carries her things for her, she puts flowers in his armor, and flower crowns in his hair. he places his cloak over her when she space's out in the grass. he'd fight if someone so much as looked at her wrong.

and Spider always stands close to the King and Queen when they're holding little Tuk during events, even if their own personal guard, already knighted, stands by as well. he just wants to ensure she's safe. Neytiri and Jake struggle to not look at the small golden boy fondly when he does so. it's nearly impossible. after years of fear of whether or not the boy would be like his father, he had proved them so wrong.

he is knighted young, having more then proven himself, by sixteen, it is made official. Neytiri knights him, as she had been the one to agree to let the infant live within her walls on the condition of knighthood, so she is the one of officiate it. Spider feels no fear when the sword touches his shoulder. or crosses over his head. he just feels bliss.

his siblings, a good majority of his kingdom, his knight, other honored knights, the King and Queen and Queen Mother, even some close Lords and Ladies. they're all in attendance. they all watch him be honored with this title. given his armor. given the cloak that marks his status as a Kings Guard.

when returned enemies return to their gates, he will be his siblings shield, even if the fates demand another life...