Pieta (Written 1/7/2019)

Those weren’t the words of the bodyguard pleading with him as he expected. The demon’s eyes widened as he slowly turned towards the soft voice, meeting the blue eyes of the king that watched. Not with fear, not with anger… With pity it was. The fact that he was awake was enough for the wicked creature to retract his arm. He staggered forward towards the king, kneeling before him as his black claw reached up towards the king’s face.

“You… Need your rest, your majesty.”

“I know… But so do you.” The king allowed the demon’s hand to caress his cheek, his own hand reaching up and resting on top of it. He didn’t allow himself to be frightened of the monster before him, even if he wanted to be. The demon didn’t need to be feared. “You’re fighting hard, aren’t you? With the darkness inside of you, with the grief that you’re feeling… Does it hurt to fight so hard…?”

The demon shook its head. “My pain has no significance. All that matters are your desires, my king.”

“That’s not true. You matter too.” The king guided the demon’s claw away, holding onto his hands as he looked at the heterochromatic gaze before him. “That’s why I want you to rest.”

“But I swore to protect you. It was my vow to her and my vow to you.”

“I know… But you can’t protect me when you’re so weary.” The king gave a soft smile, reaching up and brushing aside the matted locks of hair. "You have fought so hard. You deserve the chance to finally close your eyes.”

The demon rasped, hanging its gaze as it gripped tighter onto his majesty’s hands. The king winced as he felt blood being drawn. But the king guided the demon’s head down onto his lap, gingerly running his fingers over the knight’s hair as the darkness began to dissipate. There was the man that the king recognized, staring onward with a worn expression as he gripped tighter to his hand.

“Have I truly fought hard as you say, sire?”

“Yeah. You have.”

“…Will she forgive me for not protecting you?”

“I know she will. You’ve already protected me this far, and I know you’ll keep on protecting me in the future.” The king slowly raised his hand from the knight’s hair. “Go ahead and rest, my beloved knight. I will watch over you.”

The knight gave a slow nod, closing his eyes slowly as black tears fell from his eyes. “Yes, your majesty… I will see you in my dreams.”

“I know you will.” His solemn gaze watched the knight as the king flexed his hand, manifesting a dagger into it as he whispered softly to his most cherished soldier. “Sleep well.”