Buggy woke up to the familiar sound of clashing swords. Stretching his arms, he got out of bed quickly, surprised to realise that the sun was only halfway up. Soldiers usually woke up with the light of the sun, and, as it was not wartime, did not need to be on the training ground so early in the day. Putting on simple clothes, not expecting to meet many people on his way down, Buggy decided to take a look at the source of the sound.
As intended, he met no one in the castle's corridors, though he caught a glimpse of a few busy servants here and there. Finally reaching a door leading to outside, he pushed it open, shivering slightly from the cool morning air.
He walked to the training field silently, not wanting to interrupt the soldiers with his arrival. He stopped in his tracks as he caught sight of the two men standing in the stony pitch.
Mihawk had his eyes set on Crocodile, tracking his every movement.
The scarred man held a sword in his right hand, handling it surprisingly skilfully despite the hook on his left hand. It allowed him to block Mihawk's attacks with both arms, though the smaller man was obviously nimbler and faster. They were not on equal terms, that much was obvious. Mihawk was better at swordsmanship, whereas Crocodile was obviously better at hand-to-hand fighting.
The blades rattled against each other, Crocodile's embedding itself in the ground a few metres away from the two men. The man grunted, going to pick it up before he sheathed it.
'Enough, I'm out. Find another opponent, Swordsman.' He announced, walking away and taking a seat on a log nearby.
Unfazed by Crocodile's reaction, Mihawk turned towards Buggy, motioning for him to come nearer.
Surprised that he'd been noticed, Buggy approached hesitantly, barely suppressing a flinch as Mihawk threw him his sword, handle first. Buggy caught it mid-air, unsure of what he was supposed to do with it.
'Do you know how to fight, my Lord?' Mihawk asked, the last two words pronounced with a neutral tone. It held none of the usual deference people demonstrated when they spoke to him to his face, but also none of the mockery and contempt people used when they talked behind his back.
Deciding that he would not give any more reasons to his new knight to hate him more than he probably already did, Buggy nodded. 'Not as much as a royal guard, I'd expect, but to deny it would be to lie.'
Mihawk did not answer, but he took up a position, on the look-out and ready to strike. He swooped on Buggy, and the blue-haired man barely had the time to block the hit, feeling himself getting significantly pushed back. He almost lost his balance, but held tight, crouching instead.
The opposite swordsman did not pick up on Buggy's dodge, but struck again. Buggy blocked the blows, each coming at a faster speed, at a stronger intensity. But the Duke held tight, set on not showing any vulnerability in front of his knights. He was not weak, not as much as people liked to pretend, anyway.
Their swords clashed repeatedly against one another, Crocodile watching from the tree he leant against, arms crossed. It'd been a while since Buggy had actually fought for real. Every time he'd tried it, his opponent had been obviously holding his blow, and Buggy had stopped trying when he'd realised everyone around him would act this way. To have the opportunity to fight was welcome.
They kept exchanging blows for a while, undisturbed thanks to the earliness of the day. A particularly strong attack left Buggy rickety and unable to properly protect himself from the next one. In a swift movement, Mihawk slashed Buggy's tunic across the chest, leaving the Duke's skin slightly exposed.
The blue-haired man shivered lightly, raising his hands in defeat. 'It appears I have lost.' He simply said, letting his arms fall at his side and handing the blade back to Mihawk.
The other man accepted the weapon while Buggy adjusted his clothes. There wasn't much he could do to hide his actual predicament, but he ignored it, holding his head high.
'Well, clearly you two are needed knights.' He wiped the dust off himself. 'It was a nice spar, I'll let you carry on with it.' And he left the training field without another word.
He didn't think he was rusty despite his childhood training being a decade old, but Mihawk's skills were definitely good and better than most soldiers, and he hadn't trained for a long time.
As unexpected as this morning fight had been, it had been fun. Not once had Buggy felt that his status as a Duke had influenced the two men in the training field. And it was nice to be considered as Buggy, just for once. He sighed as he returned to his room. It would certainly not happen again during the day, and he already dreaded having to complete his designated tasks.
He got dressed, unbraiding his hair, arranging the strands to fit in his usual hatted hairstyle. He put on his makeup in silence, and tied his shoes with yet another sigh.
His blood father had been named Robert the Magnificent, and Roger had been nicknamed the Pirate King. Buggy was called Buggy the Jester. There was a certain downgrade in the heir-line's list of nicknames, somehow.
His father had died two years ago on his way back from pilgrimage in Nicaea, leaving Buggy as the only pretender to the Duchy, despite the boy having been born out of union with a mistress. His father had appointed him as his heir before leaving, making Buggy the immediate next candidate to the Duchy of Normandy.
But this decision had not been approved by the majority of the Duchy's inhabitants, his appointment raising protests. Indeed, how could a boy, who'd been raised by the English, rule over Normandy? How was the blood in his veins legitimate enough to grant him such a throne, when he had never proved to be worthy of such?
Buggy knew for a fact that Shanks had never met that much disfavour in Aquitaine. Shanks, who was known as 'the Red Hair' away from his lands. It certainly contrasted with Buggy's 'The Jester' alias.
But that was what he was, in the eyes of his people. A jester, a skiver, someone they could not rely on, someone they could not take seriously. Buggy did not miss the way most of his father's advisers looked at him, eyes filled with contempt, when they thought he couldn't see.
But Buggy was not stupid. He also knew that this reputation of his, of being dumb and ridiculous, had prevented the Duchy's enemies from attempting a direct attack on him. He was seen as not worth it, and they preferred to wait for a perfect opportunity to both get rid of him and claim the throne, than attack carelessly and raise outrage.
It gave plenty of time to Buggy to fortify his position. However, even two years later, and despite increasing efforts, the new Duke did not receive the expected respect.
People still talked behind his back, called him the jester, and brought up his father whenever he had to make a decision.
Buggy was not a bitter man, but he had to admit that hearing praises and news of Shanks' accomplishments as the new Duke of Aquitaine, despite them having received the exact same education sometimes disheartened the blue-haired man. Buggy wished he could simply see his friend in times like this, when he was in low spirits. Wished he could forget their duties as Dukes and reconnect as childhood friends, as brothers.
But they had not been brought to England to become friends, and Shanks had always had more ambition than Buggy. It was not surprising to see him thrive as a Duke.
Still, this newfound situation, with two new knights actually acting differently from the rest of the court and guards, gave the impression of novelty to Buggy.
Obviously, Roger's death had to be the reason for this impression, but still. He had the feeling that change was on its way.
______________________
Resuming their previous training after the impromptu interruption was harder than expected. Crocodile and Mihawk were both lost in thoughts, deciding without conferring that it was time to pack up.
They walked back to the soldiers' quarters in silence, joining the rest of the guards for a quick breakfast before returning to training. They split up afterwards, always wanting to train with different people to not get too comfortable in their own skills.
During the entirety of the day, Mihawk kept thinking about the blue-haired man, without even realising it. He thought about how Buggy's careless, or carefree, attitude was similar to Shanks'. He had "fled" Shanks' Duchy and had never expected to meet another weird Duke like him, so out of common conventions.
Dukes did not train with their knights. They did not bargain with commoners, either. And yet, Buggy had granted Crocodile's request. He'd paid attention to Crocodile and Mihawk's needs, just like Shanks had to his in the past.
Despite appearances, Mihawk was a curious man. His mind screamed at him to flee already, to not let what happened with Shanks happen again, but Buggy was intriguing in a very different way. Where Shanks had charisma and was surrounded with respect, Buggy was mocked and ridiculed. And yet, he held his head high, and did not put other people down in response to it. His persistence was intriguing, though Mihawk could not help but see it as foolishness and carelessness as well.
His position as Duke of Normandy, one of the most important Duchies in the Kingdom of France at the moment, aroused envy, and the King of England's death did nothing to calm things down. And yet, despite the dangerous position he was in, Buggy did not seem to have any allies.
Realistically, Mihawk did not know Buggy. He did not know the reasons behind the negative public opinion surrounding him, though the man had never given him any reason to dislike him. As for Mihawk, he'd had a...troubling experience with a man he knew Buggy considered his brother, which put him in an odd situation, as he'd been appointed as Buggy's personal knight.
Though he had not been a native of the Duchy, leaving Aquitaine had put Mihawk in a tough spot. Leaving his position after having been a Duke's knight implied starting from the bottom again. Though he'd built himself a respectable reputation outside of the Duchy, it was not in his nature to brag about his name and status. He was confident in his skills and considered himself deserving of both a certain lifestyle and a decent amount of respect. But he also hated being in the public eye, while always seeking new challenges.
This was the reason why he had accepted this knighthood, despite his distaste for the personal aspect of the job. This interest in Buggy was an unexpected development, but he wasn't so surprised, seeing the previous Shanks situation.
Crocodile's presence had influenced the whole thing, too. Mihawk had met the man at a time when his decision to leave Aquitaine had been almost settled, and with their needs aligned, their partnership had been obvious. Crocodile's company had been unexpectedly agreeable, though he would never admit it to the man's face. He was a proper fighter, silent when needed, daunting enough to put any nuisances to flight, and cocky, but not enough to prevent proper conversations once in a while. Thus Mihawk did not see any reason to put their collaboration to an end, for the time being, anyway.
Which was the reason why he was still here after the stunt the Jester had pulled on them the previous day.
It didn't mean Mihawk wasn't on the look-out, though, making sure he wouldn't be screwed a second time.
______________________
Crocodile spent the entire day entertained by Mihawk's obvious inner turmoil. They'd known each other for a year now, and though Crocodile could not claim to know the other man perfectly, he'd learnt how to read him.
To mess with the younger man's mood was one of his favourite activities, and it was actually quite funny to see him being annoyed by something different this time. It was a rare occurrence, really, Mihawk tending to never show any other emotion but smugness.
Though they had not talked about it openly, Crocodile could easily imagine the reasons behind the other man's musing. He did not know the extent of what had happened with the Red-Hair, but suddenly being appointed knight of another Duke, let alone someone supposedly close to Shanks as well, was understandably upsetting.
But Mihawk did not snap at him as much as Crocodile would have expected today, something the scarred man thought could actually be related to the fact that the man had slept in a proper bed for the first time in months thanks to him. A good night of sleep surely eased people.
The rest of the day went seamlessly as the two men stayed with the other guards. Their designation had not been made public yet, and the two men were not close enough to the other guards for their nightly absence to be noticed that early. Maybe Buggy had not acted that much on impulse, and actually waited for he and Mihawk to prove their worth to make the nomination official?
______________________
At the end of the day, both men were surprised to find Buggy sitting at the dinner table once again. They'd both thought that the previous night had been a first occasion thing, and would not happen again.
Yet, here the duke was, waiting for them to start eating, empty plates and seats on either of his sides.
Seeing him here, sitting alone, made both men realise that this morning encounter had been the first time they'd seen the Duke without makeup. He had not removed it yet, and his current face contrasted with the one they'd seen earlier in the day.
Buggy greeted them politely, but did not make small talk. They ate in silence, Crocodile and Mihawk sharing discreet glances.
Seemingly unbothered by the whole situation, Crocodile asked 'Do you have a personal instructor?'
Buggy raised an eyebrow at that, swallowing a mouthful before wiping his mouth. He shook his head. 'No, I don't. Why is that?'
Crocodile answered quickly 'Because you're making our job harder, with those abilities of yours.'
Mihawk held himself back from actually gaping, watching Buggy's eyes widen as he looked at Crocodile, shocked.
'Were my skills that appalling, soldier?' Buggy asked, dumbfounded.
Crocodile shrugged, resuming eating. 'It wasn't that bad, for a Duke, but you could certainly hone your skills, get in shape, just in case.'
'Are you suggesting I should get into training?' Buggy asked, squinting. 'Are you volunteering, huh?'
Crocodile nodded, smirking. 'This is not volunteering, Sir. It is a challenge.'
Buggy seemed to consider it for a minute before he agreed. He actually didn't really like exercising, but it would have been stupid of him to hire knights, actual bodyguards, without refining his own personal skills.
Also, seeing Crocodile suggest something himself eased Buggy. He'd dragged both men into this mess to come, and he'd been afraid that they would actually end up hating him for various reasons. He was glad to see that, so far, it did not seem to be the case.
It spurred him on talking again. 'Actually, I had news to share with you.'
Both men looked up from their plates, frowning, waiting for the other man to continue.
'Though it is far from a huge ceremony, there is a celebration being held in a neighbouring castle not so far away. My coming has been agreed for weeks, and I have been thinking about whether I should cancel it or not. It would be my first public appearance after the King's death announcement, and I thought I could take advantage of the opportunity to officially declare you two as my personal knights there.'
Mihawk stiffened when he heard it, but it went unnoticed by Buggy. Not by Crocodile.
Buggy wanted his sentence to be a question, wanted to have the opinion of the two men at the table, but he couldn't bring himself to actually ask. He trusted them with his physical safety, but knew it would be foolish to actually discuss political matters with them. They were not his friends. He shouldn't get attached.
Confused by the way Buggy had announced it, Mihawk asked. 'Are we to give an opinion on the matter?'
Buggy shook his head. 'Oh, no. I just wanted to tell you, actually. Just thought I'd give you a warning, especially since it's in two days.'
Both Crocodile and Mihawk spluttered as they exclaimed that they needed more time to be prepared. They didn't even know the place, or the amount of guests there would be.
It was Buggy's time to shrug. 'We'll see the details tomorrow at dawn.' He said simply, finishing his glass and leaving the two disgruntled knights.
It had been a while since Buggy had not been reluctant at the prospect of a public attendance at a party. Finally, maybe Crocodile and Mihawk's presence could have more purpose than just his safety.
_____________________________________________________________
Hi! It was a pretty calm chapter, but things are going to speed up from then on, so stay tuned!
By the way, don't hesitate to leave comments, even if it isn't on every chapter, it's always nice to hear which part of the chap you preferred, or if there was anything that made you laugh! See you on Sunday!