As an important note before we start, I don't know anything about sword fighting. I'm just making up things that sound cool and look like what I've seen in movies so, forgive me for inaccuracy lol.
The sun was at its highest point, bearing down on all of the knights. Their armor felt heavy and hot, too many layers causing them discomfort in the heat of the afternoon. Still they trained hard, sparring together in the fields just outside of the castle. Metal clanked loudly as knight's swords hit those of their opponents, or bounced off their armor. The highest ranking knight stood off to the side, watching his men as they trained. There was an uneven amount of knights training today, leaving George without a partner. George shared encouragement and tips with his men when they were needed though, and did a bit of mocking when his fellow knight and best friend Sapnap was knocked off of his feet by his sparring partner.
"Sir George?" A voice called from behind the top knight, startling him the slightest bit. George's hand fell to his scabbard, whirling around to face the man. He was completely stunned to find the face of the king staring back at him, smile gracing his lips as he watched George's face flicker through an array of emotions.
"Your high-"
"Dream." The king said, darting his eyes towards the other knights as a signal to George not to reveal who he was. They had never seen the kings face before, and so they wouldn't know who he was. "My name is Dream."
George cleared his throat, frown on his lips as he examined the king. "Right. Dream... Um, is there something I can assist you with, si-Dream?"
"I know I am not a knight myself, but I have worn my armor here in the hopes of sparring with you, if you'll allow it?" The king, or Dream, apparently, smiled pleasantly towards George. He was in a full suit of armor, covered head to toe in the strongest material that armor could be made from. It didn't work well for his disguise, no commoner could ever afford something of that strength (not even him as the highest of the knights), but George was not about to point that out.
"Who's this?" George heard Sapnap ask from behind George, approaching the pair after finally winning a sparring battle. "You're not giving my friend George over here any trouble now, are you?"
"He's a-" George looked from Sapnap over to the king, swallowing thickly. The king just smiled at him and Sapnap with apparently no intentions of introducing himself, and George turned his attention back to his friend. "He's a friend of mine."
Sapnap nodded slowly, looking the king up and down, seeming to examine every detail. "Nice armor. Too nice for a commoner... what do you do for work, exactly?"
"Sapnap." George barked quickly, wanting to stop this interrogation before Sapnap found himself in trouble with the king. His face was heating up quickly, nerves getting to him. "Sapnap, why don't you go do some more sparring? You've won a total of one fight with your teammates today, you could use the practice."
Sapnap blinked at George slowly, frown tugging at his lips for a moment. He caught sight of George's red cheeks and his eyes seemed to go a little wider, mouth forming an 'O' shape before cracking into a wide grin. "Okay, okay. I'll leave you two be then-have fun!"
Sapnap winked as he headed off to find another sparring partner, leaving George blushing furiously with the king standing right beside of him. George turned to the king quickly, bowing his head in apology. "Your highness, I greatly apologize! He did not know it was you, or I swear he wouldn't have-"
"Relax," the king chuckled brightly, a hand clapping itself on George's shoulder. "You worry too much. He seems fun. Anyways, you didn't answer my question."
George's brain felt like it was falling apart. "I-um. Your question?"
"Will you allow me to spar with you?" The king asked, gesturing to the sword that rested against his side. "It's been a while since I've been able to practice. It would be wonderful to get to practice again with my best knight."
The way the king said the end of his sentence made George's eyes widen the slightest bit, sending a shiver down his spine. He truly did not understand the way the king spoke about him, as if he were... proud? Admiring him? Whatever it was, it was... a lot. George swallowed down the lump that started to form in his throat, and forced himself to nod.
"Alright. I... don't see why not, sire."
"Dream," the king corrected him, and George slowly nodded again, leading the king to an empty spot on the kingdom's training field. They were further away from the other knights, definitely out of ear shot. This way George wouldn't have to disrespect the king anymore by calling him by a different name.
"Don't go easy on me now, George," the king's face was bright as he drew his sword from its sheath on his hip. "I know you're strong, but I can take you."
George nodded, drawing his own sword out of its sheath and taking a defensive stance. "Whenever you're ready, sire."
There was a sudden flash of movement, the king giving no warning at all before he lunged towards his knight. He was fast, but George's instincts were far faster. He had already raised his own sword to block the kings blow, holding steady and pushing back against him. The king was certainly strong, but so was he.
"It's Dream, George." The king said as he pushed against George's block.
"We're out of earshot of the other knights," George pointed out, twisting his sword out of the block and attempting to throw the king off. It didn't work, and the king met George's attempt to strike with his own block, a grin on his lips as George huffed.
"I know," he said simply, leaving George feeling confused before he started right back up in the fight. Swords clashed over and over, lunging and blocking in a steady rhythm they couldn't seem to break. They fought hard, hot sun bearing down on them harshly as they fought. In the end it was George who won the duel, a swift move with his sword disarming the king and sending his weapon flying a few feet away. The edge of George's blade found itself directly in front of the kings throat, a wicked grin gracing his lips.
George stood still for a moment, panting heavily before it hit him that he was still pointing a blade to the kings throat. George nearly dropped his sword entirely, pulling it back to his side and bowing sharply. "I sincerely apologize, I-"
The king-Dream?-laughed sharply, gently taking hold of George by the shoulder to pull him back up straight. "What are you apologizing for? Winning? I told you not to go easy on me."
George swallowed thickly, looking down at the kings hand that rested on his shoulder so gently. His cheeks reddened, bowing his head to look at his feet. "I-well, si-Dream... I do not wish to come across... disrespectful."
"Please," the king sighed, squeezing the spot he held on George's shoulder reassuringly. "You do not come across that way at all, George."
There was a moment of silence that drifted between them. George glanced up to meet the King's eyes only to find him gazing off with a faraway look, his bottom lip worried between his teeth. When he met George's eyes again suddenly George felt his cheeks burn again, lowering his gaze slightly in respect.
"May I confide in you, George?"
George nodded his head slowly, raising his eyes to find the kings own eyes staring deeply into his own. The gaze pinned him into place, keeping him from moving even the slightest bit. George drew in a shuddering breath.
"You interest me," the king said simply, drawing a strangled, confused noise from George's throat. The king let out soft giggles at that, covering his mouth. "Sorry, was that too much? I just... you're a brave, skilled knight, and a generally kind-hearted person. You seem very genuine, but mostly guarded... very private."
George stared wide eyed as the king went on, his gaze on George seeming... fond. It was not something George was used to seeing directed at him, especially not from a man so respected and important. Yet the words poured from the king's lips so easily and honestly, and George found himself believing that the king truly meant the kind words. It left him at a loss for words himself, not knowing how he should respond. Luckily for him, the king continued, not giving him a chance to dwell on it too much.
"I'd like to get to know you, George," said the king, lips quirked into the smallest of smiles. "But... not as the king. Not as someone you have to respect, or be polite to. I want to know you as a person, and to be treated as a person too."
George took in his words slowly, carefully. His mind was reeling through a thousand questions, and he didn't know how to feel about any of this. As he looked into the eyes of his king though, George could see the slightest flicker of something hidden deep within them, an emotion buried meticulously down beneath everything else.
Loneliness. The king was lonely.
"I understand that this is very... forward. It was abrupt, and probably too much and-"
"Okay," George said simply, cutting off the nervous ramblings of the king-Dream. Just Dream.
Dream watched George for a moment, brow furrowed as he blinked a few times. "Okay..?"
"Okay..." George drew in a deep breath, standing up a bit taller as he looked back up at Dream. "Let's get to know each other then, Dream."
Dream's breath seemed to stutter in his throat, eyes going a bit wide at the use of his chosen false name. It was the first time George seemed comfortable to not use formal titles for him, and this caused a face-splitting grin to appear over Dream's lips.
"Really..?" He breathed, excitement bubbling out of his mouth with the question.
"Really," George nodded, smiling shakily back at the king. "But... but please, forgive me if I still call you sire and such... I will have to get used to it."
"Of course," Dream nodded, entire body bouncing with his head. "Yes, yes, of course that's okay. I-thank you. Thank you!"
George couldn't help it as a short laugh escaped his lips, covering them with his mouth as his face burned. The king could be so... boyish, sometimes. It reminded him how young the king truly was, despite the maturity thrust upon him from an early age. It was cute, seeing him get so excitable. Of course, George would never voice this aloud.
"I like your laugh," Dream spoke quietly, almost like he hadn't meant to really voice the words at all. Still he smiled as George registered the words, ducking his head down to hide from Dream as it grew a bright red.
"Th-thanks," George muttered, coughing into his hand. His hand tightened on the hilt of his sword, gesturing the end of his weapon vaguely over to where Dream's had landed before. "Want to go another round? Maybe... maybe I should go easy on you this time."
The taunting was voiced so unconfidently and Dream laughed loudly, retrieving his sword from the ground before he returned to a fighting stance, preparing to go again. "Don't you dare."
George was the first to lunge forward this time, attempting to throw Dream off of his guard quickly. He didn't intend on going easy on him at all now. If Dream wanted to be treated as an equal, George was going to treat him as he did any of his comrades. They would fight fairly.
Unfortunately Dream had fast reflexes, and he dodged George's attack swiftly. He was grinning from ear to ear as he fought, whereas George kept his expression guarded, focused. His eyes followed Dream's every movement, sword gripped tightly in his hand as he waited for him to strike. The pair returned to their back and forth of trying to beat the other, but both seemed to be almost equally matched.
George honestly found it to be quite... fun. It had been a while since he had battled someone on the same level as him. All of his fellow knights were good soldiers, there was no doubt about it, but George was still at the top of all of them. They were good, but they weren't a challenge to spar with like Dream was.
George felt a trickle of sweat falling down his back, felt his breath enter cold through his nose, and come out hot from his mouth. The hand holding his sword tensed painfully for only a moment, but it was long enough. Before George really knew what had happened his hand was grasping the air, and a heavy weight was pushed fast against his chest. His feet came off the ground and his back replaced them there, knocking the wind out of him with a shocked cry. He blinked sweat from his eyes to find the tip of a sword pointed at his nose, and connected to that sword, Dream, staring down at him with a cocky grin.
"I win," the king said simply, and George drew in a large breath just to let out a loud sigh, squeezing his eyes shut and letting his head loll back to rest on the ground.
"Whatever," George said, resting there for a moment and catching his breath. When he opened up his eyes again the king was still hovering there, sword still pointed towards him. George raised an eyebrow. "Are you gonna let me up now?"
Dream hummed, seeming to think about it for a moment. "I dunno," he said, flat edge of his sword meeting George's chin, causing his breath to hitch. "I kind of like you this way."
George swallowed thickly, mouth opening and then hanging open as he tried to search for what he could possibly say. What did that even mean? Luckily, Dream laughed loudly and pulled the knife away, so George didn't have much time to continue dwelling on it. He held a hand out for George to take.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding." He promised as George took his hand carefully. Dream pulled him off of the ground with a strength that made George's blood burn under the skin of his cheeks, taking a careful step back after he was steady on his feet again. He met Dream's eyes and found the man smiling warmly, clearly happy and joking, and George let his muscles relax.
"You make a great sparring partner."
"Thanks," George said quickly, nodding towards him. "So do you. I'm impressed."
"Well, being required to train in fighting for the last 15 years probably helps."
"You've been training to fight since you were six?" George asked after calculating in his head, surprised.
Dream shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit. But it was a required lesson for me for quite a few years. And of course, my dad would only ever assign me teachers who were the best of the best. That definitely didn't hurt."
"That sounds nice," George commented, remembering how he had learned to fight. It wasn't nearly as easy for him as it had been for Dream, but George had been determined. At least it had worked out well for him, if him being nearly equal to Dream was any indication of his skill.
"At least that one was one of the fun lessons." Dream said, shrugging his shoulders. "I liked sparring." He twisted the sword around in his hand, examining it closely. "Seems to help burn off frustrations sometimes."
"Were you feeling frustrated?" George asked before he could think the better of it. How had he already gotten so comfortable before his king? Dream didn't seem to mind, at least. "Before coming out here today?"
Dream hesitated, mouth open as he stared at the sword a few moments longer. He closed it and looked at George, frowning for a moment. "I can't really discuss the specifics. But yes. I was dealing with something... kind of stressful."
George nodded, not pushing any further. It wasn't his place to know the things his king was handling, he didn't need to ask. George chewed on his lower lip for a moment, thinking to himself.
"If you'd like," George started, voice soft and wavering. "You can always come find me when the stress gets too much. I'm never opposed to sparring. Especially when they're as skilled as you."
"How sweet," the king grinned, and George's face heat up as he already knew he was being made fun of. "You think I'm skilled?"
"How could you not be?" George said quickly, averting his eyes from Dream's direction. "With all those special lessons, it'd be an embarrassment if you weren't."
"Well, I'm pleased to know you don't find me to be an embarrassment." Dream chuckled. Silence fell between the pair, and Dream looked upwards towards the sky. He sighed quietly after a moment, seeming disappointed.
"I've been out here a while." Dream said, gaze on the suns position. "I should probably get back to work. It... probably wouldn't be good for me to get caught out here while I'm supposed to be working."
"Caught by who? You're the king. Who's going to say anything to you?" George questioned. Dream laughed humorlessly.
"Oh trust me, the old bats who used to work for my dad will be all over me about everything I do wrong." He said, returning his sword to its sheath. "So I'd better get back before one of them realizes I'm not there. They could also blow my cover around here. I like getting to walk around without people knowing my face., I don't want that ruined."
"Do you need someone to escort you back?" George gestured towards the castle walls where Dream resided.
"Oh George, you're not trying to get into my bedroom with me, are you?" Dream asked with a lopsided grin, eyes smiling too.
"What?" George asked incredulously, mouth gaping. "I-you-no! What the-Dream!"
Laughter bubbled over from Dream's lips, seeming absolutely delighted at George's response. His breath escaped him as a wheeze chased out all of the air in his lungs, desperately gasping to draw more in to continue laughing at George's horrified reaction.
"Oh-oh, oh my god," Dream cackled, bending over and grasping at his stomach. George stood in front of him with his arms crossed, frown on his lips that he struggled to keep there. It was hard not to smile when Dream was laughing so much. "I'm sorry that was-that was so dumb, but you reacted so well," Dream seemed to deflate with another wheeze, taking a moment to try and relax his laughter. When he finally calmed down he smiled widely at George, who finally couldn't help but let a small smile overtake his lips instead of a frown.
"On a serious note," Dream said softly, gazing almost fondly at George in front of him. "I appreciate the offer. But I'll be okay to get there myself. No one knows who I am out here so, I'll be safe. Thank you, though."
"Of course," George muttered, having to fight the 'sire,' that tried to tumble from his lips at the end. "Stay safe. I'll... see you soon?"
"Yeah," Dream said, grinning his way before he set off back to the castle. "See you soon, George."