[PRP] Knights of the Round Table (Kiva x Bedwyr)

[SilverLutz]

Kiva headed for the pool of water where the knights generally gathered to both share their patrol stories and to drink at. He'd been out in the rogue lands for a while and, while he hadn't really had many worthwhile adventures or seen anything out of the ordinary, it had been his first time out patrolling and he was rather proud of himself that he'd come back unscathed.

He lapped up some water before lifting his head, looking around to see if anyone looked like they wanted to chat. There were a few other lions around but he was still just a bit too shy to go over and strike up a conversation. Baby steps...baby steps.

He leaned down to grab another drink, his mouth going dry just at the thought of initiating conversation with someone. He had come out of his shell quite a bit since he had become a knight, but he still had a ways to go.

Lithiasaur

 

[Lithiasaur]

SilverLutz

Bedwyr was kind of a quiet lady, and kept to herself. She was not really doing it on purpose, as she just tended to end up alone. She was sort of a thinker, and not the best at interacting with other lions.

Huffing, she noted someone else was at the watering hole she liked to use. Of course, that was normally the case: a lot of knights came here. She just... did not want to chit chat or listen to bragging. The males could be particularly heavy on that, gloating about what they did to what Druid.

Something about that just did not sit right with her.

Maybe she had gotten this way because of her looks. It was clear what family line she came from, and that held some weight despite the King himself being her half brother. No, she was the child of the God of Chivalry, the protector of the pride and likely to be the King, with Uther letting his anger and bitterness dictate his actions.

It was all very complicated, and weighed heavily on her.

She spotted a place to drink by a lion who was not chatting, so she opted that the safest bet. Scooting over to him, trying not to get too close, she took a sip from the water.  

[SilverLutz]

Kiva lifted his head to shake the water from his chin and didn't notice the large lioness moving over to where he was. Not until she was close, anyway, and he had to bite his tongue to keep from letting out a little yelp of surprise. Eesh...he really had to get over this darn gunshy flaw he had.

"Hello," he said almost a bit too loudly, his heart hammering in his chest. Females were always a lot harder to talk to than males for whatever reason. The only females he could talk to without feeling like he had run across the whole savanna were his mother and sister.

"Nice day," he added, grimacing at his own attempt at small talk. He really was bad at this. "Ah..." Okay, stop talking. She obviously came over here because he hadn't looked like he was going to speak. Ugh...this was hard.

"Um. I'm Kiva. You...you're Bedwyr, right?" It was pretty important to know certain lions in the pride and anyone related to the king in any way were 'important' in his mind.

Lithiasaur

 

[Lithiasaur]

SilverLutz

Bedwyr looked at the other knight and nodded her head passively. She was not a mean lioness, not even close to it. Just withdrawn, which often lead others to believe she was not one to talk to. She watched him for a moment, looking curious as she noted his hesitance.

This one was shy. That was a difference, in male knights these days. War made them bold, and most of the time, unbearable.

"It is a nice day, isn't it?"

She did not mind his awkward introductions, and it came as no surprise that he had already heard about her. She nodded her head, though she could not offer him the same politeness as he did by already knowing her. She was glad he had at least offered an introduction.

"I am, yes. It's nice to meet you, Kiva. Aren't you going to join those guys over there, in their tales of battle prowess and ego stroking?" Hm. Maybe that was a bit too forceful. She held her ground, though, looking at him expectantly for an answer.  

[SilverLutz]

Kiva followed Bedwyr's gaze to a group of other knights off talking amongs themselves, obviously one-upping each other in their stories. He gave a weak laugh and swallowed thickly, glad he hadn't tried to tell her about his little adventure right off the bat.

"Ah...no, their stories are all a lot more impressive than anything I've ever done," he said with a shake of his head. "And I'm not a great storyteller." He hesitated a moment before tilting his head. "Not a fan of the stories?" he added, his voice a bit meek. He had never thought much about how others might view the stories and the fact that she obviously didn't like them was just a bit of a surprise. He'd definitely have to make sure he only shared really good stories privately with his family or someone close so he didn't annoy anyone.

Lithiasaur

 

[Lithiasaur]

SilverLutz

"A lot more impressive, maybe, if you choose to believe them. I think they're all mostly just lying, anyway." She sighed, shaking her head and rolling her eyes, though she reminded herself that she had no reason to be mad at this particular lion, because he did not follow the traits that the others annoyed her with.

It was nice, actually, and she was reminded that not all lions, particularly all other knights, were tedious.

"It's not the stories that bother me, so much as the stupid pride they have in hurting others. Believe me, I understand our roles, and anyone that hurts this pride, or my family, will be punished for it. But wanton suffering and playing with their lives, the Druid's lives, like they're not lions? Pretending they can't feel and don't deserve to be treated as living beings... that is not the way I choose to conduct myself."

She sighed. It was not the popular opinion, but she supposed she had never been concerned with anything popular. After all, it was not like she was saying to go out there and make friends with their enemies, in this time of war, but she did not think it justified torture and cruelty. Wasn't the point of being a knight serving with honor and upholding a certain standard?

Even the King seemed to have forgotten that, in his grief.

"I don't know. I guess it's just me. They're quick to tell me it's because I'm female. Softer, you know." Another eye roll from that, but this time she grinned a little.  

[SilverLutz]

Kiva's ears perked as he listened to the lioness speak, his heart pounding in his chest in excitement. Usually talk of Druids made him nervous due to his pelt and his half and half lineage, but it seemed this lioness had a very similar mindset to his own.

"Oh no, you're definitely not alone," he said, finally finding some common ground to talk about. It made him a little more confident, if meek. It could be a tender subject as he had found out when coming across the king a few months back. "I...well." He rubbed at his mane, remembering the way he had been pinned and question. "I'm often mistaken for a Druid. With good reason," he added, knowing his coat would be reason enough for anyone to stop and question him. "My father is a Druid and my mother is Toka despite her coloration. It's...it's been a very strange time."

He had sworn himself to protecting the king and the crown at whatever cost. He was loyal to his service but if faced with hurting his own father he knew he wouldn't be able to do it. "I'm not a great Knight," he went on, lowering his head a bit in shame at admitting that. "I dreamt about it as a cub, playing games and slaying dragons, and when I first became one it was great. But then all this happened and...now it's not quite as fun as I thought it would be. Not by a long shot."

Lithiasaur

 

[Lithiasaur]

SilverLutz

Bedwyr looked at him thoughtfully, and felt a little smile pulling at the corners of her muzzle. At least there were some out there that remembered what it meant to be a knight. At least, what it used to mean, before Uther lost his sense of chivalry to anger and revenge.

She supposed having a God as her father, and the God of Chivalry to boot, probably swayed her ability to judge others.

"I think things are only going to get worse. And you, my new friend, will probably start feeling the worst of it. This hatred toward Druids, to those with different color pelts and the wrong names for parents... I think this war is going to turn into blind violence."

She sighed, shaking her head.

"I think my father has to do something, to stop all of this from getting worse. Uther is going to destroy this pride from the inside out at this rate, and we can't let him do that."  

[SilverLutz]

Kiva worried his cheek with his teeth as Bedwyr spoke. It was scary how quickly everyone had turned on each other, but he had to admit it was a long time coming. There had been tension since he was little and now it was spilling over. He hoped someone with authority could step in to stop the violence, but he had no idea who would be fit for the job when the king was the one that was going on the rampages.

"Your father?" he asked, ears perking up. The dragon marking on her hind leg let him know exactly who her father was. Thinking a god would save them was both romantic and heroic, two things that were right up his alley.

"I think it would be for the best,: Kiva admitted softly. "I was hoping things would resolve themselves on their own, but obviously that isn't going to be the case. I just hope there's no massive battle or something. We don't need to kill one another."

Lithiasaur

 

[Lithiasaur]

SilverLutz

"Yeah," she said, though she noticed he seemed to figure out who her dad was. It was not hard to tell, she supposed, with the dragon. She also had the ability to see the future, sometimes, and that was something she had learned was a trait of someone with a god parent.

"I'm not sure things will get better wthout some of us stepping up, and doing what we can in the name of peace. All this... killing... that's not going to end it. Sometimes I think everyone in this pride is too... wrapped up in it."

She sighed, wondering if leaving the pride, going to find some outside help, might be the answer. She would have to ask talfrid about it, when she had the time.

It couldn't make things worse, right?

"I'm glad you feel the same, though, and that this war isn't the most important thing. Sometimes I think most of the knights were just waiting for the chance to kill druids."  

[SilverLutz]

Kiva nodded sadly in agreement. His fellow Knights could make him nervous with their glares whether they were directed at him or at someone else. Everyone was on edge, waiting for a reason to attack.

"Well...I'm all for peace," he said with a weak smile. "I'd rather not have to attack my own father if the king ordered it. I'd rather go hug him. So uh...if you um. You hear of any sort of peaceful uprising or something, know that you have my name on the list."

It was dangerous to say that, but killing lions just because they were a certain color or social standing wasn't right. This wasn't why he had become a Knight. He'd become a Knight to uphold honor and bravery and all the other traits a Knight should have. He was going against his oath in saying he'd go against the word of the king, but his conscious was finally starting to pipe up now that he knew there were others that felt similar to how he did.

Lithiasaur