Roche's limbs burned as she returned from her last delivery to the royal physician. She'd given him stacks of the heaviest books she'd ever beheld. She didn't know how the spindly old man could hold one of them, but it wasn't her job to pry. In return, the chemist had given her stacks of books that needed to be returned. Now she carted her filled wagon back to the castle courtyard which she needed to cross to return to the library. As she approached, she could see royal guards milling about in fancy, well-made chainmail and the royal sigil emblazoned on their chests. The men walked around stiffly, glancing over at a small gathered crowd near the entrance of the courtyard. As Roche got closer, she could see a thin figure wearing a servant's clothes holding up a practice shield. He quivered behind it, wearing a bulky knight's helmet. A lithe figure slammed the flat of a sword against the shield with such force that the servant toppled over with a cry.

The guard showed no mercy. A crony at his back crowed with laughter as the servant scuttled back, barely dodging another swipe of the sword.

"This," the guard was saying, voice muffled by a helmet, "Is the best technique to dispatch enemies."

The servant's eyes widened in terror. "P-p-"

"Ignore the enemy's begging, of course," the guard teased, drawing raucous laughter from the gathered guards. Behind him, another knight cringed, holding his helmet in her hands. He nervously ran a hand through his chocolate hair as the other guard expertly swung his sword, knocking away the shield. The servant was on his hands and knees.

WHAP!

The guard smacked the servant in the chest with the pommel of the sword hard enough that the servant was knocked flat onto his back. He remained there, his chest rising and falling with quick, terrified breaths.

"That's enough," the chocolate haired guard said, grabbing his masked friend's armour, "This bores me. Let's do something else."

The masked guard kicked the downed servant's feet. The servant whimpered. Roche's blood boiled. The guard turned away to talk to his two friends, and Roche stormed over. Weren't knights supposed to be valiant, virtuous heroes? It looked like they were nothing by power hungry menaces.

Roche's wagon squealed as she drew near. She crouched beside the thin servant boy. His dark skin was slick with sweat.

"Are you alright?" Roche whispered. The boy nodded, still on the ground. Roche's heart flared with relief. "Well, that's good. Let's get you up on your feet then. I'm sure you have better things to be doing than entertaining these brutes."

The boy's lips flickered with a smile. Roche slipped an arm under his back, feeling his sweat soak through her new dress. She didn't particularly care.

"What's your name?" the boy rasped, still winded from the 'training'.

"I'm Roche. You?"

"I'm Kai." the boy replied. His gaze drifted past Roche as she hauled him to his feet. His face went ashen, and Roche knew it wasn't because of his injuries.

"We weren't done, Kai." the masked guard sneered. Kai's face reddened, and he slipped his arms off Roche's shoulder. She grabbed his wrist.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked. Kai nodded tightly.

"I'm just winded." he muttered. Footsteps thudded behind Roche's back like a second heartbeat. Her inkblood roared in her ears.

"Who are you?" the knight asked. Roche decided she didn't need the attention of a knight, and she certainly didn't want to speak to one who was a brute. Her words dried up in her throat. She nodded to Kai, and moved to head back towards her wagon. A heavy, chainmail gloved hand landed on her shoulder, stopping her.

"I asked you a question." the knight repeated. His voice was high pitched but still wrought with amusement and arrogance. The sound of her reminded of Kai being thrown to the ground. Roche turned slowly.

"Are you deaf or dumb?" the knight snorted, drawing laughter from the knights who'd gathered around them in a circle. Roche straightened, indignance flooding her.

"I am Roche," she said, her voice level. The steel in her eyes made the laughter quiet to an unsteady trickle. She lifted her chin, emboldened. "And who are you?"

The tall crony from earlier half unsheathed his sword, but the brute knight lifted his hand, stopping him mid movement. His green eyes glinted at Roche through the heavy metal knight's helmet, glittering with challenge.

"I am Tigris. A knight who you should be bowing to." the knight replied. Roche snorted.

"And is this how all knights treat their subjects?" she fired back. Uneasy murmurs swept through the gathered knights. Tigris tilted his head.

"And why would I be taking advice from a simple maiden?" Tigris asked flatly. Roche's cheeks burned.

"Perhaps you need it." she countered. Slowly, the knight's hands uncurled from his sword. He pulled off his helmet, revealing a cascade of blonde hair. Roche blanched.

"You're a woman?" she asked, dumbfounded. Tigris' cheekbones were high and sculpted. She shook her blonde hair from her face. Upon a closer look, Roche realised that her hair was multicoloured, each strand glimmering a different colour in the light. Tigris' green eyes flared.

"Do you have a problem with that?" the crony from earlier asked, fully unsheathing his sword. Roche lifted a brow.

"I thought that of all of these knights, you'd have more compassion." Roche replied, ignoring the crony. Tigris' eyes gleamed with amusement.

"Such disrespect," she murmured, almost curiously. She circled Roche slowly, like a shark isolating its prey. "I am a woman, but I am the most fearsome of these men. I trained them. My compassion is equal to theirs, and you are questioning it?"

"Tigris," the boy with chocolate hair and a smattering of freckles from earlier warned, "Just leave her be. This isn't worth your energy. The knights have more training to do."

"Shut up, Finn."

"Ah, yes. Very compassionate, indeed. I see you have the makings of a great knight." Roche muttered, turning back towards her wagon.

"And you suppose that you know what a good knight is?" Tigris called out. Roche walked towards her wagon. She called over her shoulder,

"I know what a bad knight is!"

There was a hiss at her feet. Roche jumped back, much to the delight of the knights. One of the wheels of the wagon had been pierced with a dagger. Roche turned slowly to find Tigris holding another dagger aloft.

"If you're such an expert on knights, then why don't you pretend to be one, peasant!" Tigris shouted, "Surely such an expert can fight a 'bad knight'."

"Please, Tigris. That's enough. She was just looking out for her friend, she didn't mean any offense." the scrawny boy, Finn, pleaded. Roche's fists clenched, her inkblood swooping in response. The arrogance of Tigris made her think of her mother, staring out of a large window with a bruise blooming on her cheek. One of Roche's earliest memories. Tigris staked her sword into the mulchy ground.

"No, no. If Roche wants to teach me that's fine. Come on then!" Tigric goaded, her eyes sparkling. She laughed tauntingly, holding out her arms. Roche's blood boiled. She wouldn't need inkblood for this. All she needed were her fists. She stepped forward, hands curled.

"If you insist." she whispered, launching herself forward. Almost immediately, Tigris expertly caught her arm, twisting it back in one smooth motion. The laughter of the knights scalded Roche's cheeks. She squirmed and kicked to try and free herself to no avail. All she had left were her words, but she didn't dare call upon her inkblood with so many eyes on her.

"How very fitting," Roche gasped out, "Do you knights always resort to fists when you don't get your way?"

"Would you rather I resort to my sword?" Tigris countered. Roche could hear the smirk in her voice. She jostled her again.

"Who the hell do you think you are to act like this? You aren't the king! You-"

"I am his heir." Tigris replied sweetly, leaning close to Roche's ear. The words chilled her instantly, draining the fight from her limbs. Tigris' breath was warm and damp against her skin. "And it looks like you'd do best to remember that."

A/N Couldn't resist making it similar to the Arthur and Merlin meeting from the show lol. I changed the things that were a bit OOC for Roche and Tigris, but otherwise it's the same. Dw, I promise that some more original scenes are coming up with the next few updates :) Enjoy!