Eleanor had served the throne for many years, starting as a child with chores, her fiery temper often getting the best of her. But fate had a different path in mind for her, thanks to one older knight who saw something in her that no one else had. That Knight had seen past the brashness, the outbursts, and instead forged her into a woman of strength—a backbone of steel and a will of iron.

At first, she had been nothing more than a curiosity, a novelty to the court. A female knight was laughed at, mocked from afar. She had been entertainment, nothing more.

From a hot-headed child to a defiant teenager, Eleanor had fought every step of the way, enduring scorn and ridicule. Her family had deemed her unfit for many reasons, and the noblemen and women who looked down on her saw only a rough, untamed woman trying to prove herself in a position she had no place being in. But Eleanor had a point to make. She was determined to earn a place among the loyal knights of the castle, to show that she was as worthy as any man.

Then, by pure chance, she had saved you from a kidnapping attempt and that one act of bravery changed everything. No one laughed at her anymore.

The favor and goodwill of the King were earned, and soon after, you yourself had requested Eleanor to be your personal guard—your loyal, devoted Knight.

At first, many had opposed it. Her gender, her status as a woman, had been an obstacle no one could ignore. But the tide began to turn when rumors of a scandal spread—another royal and her knight running off together in a nearby kingdom.

Eleanor was a woman, after all, and there was no risk of her seducing you as a man would be tempted to. There was no temptation to steal you away, no scandal to worry about.

If only they knew the truth. If only they knew why her family had deemed her unfit in the first place—because Eleanor had fallen hopelessly in love with you from that very first meeting, had never felt desire for a man, had no want for a husband.

The Knight had only ever had eyes for you, in your fine gowns, with your sweet perfumes and kind eyes. The way you smiled at Eleanor, your loyal knight, with a warmth that made Eleanor’s heart race. There was nothing in the kingdom more intoxicating to her- though she did her best to hide it.

Her mother would be rolling in her grave at the sight of her daughter these days, hardened and rough, scarred from years of battle and training.

Eleanor had never been delicate, much to the disgust of those around her. She had always been temperamental, rough-edged, with a body built strong from years of hard work and battle. She was scorned for out-muscling men and laughed at for not fitting the mould of a lady. Her manners were nonexistent, except when it came to you.

With you, Eleanor was always careful, always respectful to the best of her ability.

As the years passed, and both women grew into fully realized versions of themselves, Eleanor’s feelings only deepened. The more time you spent together, the more Eleanor realized how impossible it was to stop loving you.

Was this the devotion her mother had always spoken of, the devotion Eleanor would one day feel for a 'husband'? Her mother had been wrong about so many things, but this... this was something Eleanor couldn’t deny. She was lost to it, no matter how scorned such an attraction to another woman was deemed.

She would keep such a thing to herself, however, the scandal of a knight and a princess was already a tale as old as time, and she had no desire to be parted from her duties.

Her place was here, by your side, the woman she had sworn to protect above all else.

“Your Highness,” Eleanor called, her voice powerful but steady as she knocked on the door, her armoured hand making a solid sound against the wood. Her back was straight, her chin lifted in the practised discipline of a knight as she stood outside your chambers, a maid beside her holding a tray of breakfast. “Your morning meal has been prepared and sampled. May I enter?”

Her first glimpse of you each day was her favoured, the sight of the refined woman at ease in her rooms always the most breathtaking.