The next day dawned with a great deal of sunlight and the young princess known to all as Villain's Dearest yawned delightedly in her bed when she was greeted by the new head. "Good morning, Your Highness."
Dearest turned around startled to see the man her grandfather had assigned to be the new head of bodyguards.
The man kneeled, "I am Sir Lukas, His Highness has assigned me to be your bodyguard from now on."
Dearest, who was young and tiny giggled delightedly, bounced up on her bed, and curtsied.
"It is my honor to meet my knight."
She then glomped the man and said, "Papa said you wouldn't be coming 'til next week, but he said you had kids, Can I play with them, pleaaaasee?"
She looked at the man with extremely cute but soulful eyes. He chuckled, everyone said the princess was spoiled, but he could understand why with the childish innocence and precociousness she carried.
"I'm sure my children would be delighted to play with you, Highness, but at the moment they're still getting settled in their rooms, maybe tomorrow, if it's alright with Highness?"
Dearest giggled, "OK!" and she bounced back onto her bed, then stopped.
"Oh! I get to meet my companion today! Papa and Tat'un promised!"
She ran to her wardrobe where the head maid in charge of the princess waited. They slammed the door in Sir Lukas's face and soon Dearest came out in a stunning princess outfit that glorified the little girl's cuteness even more. She grabbed a little stuffed animal, (the "pet" whose misplacement had resulted in Lukas's promotion) and grabbed Lukas's hand, dragging him with her.
"Come on, Sir Loki! We don't want to be late for my companion's waking up!"
He followed behind her as she pulled him along smiling at the whimsical nickname she had given him (The other guards had warned him she was prone to this).
He was a little shocked, though, when they reached the lab in which he had been knighted. The princess then had Lukas pick her up while she punched in numbers to the door, and they opened to reveal MSG and a delicate female asleep on a table. Lukas looked about for the Hero, then stared at the table in shock when he realized that the "girl" on the table was the only candidate for the Hero. He gulped, suddenly very glad he had never gotten on Villain or MSG's bad side before he was knighted, as that was definitely a fate worse than death.
Dearest, however, seemed completely unaware of the fact that her soon to be companion had ever been anything other than the delicate female who lay asleep on the table. She tugged on MSG's lab coat.
"Merella," she whined, "when's she going to wake up?"
Merella flinched when the princess tugged her lab coat, but picked her up and placed her on the table beside Companion and smiled gently at Dearest. Despite that one, Dearest was an extremely sweet person most of the time, and as the new knight probably hadn't been told about that one yet Dearest would no doubt be extremely sweet in front of him.
"She will awaken soon, Princess, but remember, she has no awareness of what has befallen her legs so she may attempt to get up before we can tell they are paralyzed." Dearest nodded, "And I have to be nice, because she has had an unpleasant life and been forced into many horrible things that no nice girl should ever be forced to go through?" Merella chuckled, "Are you quoting your grandfather?"
Dearest shook her hair, "No, Tat'un said it."
Merella stiffened, and Lukas looked at her puzzled
"Her Highness mentioned Tatin before, who is he?"
Merella shook her head, "That one all knights will meet, and if you prove disloyal to it, well Villain won't be able to help you."
Lukas stared at her, unable to ascertain what she meant. Dearest hmphed and crossed her arms, "Merella makes Tat'un sound mean!"
Merella turned to Dearest with a slightly pale face, "No, Highness, I just meant tha-"
All three turned to look at the girl on the table who had suddenly made a slight moaning noise as she slowly drifted to consciousness.