Paldean Knights - Chapter 1

“Aznaro Makoa Altar de la Braganza!”

It wasn't the shout that woke me up, actually. Nor was it the promise of impending doom should I ignore it. No, it was the door opening. Which might strike some people as odd, but... the more things change, the more things stayed the same, I suppose. It was an especially old habit, is what I'm saying.

“I'm awake!” I cried, throwing off the blanket and pulling bed hangings apart only to be hit by a wave of glaring midday sun.

“I should hope so! It's after noon!” The tanned woman yelled as she marched into the room, arms crossed over her chest. “You're still in your nightclothes, though! Look at you!”

My head dipped and I sighed. “Mom, please... I was up late using my telescope. Besides, you know I'm practically nocturnal.”

“Yes, yes... I know,” she huffed, shaking her head as her blond hair flowed with the motion. “But you need to be day-turnal, Aznaro. You know your grandfather likes that we all meet together for breakfast and your absence was noted.”

I would have winced, but... well Past-Azarno had really pulled through on that decision. No breakfast meant no cousins for the day. Still, the fact that abuelo had remarked on it... “I'll try to make it tomorrow.”

“You'll do better than that,” Mom threatened promised. “Court ran long today, so Julian is gathering everyone for a late lunch. One which you'll be attending. Your tutor has already been alerted and we've moved your lessons to later in the day.”

I twitched. “Yes, Mother.”

“Now shower and dress yourself, Azi.” She gave me a significant look. “Or I will.”

Muttering another affirmative, I slipped out of bed as my mother left the room and quickly stripped, throwing my nightclothes into a hamper for the maid to retrieve. That was something I still felt awkward about, but had resolved to deal with it on my own. Even if I didn't particularly like having a personal attendant, if someone's job was at stake, I could swallow the irritation.

I took a quick shower and came out with a towel around my waist and an outfit laid out on my overstuffed and oversized reading chair.

I sighed, “Must we?”

“As always, My Prince, there are rules I can bend and there are ones which I cannot.”

I looked over to where Alice was smoothing out the sheets and shook my head at the three layer's worth of clothes I'd be wearing through the fading heat of the day. At least the frock coat would cover the dark patches where my sweat would bleed through the first two.

“At least they're in black,” I muttered, pulling my towel free and finishing drying myself off before flinging it sloppily to the bin.

Regardless of the older woman's presence in my room.

Soon enough, I had pulled on my smallclothes, the sleek black button-down dress shirt with frilled cuffs and the matching silk pants, topping things off with an admittedly very suave-looking coat that looked as though it was pulled from the nineteenth century.

“Let me do your hair, at least, My Prince,” Alice sighed, stepping over quickly with a brush.

“If you must,” I sighed, allowing her to help me with both that and my shoes.

Then came the jewelry, though thankfully not much of it. A silver chain with a sapphire to match my eyes bound the sides of my coat closed. Likewise, a silver ring was slipped on my right ring finger, though this one – regrettably – had a diamond set in it. Finally, a navy handkerchief was folded for my front chest pocket and a platinum pocket watch with a stylized lugia carved into it.

Looking into a mirror, I would have looked as though I was ready for a full formal dinner and a run at the nearest eligible bachelorette.

If I weren't all of eight years old.

“I look like someone's idea of a life-sized dress-up doll,” I sighed, accepting the pair of dragonair cufflinks without comment.

They, like the watch, had been a gift, if from different people.

“Nonsense, Your Highness. You don't even have a tie,” Alice chimed in from where she was dusting my clothing off of any clinging lint. “No dollmaker would tolerate such an omission.”

“Sweet Arceus, woman. Don't give them any ideas,” I shook my head in disgust.

Alice gave a barely-imperceptible chuckle. “Well, it looks as though you are ready, sire. Just in time, too, by my watch.”

I looked at the clock and nodded. “That it is. Prepare a change of clothes, please. If you'd leave it at the usual spot?”

Alice sighed, sweeping a hand through black hair and shaking her head. “As My Prince wishes.”

Passing through the door, I stopped briefly to pet the deerling sitting next to it with a pair of small saddlebags thrown across its back. “Hey there, Prancer. You can go in and help Alice now, if you'd like.”

The pokemon perked up instantly and gave me a nod of acknowledgment before scooting into the room. I knew that Mom didn't necessarily like the staff using pokemon in my room, but it was my room. And I trusted both Alice and Prancer. The pokemon I didn't trust...

I turned to look at the large brown wolf-dog sitting patiently on the opposite side of the corridor. “You can go tell Mom that I'm dressed and will be there shortly, Lycanroc. You didn't even have to drag me out of bed today, okay?”

The old dog gave me a snort of amusement and a brief nod before setting off down the hallway at a trot. Something of a relic from her trainer days, Lycanroc was past his battling prime, but still one hell of a guard dog and doubly protective besides that, especially of Mom and myself. I probably would have liked him a bit more if he wasn't so stiff... an odd combination considering my mother was a bit of a free spirit even these days.

Idly, I supposed someone had to keep her on-track back when she was a trainer.

I blinked, seeing a figure out of the corner of my eye before giving the long corridor a sweeping glance and stepping over towards it.

“Aunt Francisca,” I greeted in a quiet undertone.

The red-haired woman smiled at me from where she stood in the shadows. “Aznaro, I see you're doing as well as always.”

“I do try,” I stated with a nod. “Will you be joining us for lunch?”

Real sorrow flashed across the woman's face for a moment. “No, I don't think so. My boys are growing up so fast...”

I sighed, not having really expected anything different, but feeling I had to offer. “Ruberte is a fine young man, I think. He's doing you and his father proud at the academy, from what I hear.”

Francisca smiled wanly and nodded. “Thank you, Aznaro. It's always good to hear such things. Do keep an eye out if they have any trouble, won't you?”

I kept the grimace off my face. No need to cause the woman any more grief. “I'll do what I can.”

“Good,” she nodded, glancing down the small side hallway and sighing. “I should go before anyone sees you talking to... well, I've already caused you enough problems.”

“Feel free to find me anytime you need,” I told her before shaking my head as the older woman disappeared down the corridor, her companion pokemon close behind.

Heaving a heavy sigh, I turned and made for the family dining room.

The scowl I got from Francisca's youngest two boys just underscored the problematic situation I'd found myself in. Ruberte, my eldest cousin, gave me a smile at least, but his two younger brothers Sabastian and Ximen looked as though they'd smelled something displeasing as I made my way into the room.

“Ah, and there he is!” The man at the head of the table chuckled good-naturedly, his silver-gray hair still holding a few strands of the midnight-blue it had once held. “Aznaro, my boy! Burning the midnight oil again?”

“Astronomy, Abuelo,” I replied with a smile, greeting my grandfather calmly. “I apologize for missing breakfast this morning regardless.”

“You could have at least sent warning instead of simply being absent,” Sabastian commented coolly.

“My apologies,” I tilted my head towards the slightly older boy of twelve.

“No more of that, now. As long as Aznaro doesn't make a habit of it, I'll let things slide this once,” the aging king stated, his voice making clear that the matter was settled.

“You're too tolerant Julian,” Aldonza, his wife and my grandmother, commented with a sigh. “Lani, for the last time, please try to do something about Aznaro's sleep schedule. There's being a noctowl and then there's waking up after the noon bells chime.”

“My primary concern is Aznaro's health, Mother,” my own mother stated, her voice level as my father grimaced beside her, trying to sink into his chair. “Forcing him on a daylight schedule just makes him exhausted.”

See, when it's just you and your own kid in the discussion, blame the kid. But when someone else decides they want in on that game? Mama Luxray gonna' take a bite out of you.

“Enough,” Julian stated more firmly, looking between his wife and his daughter-in-law. “My family is sitting down to eat a meal together, I will not have fighting at the table. Ruberte, I've seen your scores from the academy. You're doing quite well.”

“Ruberte is doing very well, Father, yes.” Leonis spoke up, taking a drink of his wine and nodding towards his eldest son, continuing the grand tradition of talking around rather than to the child. “He's passing all his courses this year with nearly perfect scores.”

“Befitting an heir to the throne,” Aldonza nodded, her tone. “It seems both of my children have been, themselves, blessed with remarkable children.”

I grimaced.

Not this shit again, Abuela.

“Big Brother,” the small blond at my side whispered, “does that mean I'm special too?”

Which, because she was six, her whisper was not actually a 'whisper.' Immediately, the eyes of our two younger cousins slid over to us.

Our father, Enrique, reached behind me and patted my sister on the head. “It means you're very special, yes, Lehonor.”

Sabastian muttered something that was, thankfully, too quiet for most of the table to start an argument.

I merely sighed internally as my father and little sister began acting affectionately with each other.

“So, when is Aznaro going to be continuing his own education?” Aldonza asked primly, once again demonstrating that she had a gift for spiking tension at the dinner table.

“If he can't wake up for breakfast, there's no way the ghost would be up for classes,” Ximen, unlike his brother, spoke loud enough to be heard by the entire table.

Which meant I could sigh externally instead of just keeping it to myself.

“Ximen.” Leonis barked out, beating all other authority figures to the punch as he turned his intense gaze on his youngest. “You will not speak of your cousin that way. Apologize, now.”

The boy's face went pale and red at the same time from the dual embarrassment of being called out publicly and the inherent threat in his father's voice. “I-I'm sorry. Aznaro.”

“Apology accepted,” I demurred, with a tilt of my head, my voice as neutral as normal-type energy. “It's just an unflattering nickname, Uncle Leonis. I'm aware of what the staff calls me behind my back.”

Ximen's expression could best be described as 'constipated' as I dared to speak up in his defense. Leonis scoffed. “Uncultured lechonk might insult you, but you should not tolerate it from your own family, Aznaro, no matter how calm your temperament might be. Especially not at the table.”

“As my elder brother says,” my father Enrique spoke up with a serious look directed at me. “The next time you hear someone call you that, you come to me. Am I clear, son?”

“Yes, Father,” I nodded.

Lani breathed a long sigh herself as the tension in the room calmed. “To return to the topic at hand, Mother-” Aldonza grimaced slightly at the title. “-the fact that my son has completed much of the academic coursework that the academies offer generally means he is better served by tutoring, even before accounting for anything else.”

“It would be better for Aznaro to associate with some peers, though,” my grandmother argued. “Why, there's a society gathering in Levincia just next week. Most of the children who will be in attendance are somewhat older than Aznaro is, but he's very mature for his age.”

Hmm, yes, 'maturity' matters in interactions with other children. Right.

“Ah... the soiree being hosted by Exceed for their joint venture with Macro Cosmos?” My father asked, his tone speculative... which wasn't really a good sign for me. “I was considering attending, actually.”

“That would be extremely helpful, actually,” Leonis chimed in with a nod in his brother's direction. “They sent me an invitation, simply as a matter of courtesy I'm sure, but affairs of state are set to occupy my time. If you'd attend, Brother, it would give me more than enough room to make polite excuses.”

Uncle, this is why you're having the problems you are...

My mother and father exchanged glances.

“Can I come, too?” Lehonor asked, looking between the adults. “If Daddy and Azi are going, I want to come!”

“It will run a little bit late into the evening for a six year old,” Aldonza stated cautiously.

“We'll make a trip of it together,” Mother stated. “Lehonor and I can at least attend the opening ceremonies before we retire early, and that way I can be there if you need help handling any spur of the moment negotiations, dear.”

My sister's face lit up at the offer, and I gave her a quick smile.

Sabastian sniffed disdainfully, and I could almost hear the thoughts in his head.

Ah, yes... let the half-breeds and the second-in-line for the throne play with the nouveau-riche! My father has more important work to do!

Arceus, I wish someone would give those boys a proper lesson about where political power actually stood in this day and age. We weren't living in the days of yore where Paldean knights would ride pokemon into battle with lance and shield.

“Then it's decided,” Julian nodded at my father and uncle, much more pleased at the turn the conversation had taken. “Enrique and his family will attend the party and Aznaro-”

I nodded to show I was listening.

“-do try to make some friends, won't you?” Julian asked, a hint of a plea in his voice.

“I'll... try, Abuelo,” I promised.

He smiled. “Good, now I've been meaning to discuss the agricultural yield in Area Three with both of you-”

I partially tuned out, already plotting the steps I'd need to get ready for the party, especially avoiding the worst of the crowds. Perhaps I'd see if the Royal Guard would forward me the building's floor plan? They might, most of them rather liked me. As opposed to the staff. It was probably because I gave the guards the fewest headaches out of my entire family...

...that they knew of, at least.

Lunch was, thankfully, over without further incident.

Which meant I could push the hidden compartment in the wall open and pass through into the secret corridor the moment I broke line of sight with the rest of the group leaving the dining area.

“Aznaro? Honestly, where did that boy go this time?!”

I grinned silently at my mother's question and took quick, silent steps as I directed myself through the pitch dark corridor with the ease of long practice. Eventually, I came to the ladder I needed and climbed up one floor to reach the exit I needed. Before opening it, though, I stepped up onto a wooden stool I'd hidden in the passage just for such an occasion.

Popping open the false eyes in the painting of one of our illustrious ancestors, I gave the hallway outside a quick once-over before opening the concealed door and grabbing the bag full of clothing.

Which was when I felt a cold chill run down my spine.

“Nice try, dude,” I whispered, reaching into the bag I'd just recovered and pulling out a belue berry, which immediately vanished from my grasp with the invisible sounds of snacking. “Are all Haunters such berry fiends, or is it just you?”

“Hunt-haunt-haunt!” The echoing voice chortled, the pokemon still remaining invisible even after I'd paid the toll.

Which, to be honest, I felt some kind of way about being charged to use the secret passageways in my own home-castle. Then again, judging by the layers and layers of dust I'd discovered when first accessing these areas, they'd been disused for so long that it was fairly unsurprising a colony of ghosts had moved into them.

Ultimately, the choice was to either make a nuisance of myself by invading their territory – their home – whenever I wanted to move about unseen, or simply paying them off.

And, frankly, I had the pocket change for the kinds of exotic berries they preferred.

Which they would just steal from the kitchen when no one was looking anyway.

With my dues paid, I stripped down and swapped out to the more rugged set of clothes in the pack, carefully folding the expensive ones and replacing them on the small table outside the door for Alice to pick up. My duty done, I slipped the bag over my shoulder, closed the hidden peepholes, and set off for the nearest exit...

...which, as always, was a large stone manhole cover that opened up next to a gargoyle.

“Rook! Rookidee!” A blue-black-yellow bird squawked in surprise, then immediately calmed from an aggressive stance as I emerged.

I gave the pokemon a level glance. “Seriously, who else would be using this exit? Who?”

The Rookidee chirped in offense at my insinuation and hopped back a few paces to...

My eyes widened as I took in the egg in her nest and I dipped my head. “My apologies. I didn't know you'd already laid. Here, take this as a token of my regret for offending you.”

I pulled out another berry, this one a comn berry, one of this particular Rookidee's favorites. The ghosts weren't the only ones I occasionally needed to bribe around here, after all.

“Ki-dee!” She chirped happily and snatched the berry from my hand, returning to her egg with a few quick hops.

I smiled, said my goodbyes, sealed my exit, and threw myself over the stone guttering to climb down the vine-covered trellises.

“Seriously, the things I do for a little freedom,” I muttered, dropping to the ground in a secluded part of the castle's courtyard.

~~~

So, I worked myself into a fit of heat exhaustion on Friday and have been at basically zero energy to do anything for the past few days. That includes writing. I am recovered now and am back on the horse as far as writing and working goes. I'm still hammering away at the next Mind Games chapter and should have it out soon.

Hopefully this experimental piece will tide people over in the meantime. I had the first chapter nearly finished and polished it up last night when I started feeling up to doing stuff again.

Hope everyone else's weekend went better than mine.

Thank you for your support and patience, both.

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