Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sir Hop-A-Lot was a knight before he was a lord. His purpose in such a cruel and unforgiving world wasn’t to sit in a lonesome abode, away from his duty. His purpose was that if worse came to worse he would be the one to lay down his life to protect his queen - his queen who had saved him from a life of living without a lilypad to his name, his queen who had given him a title and land further than his eyes could see simply for fulfilling his promise to protect her no matter the cost.

The knight felt no fear, and was willing to sacrifice anything for the sake of his lady. He would stare down a blade if his queen so wished it - which she had reminded him of on a number of occasions she would never do - and would throw himself off of the castle walls if she deemed him unworthy of serving her any longer - another thing she swore she would never dream of doing.

So when he was being glared at by a man who was not even worthy enough to wield a sword, he stood taller. He had no care for the man's significant height or surprisingly broad shoulders that must have been caused by lugging around whatever servants are forced to carry to appease their master. The frog instead squared his shoulders and refused to break eye contact from the man in front of him.

The knight eyed the man carefully. Sir Hop-A-Lot had met the servant a number of times before when he had visited the castle to assist his lady with council work or for simple leisure visits. Each time the man was there, hovering.

Sir Hop-A-Lot hardly got a moment alone with his queen without the man interrupting the lady and her knight with what sir Hop-A-Lot now recognised as a form of desire to be of close proximity to the queen that the knight viewed as truly pathetic for a man of such low standing to feel for his monarch.

He knew what to expect for this visit and had no intentions of getting his hopes up for his queen to have a moment of peace. What he truly had not foreseen was the insolence of her majesty’s aide. How the man would follow his queen as if he was a lost puppy or how he’d hover just too close to be appropriate as she spoke to him. The man’s eyes seemed to follow her wherever she went, his gaze was never scandalous but Sir Hop-A-Lot had seen that look on too many a fellow who had desired the hand of his queen to know it meant nothing but trouble.

So naturally, Sir Hop-A-Lot knew it to be the proper thing to do when he challenged the man to a sparring match. Of course he had not completely revealed the details of the match and what it would mean for the man if the foolish fellow was to be easily bested. But it was truly for the best he thought as he watched the unfortunate man glance around subtly, as if he was attempting to form an escape plan whilst keeping a calm demeanor.

Sir Hop-A-Lot couldn’t help but compare him to prey, trapped yet always trying to escape. He had no prior experience with a blade if his stance and weariness of the knight was anything to go by and his hands held no blisters and battle scars that could have come from training with a blade enough to gain any true skill.

Yet with all of his faults, Sir Hop-A-Lot couldn’t help but admire the brashness of the man he remembered he could no longer call a servant (by law of his kind hearted lady, of course). The man was well aware of the difference that sat between the two of them, both physically and - if Sir Hop-A-Lot had to guess from the amount of times the man couldn’t get a sensible sentence out when he was near his queen - mentally. The man did not back down, instead he seemed to match Sir Hop-A-Lot’s stance, albeit a bit clumsily, but that was to be expected of an untrained not-servant who very likely had never touched a blade.

His brashness was of no match for Sir Hop-A-Lot’s wit and the frog could practically feel the fear radiating off of his queen's aide. The noble knight allowed himself a grin before he unsheathed the wooden that he had decided was best to use lest he harm her majesty’s aide too drastically and revealed it to the servant who he had long since forgotten the name of.

He heard slight rustling in the grass behind him and a quiet, barely there squeak from Sir Crumb. The poor boy was likely saddened he would never gain the chance to duel with such a disgraceful man who had dared to lay his eyes upon their lady so lustfully. Sir Hop-A-Lot would be sure to make it up to the poor fellow with a few hours of training and maybe even a slice of cheese if his queen deemed it necessary.

Unfortunately for the poor mouse, it was only right for Sir Hop-A-Lot to be the one to perform such a valiant act for the sake of his queen due to him being the one who had been blessed by the fae queen herself to be her majesty’s sword and shield. If this man had believed himself worthy enough to be near his queen in such an improper manner then it was Sir Hop-A-Lot’s duty to rid her majesty’s presence of such a fiend or at least knock some sense into the fool.

His queen's aide only stiffened slightly when his eyes met that of such a talented knight's blade. If the boy had not committed quite a disgraceful act he may have left him be, he may have even found the fellow impressive for not running away with his tail between his legs when faced with a glorious knight like Sir Hop-A-Lot.

After many a moment of the servant refusing to move Sir Hop-A-Lot sighed and finally spoke up, “What are you planning to do with your feet stuck to the mud boy? And what of your means of defense?” Said the knight, indicating to the man's empty hands, “Do you intend to enter this battle unarmed?”

Sir Hop-A-Lot was much too commendable a knight to allow his enemy to fight empty handed, even if it was for the rights and hand of his most noble lady.

That seemed to snap the servant out of whatever trance he had entered when Sir Hop-A-Lot had demanded a duel. The man looked around for a moment before his eyes finally landed on the array of wooden training swords that sat to the side - Sir Hop-A-Lot had commanded a handful of knights to prepare the clearing for a sparring match and was pleasantly surprised to see shields, swords and even pieces of chainmail.

The servant walked much too slowly towards the blades. Poor fellow was likely too afraid of Sir Hop-A-Lot to be excited at the chance to fight such a talented and gallant knight!

“I do suggest you get a move on dear fellow! A knight does not hesitate to fight for his lady!” Sir Hop-A-Lot was quite disgruntled by the man's unwillingness to defend himself and his honour and couldn’t resist cajoling the serving boy into finally growing a spine.

In response the man whipped his head around and scowled at the frog pathetically due to much of his hair ending up in his eyes and even a small piece going into his mouth - Sir Hop-A-Lot took a silent note to duel her majesty’s next suitor on a less windy day. “With all due respect, Lord Hop-A-Lot, I am not a knight.” He said, moving his hair out of his face, “On another note, I was under the impression that you were dragging me into this sparring match in an attempt to improve my skill, not to fight for Ella.”

Sir Hop-A-Lot almost commanded Crumb to retrieve his true blade at that very moment! How dare a servant refer to his lady with such a high level of familiarity!

The man seemed to realise his mistake as his face turned such a flaming red that his cheeks matched the cape that sat upon his shoulder. Sir Hop-A-Lot noted the beauty and intricate details of the cape and doubted that a simple servants salary was enough to afford such a beautiful creation. His queen was much too kindhearted!

“Yes, well. If you are to duel me then it will prove your worthiness to court our most noble mistress, or lack thereof.” Said Sir Hop-A-Lot, watching the servant as if he was a fool rather than the queen's most trusted aide.

The man seemed to grow increasingly confused before realisation set in all in the matter of a few seconds.

“My Lord!” He yelled, causing much too damage to Sir Hop-A-Lot’s poor ears
“I apologise for my brashness but you are sorely mistaken!” The man was much too flustered to have any sense of propriety, if his volume was anything to judge by.

Sir Hop-A-Lot sighed, already tired of the stupidity of the man. “I am not as blind as you may believe I am, nor am I stupid enough to not notice how inappropriately you act towards your betters.”

The man remained silent so sir Hop-A-Lot continued, “Of course, you are not to be blamed for your infatuation for my lady.” He said matter of factly, “She is as beautiful as the stars that hang in the sky - even then they hold nothing to her kindness and bravery - so I cannot blame you my fellow, for feeling such emotions towards her.”

Sir Hop-A-Lot lifted his sword and pointed it at the servant. “That does not mean you are worthy of her, though.”

The look the man sent him was not one of anger or violence that he had seen in the past with the queens prior suitors when he had confronted them. Rather it seemed like the man understood completely, and had long since accepted the fact.

“So you are doing this for the sake of her majesty.” It wasn’t a question, merely a statement but his eyes still held traces of confusion.

The knight sighed, “When I first met my dear lady, I swore to myself I would do anything to protect her and that I would challenge any man that sought her hand.” Sir Hop-A-Lot allowed himself to grin ever so slightly at the memory.

He recalled the day as if it was yesterday, the day his lady had gifted him with a life and a purpose. He remembered how even with dirty rags upon her skin and the blood of her friends on her hands she was the most beautiful creature he had ever beheld and how in that moment, he was willing to sacrifice his life for her vengeance.

“My lord, I understand your concerns but you yourself have noticed my unworthiness without the need of a duel.” Said the servant, running his free hand through his hair, “Besides, you have no need to worry. I have no intention to act on these feelings without the consent of her majesty.”

“I have plenty of reason for concern, it seems, if the past few days were anything to speak of.”

“Pardon?”

Before Sir Hop-A-Lot could respond the sound of heavy footfall and the breaking of twigs sounded from behind him, accompanied by that of much smaller feet that he recognised instantly as Sir Crumb’s.

“Sir Hop-A-Lot! What is the meaning of this?” Quickly he spun on his heel and kneeled as his queen came to a halt in front of him.

Queen Ella was a force to behold, no longer were the right foods withheld from her nor was she wearing the rags Sir Hop-A-Lot had first met her in.

Instead, her figure had finally begun to fill out and she had gained quite a healthy amount of muscle mass due to receiving the right nutrition within the castle along with a bit of self defense training from Crumb and himself. Her clothes were no longer rags covered in soot and dirt but rather creations of the most fine sink with intricate stitching throughout, depicting scenes of leaves falling and new life being made from the simplest of saplings.

The queen had taken time to acclimate into her role but once she had, she was unlike any other ruler the kingdom had ever seen. She was fair and king but showed no mercy towards the cruel hearted. He could never be more proud of his fair lady but in that moment he knew she did not feel the same towards him.

He felt her study him for a moment before she turned to her aide, who was kneeling similarly to Sir Hop-A-Lot.

“Tadius do either of you have any valid excuse for this?” Tadius! That was the fellows name! It was only right to know the name of the man he intended to best!

He didn’t have time to thank his lady for telling him the name of his opponent before the very said man began to speak.

“I apologise for the disruption, my lady.” He said from his position on the ground, not daring to meet the queen’s eyes, “Sir Hop-A-Lot was merely curious if I was able to protect you if a terrible incident happened to occur and he or Sir Crumb were incapable of making it to you in time. He offered to train me if I was lacking in any skill and I took him up on the offer.”

Sir Hop-A-Lot was ashamed to admit it, but he had almost broken his neck from how quickly he had turned to look at the man. The very man who he had insulted had risked lying to his queen to protect the very frog who had threatened him! Why had he done such a thing? He could have told his queen of the knights wrongdoings and had his revenge but instead he lied.

If Sir Hop-A-Lot was a romantic, he would have even said it was the perfect opportunity for the fellow to confess his feelings. So why didn’t he? Why did he lie when it would have been no benefit to him? Unless he didn’t know. The servant had seemed to come to terms with his feelings long ago but the looks he had sent the queen when she wasn’t looking, the sadness in his eyes as he admitted to feeling affections for Ella. The fellow hadn’t a clue of the feelings the queen held towards him!

His queen was now facing her aide - the aide who looked as if he was trying not to look guilty in the slightest - with a look of such deep disappointment that Sir Hop-A-Lot couldn’t help but be pleased it was not directed at him.

The queen evidently knew the man was lying. Why wouldn’t she? They spent hours a day together and had likely gotten to know eachother better than anyone else in the castle. Yet he still lied to her!

Sir Hop-A-Lot ignored the irritation he felt on behalf of his queen and instead allowed himself a moment of gratitude towards the man whom he was willing to put a sword through but a few moments ago. Tadius had lied to the woman he cherished to protect Sir Hop-A-Lot. It’s true he may have also done it to protect his dignity and avoid confessing his feelings to a woman he believed to feel much differently than he, but the frog chose to ignore that in favour of believing that maybe there was some sense within the man that still sat kneeling behind him.

After many horrible moments of silence that followed the lie, his lady finally spoke up.

“Rise, I have no intention to see two of my dear friends kneel in my presence.” She said with a sigh. The anger she felt seconds before gave into a look of exhaustion as she looked away from them and instead turned to Sir Crumb who was standing beside her, looking much too nervous for a knight.

Sir Hop-A-Lot was quite grateful that she was choosing to ignore the whole ordeal rather than force a confession out of the two - not that frog was ashamed, oh no, he would willingly tell his lady anything if she so asked it of him.

The two rose from their positions on the grass and risked moving closer to their queen, who had moved to sit upon the old bench that lay within the clearing.

She was silently rubbing her knee from over her dress, over the years the pain had subsided and she had grown accustomed to her new legs but there were still days where she would speak of her legs not feeling her own and the pain it would bring. Yet even through her pain, she simply gazed at the ever growing gardens - seemingly rubbing her knee out of habit rather than out of any true pain - with Sir Crumb at her side. In the mouse's hands was a block of cheese that he was happily nibbling on, he looked to have calmed down significantly since the duel and Sir Hop-A-Lot hoped the poor fellow wasn’t mad that the frog had stolen his opponent. Sir Hop-A-Lot couldn’t find it in himself to tell the mouse off for lazing about and giving into his gluttonous urges, especially since he himself was mere seconds away from a rather firm telling-off.

Tadius quickly rushed to the queen’s side, he didn’t dare to sit down but instead stood much closer than one would expect from a man of such low standing compared to that of a queen. Yet his lady didn’t seem to mind, rather her body language encouraged it as she began to lean into his space ever so slightly and smile up at the man with a mix of both exasperation and an oh so sweetening fondness in her eyes that Sir Hop-A-Lot couldn’t help but turn away.

How the fellow seemed to not realise the affections his lady held towards him he would never know. For an aide he was truly a blind and daft fellow!

The frog sighed as he walked closer, watching the two out of the corner of his eye. He may not have approved of the servant having any romantic relation to his lady, but he couldn’t deny the connection the two shared even if it caused him great levels of irritation. Even if his queen truly cared and loved the man, Sir Hop-A-Lot would need to prove the fools' worth, for her sake.

Chapter Text

Council meetings had never interested Sir Hop-A-Lot. They were full of ignorant men who still held views from their youth - a youth that so happened to have been over fifty years prior - or young upstarts who had recently gained control of their household and believed themselves to hold greater knowledge than any of the people present.

In all honesty, such meetings were some of the only things he hated about his new title. He was of course, incredibly grateful to his lady for giving him such an opportunity, but having to put up with ignorant humans who were under the impression that they held the world’s greatest secrets was like having to travel through troll stomach acid (and trust him, he knew how that felt).

So when lord Hartfell began to ramble on about his most recent business ventures, Sir Hop-A-Lot couldn’t help but zone the man out - much like he did every council meeting.

Instead, the frog turned his attention to the woman who sat at the head of the table. Much like the many other council meetings Sir Hop-A-Lot had the privilege of attending, his queen looked as if she were born into the role of a monarch, rather than someone who had the role thrust upon them with no prior training barely two years prior.

She watched the meeting with a gaze that many may have referred to as a form of regal detachment that only a queen could achieve but Sir Hop-A-Lot had once protected this lady with his very own life, he knew her too well to believe that she was really as detached as she made herself out to be. He noted the rhythmic tapping of her fingers upon the table, the way her mouth would twitch with amusement when one of the men present would say something too foolish to be true.

Occasionally she would even look at sir Hop-A-Lot with a roll of her eyes or flash him a smirk from behind her hand. Each time he would simply grin back or bow his head in hopes of her focusing more on the conversation at hand - even if he appreciated the chance to converse with his lady even without the use of words.

Yet as he looked at her, he saw that her gaze was much more occupied elsewhere.

Confused, the frog followed her line of sight and was unfortunately met with the face of the queen's aide, Tadius.
Sir Hop-A-Lot had tried his best to avoid the man. He wasn’t ashamed that the fellow had to be the one to protect him from his lady’s anger, oh no, rather he was ashamed that a mere servant had lied to his queen and Sir Hop-A-Lot didn’t instantly rid the fool of his tongue.

The frog had instigated that duel to judge the man’s character and see if he was worthy enough to have the hand of Ella. Yet the man showed no intention to fight, dishonouring not only the queen’s former personal knight but also the feelings of his lady. Of course, Sir Hop-A-Lot quickly realised the man was completely unaware of Ella’s feelings, and likely had no intentions to disrespect the queen in such a manner but that's besides the point!
Even after their attempted duel days ago, the fellow didn’t stop looking at his queen, even though he was under the very sensible impression that it would most definitely not be reciprocated.

The man still had the gall to look at his lady with such profound emotion in his eyes. It annoyed the knight beyond measure that the man hadn’t cared that his inappropriate feelings were already recognised and that even though Sir Hop-A-Lot was an incredibly intelligent being, it wouldn’t be long before other people would notice the impropriety of his emotions towards his queen.

The frog was considering challenging the man to another duel before a quiet snort pulled him out of his daze. He turned his gaze to the source of the noise and barely restrained a roll of his eyes. Said source, seemed to find the floor especially interesting, much more interesting than the glare of Lord Hartfell.
Sir Crumb rarely attended council meetings if Sir Hop-A-Lot was present, not because his presence wasn’t desired, but rather it was viewed as the perfect time for the mouse to train whilst his queen was still protected.

But there was also another reason, Sir Hop-A-Lot recalled at that very moment. The mouse simply could never retain his composure around the fools that called themselves lords - Sir Hop-A-Lot did not count and was most notably an outlier among the foolish nobles.

Whenever a lord happened to make a fool out of himself in front of Sir Crumb, the fellow simply could not resist letting his amusement known, be it with a poorly timed laugh or by grinning like a fool as the lord spoke. Unfortunately that day it was the former.

Suddenly, the room went startlingly quiet. Sir Hop-A-Lot couldn’t help but ensure his blade was still by his side. It wasn’t very often that violence was needed, especially in meetings with nobles who were never bothered to learn the art of sword fighting but one could never be too careful around sly airheads who had always had their eyes on his queen's throne.

He noted how Ella seemed to straighten at the silence and how even her aide took on a more defensive stance, - not like he could have been of any use in battle if the other day was anything to speak of - refusing to take his eyes off of Lord Hartfell.

Lord Hartfell was not a violent man by any means, he was one of the older lords who had their servants complete everything for them and refused to learn anything other than what was required of a noble. The issue wasn’t with his figure - god knows it was the furthest from athletic - but rather he was full of such a deep sense of self assurance that seemed to make the man believe he was stronger than any other person in the room. Even with Sir Hop-A-Lot in the seat across from him, the man gave off such a haughty air that the knight couldn’t help but be concerned where the lord’s stupidity may lead.

So when the lord turned his gaze from Sir Crumb to her majesty, the room seemed to hold its breath - and hilts, in Sir Hop-A-Lot’s case.

“My queen, I was under the impression that even with your less than noble life, you would at least have the decency to choose a worthy knight to be by your side.” The lord turned his nose up as he looked to Ella, seeming to forget the fact that he was talking to the woman who could have him in the stocks by lunch.

Ella’s eyes furrowed, but before she could open her mouth to speak, a voice from beside her interjected.

“My lord, I do believe that is enough.” The queen’s aide was by no means an intimidating individual. Sure, he was well built and carried a healthy amount of muscle from having to slave away for the old prince but that did not mean he knew how to fight.

Lord Hartfell seemed to think the same as he simply raised his eyebrow at the man and spoke, “How laughable, the queen doesn’t even have a proper control of her aide. Perhaps the rumours were true after all.” He jested, not noticing the sudden stillness in the room.

Sir Hop-A-Lot resisted the urge to challenge the man to a duel right then and there! He knew his lady was more than capable of handling such an incident but he was still her knight. His instincts to protect her still remained years later.

“I’m afraid you’re sorely mistaken, my lord.” All eyes turned to the head of the table as she spoke.

Queen Ella was known throughout the kingdom for her kindness towards her subjects, but she was also recognised for the treatment she had given those who had committed deeds against her and her kingdom. Such actions are what had caused the queen to be so well liked among those who were loyal to the kingdom yet so hated within certain circles.

It just so happened Lord Hartfell happened to run around in one of those said circles.

The lord looked at his queen as he contemplated what to say. After a few moments he seemed to find his words once again - to the displeasure of the entire room - as a cruel grin spread upon his round face. “I have not seen anything in these past two years that would prove the rumours to be false.”

His lady did not budge and simply raised her eyebrow.

Unfortunately the act seemed to spur the man on, “You have chosen a small mouse that can’t keep its mouth shut as your knight, a hand-me down servant as your aide and a thin limbed frog as a lord!” The man’s boisterous laughter began to fill the room whilst the rest of the lords kept their mouths shut, watching the queen for any indicator as to what she would do next.

The queen simply hummed before she spoke, “My lord, if I recall, you once challenged Lord Hop-A-Lot to a duel and lost, required the help of my aide on a number of occasions when you could not understand simple laws, and weren’t you once afraid of Sir Crumb due to your fear of mice?”

The laughter stopped abruptly and Sir Hop-A-Lot watched as the mirth on the man's face turned to rage.

“Maybe those trolls weren’t the only bad thing that came out of house Ashmore.” He spat, glaring at the lady who he was meant to serve with his very life, not reaching into her heart so deeply that it would reopen scars of old.

Sir Hop-A-Lot watched as Ella turned white at the words and how her eyes widened in thinly veiled shock. As a knight that was created for the sake of his lady, his duty was to protect both her and her honour, so when he reached for the blade at his side, he couldn’t help but wonder how many pieces the man could be cut into to appease his lady.

A voice interrupted the knight's train of thought before it could unfortunately lead anywhere productive, “My lord, bringing up such personal matters in a council meeting is incredibly inappropriate.” Said the servant, moving closer to the table but keeping his distance from the queen and the lords. Sir Hop-A-Lot was thankful that the man was aware of basic etiquette in that moment so as to not embarrass their lady any further “I wonder what madam Hyria - oh my apologies, madam Eleanor, would think.”

The lord turned a disturbing shade of red as he scoffed, “I’m sure my wife would not have a care in the world what a simple aide thinks of me.”

Tadius hummed, he looked at the man as if he was the dirt under his shoe. Sir Hop-A-Lot had to give it to the servant, he didn’t back down when faced with foolish people.

“And what would she think of Miss Hyria?” Said the man with a scoff.

Lord Hartfell chuckled, “I’m afraid I haven’t the slightest idea what you are referring to young man.” The lord leaned forward in his seat, his ego seemingly spilling over onto the table, “I wonder, is the aide perhaps as mad as his lady?”

Sir Hop-A-Lot couldn’t stop himself from jumping out of his seat when he heard that comment. How dare such an unworthy man insult his lady so directly!

The lord seemed to realise his wrongs once he noticed the anger of the frog as his posture suddenly stiffened. But he did not stop in his deluded ramblings.

“Come now, we all know the rumours!” He looked to the other nobles, much like a child would look to their friends for help when their innocence was at question. “It’s the talk of every townsfolk in every tavern! The queen was known throughout the kingdom as the mad Ashmore girl! Yet she somehow, managed to ascend to the throne!”

He turned his gaze to the queen, mock seriousness on his face whilst he spoke, “Are we sure that it’s safe for an unstable woman to rule our kingdom? To protect our houses? What of our wives and children? Are they doomed to fall under the thumb of a bedlam woman?”

The men he looked to for help avoided his gaze, not daring to speak lest they lose their head to one of the queen’s knights - at least they had managed to have some sense for once.

Sir Hop-A-Lot doubted he had ever heard the council room so quiet. It wasn’t uncommon for the room to be full of shouts, curses or simple chatter regarding new laws to be passed. Never before was there such a stillness within those walls and Sir Hop-A-Lot watched the men, daring for one of them to break it.

To his surprise, the queen's servant was the first to speak, “My lord, may I ask where you caught wind of this unseemly rumour?” His voice was calm as he questioned the lord, but Sir Hop-A-Lot was not blind enough to not notice the tensing of his jaw or how his hands clenched as he spoke. Sir Hop-A-Lot wondered how much pushing the aide would need before his fist befriended the lord’s face.

The lord huffed in amusement, “The real question is, where haven’t I heard it?”

The man seemed to not realise where his words were leading him and continued, “Everyone is terrified that the queen is truly as mad as the rumours say. People walk the streets afraid of what the crazy monarch may do to them, to their families!”

Sir Hop-A-Lot didn’t even have time to move before there was a hand on his arm, keeping him from moving. He whipped his head, thinking it was a foolish noble who had grabbed him but instead he met the eyes of Tadius.

The servant shook his head and indicated for the frog to sit down. Sir Hop-A-Lot was about to voice his concerns before he looked at his queen. His queen who was trying so hard to remain strong in front of the nobles she had tried so hard to be recognised by. She looked at the frog, the frog who once was her very own knight, and smiled.

She was telling him it was ok, that he didn’t have to fight for her anymore no matter how desperately he wanted to. It was no longer his duty.

He understood what was needed of him but he didn’t sit down. Instead, he moved closer to his queen. Sir Crumb was already at her left with Tadius on her right, so Sir Hop-A-Lot took the only available option and sat at her back, much like how he had her back all those years ago and would continue to do so until his dying breath.

With Sir Hop-A-Lot no longer willing to leap across the table, Tadius began to speak, “My lord, this behaviour is incredibly concerning.” Said the aide, letting an expression of faux concern cross his face. “It is not uncommon for rumours to spread throughout the town, and the castle often receives reports of any unsavory gossip.”

The servant looked at the queen, who simply nodded with a smile, seemingly understanding something the others in the room did not.

Tadius turned back to Lord Hartfell, who was looking at the man with thinly veiled confusion, hidden beneath a look of haughty arrogance - Sir Hop-A-Lot wondered if the man happened to practice it in the mirror every day or if it simply came to him naturally.

“The only times we have heard such … hearsay, was from only one side of the town. A place that a married noble man such as yourself should have no reason to be near, let alone be close enough to hear of such false rumours.”

Sir Hop-A-Lot didn’t understand immediately but the reddened face of the lord and the snort his lady let out clued him in quite quickly and disgust of the man grew tenfold.

“How dare you imply such a thing! I am a lord! I could have you in the stocks or maybe you’d better suit a cell!” It was impressive that he hadn’t hurt himself from how red his face was at that moment.

Tadius turned his nose up at the man, “And she is your queen! If anyone here was to be put in the stocks then it would be you!”

Sir Hop-A-Lot watched as the red that once sat within the man’s round cheeks left immediately, instead replaced with such a ghostly white that the knight had to question if the man’s trousers were soiled.

Lord Hartfell turned his head to look at the queen, finally understanding the gravity of her aide’s words, “I apologise for speaking out of turn my lady.” He said, bowing his head with what Sir Hop-A-Lot may have mistaken for regret if he hadn’t seen the vein sticking out of the lord’s forehead.

The servant scowled at the man “Guilt does not indicate purity, you’d be best to remember that.”

Lord Hartfell turned a matching scowl towards Tadius but stopped immediately once he saw movement to the servants left.

The queen slowly rose from her seat at the head of the table, ignoring the hopeful gaze of the lord of Hartfell. “I’m afraid I am quite tired and must turn in for the day. I thank you all for attending this council meeting, I do hope we can meet again soon to continue our prior discussions.”

She didn’t bother listening to the complaints of the other lords, she simply walked out the door. Sir Crumb, Sir Hop-A-Lot and unfortunately, her aide, were quick to follow her.

Once outside the doors the three of them realised how much further behind they were to the incredibly fast paced queen. It was impressive how she could walk so fast yet still remain so elegant and Sir Hop-A-Lot wondered if that was included in her lessons when she ascended the throne.

As they walked, trying their best to remain near their queen, Sir Hop-A-Lot turned to speak to the servant, “Why did that man seem so willing to pick a fight with our queen?” He had been thinking about it for a good duration of the argument but could not wrap his head around it, so he believed it best to ask the only person who may have an answer (even if he held a great distaste for the man).

Tadius sighed, not looking surprised by the knight having spoken to him first after such an incident had taken place. “He did that because of the new laws Ella has put into place to protect children from slave labour.”

“I was under the impression that the new law was a good thing?” Said the frog, raising a bushy eyebrow in confusion.

The servant grimaced, “It is. Some people just don’t view it as such.”

Sir Hop-A-Lot didn’t know how to respond to such a statement. He had seen firsthand the cruelty of man but it always caught him off guard nonetheless. “You men are such interesting creatures.”

Tadius snorted in amusement, making no attempt at denying the statement.

Sir Hop-A-Lot looked away from the man, no longer wishing to carry on a conversation with him. Instead he looked at the path the group was headed down. The castle was an incredibly large place, he had thought it was big on the day where he was summoned as his lady’s knight, how sorely he was mistaken then.

As a lord, Sir Hop-A-Lot had grown accustomed to walking within the castle walls whenever he was summoned, and he had quickly realised that what he had seen during his time at the ball was nothing compared to the true vastness of the castle.

Even though he had spent so much time in the castle, he did not recognise the way they were going. In confusion he looked to Sir Crumb who was equally confused. Startled, he turned his attention to the queen’s aide, who acted as if such a path was normal to go down, not something that even the queen’s most trusted knights were unaware of.

After a few minutes of incredibly fast paced walking - and a quick stop so Sir Crumb could get onto Tadius’s shoulders - they finally made their way to a double door that sat on its own in a short corridor. The queen hurriedly opened the door and strode out. The rest were quick to follow and Sir Hop-A-Lot quickly noticed the shift from being inside to outside the castle.

Once the group had left the castle walls, long gone was the queen’s calm demeanor. Instead Sir Hop-A-Lot got a glance at the girl he had met all those years ago beneath that old oak tree.
She was no longer the queen everyone revered and looked to for assistance, she was just Ella.

Ella made no move to slow down, rather her strides grew larger and much different from the steps of a queen. Her march did not cease until they reached a large clearing.

Sir Hop-A-Lot noted the large lake that sat in the midst of towering oak trees and how Ella seemed to be drawn to it. In all honesty the knight had never lost many of his frog-like instincts and could admit that he was similarly intrigued by the lake. But rather than jumping in like Sir Hop-A-Lot would have, the queen simply stood at the edge of the lake, looking in.

The knight kept a safe distance between them whilst he checked for any possible dangers that could have followed them into the clearing.

He did not notice the disappearance of the queen’s aide, - or maybe he did and simply hoped the man had gotten lost, it truly was a mystery. - until he heard the rustling coming from the path where they had come from and drew his blade.

Luckily for the servant, Sir Hop-A-Lot was much too intelligent to attack instantly without assessing the threat, so the man’s neck was spared, at least at that very moment, who knew where the future would take them.

Tadius lifted his eyebrow, as if challenging the frog, before moving past him towards their queen. Much like during the council meeting - before the argument broke out - , the aide seemed to have no idea of the etiquette between a queen and her servant. Sir Hop-A-Lot knew his queen was a kind woman but he had no idea she would allow such indecency from those below her! She was truly much too nice for her own good!

Sir Hop-A-Lot watched as the two conversed quietly between themselves before Tadius dropped the basket the knight didn’t even notice him holding and took of his cape - a cape that the knight noted had similar details to that of his lady’s dress - before laying it on the floor as if it were a picnic blanket instead of an undoubtedly expensive cape.

Ella rolled her eyes with a smile at the gesture before sitting down on it. Once she was situated upon the makeshift blanket she began to say something that Sir Hop-A-Lot couldn’t hear, but he would have been able to guess if the servant’s reddening ears and her tapping the free space left on the cape were anything to go by.

Like any good man should have, the queen’s aide shook his head firmly, hopefully denying the queen the displeasure of his company.

Unfortunately the both of them seemed to forget Ella’s stubbornness as she quite loudly snorted and turned to Sir Crumb.

“Crumb, do you believe Tadius did a good job dealing with Lord Hartfell?” The anger that sat on her face during the council meeting was long gone, now sat a sly grin that made even Sir Hop-A-Lot feel concern for the poor fellow who stood beside her.

Sir Crumb didn’t seem to notice the obnoxious shaking of Tadius’s head and answered as earnestly as one would imagine from the mouse, “Yes my lady!” Said the mouse, walking closer to their lady and the servant, “Mister Tadius was very brave facing that grumpy old man! He was very brave!”

The servant sent his queen a pleading look with reddened cheeks, which she replied to with a brightening smile before she turned back to the mouse. “And don’t you believe that such a valiant man deserves to have some rest for once in his miserable life?”

Sir Hop-A-Lot had never pitied the man more than he had in that moment.

“Why yes I do, my queen!” Sir Crumb seemed to have not picked up on the odd flirting that he was being used to accomplish and simply stood there happily as he spoke.

In the time that Ella and Sir Crumb were speaking the servant had moved one of his hands to his face, possibly in hopes that if his face were hidden he could just disappear - which Sir Hop-A-Lot would not be opposed to.

Ella looked back at her servant from her place on the ground and patted the empty spot on the cape once more and finally with an extremely exaggerated sigh that had even Sir Hop-A-Lot rolling his eyes, the man sat down.

His lady seemed to glow at that and turned back to the rest of her knights and waved her hand so that they would come closer.

Sir Hop-A-Lot moved closer to the pair but remained standing so that he would be able to react quickly if any danger approached, but gave a tired sigh as Crumb scurried to take a seat beside Tadius and held out his hand towards the servant.

The frog watched on in confusion as the servant smiled at the mouse, reached into his tunic, and pulled out a piece of cheese that the mouse began to happily munch on once he got his hands on it.

Sir Hop-A-Lot couldn’t help but wonder if such acts of bribery were the reason why the man was so liked by the mouse. Yet as he watched as the group began to sit in silence, simply watching the lake and the trees that surrounded them, he knew there was another reason.

Chapter Text

It wasn’t very often for Sir Hop-A-Lot to leave the comfort of the castle on his visits. When he did it was always with the accompaniment of his queen when she wished to check on the state of the kingdom - or really when she just wanted to have a bit of fun away from her stifling office.

The knight rarely found himself beyond the walls of the town and it was even rarer for him to be away from his queen but when he heard word of suspicious behaviour from one of the informants he had gained over the years due to his new title as a lord, he knew it was for the best if his lady was safe within the castle walls whilst he investigated.

The knight had been at the castle for a week and each and every night he would receive reports about a strange cloaked individual leaving the castle and returning just before the sunrise. At first, Sir Hop-A-Lot believed it to be his lady. Not because she was rebellious or anything of the sort, he would rather chop off his own webbed feet than believe such a thing about the queen. Instead he thought it was because of the pressure that had sat upon her shoulders ever since she was crowned.

Two years had passed since her coronation and yet traces of the old king and his predecessors still remained. Every time the queen abolished a law that was created during the reign of previous monarchs, a new one was discovered, the cycle had repeated for her the entirety of her time on the throne and Sir Hop-A-Lot could not blame her if she wished for a couple of hours away from the castle to clear her head and escape her duties.

So he remained in firm belief that it was Ella who was leaving the castle nightly for some respite and made no attempt to follow her lest he disrupt her peace.

That was until his sixth night at the castle.

~~~~~~~

The frog had woken to the patter of raindrops on his window. As he sat up he saw streaks of light illuminate the sky, shortly followed by low rumbles that shook the castle's walls and rattled his window.

The frog slowly lifted his head from his pillow and watched from his spot on his overly soft mattress as the water droplets raced down his window before they landed upon the sill. He didn’t know how long he had watched the rain before a sudden realisation dawned on him. His lady was outside in the rain.

Without a second thought the knight had sprung up from his bed and hurriedly put on his armour. He grabbed onto two cloaks that sat on a chair beside the door before he ran out the door and down the hall of the castle towards the side exit that his lady had shown him mere days prior.

The halls were quiet save for the occasional crack of thunder or drop of water that was loud enough to sound throughout the castle walls. There was no one there but him and he couldn’t have been more grateful.

He had visited the side exit a number of times since his lady had been kind enough to show it to him and Sir Crumb so it did not take much thinking before his feet began to carry him upon a familiar path.

The knight was used to fretting about his lady’s wellbeing but if she was injured in the rain or even worse then Sir Hop-A-Lot would never be able to forgive himself.

He was panting by the time he had made it to the staircase and was about to descend before his eyes landed on a figure standing beside a window. Their arms were crossed as they stared out into the stormy sky that hung over the kingdom. Sir Hop-A-Lot instantly recognised it to be his queen.

Sir Hop-A-Lot sighed in relief as he noted her perfectly dry clothing and stepped closer.

The sound of his footsteps caught her attention and she turned to look at him with a smile. A smile that faltered for a moment before it recovered itself almost instantly. She didn’t seem surprised that someone had found her, but rather she was surprised that it was Sir Hop-A-Lot.

He didn’t have much time to dwell on it before she spoke, “I was under the impression knights relied on a good sleep to do their duty well once the morrow came.”

The knight smiled good naturedly as he stood a few steps away from her, “That is only the foolish ones who have no true dedication to their job and require distractions like sleep to strengthen their resolve.”

She snorted and turned her attention to his clothing with an arched brow, “Lord Hop-A-Lot, might I ask why you are wearing such clothing in the middle of the night, during a storm no less?”

He hesitated before he spoke, “I have noticed an individual leaving the castle each night and was under the impression that it may have been my free spirited queen.” Sir Hop-A-Lot looked at her as he spoke and was met with a confused expression, “So, when I saw the rain, I didn’t know how safe my lady would be and decided it best to follow to ensure your wellbeing.”

Realisation seemed to finally sink in and the queen lost her perplexed expression. Instead it was replaced with a wry smile and such tired eyes that the knight almost stabbed himself in the foot for causing such an expression on his lady’s beautiful face.

Ella crossed her arms over her body and tilted her head to peer out the window. He watched as her posture seemed to stiffen and how her eyes looked as though they could see things the knight could not - maybe they could, the knight wouldn’t have put it past the Fae queen to not leave the queen’s physical altercations only at a new pair of legs.

He instantly wanted to take back his words in fear that he had caused his lady any distress but before he could apologise for his insolence Ella spoke.

“It is Tadius.” She said, refusing to meet his eye.

Sir Hop-A-Lot was ashamed to admit it but it took him a few seconds before his lady’s words had sunken in.

Tadius - as in the coward who had blatantly refused Sir Hop-A-Lot’s attempts to save both the servant’s and his lady’s honour due to his fear of the knight - was the one who was sneaking around every night. The idea in itself was preposterous but his lady would never lie to him so instead he was left to question what in the Fae Queen’s name was the fool doing every night?

The two sat in silence for a great number of moments simply stewing in the words that hung in the air between them. After much too long, Sir Hop-A-Lot decided he had waited much too long and spoke.

“My lady, I apologise if this is rude of me but I must ask why he is leaving so late at night and returning in the early hours every day?”

She turned to look at the knight, hesitance in her eyes and a stiffness to her jaw so similar to the look he had seen her wear when he had first seen her.

He watched as his queen slowly closed her eyes and tilted her head towards the sky, maybe in hopes that some otherworldly figure may descend and give her all the strength she may ever need.

“I don’t know.” She confessed, opening her eyes and finally meeting his eyes with a smile that Sir Hop-A-Lot couldn’t help but notice didn’t reach her eyes.

She continued to speak with that expression of false amusement on her face that twisted into Sir Hop-A-Lot’s stomach like a knife, “Maybe my aide has found a woman he wishes to whisk away in the night. It is the only part of the day he has time for such activities after all.”

Sir Hop-A-Lot was stunned to say the least.

The knight may have had absolutely no faith in the man’s courage, endurace, strength, intelligence or really any good quality but his adoration of the monarch was never something that Sir Hop-A-Lot had ever dared to question - as much as he liked to ignore it.

Sir Hop-A-Lot truly had no idea what to do in such a situation. If he was a crueler frog he would have told his lady outright that it was impossible for the servant to be with another lady intimately due to his deep - incredibly inappropriate - love for the queen. But if he had learnt anything during his time living amongst people it was that they were complete and utter fools when it came to love.

So instead the frog remained silent, not daring to speak upon the words that were shared between a former knight and his queen.

~~~~~~~

Just because the knight had decided it better not to talk to the queen about the topic did not mean he would not act upon his curiosity.

That night, after he walked his lady to her bed chambers and wished her a restful slumber, he had gone down to the pond his lady had created in honour of him and there he found Lady Glimlyn, standing in the rain waiting for the frog.

She had reported seeing the same figure leaving the castle and had given the frog directions on where to go if he wished to follow the man.

Sir Hop-A-Lot took note of every twist and turn she spoke of and had followed those exact directions to a tee the following day. Which is how he had ended up in a place he had only seen once, in a time where he was not yet a knight. He was faced with The House of Ashmore.

As he stared he noticed the small differences that could be found on the exterior of the home. No longer were the windows covered in an unsightly grime and the walls had lost the threat of animal infestation. It was in no way matching the former glory that his queen had once described to him, but he could see that even in the cleaned up chimneys that the day the House of Ashmore returned to the grandeur it once possessed was rapidly approaching.

Unfortunately, Sir Hop-A-Lot did not have much time to revel in the beauty of his lady’s former abode before memories of his true reason for arriving there rushed back.

The knight gripped his sword and slowly approached the home.

He was well aware that the queen’s servant could do no true damage but a knight could never be more careful - or more willing to accidentally strike down the man who had dishonoured both him and his lady.

Sir Hop-A-Lot slowly reached his hand for the door. He noted the intricate carvings on the handle such as leaves, vines and in the centre, an old oak tree.

Slowly the frog twisted the door and took a few moments before he opened it slowly. He wondered if he possibly should have knocked to ensure a candlestick didn’t fly towards his head but decided it best not to dwell on it as when he took his first few steps inside his skull remained perfectly intact - not like a blow from a servant could do much damage to a knight anyway.

Inside the house was much different than what the frog remembered. There were no longer any cobwebs that had once overtaken the house as if they were someone’s personal collection nor were there any remains of muddied footprints stalking throughout the home. Sir Hop-A-Lot couldn’t help but thank the Fae queen that the stench of cow pat and whatever else had once lain within the home that had caused such a dreaded stench upon his first arrival to the house was long gone.

Instead the floor shone even in the darkness of the night and even a few sparse decorations filled the house. One very such decoration caught the frog’s eye. In the drawing room, above the unlit fireplace, sat a painting. He did not know the people but he would never forget the eyes of the child who sat on her mother’s lap. Wide brown eyes stared back at him with a toothy grin and the rounded cheeks of youth.

He couldn’t help but gawk at the painting, he should have realised who the adults were instantly. The woman held the same curled hair and elegant smile he had grown ever so used to seeing. The man was tall and imposing but there was a softness to his gaze that spoke of such great care it didn’t take much guessing to know where the queen’s personality came from.

The knight didn’t know how long he had stared at the painting before he was pulled out from his own mind by the cracking of a twig that came from the front of the house.

The knight’s instincts kicked in and he ran to the door and peered outside, sword drawn and shoulders back, ready to strike.

He was not surprised to see the queen’s aide standing out front of the door, evidently making his way into the home. It seemed the servant felt differently as his eyes widened and he hid whatever was in his hands behind his back.

His eyes reminded Sir Hop-A-Lot of that of a bunny as they seemed to hop around, scanning the surroundings, possibly in hopes of finding a way to escape whatever he had gotten himself into. Sir Hop-A-Lot had no intention of letting the man off that easily.

“Boy! I demand to know what you are doing at my lady’s home so late at night!” Sir Hop-A-Lot approached the man, keeping his sword unsheathed in hopes that it would encourage the man to reveal his true nature without much trouble.

Tadius stuttered for a moment before he closed his eyes and sighed quite dramatically in Sir Hop-A-Lot’s opinion.

“I am here on business, my lord. May I inquire as to why you are here so late?”

Sir Hop-A-Lot ignored the man’s pathetic attempt of deflection and spoke. “And what business may that be? There are no official records that required the aide to go to the late House of Ashmore.”

Sir Hop-A-Lot had actually never even had a look for such records but he had no doubt that what he was saying was true.

The aide did not reply for a few moments, weighing his words but when he did he pulled his arms out from behind his back to reveal a small painting of a mouse holding a sword that Sir Hop-A-Lot instantly recognised to be Sir Crumb, “It is not on any official business but rather personal business.”

Sir Hop-A-Lot only raised an eyebrow, indicating for the fellow to continue, finally taking his eyes off of the painting in the fellows hands.

Tadius smiled sadly as he looked at the house in front of them, “Ella only has so much time on her hands. Her entire desire for revenge was to restore her house to its former glory but each day her workload piled up and her attention was drawn elsewhere.”

The words stunned the knight. The reason he was blessed by the Fae queen was for the sake of House Ashmore. The reason for his lady’s revenge was so House Ashmore may have risen from the ashes and reclaimed its former glory. Hearing that everything they had done had not done what they desired, he felt his anger in the man dwindle and the disappointment towards himself burn.

Not noticing the knight's inner turmoil, Tadius continued to speak, “So, I took it into my hands to at least ensure the house was taken care of. It is nowhere near the state it once was but I have no intention to take it that far, hopefully by then the house will be in enough of a decent shape that everything else can be up to Ella. I never want her to see her home in any form of disrepair ever again.”

The two sat in silence for a moment, watching the other as if one might run off in that very moment to their queen with whatever claim they could conjure up. But neither of them moved.

Slowly, Sir Hop-A-Lot sheathed his sword and looked into the eyes of the queen’s aide. “You are doing this for Ella.”

After receiving a nod, the knight continued, “How long have you been doing this?”

The man hesitated and that was all the frog needed to know. Tadius had been doing this alone, fixing up the house of their lady, simply because he believed it to be the right thing to do. And he had been doing it without any need for praise for what may have been years.

He was stunned to say the least. The man had never been much in the eyes of Sir Hop-A-Lot, nothing but a cowardly suitor of the queen who had somehow managed to capture her attention due to their close proximity. Yet in mere moments everything he knew had changed.

“I do ask that you don’t tell her, not yet.” The man interrupted the frog's thoughts.

Tadius was now looking at him, an odd mixture of anxiety and trust swirled within his eyes and Sir Hop-A-Lot couldn’t help but wonder where such faith in the knight to keep his secrets had stemmed from.

Sir Hop-A-Lot had every right to go to his queen and reveal what her aide was doing. Yet as he looked at the man who stood before him, with his head held high and fidgeting hands, he knew at that moment that whatever he had once believed about the man was wrong - with a few truths scattered here and there.

Slowly he approached the man, ignoring the stiffness that made its way into the aide's posture and simply patted Tadius’s shoulder before he walked away with a smile - he had always liked that man.