Seventeen year old prince, Ian, was pacing the length of his room, clearly upset. His black hair hung in his face over his sky-blue eyes. His best friend, who was his bodyguard, has been dead for a day and his father was already replacing him. He didn't want another bodyguard. Nobody would be as good as his friend. That was the only person he trusted with his life.

A servant knocked on the door to bring him to his father to meet this new bodyguard. He went reluctantly. He entered the throne room where he father was waiting for him with the new guy.

Gavin was admittedly a bit nervous. The king had approached the nineteen year old so suddenly just a couple of hours before to tell him that he would be the young prince, Ian's, new bodyguard. He was, of course, honored to take up the position, but he had heard of just how close the boy had been to his past bodyguard. Perhaps he didn't know the details, but he knew what the strongest ties of friendship could do to a person. And here was Gavin, stepping into the role of bodyguard which had hardly been vacant for a full day.

He had stood in the throne room in complete silence for about fifteen minutes, King Edwin standing just feet from where he stood, waiting anxiously for his son to arrive. Finally, though, the doors opened and a guard came walking inside, followed by Prince Ian himself. Gavin suddenly perked upward, a finger brushing his dirty blonde hair from his eyes before his arm fell limp by his side.

"Ian, my boy," the King said, stepping toward his son and motioning behind him. "I would like to introduce Sir Gavin, a young knight worthy to be called your bodyguard."

He shut his eyes briefly as he bowed politely to the younger boy. "My prince," he greeted lightly before straightening his back and watching the prince with feigned confidence.

Ian looked at the knight behind his father, glaring slightly. This boy didn't look like he would be a good knight. Ian didn't want him to be his bodyguard. He didn't look very trustworthy. But he wasn't going to start an argument with his father. He knew he just wanted what was best for him.

He turned to his father and forced himself to smile. "I am sure he will be a good bodyguard." he told him, lying a little. "I'm sure we will get along great."

Gavin recognized that look, a piercing glare. He almost wanted to return the expression, but that definitely would not have been appropriate, so his expression remained rather stoic. The prince continued, though, turning to his father and smiling the fakest of smiles. Gavin could read people - reading people and determining the truth from the lies was an important part of his job - and this boy was definitely not going to be easy to keep pleasant.

"Ian, escort Gavin to his new chambers," the King ordered before turning his back and pacing a bit to the right. Gavin's eyes followed the man's pace before they turned once more to look at the prince.

'Why do I have to?' Ian thought. He didn't let his anger about this show on his face. "Of course Father." he said. He turned and left the room, not waiting to make sure the knight was following. He headed to where Gavin's room would be, near his own. He really did not like this new knight. But he would deal with it. He doesn't want his father to worry.

Suddenly, Ian was out the door. Gavin furrowed his brow slightly, glancing quickly at the King's turned back before following the man's son into the magnificent corridors of the castle. It wasn't difficult to catch up with the boy. Once he was a couple of feet behind him, he broke the rather intense silence. "Prince, I know how difficult this must be for you," he began, referring to the fact that his beloved bodyguard was being replaced so quickly. "And I am sorry for all that you have lost. I am not here to be some sort of ... replacement for your honorable friend. I am simply here to protect you."

"I know what you are here to do." Ian said. He turned and glared at Gavin. "I expect that you will be good for this job. Otherwise my father wouldn't have hired you." he continued walking. He stopped in front of a door. "This will be your room. Mine is to the right of this one." he said. Then he went over to his own room and went inside.

Gavin halted in his steps the moment Ian did so that he didn't blindly walk into him. He had half expected this reaction, but he'd figured that the effort may have been worth something. Obviously, though, he wasn't sure what. He remained silent, listening to the Prince's harsh tone as he held his breath. Finally, though, he let it out gently as they continued walking. In no time, they had reached a door on the right side of the corridor and Ian motioned toward it. Gavin stepped toward the door and opened it, glancing briefly inside. The moment he turned back, though, Ian was already walking away and disappearing into his own room. Gavin opened his mouth, but the door had slammed shut before he could say anything.

"Thankyou ... " he muttered anyway before letting out a sigh and turning to close himself off in his own room. It was admittedly a fantastic room - certainly a knight's best for the bodyguard of a Prince. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept in a chamber quite as comfortable as this one.

Ian paced through his room. He was mad at his father for trying to replace his friend. He evenutally ended up out on the balcony. He leaned against the railing and looked out over the gardens. He had always loved the view. 'Why is my father so willing to replace my friend so quickly. Can't he see that it still hurts that he's gone. Nothing will be able to replace him.' he thought.

About ten minutes passed before Gavin finally left his room - dressed comfortably in some new lined clothing which had been left for him in his room and his usual pair of dark brown riding boots. He vaguely remembered the King telling him that his son would be giving Gavin a tour of the castle, but the man figured that the young Prince needed some time to himself to absorb the events of his new bodyguard's arrival. And so, Gavin found himself giving himself his own rather useless tour through the castle. His path took eventually took him outside by the beautiful castle gardens.

Ian stared out in the gardens, deep in thought. He already hated this new bodyguard. But he would deal with him. For his father. He focused down into the gardens and saw the knight. He sighed before heading down to help him seeing as how he seemed a bit lost.

Gavin's eyes wandered the beautiful area and flickered upward just in time to catch the sight of the Prince's turned back - disappearing back into his room. The knight sighed and turned away, making his way slowly across the grounds. This was going to be a long week if he couldn't seem to find a way to get this Prince to warm up to him a little bit. Suddenly, though, he heard footsteps. Turning quickly on his heel, his eyes locked with Prince Ian's. He had been caught off guard, frozen where he stood for a moment. He came back to his senses, though, and took a step back, bowing. "Your Highness."

"Knight. Don't you know how easy it is to get lost out here?" Ian asked. His voice was both a little amused and annoyed. He didn't want to have to deal with him right now. "Next time you want to see something, ask someone to show you the way around." he told him. He already thought that Gavin was doing a bad job at protecting him. "And your doing a terrible job already." he added.