Chapter Text
"We owe her to them. That's the way this works, Eleanor." Derek looks at his two-year-old daughter playing with the wooden horse he carved out for her while fighting the Infinity war against the Thanos Kingdom. A war that went on for eight years and called every knight, no matter his or her rank, to join the effort to defeat the greedy king.
He had always wanted to raise a child of his own to become a knight just like him, and when he returned home and got that wish, he had never been happier. Except when he and his wife realized they didn't have the funds to support an extra life.
Derek was a knight discharged due to issues with his behavior, whether it be him drunk on the job, or in debt due to gambling. The father of one was always in trouble of some sort. He had returned home from a very unfortunate night.
He was sweating and shaking because his body was aching for alcohol that he could no longer afford. It had all led to betting with one of his old friends an innocent debt, which led to more betting and more booze, leading to this moment.
"They're coming whether you want them to or not. And it's either they take her and we live, or they take her and we die."
Derek's wife, Eleanor, paced the kitchen of their shack, tears flowing down her cheeks as she refuses to look in her daughter's direction "Derek, you lost our daughter to a Kingsguard. Now he's coming to get her and do - gods know what with her. Did you ever stop and think that losing all night would suddenly change when the stakes rise to your daughter's life?"
"I know, I know. But this is good, you see. It was either her or our savings." He tries to argue "Now, she can go live as a- a servant in the castle while we get back up on our feet. Start fresh and work to buy her back." He fidgeted with his shaky hands while continuously glancing outside his home window, searching for the impending arrival of the Kingsguard he came across on the betting table.
"Buy her back from the Knight that is ranked a Kingsguard? The same rank of Knights that lives with the Dukes and Duchesses in the upper city when off duty?" Eleanor says in disbelief, hoping her tone will highlight the absurd claim that had just fallen from her husband's lips "Derek, we would have to rob multiple bank reserves to buy our daughter back from the royal family. You're obviously going insane!"
Derek Bishop grabs Eleanor's shoulders "It's okay. I'm going to stop the drinking and gambling and rejoin the Knights. This going to help us, big time. I swear. We won't have to worry about putting food on the table ever again."
Eleanor steps back out of her husband's grasp, seeing his hands shaking and the sweat stains on his shirt "Derek. We're about to lose our daughter because of your stupidity and problems. It doesn't just stop. You're sick!"
"It's going to be fine." Derek assures "It will take a few months to get the funds, but we'll get her back."
Footsteps are now sounding out from the Bishop home, and torches begin to illuminate the street. Eleanor grows panicked "We have to run. I- I can't just watch them take her."
"Eleanor," Derek stops his wife from grabbing their daughter "Sweetheart, we can't."
"Why not, Derek? This is Katherine! Our daughter! W- we can't just let them take her!"
Derek sighs, refusing to look over at his little girl who was still innocently playing with her wooden toy horse, pretending to be a knight just like her father "It's bad. The Knight. H-." He stops to settle his nerves, seeing the light grow closer "He's the Kingsguard for the King."
Eleanor's face drains of all color at the mention of the most dangerous, most skilled Knight in all of the Realm. Some called him the angel of death, for he took down hundreds of men all on his own, earning him the nickname of the god of death in their religion, named the Ronin.
Clint Barton.
"You bet our daughter to that monster?"
"He lost his family in the Infinity War, and I had made a joke after a- a few beers." He explained, "One thing led to another, his sword was at my throat and we ended up here."
Due to the closeness of the Knight, both parents of Kate realized that the famed Knight was not alone. Voices rang in their ears and Eleanor grew sick to her stomach hearing their laughter after something one of them said, moments before they ruin a family. She stumbles to her child, wrapping her up in her arms, and cries. She picks her up and heads for the back door, not thinking or caring about the consequences if she were to go on the run.
Stepping in front of her, Derek tries to reason with Eleanor, telling her false promises in an attempt to settle her down. It was all drowned out by the knocking on their rickety door that was a kick away from being useless.
Eleanor cries out when Derek answers "Come in!"
"Derek no!" The door opens and reveals three Kingsguard Knights, all in their formal armor with weapons attached to their belts "You can't take her! Not my baby!"
Clint Barton. 30 years of age.
Steve Rogers. 24 years of age.
James Barnes. 26 years of age.
Eleanor clutches her daughter while falling to her knees in a sob. Derek tries to console her while Knight Barnes approached the crying mother, prying the child out of her arms while Derek held her back. Her screams echoed throughout the night, flowing through many homes as her vocal cords surely grew worn. She reached to grab Kate back, but Derek was persistent to hold her back, watching as the Knights take his only child away from him.
The head Knight, Clint Barton, steps forward "This should teach you to never, speak to me about family when you would offer up your own child so easily." Derek bows his head in shame, knowing the Knight was right. The Knight just glares at the dishonorable man, holding his sobbing wife, feeling nothing but pity for him.
If anything, Clint was doing Derek's child a favor. Everyone knew of the Bishop family in a negative way, whether it would be Derek's gambling and drunkard behavior, or Eleanor's corruption with underbelly lords that only dealt with criminals. Clint was saving this little girl from turning out to follow in their footsteps. It was the only reason he went through with the gamble. Any other honorable man, he would have declined the prize and left empty-handed.
But Derek Bishop was reckless, chaotic, and desperate.
No man with these attributes should raise a child. Steve and James both agreed when they saw the father almost pass out at the bar, pissing himself when he had lost.
Clint turns and signals for Barnes and Rogers to leave "When the child is of respectable age, I'll let her decide if she would like to return home. But it's her decision and I'm obligated to tell her the truth about what happened here."
He walks through the door and slams the door shut, not bothering to hear the man's false pleads or promises.
Kate held onto Knight Barnes, playing with her wooden horse on his shoulder "Horse!" She giggles and tries to imitate a horse sound "Knight rides horse! Knight rides horse!"
Barton turns while the three walk in unison, tilting his head while admiring the younger girl's innocence. He stops, making the two following his lead stop after him "Barnes," He reaches for Kate, taking her in his own arms "Hi." He cradles the child in his arms "Is that your horse?"
Kate holds the horse close to her chest and smiles "Yeah~"
"Yeah?" Clint smiles "How about we ride a real one? Would you like that?"
Kate's blue eyes light up "Yeah!"
"Okay. Let's ride a real horse."
-//-
Two years later, Kate picked up a bow one day and tried to mimic Clint while he was practicing one night after his shift. He glanced at the young child, impressed she could even pull the bowstring somewhat back, wondering if his kid would want to learn to defend herself. Two days passed his thought, and he went to work, talking to Blacksmith Stark about making a small training bow and arrows.
Which led them to this moment.
"Again," Clint said, his voice firm and commanding as his kid works on the form that she had just learned, only an hour ago. She resets her stance and goes through the motion again, reaching back to the quiver he had built for her, grabbing a dull arrow from its pouch, and nocking it on the bow.
She draws the arrow back, bringing the fletching of the arrow to the corner of her mouth, aiming her weapon at the target she made herself when she heard that Clint was getting her a bow of her own. Following his instructions, she takes a deep breath and envisions the arrow flying through the air and hitting the target.
Exhaling slowly, her fingers release the taunt of the bowstring, allowing the arrow to whizz through the air, once more hitting the center where the other seven arrows have hit. She turns to smile at the Knight, laughing at her progress from when she first started her lessons.
Clint grunts in approval watching Kate shoot with excellent precision compared to men ten times her age, being that of four years, could never imagine "Good. Again."
"Can I get a sword next?"
Clint's brows raise in amusement, patting Kate's brown hair and riffing it up a bit "Not until you can shoot five arrows at once, accurately."
It was a joke at first, knowing that he could only shoot three with perfect precision. That was until a few months passed.
He came home early one night, wanting to surprise Kate with a wooden sword because she had been training nonstop with her archery. She shot three arrows into three different bullseyes the other day, making Clint smile at random moments during the day just thinking about it. It wasn't until he sneaked around to the courtyard of his estate, and watched Kate nock five arrows at once. He stopped, watching in awe how talented she was to even do so on a bow of that size. He waited, wondering what the result would be, proud of how committed she was.
She went through the motions, mastering them day by day, letting out a controlled breath. She then let the arrows fly, missing every target except for one. She sighed and bowed her head, grumbling under her voice, wondering why she can't get it right.
To be fair, five arrows at once was no easy task.
Clint clapped his hands slowly, while the wooden sword was tucked neatly behind his back. Kate snapped her head around, smiling bashfully "I missed."
"I see that." He leans in the door frame of the courtyard "You really want that sword."
"I'll get it!" She exclaimed, determined "I promise!"
He huffed "You didn't master three arrows at once. How do you expect to master five?"
"I got three that one time!"
"Key word one time." This time, Kate was the one to huff and furrow her brows. Clint shook his head and pushed off the door frame, walking towards Kate with his arms crossed "Patients is the key to success. There's nothing wrong with going slow, and taking your time."
She looks at the one arrow in the target on the outermost ring. She narrows her blue gaze at the target, "I practice every day. I should have this by now."
Clint and Kate stand side by side, the height difference was drastic. They both stare at the one arrow out of five "I don't even have five. What makes you think you can?"
Kate looks up at Clint with a fire behind her eyes "I want to be the best. That includes beating you."
-//-
"Happy birthday, kid."
Clint holds a dagger in his hands as he offers it to Kate, watching her eyes light up in excitement. Not the real sword she asked for, but it was a start.
"Clint~ I'm seven!" Kate whines though her bright eyes deceive her act of disappointment "I'm old enough to handle a real sword."
Clint laughs and shakes his head, rolling his eyes when Kate grabs the weapon and starts flailing it around like he does when she watches him train with Steve and James "Are you now?"
"Yes!" Kate stabs the weapon in the air, acting like she's in the middle of a deadly battle against the thieves she's made up in her seven-year-old mind.
"That scar on your cheek, begs to differ."
Kate freezes and drops the dagger to her side, glaring at the man who she sees as a father "That was an accident."
"I would hope so." Clint laughs "No one wants to hear that their kid trips over their own two feet on purpose. Especially when they land on their face. "
"What was I supposed to do?" Kate argues, raising her hands in defense, almost stabbing her own face in the process. Clint's eyes went wide for a moment, wondering if the gift Bucky suggested was a really bad idea.
"You're a hazard."
Kate carefully puts the dagger down, on the table, and rolls her eyes "I'm your hazard."
Clint smiles affectionately, ruffling the brown hair on Kate's head "That you are. Now get dressed. Your gift has yet to be revealed."
Kate arches a brow "Wait. My gift isn't my dagger?"
Clint scoffs "Kid, you steal one of those things every week. I just got you your own so that I don't have to keep hiding my own in higher places." He straps his arm guards on and kneels to the ground, turning his back to Kate who walks up to him and starts to strap his chest plate on so that he doesn't have to reach back and struggle himself. A routine the two developed a year back before Clint had gone off to work on the daily "Your gift for today, is accompanying me to work. The King wants to meet the infamous child prodigy archer. Plus, Rogers and Barnes want to see you."
Kate pulled back on Clint's armor to peer over his shoulder, choking him in the process "What!!!!!"
If Kate was excited before, then words do not justify the feeling she felt as she found out that she would finally be stepping foot inside the castle by Clint's side. The stories Kate had asked to hear about the royal family and their two daughters were starting to go dry, leading to Clint just giving her a rundown of his day at work. The gardens he's spoken of while passing the courtyards and the library with unlimited knowledge and countless stories. Endless Knights roaming around and the select few that have the title of Kingsguard, protecting each member of the royal family.
After Kate bounced off the walls in excitement for a solid ten minutes, Clint and she finally set off towards the inner castle gates where he was greeted and introduced Kate as his kid. It was all really exciting for Kate to experience, the respect Clint had among all of the Knights, servants, Lords, etcetera. This was the man who takes care of her and teaches her. The man she looks up to and aspires to be.
Also who she aspires to surpass, already matching his archery skills, and working hard to get those five arrows to go where she wants, accurately.
It only got better from there.
Once Clint led her past the main gates and the main doors, Kate was greeted by her two favorite self-proclaimed uncles.
"Steve! Bucky!"
"Happy Birthday Hawkeye."
A nickname was given to her after all the bragging Clint has done over the years about her arching. After Kate managed to master three arrows, Bucky and Steve had to see it for themselves and made the comparison after witnessing Kate's skill. They ended up giving Kate that nickname, while also helping out with other training including hand-to-hand and swords. They all were a little family training a future Knight.
Steve nodded towards Kate while the Bucky in question kneels down to Kate's level "Kate, what have I told you about that nickname?"
Kate runs up to Bucky and throws her arms around his neck "That I only get to call you that when you're not on duty, and that Steve is the only one that gets to call you that in public." Kate whispers the next part quietly "But we both know you like it."
Bucky snickers and whispers back "Now, if I admit that, then everyone will start calling me that."
"No, they won't" Kate argues "You look too scary. Little do people know, you're a teddy bear."
Bucky laughs "Don't reveal all my secrets." He stands back up, prompting Kate to back up toward Clint's side. The two look up at Clint "Barton, dinner tonight?"
"Of course. This one needs all the attention from the Knights, don't you." Kate scrunched her nose and stuck her tongue out, which Clint mirrors happily.
Steve and Bucky both snicker when the young captain speaks up "Bucky and I need to get going. Princesses to protect and all that."
Kate snaps her head to Steve "You protect the Princesses?"
"We do." Steve answers "I'm sure I can introduce you later if I'm able to. The one Bucky protects is actually your age."
Bucky rolls his eyes "Yeah, but she's a lot less friendly towards... well... everyone."
"Well, Princess Natasha is friendly. I'll see what I can do."
Steve winks as he and Bucky walk away, heading to their duties as Kate watches in jealousy. She can't wait for the day she can become a Knight. It would be even better if she can gain the honorable title of a Kingsguard. With her training at this age, she has high hopes she'll be able to achieve that goal.
"Come on, kid." Clint places a gentle hand on Kate's back, guiding her along "I want you to meet the most obnoxious man I know."
They walk side by side down the castle corridors, passing one of the many courtyard gardens Clint has told Kate about. And it was beautiful "That's the Queen's personal favorite. Look over there." He points to a line of Begonia bushes lining the walkways while a cherry blossom tree resides in the center. The trunk is surrounded by white Gardenias "See the tree? It blooms in mid-April. I'll have to bring you back in a month to see it."
"Wow~" Kate coos, catching a glimpse of a girl sitting behind the tree, reading a book of some sort. She couldn't get a good look at the girl, only that of her blonde hair tied up in a neat intricate braid. Hadn't Clint said people can't go in the gardens without special permission from a royal?
No matter, Clint kept pushing along until the garden was passed and the blonde stranger was out of view, bringing Kate's attention back to the path in front of her.
It wasn't until Clint had stopped in front of a grand door towering up until the ceiling. Two guards stood by its guard, bowing to Clint as soon as he approached. They then moved in sync, turning their bodies, reaching for the chain handles, and pushing the doors open. As soon as they opened, a red and black carpet presented itself leading all the way to four thrones. Two had a large K and Q in red on the black cushion with a red hourglass below the letters.
They were empty.
Kate furrows her brows "Where is this obnoxious man?"
Clint smiles, and just as he does so, an echo of deep laughter sounds in the room, prompting Clint to walk through the doors having Kate trail closely behind.
"Is this the little one you speak so highly of?"
The voice was surrounding Kate, confusing her as to where the origin of the voice belonged to. No one seemed to be in the room as she looked around, almost hiding behind Clint's leg.
"She's so tiny!"
They approach the elevated surface where the thrones sit, Clint lowering to one knee and bowing his head, Kate hesitating until she mimics his movements.
Suddenly, loud footsteps come from behind the throne, and Kate fights the urge to look up, just like Clint had told her, waiting for the King's command to tell the two of them to rise.
He laughs again "Barton! You teach your child so well! Rise, rise! No need for formalities!"
Clint and Kate rise at the same time, and Kate finally looks up to see the King in person for the first time. Presented in front of her was a very large man with a beard and a wide smile. A silver crown was on top of his head while a long dramatic black cape was attached to his neckline with the Kingdom's crest in silver. His clothing underneath was all black and the stitchings were red.
"Your Majesty." Clint greets "As you requested, my kid, Katherine Bishop." He steps to the side and presents Kate. Uncharacteristically, she gets shy and immediately shoots to grab Clint's leg, her eyes never leaving the smiling King on the elevated surface. Clint laughs and puts his hand on Kate's head, looking up at the man he's sworn to protect "She's usually not shy like this."
"Katherine Bishop! What a pleasure it is to finally meet you!" The King takes three heavy steps down the stairs leading to the floor. The King kneels in front of Kate and reaches out his hand for her to take.
Kate looks up at Clint, seeing him nod that it was okay. She looks back at the King and slowly takes his big hand as a greeting. The King smiles and greets her with a kiss on the back of her hand "You are very beautiful. Your eyes are just like your daddy's."
"He's not my father." Kate quietly says "He told me that he was just taking care of me until I was old enough to meet my real parents."
"Nonsense!" The King exclaims "He may not be your birth father, but he takes care of you, and he loves you very much. That makes him your daddy."
Kate nods but doesn't understand the King's comment. Clint answers for her silent attitude "She turns seven today."
The King's jaw drops as he stands, taking Kate with him in his arms "Seven! Clinton Barton!" He turns to Kate who was adjusting to being in the man's arms "Did you know my youngest is turning seven in seven months? A sign that you two were destined to meet!"
"Your Majesty, that isn't necessary." Clint says "She's shy when it comes to strangers."
"But you tell me she's popular among the Knights?"
"She's grown up around them. She doesn't have experience with kids her age."
"Bah!" The King starts to walk while still clutching onto Kate "We change that this instance!" Kate turns to look at Clint, who was now following closely behind, with wide eyes, silently pleading for him to stop this.
It's not that she was shy around kids her age. It was just that she had nothing to talk about with them. The girls were all daughters of the richer population, training to become perfect wives for the men they were to marry at twenty-one. And the boys were the same, although they were already too cocky and mean for Kate to ever be friends with any of them. They were the ones to bully her about her size, mocking her and her dream to become a Knight when she grows up. What would she have in common with a Princess?
And already, the three run into another Royal.
"Natasha!" The King exclaims, stopping his strut and his daughters "I have little child for you to meet."
"Katherine Bishop, meet my eldest daughter. Natasha!"
He puts Kate down in front of him and Clint, leaving Kate in the middle of the King and Princess, both Steve and Clint watching from behind.
Kate looked up at this gorgeous redheaded girl with vibrant green eyes. She wears a maroon gown that flows all the way to the ground and wears a warm smile that was inviting and kind, something Kate would haven't expected from a Princess. She kneels just as she did with the King, unsure how to greet Princesses.
Was it the same way to greet the King and Queen?
Her question was answered when two strong arms lifted her to her feet, his laughter ringing in their ears some more "Silly child. She is a Princess. A simple bow of the head will do."
"Sorry." Kate hisses, bowing her head towards the daughter "Your Highness."
"You're cute," Natasha says with amusement laced in her voice. She looks up at the Knight behind her father "Clint, is this the one you won't shut up about?"
"That's the one." The Knight says proudly.
She smiles and turns back to the little brunette "I've heard a lot about you, Kate. The Knights consider you as their own already. An honor you must hold dear."
Kate looks up and nods "Y- yes, your Highness. I hope to join the Knighthood when I come of age."
"Please, it's Natasha. A friend of Clint's is a friend of mine."
"Barton has saved my life so many times, I consider this man family! And if this little one is his, then she is also family!" The King yells out and slaps the back of Kate's back, causing her to fall forward and onto the ground "Oh. Oops. My bad."
Clint and Steve cringe and Natasha sighs, yet Kate gets back on her feet as soon as she falls down.
"Look at that. She gets back up! All the best Knights get back up."
Natasha scolds her father "After you pushed her down, Alexei."
The King's jaw drops in defense "It was an accident . I did not mean to push, I only meant to nudge."
"You don't nudge Yelena."
The King scoffs "Yelena would chop my hand off if I even mess up a single hair on her braid. So, no, I do not nudge Yelena."
"She's allowed to do that?" Kate asks, genuinely curious as to the claim the King had just made.
Which only allows the big man to nod "She's a Princess. She's my Princess. If she wanted to chop my hand off, she would do it. Very scary."
"And you want me to meet her?" Kate looks up at King Alexei and Clint with terror lacing her eyes. Why would either adult want her to meet someone that would chop off her hands for touching her?
Clint assures "She won't chop off your hand, Kate."
"But the King just said." She whispers as if it would prevent all the other grown-ups from hearing her concerns.
Kate nods with uncertainty when Bucky turns the corner seeming to be in a frantic hurry. He stiffens when everyone turns to him, causing him to bow in the King and Princess's presence "Your Majesty. Your Highness."
Steve and Clint peer around the Knight, finding no one accompanying him. Natasha didn't even need to glance behind her when Alexei groaned "She's wandered off?"
Bucky confirms "Yes sir. When I arrived to escort her to her lessons, she was nowhere to be found. I was just on my way to check the library from the stables."
"Oh, this child is going to take five years off of my life." Alexei mumbles, snapping his fingers "Okay, Natasha, take our guest here on a tour of whatever and I'll take the three Knights to find your little sister. Okay?"
Natasha smiles "Okay."
"Good. Knights, let's go find my Princess." Alexei walks past everyone having the three Kingsguard Knights follow his step, all walking in uniform. Kate wanted to follow the familiar Knights and their duty, but held her breath, following a direct order from the King to stay with his eldest daughter.
Kate rotates from her toes to her heels while her hands were fidgety with the hem of her shirt. Natasha was just smiling at her, not saying anything which led Kate to wonder if she was doing something wrong.
"I'm sorry."
Natasha arches a brow "What are you apologizing for?"
"I don't know what to do. Clint only taught me how to greet and how to part, but not to have an actual encounter with royals. Am I supposed to offer something, or do something? Should I not be talking right now?" Kate slaps her forehead "Of course, I should stop talking. Clint said not to speak unless spoken to. Sorry. I'm told I talk his ears to death sometimes." Kate shuts her mouth and sighs, wondering if this Princess could chop her hands off too.
The Princess smirks "How old are you?"
A question! Kate can answer questions!
"Seven years of age today, your Highness." Kate hisses and corrects herself "Sorry! Natasha! Seven years of age today, Natasha ."
She tilts her head in curiosity, enjoying the child's personality already "Does Clint tell you to follow the rules word for word?"
Kate nods "Yes ma'am. He says the Knights live by a code, and if one rule is broken then the others might as well be useless. A truly honorable Knight lives and breathes by the rules."
"Even at your young age?"
"Young age? I'm almost of age to start my official Knight's training!" Kate explains "Then it's only a matter of time before I become a Knight and join the Kingsguard."
"Ambitious. Almost sounds like Clint is the one speaking and not yourself."
Kate furrows her brows "What does that mean?"
Looking down at the brunette, Natasha sparks an idea and starts walking, gesturing for Kate to follow her "If you weren't going to become a Knight, what would you want to do?"
Kate ponders the question, thinking of the craziness of the idea of becoming anything other than a Knight. She was born for Knighthood, and any other profession would be a lie to who she really was "Uh, I only have ever wanted to be a Knight. I hear my father was one, and so was Clint."
Natasha hums "What about the things you do for fun? Do you and your friends play pranks on your neighbors?"
"I don't have friends my age." Kate says, trying her best to hide the disappointment from her voice "They don't understand me. They say me being a Knight is silly. All the more reason to prove them wrong. But I am pretty good at archery. Clint even says I'm the best he's ever seen. I do that for fun every day."
"So all you do is train?"
"Clint teaches me to read and write. That's not training."
"Oh, Clint." Natasha sighs, shaking her head at Clint's parenting skills.
Leave it to the Knight to raise a mini adult rather than letting the child be a child. Similar to her younger sister when it comes to her mother. Apparently, Natasha had too much freedom growing up, so the Queen decided to fix that with her second child. Maybe they could fix that for each other.
It was turning out to be a good day.
As soon as Bucky said he had lost Yelena, Natasha saw an opportunity. Yelena was miserable even as a six-year-old, and it pained her every time she compared her childhood to her. There was one place where no Knight could go in without permission from a royal. A place where Yelena hid often in secret.
They began to pass the garden and Kate's eyes were trained on the flowers, once more, encaptivated by the colors and the beauty that could be in a courtyard. Such a small area compared to nature, yet the Queen had done an exquisite job creating something artists would die to paint.
Natasha stops short, eyeing the tree specifically before looking back down at Kate "Can you wait here while I go grab something from my bed chamber?"
"Uh..."
"Great." Natasha turned on her heels, leaving Kate alone in a castle she's never been to before.
Kate looks around a bit frantically, wondering if any Knight she's seen at home before could pass by and help with the time until the Princess comes back. After a minute of nothing, Kate opts to look at the garden from afar, watching as the wind doesn't dare touch the Queen's garden for it was far superior to the flowers who didn't take shelter in it.
Even as Winter comes to an end and Spring nears, it was a wonder how the flowers were blooming before the rest. Kate wondered what an honor it must be to wander among the bushes closely must be, maybe hoping when the Princess comes back she may grant her permission to look, if only for a moment, up close.
That was until she saw the glimmer of blonde hair behind the tree. This time Kate was able to look at the young girl, worried that if the Princess saw a random girl in the garden she may get in trouble.
Kate looks back and forth in the hallway, then back at the young girl behind the tree "Hey~" Kate tries to say as quietly as possible while still being able to reach the young girl "You can't be in there."
The blonde girl furrows her brows and looks up from her book, peering around from the tree "Says who?"
"The rules," Kate says as if it were obvious. Doesn't every child know all the rules like the back of their hand "You can't be in a royal garden without permission from the immediate royal family."
The young girl looks at her book, then back at Kate, closing the pages and standing to her feet to walk from around the tree "Permission from a royal?" Her face was that of confused amusement, her brows slanted while she smirks "And what if I don't care?" The girl says, gripping the book to her chest while slowly walking towards the brunette "If no one sees me, then it doesn't count."
"That's not how the rules work." Kate rolls her eyes. Of course, another girl her age not caring for the rules as she should. The thought blinded her to the obvious green gaze that Natasha shared, failing to connect any obvious dots.
"Isn't it? It's worked out for me in the past."
"Well, if that were true, then murders who kill without getting caught are law-abiding citizens."
The blonde giggles at the claim, stopping in the walkway while Kate remains in the hallway. She tilts her head "I haven't seen you around before. What's your name?"
Kate crosses her arms "I don't share that information with rule breakers."
"And what gives you the right to tell me what to do?"
"It's the law and everyone should follow the law. If I'm to be a Knight one day, I need to live by the rules perfectly."
"Seems like a dull life if all you do is what others tell you to do."
Kate leans on the railing of the hall that looks into the courtyard, the opening to it only a couple of feet away "Isn't that what everyone does?"
The blonde nods "I suppose. But if you look around, is anyone really happy?"
Kate's brows furrow "I follow the rules and I'm happy."
"What do you feel when you follow the rules?"
"Feel when I follow the rules?" Kate shrugs "Nothing. Just happy I'm doing the right thing."
Meanwhile, flashback to all the times Kate has stolen the daggers in Clint's weapons chest to play with, snuck out after curfew to shoot her bow, and stole a sip of Clint's grape juice for adults . In Kate's defense, if it says adults only, Kate's going to be curious and steal a sip. Not that she would be doing that anytime soon because it tasted terrible.
The blonde hums "And what if it were a rule that you had to kill someone from your town, each year? Would you do that no matter what?"
"Killing is against the law!"
"But what if it weren't? What if the Queen passed a law to kill?" The blonde asks "Would you do as the law tells you, not questioning its place?"
Okay, this girl was definitely smarter than the other kids Kate has met before. Her question requires her to actually think and not defend "I- I don't know. Killing is wrong unless it's for defense purposes."
A satisfied smile paints the young girl's face "Not many people admit when they don't know things."
"Well, if I don't know, I don't know. I'm only seven. Only old people know everything."
"I disagree. All my textbooks are questions adults ask and have yet to find the answer to." The blonde wanders closer to the brunette leaning on the railing "I think adults are just as clueless as us."
Kate giggles "That's a silly thing to say."
The blonde also giggles "It's a silly thing for a girl to say she is to become a Knight."
"Now that, I disagree on."
"You seem to disagree with everything I say."
Kate points out "You're breaking the rules. I have a right to disagree with rule breakers."
"You're so quick to judge when you've never broken a rule yourself." The blonde responds "If anything, by you following the rules so much, it makes you boring and predictable."
Kate's jaw drops in offense "I am not boring nor predictable!"
The blonde presses her lips into a line and narrows her eyes, playing her argument out "I think it does. If I were a murderer and you a Knight in pursuit of me, I would then hide in the gardens. Then you wouldn't be able to catch me for my crime."
"False!" Kate exclaims "I would be faster than all my foes. If I were chasing after you, you would not have the chance to reach the gardens."
"Well, what if I had just killed the Princess in the garden? What now?"
Kate goes to answer but doesn't have one to speak. She just shuts her mouth and thinks of a loophole she could think of, while the blonde's emerald gem eyes waited patiently. She racked her mind for ideas, when her eyes lit up, snapping her fingers "I would grab a bow and arrow and apprehend you there."
The blonde shrugs "I blocked all your arrows and now you're out. What now?"
"You wouldn't have dodged my arrows. I never miss."
"Well, you did in this scenario."
"Then the scenario is unrealistic."
"I find it very realistic."
Kate huffs in frustration. Why was this girl so hard to reason with? She leans back onto her feet and places her hands on her hip "You need to exit the garden at once."
"On who's orders?"
"On mine."
"You're just a common girl."
"And so are you!" Kate challenged with her chin raised in false confidence, hoping the show will convince the girl to follow the rules "The only difference, I'm to be a Knight."
The blonde smiles, sending Kate's skin to buzz in a weird way and her stomach to flip. What was that?
"Okay, Knight." The blonde says, holding her chin up high, matching Kate's challenge "The only way I will leave this garden is if you come in here and lead me out."
Kate's heart drops along with her shoulders "I don't have permission."
The girl shrugs "And no one has said anything to me."
"I have."
"You have yet to be Knighted. Thus, have no right to lead me out of the garden."
Kate grunts and looks at the opening, then back at the girl "The exit is right here."
"And I'm right here."
Kate looks to both sides, once more, checking to see if anyone would come to her aid. No way this girl has been not found out by now, and no way was Kate going to break the rules when Natasha would surely return any moment not.
Crossing her arms, Kate looks back at the girl "The Princess will return, and then she'll tell you the rules."
"Not if she doesn't see me." The girl turns back around and heads back behind the tree to where she was before, heading deeper and deeper into the garden.
"Stop," Kate calls out only to be ignored. She bites her lip and starts to reason with herself. All she had to do was quickly escort the girl out without being seen as trespassing. Easy. Totally easy. Kate walks to the opening and halts at the frame. She tries to peer around the tree, but only gets glimpses of the blonde returning to her position as before, reopening her book and sitting down with her legs crossed in front of her.
Kate bounces in her place, pleading that anyone would walk in, right now and help. Anyone. Natasha, Clint, Bucky. Anyone.
She goes to call out the girl's name when she realized she had never asked for it.
"Okay, in and out." Kate reasons with herself "Just get the rule breaker, then come back. No biggie." She glances back and forth "No~ biggie~"
Taking a deep inhale and a long exhale, Kate forces herself to take the first step into the garden, speed walking to the tree with her first self-proclaimed mission. She hurries towards the tree, restraining herself from admiring the flower bushes lining the gravel walkways.
She goes to the other side of the tree, standing over the blonde "Okay, I'm here. Now it's time to go." She frantically looks up to make sure no one was passing by. She looks back down at the blonde who was purely amused "What?"
"You broke a rule."
"I'm only breaking it to make you follow them." Kate reaches out her hand "Now let's go before we get caught."
The girl's green eyes filter down to the small calloused hand reaching out for her. She mischievously smirks and grabs the brunette's hand giving her a moment of relief before yanking her down to the ground where she was seated. Kate falls with a grunt and the girl breaks out into laughter, dropping her book and leaning back onto the tree where she laughs out loud, blatantly giving away her location if anyone were to pass by.
Kate groans and glances to the hall, hurrying up to her feet, grabbing the dropped book as she goes back to standing. The girl continues to laugh but Kate holds up the book "I have your book. If you don't come, I'm not going to give it back!"
The girl wipes a tear from her eye and continues to laugh "Then you'll break another rule of stealing. Makes you more of a rule breaker than me. Maybe I should be the one escorting you out of here."
Kate looks at the book and lets go of it like it had burned her "I didn't-"
"But you did." The girl stands face to face with Kate, having an inch over Kate "You tried to steal my book and thought you could get away with it by hiding in the garden."
"That's not true!"
"It is. My word against yours."
Kate groans "That's it. I'm leaving. I was only trying to help but it's obvious that you don't want it!"
And just as she finishes, the door to the hall opens, causing Kate and the girl to snap their heads toward the door. This was it. Kate's life was over at just the age of seven. She broke the rules and she was going to pay the consequences for it. All for a girl who she had only just met, and she doesn't even know her name.
Fear washes over the brunette as the footsteps sound in the hall, prompting her entire body to freeze as she awaits the punishment. She couldn't even react to the two hands pulling her close behind the tree, or the hand covering her mouth.
It was the King and the three Knights following him. If Clint saw Kate, she would surely get in trouble ten times over. But the girl holding her close to her own body while remaining still as the trunk of the tree showed Kate that they might get away with their crime.
"Yelena?" Alexei calls out, sounding very tired "Yelena are you in the garden?"
Kate's eyes are wide and the girl holding her shook her head slowly, keeping her hand on Kate's mouth.
They stand there quietly until the shuffling is gone and the click of the other door echoes through the hallway. Yet the two stay still until they are one hundred percent sure that there was no one to catch them.
Once they were sure, the girl lowered her hand from Kate's mouth, shaking her head "Now wasn't that fun?"
"Fun?" Kate whispers while still standing close to the now visibly gorgeous blonde "My heart is nearly beating out of my chest!" She grabs the girl's hand and brings it up to her chest and peers around the tree "What if Clint finds the Princess and sees that I'm not with her anymore? Oh jeez, I'm going to get my bow taken away. Again ."
"Clint Barton?" The girl questions while her gaze remains at the location where Kate holds it against her chest "Why would you concern yourself with that bland Knight?"
Kate thoroughly continues to watch the hallway "He's my caretaker."
The girl snickers "That explains some things."
"Explains what?" Kate turns back to look at the green eyes staring back, once again feeling her stomach strangely flip. Maybe it was the breakfast Clint had brought back this morning?
"You." She says "Being a stick in the mud for the rules."
Kate finally lowers the girl's hand from her chest and stepped around the girl so that she wasn't backed up against the tree "If training to be an honorable Knight means I'm a stick in the mud, then so be it."
"Even though you're currently breaking a rule standing in this garden."
Well... Kate couldn't exactly argue with that one.
The blonde continues "And you just hid from the King? How could you live with yourself now that you've broken the rules in front of the King himself?"
Kate's jaw works to the side, narrowing her eyes at the blonde "You're mocking me."
"No~ I wouldn't dare mock a future Knight."
Kate rolls her eyes "Fine. Have it your way. If you want to risk being caught then it's your funeral. Don't come crying to me when a royal comes walking in to find-"
"What are you two doing?"
The voice came out of nowhere and Kate jumped up in fear as she turned to find, Natasha, the Princess smiling at the two young girls. The girl pays the royal no mind as she continues to watch as Kate goes through her stages of shock. How funny this strange brunette was, to not even know who she was.
It was honestly refreshing.
"Y- your Highness." Kate bows "I'm so sorry for trespassing in the garden. I didn't mean to enter without permission or a royal family member. It was an honest mistake out of pure curiosity."
Natasha glances at the blonde who meets her gaze. Now, green staring back at green smile at each other.
The redhead crosses her arms "Without a royal, huh? Then who is this?" She gestures to the blonde who didn't seem phased in the slightest.
"She's innocent." Kate defends, never wanting to be the reason someone gets punished "She saw me wandering and followed me in here. She shouldn't be punished for my mistake."
"Is that so?" Natasha narrows her eyes towards her younger sister who now stares at Kate with confusion.
Why would someone take the blame if they had only just met? Yelena did not understand this weird girl.
"Well," Natasha says "I hope you two have learned your lesson. Just be grateful that I was the one to find you and not the other Princess. She would have your head for this."
Yelena scoffs "Do not be dramatic." A mischievous smile paints her lips "Chopping off her head is so distasteful. I would have her hands chopped off instead."
Kate looks up in shock as the two Princesses see the moment of realization wash over her.
"You're?"
Yelena's brows raise "Yes..?"
Kate looks up at Natasha "This is..?"
"Suddenly you can't speak." Yelena shakes her head "Yes, you were with a royal this whole time. So you're safe. You did not break any rules. You can go on living your goody-two-shoe life as a Knight."
Kate rotates from the redhead to the blonde, trying to come to terms that she was in the presence of two Princesses, one of which she was arguing with not long ago.
She bows to Yelena, "Your Highne-"
"Na-Ah. Do not bow to me after the conversation we just had. I'd rather you call me a rule breaker than that stupid title."
Kate stands up straight "I'm sorry."
Yelena throws her head back and groans "Do not apologize . I liked it when you didn't know who I was."
"Want me to hit her in the head?" Natasha proposes "Make her forget?"
"Away with you already." Yelena slides down the trunk of the tree and opens her book "I have my studies to get back to after my break with-"
She looks up at Kate who answers "Oh. I'm Katherine Bishop. But everyone calls me Kate."
Yelena answers "Okay, Kate Bishop. Thank you for the break, but you and my sister can go now."
"Right. Okay. Um..."
Kate looks up at the older Princess for instructions, as she still has no idea how to navigate the castle. Natasha chuckles "Go wait for me in the hallway. I'll be there in a moment."
"Okay. Uh..." She looks down at Yelena whose attention was now on the pages of her book "It was nice meeting you, Princess."
She hurries away while Natasha watches her leave the garden. Yelena speaks up "How much of that did you see?"
The redhead snorts "Oh, I saw the whole thing. I can't believe you let her touch you for that long. And here Alexei and I thought you would chop off anyone's hand if they laid a finger on you."
"I still will. That was a one-time thing." Yelena turns the page of her book, even though she wasn't paying attention to the wording "I will still cut anyone who touches me."
"Is that so?"
"It's not like it matters." Yelena glances up at her sister "It's not like she's to be here often."
"Would you like her to be here often?"
Yelena holds her tongue, thinking of all the responsibilities that she has daily. Even if that Kate Bishop could come on a daily, it's not like she could spend any time with her. This was one of those rare moments where Yelena escaped all the lessons to relax while hiding away from it all. Now that Kate knows who she is, she wouldn't treat her the same either.
She frowns and goes back to focus on the small text she's to be tested on later "Don't be ridiculous. That girl would rather rewrite the wall of laws than come here for friendly visits. Best to leave her to her life, and us to ours."
Natasha studies her sister "Is that what you think? Or is that what Melina would have told you to say?"
"It does not matter."
"To me it does."
Yelena sighs "Natasha, I have to read this. Leave me be and attend to Kate before she wanders off and tries to explain the rules to mother without realizing that she is the Queen. Gods know what she would do to her."
"Suit yourself." She shrugs, leaving her sister as she wished with a smug expression.
Natasha's scheme worked and she was able to give her sister a moment of her childhood to her. She can see it as disappointment washes over her features, trying to send the brunette away, thinking she won't see her again.
Now the plan was to make that happen again.