His White Knight - Prince!EnglandxOutlaw!Reader Pr

The October moon hung over the kingdom of Britannia like a lone spectator over the events that unfolded in the capitol below. For most of its citizens, it had been an ordinary day, working, socializing, and once again being taxed heavily for no other reason than that they were told to. This had been going on for three months now, and despite wanting answers, no one ever got any. But everyone did know that the king had a formidable army, and for most, that was reason enough to do what they were told, even if they did so reluctantly. No one dared to say or do otherwise.

Except for one group of people who, despite living in the shadows, knew much about what was going on in the light. They had long planned to do something about the king's inexplicable actions. King or no, he had no right to demand this amount of money from his subjects without telling them why. And they were going to return it to them, never mind if it was viewed as stealing.

One of the team was now racing through the forests, half a dozen castle guards hot on her trail. Her white outfit and white horse stood out like snow against the dark night, making it easy for them to follow her. But that was the idea. She was acting as a decoy while her teammates snuck into the treasury to take the day's earnings.

Filling her ears were the sounds of galloping hoofbeats and the shouts of the guards behind her. "Stop, stop!" "Halt in the name of the king!" But she didn't look back, preferring to keep her eyes firmly locked on the unmarked path ahead of her. They may not have known where she was going, but she'd lived in this forest so long she recognized just about every tree that came her way. This was where she belonged. This was her home.

But eventually, on impulse, the rider turned her horse in the direction of a ravine not too far ahead. Once there, her horse reared and neighed in protest. But while she may have been stranded, the white-clad figure hadn't run out of luck. Not by a long shot. She jumped from her mount and waited patiently until the guards caught up with her. As they dismounted in front of her, she stared them down like an animal protecting its territory. Fortunately, a mask she wore across her face concealed her identity from her pursuers.

"Halt!" one of them raised his hand at her, as if she could do nothing else. "Surrender peacefully and we won't harm you!"

The rider gave her answer in the form of revealing the blade she kept strapped to her belt. That was when the guards knew she wasn't coming without a fight, so they too drew their swords. "Then you leave us no choice!" another said. And all of them at once charged toward her.

But she was more than ready. She had been trained for a moment such as this. Blades immediately clashed and sparks flew as the fight began, and it soon became clear to the guards that this person was no rookie. They tried harder, but she deflected every strike thrown at her. Still, she knew even she wouldn't last long against this many guards. So one by one, she began to incapacitate them, sending each of them to the ground with well-aimed hits at pressure points. It wasn't her intention to actually hurt any of them.

But her real intentions immediately backfired when, in another moment of impulse, she threw up a fist the moment she knew someone was behind her. She immediately turned around, and her eyes widened as she realized she had indeed hit her mark, leaving a bloody nose in its place. Still, the white-clad rider, somewhat reluctantly, reasoned it could've been worse than what she gave him. Besides, she had a mission to complete.

She took out her sword one more time and pointed it at him in the way a victor in a tournament would at their defeated opponent. Her resolve strengthened now that she'd won, she stood tall and looked down at the guard from her lifted head, the moonlight reflecting off her white clothing so as to make her appear even more mysterious and otherworldly.
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Prince Arthur and his father couldn't believe what they were hearing. Both of them had felt cranky upon being disturbed from sleep, but once they heard the guards' report, their eyes became as wide as if they hadn't slept at all.

"You're sure you're not mistaken? Or that you miscounted?" Arthur asked them. "All of that gold is missing from the treasury? Who could've done this?!"

"That's what we would like to know, sir," one of the guards said. "Forgive us for being unable to defend it."

"It was a surprise attack," the king shook his head. "You can hardly be blamed for that. But I too am curious to know who's done this."

Just then, another guard barged through the door, and Arthur's mouth came open as he saw blood trailing from his clearly broken nose. "Your Majesty!" he exclaimed. "Please excuse my intrusion, but I too have a report to give you. Though, I must admit, you might not believe me."

"I am willing to listen to anything you have to tell me," the king said, his attention too fully on this injured guard.

Once they heard his story, Arthur, despite having prepared himself to hear anything outlandish, put his fist in front of his face to hide his opened mouth. Once he was able to close it again, he looked unwaveringly at the guard and finally asked, "Are you absolutely certain that's what you saw?"

"I told you you might not believe me," the man said, now pale in the face as though he'd seen a ghost. "But I swear it's true. We fought the best we could but it's like it was over before it even started!"

"Keep it together man!" the king demanded. "Was anyone else in your regiment hurt?"

"No, just me," the guard replied. Then, looking as though he remembered something, he turned to the king and his son one more time and said, "Right before they left, they said, 'Tell his Majesty the king that the White Knight sends his regards.'"

"The White Knight?!" Arthur asked incredulously. "Is that what he calls himself? 'Black Knight from Hell' is more like it!" He couldn't believe someone who'd stolen all that money and attacked his father's men would dare title himself so nobly.

But once he noticed the guard was becoming nervous again at his outburst, Arthur forced himself to calm down and said, "I beg your pardon, sir. Please, get yourself to the infirmary and tend to that nose of yours. And if you wish, you can have the following day off."

"Bless you, your Highness," the guard lowered his head in respect. "But I won't need the day off. I know what I signed up for when I took this job."

I'll bet something like this wasn't a part of it, Arthur thought as his smile sank back into a frown. Once he was alone with the king, he turned to him and said, "Father, we must do something about this madman! We have to hunt him down and force him to answer for these crimes!"

The king chuckled at his eagerness. "Patience, my son. He can't remain hidden forever. This kingdom is great, but, though I hate to admit it, it's also small. We will catch him soon enough."

"You're right," Arthur nodded before staring into the distance, as his bushy eyebrows furrowed into his determined face. "And I won't rest until we do."

And although he didn't know it, his father wasn't just thinking the same thing. Anyone who looked at him would see the darkness on his face at knowing his plans were being thwarted. But he couldn't let his son know that, even if he was the crown prince. After all, a king can keep anything secret if he wishes, even from his own family.