────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

────── ★★★ ──────

After training for months, Samuel found his swordsmanship and combat skills slowly improving, yet they still weren't at the level he would've liked them to be. Most of his time was spent training with the knight who welcomed him when he first stumbled into their camp. It wasn't much longer after that when the young boy discovered Wilbur was also the leader of the squadron. The duo had gotten closer than either had ever imagined in the short amount of time. The blonde boy didn't leave the brunette man's side for the first two weeks of entering the camp, which annoyed the older of the two at first. Eventually, Wilbur took it as an opportunity to get to know the boy and to help him get comfortable with the other knights. Now their bond was unbreakable and the two chose to spend every moment they could together.

That day was the same as any other day and Samuel found himself in the sparring circle with a wooden training sword in hand. He and Wilbur circled each other and waited for the other to make the first move. After what felt like an eternity passed of neither of them moving, the De Vil boy lunged forward and swung his sword at his feet. His actions caused Wilbur to jump out of the way before barely saving himself from falling into a mud puddle.

"Well done, Sammy," the older knight praised before a smile appeared on his face.

"Just getting started," the blonde boy responded with a smirk then lunged once again.

Just as the De Vil boy began to think he actually had a shot at beating Wilbur, Samuel was on his back in the mud. Laughter filled the air followed by the sound of footsteps hitting the wet earth before the Eriks man stood over the blonde boy. "Don't get cocky or else your opponent will always catch you off guard."

"Noted," Samuel sighed before a small smirk formed on his face as he looked back up at the brunette man, "how come they don't catch you off guard? You can get pretty arrogant."

The De Vil boy's comment caused Wilbur to let out another laugh. Once he finished helping Samuel back to his feet, they began to spar again. After a few moments of them hitting their wooden swords together, the blonde boy quickly found himself back in the mud once again thanks to Wilbur.

"How is this fair? You're twice my size," Samuel whined while rubbing his muddy hands down the sides of his face, "can I spar with someone who I have a chance against?"

"Your opponents will be much bigger than you," the Eriks man stated as the grin on his face grew even larger, "everything's bigger than you."

"I'm only fourteen! I'm still growing!" the De Vil boy argued before the spark in his eyes vanished and he looked down at the wooden sword lying in front of him, "what's even the point? I'll never get where you are."

"I was younger and smaller than you when I first started my training. Now I'm the captain of my own squadron," Wilbur told him as she squatted down to be at eye-level with the boy in front of him, "you'll get there, Sammy. It just takes time."

"I think so?"

"I know so."

Throughout the last few months, Samuel got to know Wilbur pretty well. The brunette man and his brother were orphaned at the age of eleven. It wasn't long after that that he lost his brother to a fatal illness. He was only alone for about a month before he was found and taken in by a group of knights and he'd been one ever since.

As soon as they finished training, Samuel and Wilbur made their way over to join the other knights to eat dinner. They grabbed their plates from the cook of their camp then they made their way towards the center to sit on one of the logs. The De Vil boy just stared down at the object on his plate be

"What is this?" Samuel asked Wilber as the former poked the blob they called food with his fork.

"I've been eating it for years and I still have no idea," the older knight responded with an equally disgusted look on his face.

Their laughter filled the air as they continued to have a nice conversation about the blob they were forced to call food. That was until the moment was broken by Wilbur bringing up a topic Samuel never wanted to talk about with anyone. A topic he never thought he'd have to talk about with anyone. The brunette man asked the blonde boy about his life before stumbling into their camp. All Samuel did was stare at the older knight for a long moment then he looked away from Wilbur and stared down in silence at my food. But that wasn't enough of a hint for the Eriks man, who nudged the De Vil boy's side to grab his attention once again.

"Come on, Sammy. You can tell me."

"I...I can't," the blonde boy whispered while tightening his grip around the fork in his hand, "once you know who I really am, you won't trust me anymore."

"See, that just makes me even more curious," Wilbur joked in an attempt to lighten the mood, only for his smile to fade when he saw the panic in Samuel's eyes before he placed a hand on the boy's shoulders, "no matter where you came from or who you were, I will always trust you."

The De Vil boy let the man's words sink in for a long moment then he let out a long sigh. It took all the courage that Samuel had to pull his attention away from his blob of good to meet Wilbur's eyes. The two of them just stared at each other for a long moment before the blonde said five words he never thought he'd speak again.

"I'm Cruella De Vil's son."

The world around Samuel seemed to grow silent as soon as those words left his mouth. He kept his eyes glued to the ground beneath his feet before he finally found the courage to meet Wilbur's gaze. What the De Vil boy was expecting was a look of betrayal on the older knight's face. Samuel thought he'd get tossed out of Wilbur's squadron without a second thought. So when Samuel saw the sympathy on the Eriks man's face, he couldn't stop the confusion from filling every inch of his body.

"Must have been rough," he said, only for Samuel to slowly nod in response before Wilbur said three words that made the De Vil boy's whole body freeze, "tell me more."

Shock and confusion flowed through the blonde boy's veins as he looked up to meet the brunette man's gaze. When Samuel was greeted by a sympathetic look once again, he couldn't help but try to figure out why Wilbur cared so much. The two of them continued to sit in silence for what felt like an eternity before Samuel finally snapped out of his daze. The De Vil boy instantly looked away from the man's gaze and back to the blob sitting on the plate in his lap. He took another moment or two to find the words to explain everything before he let out a long sigh.

"She treated me like her servant," Samuel finally said, breaking the silence and drawing Wilbur's attention back to him, "she would make me cook and clean. I was locked in the attic when I wasn't needed. If I did something wrong, she'd have her dogs attack me."

Silence surrounded them once again as Wilbur took in every piece of information given to him. While he did that, the blonde boy next to him went back to staring down at the food in his lap. What Samuel didn't expect was an arm being placed around his shoulder before the boy looked up to find the older knight smiling down at him.

"Listen, Sammy. There are a lot of knights here that have pasts that they would rather forget...even me. Don't let that stop you from doing something great with your life. You understand?"

"I understand."

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑

"We gather here to mourn the loss of Evan, a brave knight, an amazing second-in-command, and an even better friend," Wilbur spoke to the large group of knights assembled in the clearing while doing his best to keep his emotions under control, "he had been with this squadron for ten years and dedicated every second of his life to making himself a better warrior. Even though he liked to keep to himself, he would defend anyone of us without a second thought...he didn't deserve his fate."

As soon as Wilbur finished Evan's eulogy, everyone shared a moment of silence for the man they lost. It wasn't long after that then they headed back to camp with no one speaking a single word. They barely made it back into the clearing when they crowded around the Erikson man after he climbed up onto the large boulder in the center of the clearing. Once everyone was where they were supposed to be, their leader announced they were having a meeting.

"I know this isn't what any of us need right now...however, I need to appoint a new second-in-command," Wilbur announced, causing quiet conversations to instantly form throughout the crowd. Everyone began to guess who Wilbur might choose to be his next right hand while others tried to quiet them down so the brunette man could speak. Not much time had passed before their murmurs ended when Wilbur shouted for them to settle down. Once he had everyone's attention again, he continued speaking.

"The man I've chosen is someone I trust with my life. He's loyal and always puts in his all at anything assigned to him," the Erikson man said before pausing to scan over the crowd before his eyes finally found Samuel's. The two of them just stared at each other for a short moment before an almost unnoticeable smirk formed on Wilbur's face. "My new second-in-command will be...Samuel."

The De Vil boy's jaw dropped as soon as he heard his name leave their leader's mouth. His body became as still as a statue as the men that surrounded him cheered and patted him on the back. It wasn't long before everyone reluctantly went back to their daily routines while Sam walked over to the Erikson man. The second Wilbur saw him coming, he gestured for the De Vil boy to follow him into his tent.

"Why did you choose me?" Samuel questioned the second he closed the tent flap behind him, "there are so many other knights...better knights. You should've chosen one of them."

"That's just nonsense, Sammy," Wilbur responded before sitting down on one of the chairs at the table in the center of the space, "you have worked harder than any knight I know to get where you are now. You are well-trained and well-disciplined and you're only seventeen years old. You've earned this position."

The blonde boy just stared at the man in front of him before letting out a sigh and opening his mouth to break the silence that began to surround him. "Shouldn't you take more time to decide who the right man is?"

"Our code states that I must have a second-in-command at all times," the Erikson man explained while he continued to stare at the De Vil boy before a small smirk appeared on the former's face, "plus, I don't need any more time. You are the right man."

"I've only seen one battle, Wil. I don't have enough experience for this."

"Stop underestimating yourself, Sammy. You're a good knight and an even better person. You're going to do great."

Before Samuel had a chance to respond, Wilbur jumped to his feet and forced him out of his tent. The second the blonde boy was back outside, the Erikson man closed the entrance to his living quarters. The De Vil boy just stood in front of Wilbur's tent for a moment longer while trying to understand why their leader thought he was the best choice. It wasn't long after that when Samuel let out a long sigh before he turned and walked back to his tent.

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────── ★★★ ──────