♔ | 'there will come a ruler whose brow is laid in thorn, smeared with oil like David's boy oh lei oh lai oh lord'

♔ | general information
name
Percival Alderidge

title
King Percival Alderidge
His royal majesty

nickname
Percy
Per
Val

gender
Male

pronouns
He/him

age
21

sexuality
Closeted homosexual

♔ | appearance
general appearance

♔ | personality
general personality
Percival is spoken of to be a gift from God himself. The man could not be more adored by his people, who praise him lavishly, hold annual festivals in his honour and respect him as if he were a divine being himself. He deserves it all though. Percy is definitely a king to wish for. He holds no selfish desired for his wealth and power and while he does live a comfortable life due to the social class system that has been there for centuries that even he cannot just change, he works hard to ensure his people do not have to worry about their own lives too much. Unlike his grandfather, who hardly ever left the grounds of the castle, not wishing to mingle with the common folks and being highly mistrusting of everyone out there, Percival often rides out with no one other than his bodyguards accompanying him. He has a caring heart and does not trust the wellbeing of his people to anyone else. He needs to see their situation for himself in order to truly understand what needs to be done to get improvement. He does not look down on his people and is always willing to stop and make a small talk with someone every now and then. His majesty is known for his generosity as he ensures to support the local businesses on his trips. He will drink not at a nobleman's house but instead at a simple tavern and he always takes back a little souvenir for his little brother, also bought from common people at the market place.

He is very down to earth and not quite so focused on all the rules and formalities. It was a huge change from his grandfather, really. Much unlike the expectations of quite literally everyone, the castle's atmosphere is very light. The servants are all happy people working to their best abilities to please their beloved king. Percival is never too lazy to do things himself as well. He always tacks up his horses on his own, feeds them himself and grooms them as well. He also heads to the library on his own, carrying his pile of books up the many stairs on his own. This all much to the disapproval of most of his advisor and the officials.

While Percival appears to be so calm and easygoing, deep inside the man is awfully stressed. He was never fully prepared to take the throne, especially not at the young age he did. He was supposed to live a carefree live, fulfil his dream of becoming a writer or painter. He felt like he had no choice when the kingdom was left without an heir though. It was his or his five year younger brother and he would not ever let his beloved sibling carry the burden of the crown. He often has sleepless nights because of his endless worrying. He hardly ever takes a break from his paperwork because of the perfectionist he is deep down. He will never blame someone else if things are not as good as they could be, but he mentally beats himself up for his own mistakes. As caring and loving as he is to others, so harsh and unforgiving he is to himself.

best traits
Generous
Kindhearted
Forgiving

worst traits
Perfectionistic
Overly worried
Feeling like everything is his responsibility

fears
Failing as a king
Not being able to let his brother be carefree

hopes/wishes
His brother having the life he wants; Percival has sacrificed his own dream so that his little brother would be able to still follow his. He wishes for nothing more than the other to be genuinely happy with his life and getting all that he wishes for.

Protecting his people; he doesn't mean this in the sense of ensuring there is no war, there has not been one for years now after all and there is no threat either. He wishes to protect them in their own kingdom. Ensure they would not starve to death, resort to violence to stay alive and those sort of things.

♔ | past
childhood
Percival was born as the second son of the crown prince and princess. Before him she had already given birth to a beautiful baby boy and three years after that, Percy was born. He was just as loved as his elder brother was. His mother did her very best to raise her two boys on her own mostly. Of course she held help from maids, she was the future queen after all, but when it came to playing with the boys, reading stories and whatever more a mother did with her children, the princess wished to do herself. It was much to the king's approval, the future queen should not do such things herself, but he never really did anything against it since his son seemed to insist on letting his wife do as she pleased. When Percival was five years old, another boy was born, his soon beloved younger brother. His life was truly carefree. While his eldest brother had all sorts of lessons to prepare him for his future, he and his younger brother had plenty of time to play and run around when their regular lessons ended. The family was very close and happy and even though the king, Percy's grandfather was not very fond of the way they were behaving around one another, he never stopped them. They did not break any actual rules after all.

teen years
When Percy was eleven years old, tragedy hit the family. They had gone out on a small trip to a large lake. It was an awful lot of fun, the three princes playing in the water as their parents happily watched. After a while though, the youngest prince drifted of further and further into the water until one point where he could not return on his own anymore. His brothers rushed to get their father and get the boy out. The crown prince bravely dived in to save his son and while he managed to get his boy back to the safe side of the lake, the underwater stream was too strong for the man to make his way back himself, leading to him drowning. It was absolutely devastating. The crown princess returning to the palace with only her three sons and the news of the crown prince's death. The king, who had been in poor health, was not able to take the news of his only son and heir's death and passed only four days after the incident. This left the family in a hard position since it was now the only fourteen year old prince who had to ascend the throne. Percival's elder brother, who had been trained for this ever since he was born, became king when he was merely a child. It broke his mother's heart, but the boy kept strong. He would rule in his grandfather and father's place and bring them honour. He was the most suitable from the three brothers. He was strong, had wonderful tactics in military and had always been outstanding in politics. When he was not busy with his duties, Percy and his younger brother always cheered him up with their art. Percival wrote poems and stories and painted every now and then and his younger brother played multiple instruments and wrote as well. When the prince was sixteen years old his and his family's life was finally stabilised again. The young king was doing a wonderful job and the death of his father had been processed properly. Fate did not seem to be on the family's side though. Long life was not gifted to Percival's elder brother. At the age of nineteen, his health was getting worse by the day and even the best doctor's had nothing to cure it. Until his very last day, he did all he could to rule the kingdom, but eventually he drew his last breath. He had no heir though, he had not even been married yet. This meant the crown would be given to one of the two princes that were left. Neither of them had been trained to become king one day and they both had their dreams of becoming artists or poets. Their mother was left in such a hard place, she did not wish to choose between the happiness of her two sons. It was much to her surprise that Percival eventually offered to take the crown and become king. It was nothing like him. He was a born writer, an artist. He was determined though. He would be king and his beloved brother would remain free. It was so that Percival became king at the age of sixteen.

adulthood
Percival's reign turned out to be a great one. He ensures his people do not have too much worry about and aside from his duties as king, he also takes his duties as head of the household very seriously. He ensures his brother gets great education and lessons in music and poetry so that one day he will be able to follow all his dreams. He spends time with his mother every day as well, the poor woman spends her days in her quarters with only a few trusted maids, but she always cheers up when her sons come to see her.

♔ | interests
likes
Birds; Percival truly enjoys the sounds of birds around the castle grounds. They light the whole mood and are wonderful creatures to see. They sing all day and are free to fly wherever they want to do. It is inspiring indeed.

His family; his majesty is a true family man. He will always choose them above himself and while he does not really care being disrespected himself, he will not stand by and watch as his mother or brother are treated with any less respect than they deserve. He hopes to one day have a family of his own as well, he wants true love though, so he takes his time.

Sweets; The king has a sweet tooth. He often sneaks into the royal kitchen to steal some snacks, preferably sweet ones.

dislikes
Talking about his past; it is a very difficult subject for him. Mentioning the death of his beloved father and brother always makes him very emotional and he prefers not to show that side of himself. He also does not want to be reminded of all that he has lost but rather focus on what he still has.

Injustice; Percival has a feeling for justice. He cannot stand aristocrats acting as if they are in their rights simply because they are of higher status than the commoners. He has shown up in court rooms multiple times if he felt like one of his people was unrighteously accused of something and blamed by someone with status and money.

Animal cruelty; The king is an animal lover without a doubt. He has a dog and four horses and treats them all with plenty of love. He takes care of them himself and wants them to know they are loved.

hobbies
Writing; Percy enjoys writing stories, but even more so poems. He can express his emotions in his poems without directly saying how he feels. He writes one every night after a long day of work and has quite a collection by now.

Painting; another thing his majesty likes doing is painting. He prefers painting realistic landscapes, but he also does portraits every now and then. He tries to use soft, pastel sort of colours, but only if that is fitting in the scene.

♔ | relationships
family
Mother, the queen dowager; even though she has never been queen, Percival provided her with her title nonetheless. She is definitely worth it. The king loves his mother dearly and still visits her every day. He has made many portraits of her while his younger brother was playing an instrument to her.

Brother, Clement; the sixteen-year-old prince is such a sweet soul. He is pretty much carefree still, just like Percival wants for him and spends his days making music and writing. He really looks up to his elder brother but would never wish to switch lives with him. The two are very close and Percival is highly protective of him.

friends
None; While Percival is able to get along with almost everyone, he does not have any specific friends. He is hesitant to befriend people as he does not wish to disappoint them by being so busy and all.

enemies
None; of course some of the noblemen are not always happy with their king who stands up for his people, but he has no real enemies. He talks out conflicts and is overall loved by his subjects, also most of the nobles.

past lovers
The former stable boy; this had not been a relationship since Percival is still closeted. Still though, he once had feelings for the royal stable boy. He saw him every day when he went riding his horses and his humour and kind personality really stole the man's heart. They were both teens back then. The other left not long after Percy became king and they have never seen each other since. It never came further than a friendship.

other relationships
His personal servant, Elliott; Elliott is two years older than his king and used to serve Percival's elder brother before his death. They have known each other for quite some time and are very close. Percy calls him his friend but Elliott always adds how it is inappropriate for a king to be openly friends with his servant so prefers to call them close acquaintances.

♔ | other information
occupation
King

what does he seek in a lover
As said before, Percival is a family man so he will want to be with someone who wishes to start their own family as well. It is very important to him that his future groom gets along with his mother and brother and shares his ideas about the kingdom. He will not want someone who just wants power and will never get along with those who consider themselves more important than common people. It does not matter what background his future beloved has, as long as they have a kind heart, Percival is satisfied. He gets along with many personalities as long as kindness and gentleness is at it's base. It would be nice for him to find someone he is able to truly relax with and be himself around. Someone who is willing to share his burden but will respect his wish to do things himself as well.

other
This roleplay takes place around medieval times
This character is the third of three based on the soldier, poet, king song by The Oh Hellos, they are my own interpretations of the three so it is perfectly alright if you have other ideas of what they would be like.

scenarios
♔ | one
A few years ago, your dream had become reality. For years you have studied hard, every chance you got. You barely did anything but study but hard work paid of and you were the living proof. You did not come from a high classed family, but your intelligence and bold ideas got you into a school mostly for those with loads of money, which you didn't have. You never fit in and were even bullied by some of the noble boys, it never bothered you though, you had your own goal and two years ago, you finally reached it. His royal majesty himself had been looking for a new advisor. A right hand man of the king! People laughed at you when you said you wished to apply for the job. You were a commoner after all and the position had always been filled by someone of a family close to the royals. It didn't matter, this was the chance you have waited for! Serve right at the side of the beloved king, it sounded like a dream and it was to you. Even the guards who were in charge of taking applications gave you strange looks when you applied, but you were allowed to. The king had stated everyone above the age of sixteen could apply so you did.

When the day was finally there, you walked all the way to the castle, showed your papers and were let in. It was so exciting, yet scary at the same time. The castle was beautiful from the outside but within its walls there was even more beauty! You, along with the other candidates, were lead to a large room, the throne room you later learned it was, and were instructed to wait. It was only for five minutes, because after that the large doors were opened again by two butlers and a man dressed in mostly gold followed by another male walked in. That must be the king. "All bow to..." the servant following behind his king started but he did not even have to finish. Percy was so well respected that before the sentenced could be finished, everyone, including you, had already knelt down to the blonde. He made his way over to the throne on which he sat and you all rose again. When you looked at his face, you immediately saw that kindness everyone spoke about. He seemed anything but harsh.

The day went on and Percival made a small talk with every of the applicants. By the end of the day, the king approached you for a second time. You quickly bowed with a small, 'your majesty' before standing straight again. Percy gently smiled at you and dipped his head in return. "I have truly enjoyed our conversation earlier today." He started and you felt your hands get sweaty. "I would be delighted if you would accept to fill the vacant position." Were you just hired by the king himself? He did not send someone to inform you but instead came himself? You were utterly shocked and only managed to stutter. "I-it would be my h-honour, my king." Given your position allowed you to stay at the castle, you went home to get your belongings and returned after.

Ever since that moment you have lived within the castle and were the right hand man of the king. At first he was a little distant but soon enough he grew closer to you and spoke more freely. Now, after two years, you would say the man has really become comfortable around you. Enough so to completely drop the formalities in private and treat you more like a friend than someone who was just there to advise him. He had even once taken you to meet his mother, which he apparently rarely did as he did not wish to bother the woman.

The last few weeks though, you felt like something was off. Well it wasn't just a feeling, you knew it. His majesty was overworking himself. He hardly slept during the nights as he was sick of the stress. During the day he always pretended to be just fine and continued as if nothing was going on at all but you knew better. Today, the king had another important meeting with a group of nobles. He liked the men present so even though he had not slept at all that night, he insisted on going. As always, you accompanied him. as his advisor, you were present during all his meetings. On the way to the assembly hall, you were mentioning a few topics of today's meeting but the king seemed absentminded. "Your majesty, did you hear-" you gasped when Percival suddenly collapsed. He actually passed out. Very quickly you managed to catch him in your arms and for a brief moment you held him there. "Your majesty?" You asked after a while and Percival slowly opened his eyes again. Once he realised he was in your arms, he quickly regained his posture and stood up straight. "My apologies." He cleared his throat. "We should get going now before we are late." He really just pretended like he did not just lose consciousness. You knew it was his duty as a king, but was about his wellbeing?

Continue from there.

♔ | two
You had taken after your father. Before you, he had been the head of the royal guard, the General. As a young boy you had already decided you would one day take his place. You had trained hard among the other soldier and soon proved yourself to be more than worthy of it. You did not just wish to take his place though, as long as your father wanted to remain in his position and the king would allow it, you would stand to the side and function as a regular guard. It was an honourable job as well and while you were not directly protecting any royal family member, you found it an honour serving them.

It had been recently that your father told you he would resign. He was getting older and wished to spend the remaining of his life with your mother. You were close as a family and therefore you respected your father's decision. He suggested you'd join him while he told the king. That way he could more easily recommend you to his majesty and you would have a higher chance on actually getting the position. Unlike the one of king, the position of general was not passed down like that after all. You had never personally met the king before so you were admittedly a little nervous. What if he would not like you? Would you lose your job on the whole then? You tried your best to suppress those nerves as you followed your father towards the throne room. His servant stood at the door when you approached. "I would like to have a word with his majesty." Your father stated to which the servant apologetically smiled. "I am afraid you cannot, my lord. His majesty is with his brother currently and has requested not to be-" he was cut off by a voice from inside the room. "That is quite alright, Elliott, let him enter." The male, apparently called Elliott, awkwardly smiled as he opened the door, allowing your father and you to enter. You noticed the king and grand prince and just like your father you gracefully got down on one knee with your upper body slightly bent forward. Percival simply smiled warmly and welcoming and waved his hand. "Please stand, good sir, with all your hard work I should rather bow to you." You were surprised to hear the king speak to your father like that, but appreciated the man was respected. "Whom have you brought along, sir l/n?" He asked as your father looked at you. "I have brought my son, my king." You took this as a sign to give another small bow. "My name is y/n l/n, your majesty." You started. "It is a great honour to be in your presence." Your eyes trailed over to the other royal sibling and you lightly smiled. "And yours too, your highness." It seemed to visibly please Percival you did not just ignore his brother. Clement gave you a soft smile in return before pecking his brother's cheek, excusing himself and leaving you three to it.

Your father politely announced his wish to retire and much to your surprise, the king immediately granted it. "You deserve the best, good sir. It will be hard finding someone who will match your skill." He said with a lighthearted laugh, he seemed quite surprised when your father continued though. "Well, your majesty, if I may. I would like to suggest my boy, he has trained hard ever since he was able to and I believe he will do an incredible job." Percival turned to look at you, a brow raised, though soon nodded. "Very well then, I thank you for your suggestion. I am certain a young general will be refreshing to our guards as well." He looked at you once more, smiling this time. "I look forward to seeing what you can do."

About two months have passed now and you found yourself absolutely overjoyed with your new job. The guards were motivated men to train, lovely people, each and everyone of them. You even made friends with some of them! Today was a lovely summer's day. The sun was shining bright and because of the heat, the king had very kindly allowed the training to be canceled. How considerate. You truly admired the king. He was such a strong person, never lost his temper, always thinking about others. You decided to use your day off to go for a nice stroll around the castle's ground. To be fairly honest though, you did not really know your way around so you soon got lost. The castle's ground was huge after all. After a while of walking, you heard very soft crying. the curious man you were followed the sound and soon found yourself in a part of the grounds you had never been before. It was filled with many colourful flowers and some stones with things engraved on them. You didn't think much of it as you were focused on the crying male. You carefully approached a little further, gently placing your hand on the man's shoulder. "Excuse me, mister, is everything alright?" You asked, causing the other to fright. He got up from his kneeling position and spun around. Your jaw dropped. It was the king. "Your majesty?!" Percival's eyes widened slightly when he recognised you and immediately used his sleeves to dry his eyes and cheeks. "My king what are you..." you looked around as you spoke and then it hit you. These were the graves of the late crown prince and king. Percy's father and brother. It was a private place and you had simply walked in.

Continue from there.