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"The Bright Lady and White Knight" subtrope
Basic Trope: The Knight In Shining Armour is sworn to defend The High Queen or a similar character.
- Straight: Sir Bob is a brave and honorable knight, who vows to protect the kind and beautiful Princess Alice.
- Exaggerated: Sir Bob vows to protect Princess Alice, all her sisters and her mother, the queen.
- Downplayed: Sir Bob is sworn to defend Princess Alice, but she happens to be a Pretty Princess Powerhouse and so doesn't really need protecting, though she appreciates the help.
- Justified:
- Princess Alice lives in a kingdom at war and so needs a bodyguard to thwart attempted kidnappings or assassinations.
- Sir Bob is in love with Alice, so his vow to protect her is motivated by his feelings for her as well as a sense of honor.
- Sir Bob is The Atoner for something committed in his past and wants to do right by his new charge. Alice doesn't turn him away nor condemn him for it.
- Subverted:
- Sir Bob is more of a morally questionable Black Knight, but he chooses to serve Princess Alice, a kindhearted person who accepts him nonetheless.
- Sir Bob, a Knight in Shining Armor, serves the more...morally challenged Princess Alice.
- Sir Bob is offered but not interested in being Princess Alice's knight.
- It is revealed that Sir Bob isn't a knight at all. Bob's just a common man-at-arms who's clad like a knight and has never revealed it before.
- Double Subverted:
- After serving Princess Alice for a few years, Bob is slowly becoming more heroic and honorable.
- Sir Bob's nobility rubs off on Princess Alice over time and so she overcomes her moral challenges.
- Sir Bob would much rather go defend the realm with Alice's lady-knight sister, Carol, than hang around the castle.
- For his services and character, Bob is officially knighted and addressed henceforth as "Sir Bob". He is also made Alice's personal guard due to his excellence at the job.
- Inverted: Instead of an adventure, the work is set at the Decadent Court, and Princess Alice uses her considerable skill at politicking to defend Prince Bob from rivals and naysayers who want to see him thwarted.
- Gender Inverted: The honourable Dame Alice vows to defend the benevolent Prince Bob.
- Parodied:
- Bob and Alice never use their names, only being known as "the Princess' Knight" and "the Knight's Princess" respectively.
- Bob is a madman who thinks he's a knight and he created Lady Alice in his mind.
- Zig-Zagged: ???
- Averted:
- Alice is a kind and benevolent lady without any knights at all.
- Bob is just a regular soldier and Nice Guy in Alice's service.
- Sir Bob cannot find a lady wanting his service and Alice cannot find a knight ready to serve her.
- Played For Drama: Princess Alice and Sir Bob fall in love, but because Alice is betrothed to someone else and Bob is too lowborn to marry her, the closest they'll ever get to a proper relationship is Bob swearing to always protect Alice.
"The Dark Lady and Black Knight" subtrope
Basic Trope: The Black Knight is sworn to defend The Baroness or a similar character.
- Straight: Sir Bob is an honorable yet perhaps morally questionable knight, who vows to protect the vain and power-hungry Queen Alice.
- Exaggerated: Sir Bob is a ruthless and battle hungry knight who serves the violent and cruel Queen Alice.
- Downplayed: Sir Bob is loyal, brave, and all the other qualities of a good knight, but he feels no qualms of conscience carrying out Queen Alice's more harsh-but-necessary orders.
- Justified:
- Sir Bob is a supporter of Queen Alice's Evil Plan and thus naturally helps to bring them to fruition.
- Sir Bob takes his vows very seriously, even if he doesn't agree with Alice's plans and actions.
- Bob doesn't actually realize how bad Queen Alice is, due to being blinded by his love for her.
- Gender Inverted: Dark Action Girl Dame Alice swears to protect The Evil Prince Bob.
- Subverted:
- Sir Bob turns out to be The Mole, who only pretended to be evil to get close enough to Alice to overthrow her.
- Sir Bob becomes disillusioned with Alice's evil ways and turns on her.
- Sir Bob is a Knight In Shining Armour despite serving Queen Alice.
- Sir Bob is a morally questionable Black Knight, but his queen is surprisingly good-hearted.
- Double Subverted:
- Sir Bob comes to love and admire Queen Alice and does a Face–Heel Turn.
- Bob no longer supports Alice, but refuses to renege on his vows and still protects her.
- Queen Alice's influence eventually corrupts Bob into becoming a morally questionable knight.
- Alice treats Sir Bob kindly to assure his loyalty and has good publicity through the many bards talking up her good-heartedness.
- Averted:
- Queen Alice has no knight at her beck and call.
- Sir Bob was just another Mook for her.
Back to Lady and Knight.
