History Main / LadyAndKnight

* ''FateZero'': This is the dynamic between Irisviel and Saber. [[{{Squee}} Even Irisviel says so]]. This is to [[{{Foil}} contrast]] [[AntiHero the other half]] of team Einzbern.

* In ''DynastyWarriorsGundam 2'' [[GundamZZ Haman Khan]] and [[GundamWing Milliardo Peacecraft]] have a plotline which has shades of this, and their Special Combo dialogue explicitly references it:

* In ''DynastyWarriorsGundam 2'' [[GundamDoubleZeta Haman Khan]] and [[GundamWing Milliardo Peacecraft]] have a plotline which has shades of this, and their Special Combo dialogue explicitly references it:

* Played for laughs in the Sleep Incense arc of the [[RanmaOneHalf Ranma 1/2]] manga. In one of Akane's dreams, she's a princess and has been captured by Shampoo, Ukyo, and Kodachi. After Ranma rescues Akane and swears his eternal allegiance to her, they immediately become [[SickeninglySweethearts Sickeningly Sweethearts]]. They almost have sex, right before that dream ends and the next one begins. Hilariously ironic, considering that the real Ranma and Akane are chockful of [[BelligerentSexualTension Belligerent Sexual Tension]] and refuse to physically display any affection for each other. 

Often there's some sort of ceremony or official pledging, accompanied by the male giving the female a kiss on the hand of kneeling. Sometimes non-historical based works will slip something similar in as a tip off to the two character's relationship.

* Saint George and Princess Una in SaintGeorgeAndTheDragon

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!Examples:

There are two types of LadyAndKnight, the '''Bright Lady and White Knight''', a good version, and an EvilCounterpart, the '''Dark lady and Black Knight'''. For more information about the two different types, see [[Analysis/LadyAndKnight the Analysis page]].

Keep in mind that the Lady And Knight, while often female and male respectively, don't actually have to be. Also it's not unheard of for Ladies and their Knights to switch from one to the other, should they perform a HeelFaceTurn or FaceHeelTurn.

Compare MistressAndServantBoy.

!The Lady Archetype

!!The Bright Lady
The Bright Lady is a woman of rank, often a [[TheHighQueen Queen]], [[EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses Princess]], other nobility or of [[TheOjou otherwise high rank.]] Occasionally she will be a maiden of low rank, having significant beauty, kindness and grace whom the Knight has found admirable and worthy of his service. To the Knight she is a force of goodness and a vision of IncorruptiblePurePureness, at least by the end. Sometimes she grows into this over time, at first being [[WellExcuseMePrincess haughty and prideful]], indistinguishable from any other stuffy lady of rank, but eventually her inner goodness and worth is revealed. She listens and respects her Knight's opinions and will often defer to him, if he is more knowledgeable about something, or proves to be correct in something she had previously disagreed with. Very often there is a BodyguardCrush involved.

The Bright Lady's power usually lies in arena's outside of physical combat, for which she must rely upon her Knight for protection. In a fantasy work [[SwordAndSorcery she may have magic]] (often not strong or recently discovered) which allows her to fight if necessary, or provide support or healing during and after one, but in non-magic universes she will be a NonActionGuy, though this is [[LadyOfWar increasingly subverted]]. Just as likely she is TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask who must [[GuileHero use her wits]] to survive in the cut-throat court politics going on around her. If she has a goal, other than escaping some evil lord who wants her dead, it's often recovering her title or noble position.

Compare: TheHighQueen, PrincessClassic, TheIngenue, RebelliousPrincess, TheOjou

!!!''The Bright Lady also has a ShadowArchetype:''

!!The Dark Lady
Like her bright counterpart, the Dark Lady is a woman of high status. She may have inherited her position, but just as likely she has accumulated power with cunning, and even dark magic, and clawed her way to significance through the use of that power. It is not unusual for her to be a FemmeFatale who has recruited her Knight via manipulation, blackmail or MindControl. She is often an antagonist, even a {{Villain}}, and where The Bright Lady will grow out of her arrogance and haughtiness, the Dark Lady on the other hand will usually become [[GodSaveUsFromtheQueen increasingly arrogant and controlling]]. Rather than her inner goodness being revealed, her inner evil will be revealed. She may listen to her Knight, though rarely goes out of her way to consult him, but in the end her orders are law, and will not take those orders being disregarded well. Just because she's usually the Villain however, doesn't mean she's always heartless. She may have her own deep affections for her Knight and they are lovers.

The Dark Lady also tends to shun physical combat herself, but is much more likely to be a LadyOfBlackMagic or VainSorceress, wielding powerful and dangerous magic, and unafraid to use them at need. She usually wins, too. Unlike the Bright Lady, she and her Knight aren't always seen together, however and don't always fight as a team. And where her bright counterpart is often in the thick of things, needing to be protected, the Dark Lady is often [[HiddenAgendaVillain commanding her Knight from the shadows]], nowhere near any danger. Like the Bright Lady she uses cunning to get her way and may be involved in [[TheChessmaster long term machinations]] for [[ComesGreatInsanity more power]] or even the throne.

* Compare: TheBaroness, EvilSorceress, TheVamp, FemmeFatale, LadyMacBeth, GodSaveUsFromTheQueen

!The Knight Archetype

!!The White Knight

The White Knight has pledged his service to the lady and acts as TheChampion to her. He has sworn his service to her above all else, not the country or some other greater organization, but entrusted himself solely to her protection and the furthering of her goals. At times his loyalty to his Lady and his other responsibilities might clash but you can bet in the end he will AlwaysSaveTheGirl. In fact often he places his Lady's safety above even her wishes, and will openly and shamelessly defy her in order to protect her, and not regret it one wit. He is usually a man of high moral caliber, who follows a code of chivalry, but it's not absolutely necessity. The White Knight, even if he starts out a bit grey, will inevitably find himself doing good because his Lady acts as his MoralityChain.

He is not always an actual Knight, or even a properly trained warrior, but he will be a Badass in some capacity, because he will have to fight for his Lady at some point. In a fantasy setting, if he doesn't start out as a ranking Knight, usually he is Knighted by her or someone else at some point and has the title in truth. He is usually the Lady's social inferior, which can be a problem if he becomes a LoveInterest in a BodyguardCrush situation, the same if she's a peasant maiden and he a nobleman, though, which happens occasionally. In older works it was just as common or more common for their relationship to be one of CourtlyLove.

* Compare: TheChampion, KnightInShiningArmor, SaintChevalier, TheHero, BattleButler

!!!''The White Knight also has a ShadowArchetype:''

!!The Black Knight

The Black Knight often starts out as a White Knight, but under a Dark Lady's influence, that doesn't last long. [[UndyingLoyalty So devoted]] to his Lady is he that he will sacrifice anything, including his honor, pride and values, to serve her as she sees fit. He may be just as [[PsychoSupporter unfettered]] as she is, eager to fulfill his duty to her, or he might feel uneasy with what she asks him to do, but his main feelings on it are usually MyMasterRightOrWrong. If she is the {{Villain}}, he is her [[TheDragon Dragon]]. There is no need for the Lady to ever be suspicious of him, she trusts him implicitly though occasionally, [[TheStarscream she probably shouldn't have]]. Still, it's rare that he would defy her orders, even to protect her, if she insisted hard enough. As much as the Lady values him, it's not unheard of for a Dark Lady to orchestrate her Knight's death [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness if he displeases her enough]].

The Black Knight and his Lady are very often [[BodyguardCrush involved romantically]], or one of the two wants to be. In fact it's not uncommon for the Black Knight to come to pledge himself to his Lady because of [[FemmeFatale her active seduction]]. Neither is it uncommon for her to keep him by her side through blackmail, tricks, spells or other underhanded means, and in fact he may be the [[ReforgedIntoAMinion Brainwashed]] White Knight of a Bright Lady, usually the protagonist. That isn't to say that there are never instances of [[UnholyMatrimony the two sharing true love]], though, it's just less common. Usually he is a ranking Knight, Nobleman or other well-renowned individual of great skill, and almost never someone of low rank. The Dark lady will only accept the best.

* Compare: BlackKnight, LoveMartyr, PsychoSupporter, TheDragon, ReforgedIntoAMinion

[[AC:Web Comics]]
* Dave and Jade from {{Homestuck}} seem to have this dynamic while Jade was breeding frogs. It's implied Karkat and Kanaya had a similar thing in the troll's session too.

Like her bright counterpart, the Dark Lady is a woman of high status. She may have inherited her position, but just as likely she has accumulated power with cunning, and even dark magic, and clawed her way to significance through the use of that power. It is not unusual for her to be a FemmeFatale who has recruited her Knight via manipulation, blackmail or MindControl. She is often an antagonist, even a {{Villain}}, and where The Bright Lady will grow out of her arrogance and haughtiness, the Dark Lady in the other hand will usually become [[GodSaveUsFromtheQueen increasingly arrogant and controlling]]. Rather than her inner goodness being revealed, her inner evil will be revealed. She may listen to her Knight, though rarely goes out of her way to consult him, but in the end her orders are law, and will not take those orders being disregarded well. Just because she's usually the Villain however, doesn't mean she's always heartless. She may have her own deep affections for her Knight and they are lovers.

The Dark Lady also tends to shun physical combat herself, but is much more likely to be a DarkMagicalGirl or VainSorceress, wielding powerful and dangerous magic, and unafraid to use them at need. She usually wins, too. Unlike the Bright Lady, she and her Knight aren't always seen together, however and don't always fight as a team. And where her bright counterpart is often in the thick of things, needing to be protected, the Dark Lady is often [[HiddenAgendaVillain commanding her Knight from the shadows]], nowhere near any danger. Like the Bright Lady she uses cunning to get her way and may be involved in [[TheChessmaster long term machinations]] for [[ComesGreatInsanity more power]] or even the throne.

* ''{{Dragonheart}}'' has the literal knight Bowen and Kara, the rebellious peasant girl with whom he falls in love. Their holding these roles to each other is made more explicit in the novelization of the movie.

* As noted in the film section, ''Literature/ThePrincessBride'' has this with Westley and Buttercup. Buttercup's personal growth from stuck-up brat to more deserving of the White Lady title is much more prominent in the book.

[[AC:Web Comics]]
* Dave and Jade from {{Homestuck}} seem to have this dynamic while Jade was breeding frogs. It's implied Karkat and Kanaya had a similar thing in the troll's session too.

* ''LadyAndTheTramp'': Lady's role is obvious by [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin her name]]. Tramp acts as protector when she gets lost in the streets, but is at first reluctant to help her back to her home, as he is leery of humans; in a way, he's also trying to protect her from what he perceives is the shackles of domesticity. His irresponsibility does get Lady in trouble when they raid a chicken coop and she gets taken to the pound, and what she learns about his past there leads to a falling out. He redeems himself by [[spoiler:saving the Darling's baby from a rat]] and eventually warms up to domestic life.

* ''{{Dragonheart}}'' has the literal knight Bowen and Kara, the rebellious peasant girl with whom he falls in love. Their holding these roles to each other is made more explicit in the novelization of the movie.

* As noted in the film section, ''Literature/ThePrincessBride'' has this with Westley and Buttercup. Buttercup's personal growth from stuck-up brat to more deserving of the White Lady title is much more prominent in the book.
* Sparhawk and Ehlana in the ''{{Elenium}}'' trilogy are this in the most literal of senses; Ehlana is Queen of Ehlenia, and Sparhawk is the Queen's Champion (and later husband).

* Multiple examples in Arthurian myth, but amongst the most notable is Gareth and Lynette (where, oddly, they end up marrying each others' siblings).

* Only partial in BabylonFive: Marcus Cole is knightly but Ivanova is not particularly ladylike, at least not in the classic sense.

* As suggested under Multiple Media below, the film Excalibur is an example of the modernized ArthurianLegend version of the trope.

The LadyAndKnight is a chivalric image that many of us probably know very well, though perhaps you didn't realize they come in two flavors. A staple in fiction everywhere, the LadyAndKnight dynamic is at least OlderThanFeudalism, and probably OlderThanDirt, though no doubt that whole era of Romantic adventure stories like ''KingArthur'' and ''RobinHood'' perpetuated it. While it is very common in works set in a Medieval era or [[MedievalEuropeanFantasy equivalent fantasy version]], they can pop up anywhere, but even in modern settings they are usually meant to invoke that era's ideal image of a Lady and her Knight.

* Played for laughs in the Sleep Incense arc of the [[RanmaOneHalf Ranma 1/2]] manga. In one of Akane's dreams, she's a princess and has been captured by Shampoo, Ukyo, and Kodachi. After Ranma rescues her, they immediately become [[SickeninglySweethearts Sickeningly Sweethearts]]. They almost have sex, right before that dream ends and the next one begins. Hilariously ironic, considering that the real Ranma and Akane are chockful of [[BelligerentSexualTension Belligerent Sexual Tension]] and refuse to physically display any affection for each other. 

* Technically it would be 'Captain and Supply Officier' but Lafiel and Jinto from CrestOfTheStars fullfil the spirit of the trope. He defers to and protects her, while she is a princess with a drive to serve her empire. On other hand, since Jinto is arguably TheQuisling, his fellow humans see them as the darker variety.