Today I got to thinking about what a tender version of the white knight trope might be. Not some “I’ll save you from yourself so you don’t have to think” damsel in distress story. No. But… how can someone still have the ability to “save” someone without taking their autonomy?

My answer? Holding space.

It’s so hard to just sit in someone else’s discomfort, in their pain without trying to say the right thing or rush them on as if motion makes it hurt less. In my younger days, I recall saying the things you’re taught to say and do when bad things happen to someone else. And I recall how that person rightfully snapped, because the words would never be enough in that moment.

But, just sitting still, looking at someone hurting and seeing them? Not trying to fix them, just letting them have that quiet space to feel safe enough to say what really hurts? That’s the hardest, bravest, and frankly most tender thing you could do. Sometimes it’s friendly. Other times, it’s an act of love.

No matter what, it doesn’t take away agency. In a way, it gives you more. Because, the world around you might be falling apart, but this one space, this one place… that’s yours to control, to trust. And not being pushed for more gives you the space to heal or think or feel something else.

Examples this week of our white knights are Remmy, Sly, Frost, and of course, Woods.

Remmy

We don’t always talk about that honorary bouncer, Tweety’s first ever VIP, often. He’s such a foundational character that he matters more than he gets credit for. But if you hear Tweety tell it, it’s his story to tell. Which is how high she regards him too. But Remmy? Since we first met him, he was always in protective mode. And even if Tweety doesn’t tell his story for him, you can see it unfolding. The way he’s always watching out for her. The way that she causes trouble for herself and he lets it play out as long as it’s safe. The way he would subtly step in to discourage someone she showed a flicker of unease around. He never takes her agency until it becomes an emergency, and even then he’s not dumb enough to think I dropped her somewhere safe, I can go. He knows her. She won’t do anything she doesn’t want. And he would never force her to either. His philosophy is more like “I know you can do it all by yourself, but you don’t have to, because we’re all like family.”

Sly

In the beginning, Sly learns the way of the Soulful bartender from Tweety herself. She maybe saves him from something he doesn’t see for himself first, but after he figures it all out? Sly is the master of the stone face open ears advice from a book smart sort. He holds space for everyone no matter who they are, and you can see his biggest reoccurring standing appointment is warm drinks in the middle of the night to hear the same stories he’s listened to for years. Because healing starts with saying what hurts, however many times you need to say where it hurts. Sly is that guy that may be quiet, but that legendary myth pin means more than first glances give him credit. He’s the guy that says “I’m always here to listen without judgement, no matter what.”

Frost

If the other men on this list so far have shown that softness makes an emotional knight, Frost is here to prove otherwise. This is by far the closest to the trope itself character in the Red Letters world. He’s not, because he is too human. He can’t save himself, let alone others. But he tries. He’s the father figure who thinks he’d be a crap dad. The Scot who can turn “Lass” into a language, but can’t come out and say what he really means. And that’s because he doesn’t always know either. There’s at least two places in the first book where we see Frost telling us the best thing is for someone to go away. But he doesn’t even get through it without suggesting that person stay as well. Because Frost? He’s very “It’s better if your not in this darkness with me, but I’d be lonely without you lively lasses in my life.”

Woods

Now, talk about burying the lead. Literally. He’s our MMC. But in the first book, we don’t really get to see him in his head. What we see is his actions and the way he speaks without speaking. He’s an unreliable white knight, so he’s not perfect. But he is pretty perfect for our FMC. He may start off trying to tease and trigger her like he’s a little devil, but there’s a moment where he anchors her, and they click in a way that changes them both going forward. He will always be a sexy little devil type, it’s in his rock start nature, even then. But even a devil can soften for the right angel if she isn’t completely a little innocent either, right? “I just want to care for you, whatever that means.”