Work Text:
The grand hall of the Kingdom’s castle was adorned with banners of deep blue and gold, glittering off the sunlight filtered by the prestigious high arching windows. It was quiet, save for the sound of furious scribbling echoing within the stone walls. In the middle of the bare room sat the Kingom’s crowned prince. On his desk lay countless battle strategies and plans, strewn haphazardly across the deep oak table as the prince continued to think of new ideas, adapting to the flaws he had found in his previous works. His hair was slightly disheveled, and his sharp blue eyes scanned over the intricate maps spread before him.
Isagi Yoichi raked a hand through his hair, clicking his tongue in frustration.
His mind was a flurry of strategies and countermeasures, hundreds of imaginary scenarios act as puzzle pieces needing to be rearranged to ensure victory. The kingdom was surrounded by threats from rival nations, and as the heir to the throne, it was Isagi’s absolute duty to ensure the safety of his people. Yet, despite his intellectual brilliance, the burden of responsibility often weighed heavily upon him.
Isagi put the pen down and leaned against his chair to take a deep breath. It was going to be a long night.
“Are you alright, your Highness?”
Isagi nearly jumped out of his skin, falling over as the chair tipped backward from the sudden movement, only to be saved by a firm hand resting on the back of his shoulder.
The prince sighed, craning his neck upwards to lock eyes with his lead knight.
“How tepid,” Rin remarked, stabilizing Isagi’s chair.
The prince grit his teeth, already agitated from picking apart strategies since daybreak.
“I don’t think that is in any way how you should speak to a prince,” Isagi crossed his arms. “I should get you replaced.”
Rin stared blankly, clearly unimpressed. He adjusted the cuff of his glove before resuming his position, two steps shy from the Prince’s right side.
Rin had been chosen as Isagi’s personal guard just a few months prior. Dressed with black clothing and a leather breastplate protecting his heart, Rin was a swordsman of unparalleled skill. His movements were surgical and precise as if his blade was an extension of his very being. There was something almost poetic about the way he wielded his weapon, a slim long sword. Each strike was a calculated masterpiece, cutting through training dummies as if they were made of water. Isagi had seen countless warriors train in the courtyard, but none were as mesmerizing as Rin.
At first, their relationship was strictly formal. Rin was the ever-diligent knight, his cold demeanor betraying no emotions as he fulfilled his tasks. He followed Isagi wherever he went, shadowing his every step. Isagi, in turn, had regarded him with indifference at first, actually quite disturbed by the Knight’s complete silence if he had to be honest. But as the days passed, the prince begun to notice subtle behaviors that had proved to Isagi the Knight may have not been as stonefaced as he thought.
_______________________________
Rin’s precision in combat was akin to art. Isagi found himself watching the knight train more often than he cared to admit. The way Rin moved, fluid yet deadly, was enthralling. It was during one of these daily sparring sessions that Isagi spoke his thoughts out loud.
“You fight beautifully,” Isagi had thoughtfully remarked one afternoon, watching as Rin sheathed his blade after deciding it was enough training bullying for his cadets today.
Rin blinked at him, surprised by the compliment, but he merely nodded.
“Efficiency, make no wasted movements.”
“You make it look effortless.”
“A sword’s purpose is to protect, Your Highness.”
Despite Rin’s distant nature, Isagi found himself drawn to the knight, fascinated by the sheer discipline and elegance he displayed.
_______________________________
At the start, Rin had not been initially so thrilled to be assigned to babysitting a bratty prince. He would much rather be doing his usually dutys of patrolling the outer walls of the kingdom.
Yet,
Rin had pieced together that the prince was not just a pretty figurehead to be protected, he was brilliant. Despite his struggle in hand to hand combat, the way he crafted battle plans, outwitted nobles in political discussions, and anticipated enemy movements was nothing short of genius.
Rin had always believed strength came from the sword, but watching Isagi wield strategy as his weapon made him reconsider. Rin had always had a good head on his shoulders for battle knowledge himself, however, the prince was more formidable than Rin had ever thought possible. On some days where Rin would watch the Isagi’s eyes go wild upon victory in combat, he would dare to even admit that he was glad to be on the same side as the Prince.
___________________________
Months roll by.
Despite it being quite literally Rin’s job to be attached to Isagi’s hip, they spent more time together than either of them had anticipated. As Isagi studied in the library, Rin stood by his side, quietly observing. When Rin trained, Isagi would occasionally join, testing himself against the knight’s superior skill, only to always end up with his bottom planted firmly to the ground and pristine clothes soiled in dirt.
“Sloppy.” Rin stated coldly.
Isagi’s ears burned in embarrassment.
“It’s not fair, you’ve been doing this since you were born” Isagi complained, rubbing at his poor arms where Rin had struck him. Bruises were sure to form.
“Excuses.”
The guards on the sideline snickered as they watched the crowned prince be beaten down by his knight, only to be silenced from a threatening glance from the knight himself.
“Can’t you go easy on me?” Isagi pleaded, gripping the hilt of his wooden sword and readying for another swing from Rin. “I’m the prince after all! What will the kingdom do if you kill me here?”
“No.” Rin lunged again, disarming Isagi for the fifitieth time that day.
“You will not have it easy out here just because you are royalty your highness.” He stated, spinning the wooden sword, placing it back to his side.
“It will not matter to the enemy.”
After a couple more attempts, Isagi had given up for the day and limped back into the castle to run a hot bath.
Even if it may have been subconscious on Rin’s part, the guards who had first-handedly undergone the wrath of the head knight all knew that Rin had gone easy on the prince that day.
___________________________
Alarms rang through the castle, the heavy toll of the bells signal an attack. Shadows crept through the halls, the clash of steel and cries of battle resounding through the night. Rin had been near the western wing of the castle, collecting important maps requested by the prince when he heard the panicked shouts of the guards.
“The prince! He’s under attack!”
The cries became nothing but an echo as Rin’s legs had already turned the corner.
Without hesitation, he sprinted through the corridors, his heart pounding wildly against his ribs. The air started to darken with smoke and the scent of blood permeated the halls.
_______________________________
The prince was cornered by an assassin, a masked figure wielding twin daggers, their movements swift and lethal. Forced to rely solely on his agility and deftness, Isagi had managed to narrowly evade the first strike, earning a shallow swipe to his cheekbone.
Even with the private practice sessions Rin had thought were helping Isagi to muster up some resemblance of self-defense proved to fall short as the blue-eyed prince managed to trip on his own two feet in an pathetic attempt to disarm his attacker.
The assassin took the opportunity and lunged for the prince’s neck. Without thinking, Rin threw himself between them, his blade flashing in the dim light. Steel met steel with a deafening clash. The enemy was skilled.
But, Rin was better.
Sparks flew as sword met dagger several more times, the sounds ringing off the walls of the castle. One particular parry had caused the assailant to stagger and without a wasted movement, Rin repositioned the hilt of the sword in his hand and incapacitated the assassin in a practiced swing.
The body of the assailant dropped heavily on the ground with no wail of pain, the sound of his dagger clattering across the floor.
Isagi had watched in shock, the sounds of distant flames and fighting still resonated on the other side of the castle. Still behind the protection of his Knight, the prince watched as Rin sheath his sword, gloved hand still resting on the hilt even after the blade was hidden away.
“Thank you… Rin” Isagi breathed, voice shaken from the attempted murder. “Let’s hurry, the others may need our help.”
The knight remained eerily silent.
“Rin?”
Blood splattered the marble floors.
Isagi gasped as Rin staggered back, his grip on his sheath faltering.
“Rin!”
The knight dropped to one knee, his hand clutching the deep gash that ran across his chest. His vision blurred and his breathing labored, but he forced himself to remain upright. He had to protect Isagi. He had to ensure the safety of the prince.
Isagi was at his side in an instant, his hands pressing against the wound, blood instantly staining his white gloves, desperately trying to stop the bleeding . His breath came in ragged gasps, panic overtaking his normally composed demeanor. Rin turned his head to come into eye contact with the prince, eyes softening with relief upon seeing Isagi safe and unharmed. With Isagi’s support, Rin toppled over completely, bringing the prince down with him.
“Medics!” Isagi cried.
“Stay with me,” he pleaded, his voice barely above a whisper.
Rin lifted a trembling hand, his fingers brushing against the gash on Isagi’s cheek.
“... This will scar.” the knight frowned to himself, pained with regret that he was not able to fully protect the prince. What a tepid knight he was.
Isagi’s hand quickly took hold Rin’s.
“I don’t care” He breathed. “Don’t move” He ordered.
A labored breath. “Your movement in battle is still pathetic,” Rin murmured, his voice laced with pain yet filled with admiration. “Sloppy, but you are capable.”
“Shut up, I don't like when you talk so much, It's weird” Isagi joked painfully with a crooked smile.
The knight’s eyes begin to flutter close. He breathes in.
“You’ll be a great king, Isagi.”
Isagi’s blood runs cold. “Rin, don’t you dare.”
The prince stared, waiting for his knight to speak again, not noticing that the hand had gone limp in his own.
______________________________
The next few days were a blur. The attack had been repelled, any and all assailants dealt with with fairly few casualties, but none of that mattered to Isagi. He had refused to leave Rin’s side as the healers worked tirelessly to save him.
Isagi had been unusually cruel that day, ordering for the immediate execution for for all those who had infiltrated the castle that day, abandoning his usual merciful behavior upon seeing his enemies admit defeat. Due to his many responsibilities, Isagi was eventually pulled away from the medical ward to begin defense planning and assuring the Kingdom’s survival upon another attack. With cold eyes, Isagi spend the days fulfilling his duties as the prince and overseeing the affairs to assure everything is back to normal. No one dared to bother him at this time. Even the new knight who had been assigned as Isagi’s temporary bodyguard, despite Isagi’s adamant denial of needing one, stationed himself outside of the prince’s room to avoid his piercing gaze.
The sun had begun to set. The deep blue and gold banners of the castle glittered off the sunlight filtered by the prestigious high arching windows. It was quiet, with a lone prince at his wood desk. Paperwork left untouched at the corner of the table as Isagi tipped his chair back and forth, eyes sunken with the lack of sleep. Tired.
One particular rough movement, caught by his foot caused the unstable chair to tip back without the intention of going back forward.
So be it, Isagi thought, it would be faster for him to get some sleep this way.
Isagi braced to be knocked out by the cold hard floor, but the pain never came.
Confused, the prince slowly opened his eyes, his body nearly halfway down to the ground but suspended by a strong arm supporting the head of his chair.
The prince’s eyes met with teal ones.
Rin stared, clearly unimpressed.
“Suicidal now?” He stated.
Isagi’s eyes widened in shock, pupils dialating and glossing over.
“Rin!”
With sudden burst of energy, Isagi scrambled to stand, catching Rin’s weakened body by surprise and causing him to lose his grip on the chair.
Loud clattering echod off the castle walls as isagi fell backwards with Rin on top of him, the knight grunting in pain from the impact as his freshly healed wound stretched.
“I’m sorry” Isagi laughed, grabbing the knight’s face and pressing their foreheads together, absolutely elated in seeing his knight’s familiar long lower eyelashes.
Isagi’s laughter dies down, his voice trembling. “Don’t ever do that again.”
Rin cocked his head to the side. “I was protecting you,” He stated as a matter of fact.
“And who’s going to protect me from losing you?” Isagi chastised, pinching both sides of Rin’s cheeks.
Rin fell silent, cheeks stinging and heart pounding. He swatted the prince’s hands away and helped him to get up.
He had sworn to protect the prince with his life, but it seems like somewhere during their time together, it had become more than just his simple responsibility.