⋆˙⟡ ── To Defy The Stars.

⋆˙⟡ ── to defy the stars.

pairings : knight!tenya i. x fem!reader

warnings : arranged marriage mentioned :0

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“Good morning, your highness.” 

The boy greeted, bowing to you in his way that you’ve grown familiar with. His eyes dared not to look into yours as his head kept low, finding his boots so very interesting.

“Arise, Tenya” You chuckled, watching as the blue haired boy rose from his curt, his dark blue eyes not daring to gaze into your own. 

It had been two years — well, 22 months, and a week, to be exact — since he was assigned to you, the next heir of the throne, the beloved princess, as your private guard. His job was simple; be with you at all times, and to protect you from any harm that comes your way. You had grown fond of him, his stiff movements, his worrisome habit, and his ever so slightly loud voice. 

He would follow you around as you took your walks by the city, greeting the citizens and haggling with the vendors, or playing with the children. It had seemed as if he was keeping a tight watch in every area you are in, his eyes would narrow if someone had gotten too close, his hands would ready themselves on the hilt of his sword if their hands went to a suspicious pocket. Slowly though, as he had spent time with you, he had grown fond of your jokes, your lighthearted jabs at him, and even your habit of purposely walking slowly towards your council meetings.

“Smile, Tenya. It does not kill you.” You say, seeing as the boy would always keep a sharp gaze to the surroundings, his mouth ever so slightly forming a frown. And he would comply, “Y-yes, your highness” and a small curve up his lips would appear. You had always admired his smile, and even complimented him many times for it, hoping that he would take it as a sign for him to start smiling more. For a small reason that — goodness, he scares the people away with that sharp gaze of his.

⋆˚✿˖°

The day Tenya had received the news of being chosen as the kingdom heir’s guard, he was ecstatic. He made sure to polish his sword, his armour, and even bought new shoes to be at his best. His steps were wide and confident as he made his way to the castle grounds. He memorized all the proper etiquette he had learned to greet a royalty, talk to a royalty, everything. He greeted the king and queen just fine, they smiled and approved of his bow, his replies, all were met with a knowing glance from the two, nodding to each other.

Then his eyes then laid upon you, the heir of the kingdom. Of course, the papers and people had praised you for your beauty, your elegance, and all sweet words. Yet it all came too short to even describe you. To him, you were radiant. He bowed to you that day, introducing himself, and even as you commanded him to rise, he dared not to look in your eyes, fearing he might stutter.

The days he spent with you were filled with schedules, and he would follow from behind as you attended your classes, went to walk by the city, attended your council meetings, or even ate dinner. 

Slowly, you allowed him to sit by the dinner table along with you, growing fond of his presence. “Sit with me, Tenya” You softly instructed, your hand gesturing to the seat beside you. 

So, as days turned to weeks, and weeks into months, Tenya now found himself memorizing your schedule, where he had to escort you to, what sweets you liked—wait, no, that’s not…— but oh, it is. 

Like it or not, for the last two years, Tenya continues to find himself growing in admiration towards you, and it only grows stronger each day as he watches you smile, laugh, chuckle, talk, goodness! Even the way you would slightly lose your temper in handling the council meetings looks so powerful and admirable to him. He finds himself unable to tear his gaze from you as you write your studies down to your books, his heartbeat would jolt and his chest would flourish with even a graze of your skin touching his hands, and he still couldn’t look you in the eyes without stuttering his words, and the sight of you in any dress seemed to always make his breath hitch in his throat. The way you would smile when saying his name, when you emphasize the syllables, it sends him into a spiral. This is… frustrating to him. He longed to hold you, to kiss your hand as you descended into your bedroom, to tuck your hair behind your ear, to… love you…

…He was but a knight, and you were the direct heir to the kingdom, a princess. He knew his feelings were a clap with only one hand. He is but a knight, a guard meant to watch from the sidelines, and not to interfere. For you were to find a suitor soon, and he had no chances of being one of them.

Yet he persisted, he pushed reality away, ignorance is bliss afterall. 

He would accompany you as you talked through the night at the castle gardens, babbling to him about anything, as your fingers danced on top of the water of the fountain, and you would sneak glances at him from the water, and sometimes flicked a trickle of water to his face, giggling. He would smile, and only to you, a warm grin would even form at his face, and his hands would twitch, tempted to move a loose strand of hair away from your face. You would tell stories to him of your day, knowing he was there through all of it, and he would listen, humming as a response. 

He finds himself helping you pick and choose your jewelry, and you’d sometimes laugh while putting up an earring to his ear, “You look beautiful, Tenya.” And the four words would send shivers down his spine, and his voice came out softer than how it would usually.

Tenya knew this was all wrong, he shall not, he should not be having these… interactions with you, he should not look at you so, it’s unprofessional, it’s against his protocol! It’s… forbidden. 

⋆˚✿˖°

You walked through the castle garden slowly, your hands clasped lazily behind your back as Tenya followed you close from behind. Your eyes wander through the trees, the flowers that now bow their heads to the setting sun. Tenya’s heavy boots’ steps became a rhythm to your own, and you found yourself falling into step beside him.

“The noon is beautiful today, hm?” 

“Indeed, your highness.”

Your heart flutters as you glance at him, smiling to you with the smile that you love perhaps a little too much. That smile that he never gave to anyone… but you. That smile, with his deep blue eyes, like pools that you would bathe in. Those eyes that made you… come alive every time you gaze into them. Despite his cold demeanor, stiff discipline, yet that softness in his eyes—they were always present when he talked to you, or when he was chiding you gently for your recklessness, and you would always find your heart hammering to your chest every time he did, and your words would stutter, stuck at the tip of your tongue. 

The feeling no longer felt unfamiliar to you, unlike the first time he offered to listen to your worries that night by the fountain, and even offered his coat to you. Goodness, were you always this shy? It seemed like talking to other men would flow like breathing to you, but since that night, Tenya’s figure always seemed to shine in your eyes, and you slowly found yourself looking for him in every room you enter whenever he was not around, sneaking glances to whenever he was training, and even complimented him purposely to see his cheeks grow red. 

You knew this was wrong. You are a princess, the heir to the throne, for gods’ sake! You shall not, you mustn’t.

But it’s only a small admiration… is it not…?

You sighed to push away the thought, turning to him as you walked backwards, “Do I look presentable for dinner, Tenya?”

He smiled softly, looking at you with a knowing gaze. “Of course you do, your highness.” He paused. Then continued, “...Y-you look… radiant, as always.” 

⋆˚✿˖°

“My dear,” The king smiled as he wiped his mouth from his dinner. He had a knowing smile on his face, one you grew to know too well; he had good news to share.

“The neighboring kingdom has sent a proposal.” He continued, a huge grin on his face. You knew too well what this was about, the past few months you’ve been nagged about seeking marriage, a prince or a nobleman to love and to cherish for the rest of your days. You knew all too well that he had found a kingdom who finally offered their son for you to marry. 

“...A marriage, father?” You made sure, your hands cutting the steak on your plate carefully. “Sharp as always, my dear. You are correct once more.” 

Tenya’s quiet movements paused, his hands felt stiff on his knife as he cut his steak, and the voices, noises of the dining hall seemed to be mere echoes at that moment. The day he had dreaded has come, the day he wished and dreamed will never come, came at last. He knew, oh he knew too well that this day would come, but the sting felt like venom in his chest, and the thought of you dancing, smiling at other men shot a chorus of jealousy through his veins that lasted short as he realized; you weren’t even his, not in the slightest.

“But father, isn’t it too soon? And this kingdom hasn’t been on the best terms with us…” Your voice cuts through his thoughts, though quiet and filled with uncertainty. You opened your mouth once more, “Not to mention—” The king raised his palm, commanding silence. 

“...I wish nothing but the best for you, dear daughter. You know that well.” 

“But father–” 

“y/n…I do not wish to argue as of now.” The king threatened, his brows frowning.

“...But their son!! Father, his reputation is not–” 

“I know, my dear, I know…” He sighed. “But this marriage shall be a great benefit–”

The chair croaked through the ground as you stood up, fists clenching by your sides as your eyes set ablaze. Your lips curled into a scoff.

“A great benefit to whomst?! You?!”

“My dear—”

“No!” You yelled, your vision narrowing from your furrowing brows.

You scowled as you turned away from the dining table, your shoes clacked against the stone floors, echoing through the room and halls as you exited the dining hall. Tenya’s eyes followed your figure, his eyes frowned at the sight, flickering back and forth from you and the king, frowning. 

“...E-excuse me, your majesty.” Tenya stood up, earning a wave of dismissal from the sighing king. 

His steps fell heavy upon the stone floors as he followed your way, exiting the dining hall, his head darted left to right, yet your familiar graceful figure wasn’t there, only the moonlight that seeped from the castle’s windows, the crickets singing a numb ring to his ears as he progressed down the hallway. 

“Your highness, your highness!” He called out, and the echoes of his own voice answered his call.

His boots fell heavy upon the cobblestone floors, the metal embellishments on his uniform clinked against each other as his arms swung front to back. But then, the familiar gleam of moonlight whispered into his eyes, upon the water in the fountain by the castle gardens, there the moon had settled, amongst its glow, you sat by the fountain, your fingers danced upon its water.

“Your highness!” He breathed out a relieved sigh, his tone hushed as he rushed to your side.

You stayed silent, refusing to look at him. He shall not see you, not when you’re this fragile. You lift your hand to your face to swipe a tear off your cheek, sighing softly.

“Y-your highness,” He breathed. 

A familiar twitch tugged on his arm, that one tug that always begs him to reach out his hand and hold you in his arms, enveloping you, to stroke your hair gently and whisper sweet nothings in your ear. He ignores it.

“Leave me be Tenya,” You sniffled, your shoulder jolted slightly from your remaining sobs. You refused to turn your back to the fountain and face him, ashamed that you had cried in front of him. “But your highness–”

“You are dismissed for today, Tenya.” 

He froze, hesitance tugging the strings of his heart. Yet he did not leave, he stayed silent by your side as your quiet sobs slowly sang along with the trickling water and the harmony of crickets. The heat of his body was still present, taunting you from behind.

“Your highness, please, for this once, let me stay by your side.”

You opened your mouth to repeat your command, but it was stopped by a click from the embellishments of his uniform, along with a shuffle from the velvet brushing up against his arms, and yours.

The air hitched in your throat. The cold air of the night disappeared almost immediately as you felt his arms around you, the velvety coat of the fabric, along with the feels of his cotton gloves cautiously resting upon your arms. His chest was flush to your back, and responding to the drumming of your heart, your hand instinctively reached to his arms, now circling carefully upon your chest. His breath was shaking, trembling, as if in fear, but also relief. Tenya’s head slowly rested on your shoulder, and you could feel his body shake ever so slightly as his breaths hitched and choked softly in sobs.

“Your highness,” He croaked, his voice strained. “Please… please, talk to me…” 

You stayed quiet.

“Your highness… I would listen to you ramble about anything, your days, your accomplishments, your sadness…anything, your highness… so please… talk to me.”

You slowly turned your body to face him in his embrace, he stood straight back up, his eyes now welling with tears as his lips pursed slightly to hold them back.

“But why… Tenya…?” You asked softly, the hints of tears still present in your voice.

He stayed silent, his beautiful admiral blue eyes slowly finding home to gaze upon yours, before he said;

“For it is because I love you, princess.” He confessed, his voice barely above a whisper as he trembled, darting away his gaze from yours in shame.

“...I love you…so very much,”

“A-and… I would trade nothing… to listen to you talk to me.” He continued, letting his mouth ramble on, the exhaustion of keeping a secret too big to handle dawning upon him. 

Your eyes grew wide with every single sentence he muttered out in hints of embarrassment and relief.

“I-I know… these feelings are wrong,” He stammered, his hands slowly finding your hands, gently holding them to his chest. 

“But I… I am but a knight, princess…no– I…”

“I am but a man and— gods help me… I try so hard...”

“So hard to keep my distance… but I just… couldn’t.” A sob escaped his lips, almost desperate. 

“It’s always you, my lady… always you… who makes me weak to my knees, always you who makes me smile, I… I love you …too much, it hurts.” He confessed. And as he did, his voice became lower and lower, his head ducking in shame, and his sobs frequent. But he shakingly kept your hands pressed to his chest, and you could clearly hear his racing heart.

Maybe it was the wine that was served at dinner, or was it just grape juice? Either way, your hands found their way to his cheeks, slowly guiding his face to yours. 

Then, Tenya’s world fell silent when his lips touched yours. Hesitance, then certainty. His hands slowly enveloped your waist, his thumb traced circles upon it, and one caressed your cheek as he sighed against your lips, meeting his forehead to yours.

“I love you… so much, princess,” He whispered, his finger gently brushed away the hair covering your face as he pressed a light kiss to your forehead, his tears met your skin.

“Shall the stars not write me into your story, I shall carve my name myself.”

dworkism | do not repost!

a/n : sorry it's been SOOO long since i've posted :(((((((( i was caught up with schoolwoorkkjdksjkskdj

ALSO SOSORRY IF HES OOC this is my first time writing for him 😔😔😔😔😔

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