My heart blooms pink to red

by ThatOneWeird0

Summary:

Toya finds out his knight is sick so, as any good prince would do, he goes to check up on him.

Notes:

I RETURN and I bring with me princeknight! Unfortunately Toya does not tend to his wounds in this :broken_heart: but that's just because I like exploring the nuances in dynamics which includes how people have to learn to manoever around each other depending on their relationship, and princeknight is a very much "so close yet so far" kind of thing which makes it so fun for me lmao.

This started out as only dialogue practise for me but it didn't take very long for me to write the rest in lmao. I'll probably find fifty things wrong with it and edit it tomorrow but oh wellsnjskm. Also, this is more old-sounding english than actual old english.... I just wanted to make a fantasy au okay 😭😭 I'm not sharing this for it's historical accuracy 🙏:broken_heart:

With all that being said, enjoy!

Chapter 1

Roses made of bud and thorns

Angels drawing nigh

Crossing Earth, O’ heaven-borne,

To hold both hands with I

_________________________________

 

The anxious prince arrived at the nurse’s ward, faster than any prince should be walking.

 

He had completed all of his private learning hours prior, but the steward would not let him to leave until all the extra work had been done. Usually, he could just ask the servants to leave him be, but the steward was under direct orders from the king - his father - to keep him in his room until completion.

 

He had no doubt his father already harboured some suspicion of his time spent with his personal knight, his brothers having to cover for him on multiple occasions. He felt guilty; they were already struggling with learning the ins and outs of the kingdom before they would inevitably be left in charge, and he wasn’t making it much easier for them. But - he turned the corner, almost walking past his destination when he heard a cough - today would have to be one of those occasions.

 

And of his knight, he was unwell. Toya knew because he hadn’t been there to greet him by the door of his bed chambers that morning, where he usually kept watch. He was grateful someone had found out and likely ushered him to the nurses - he refused to take breaks unless mandatory, even for illness - so he was relieved that he was resting. But… He looked around for the nurse. Knowing alone his knight was resting was not enough to dispel the chasm of loneliness that opened wide at his absence. With a sigh, he gently knocked against the wood.

 

"Shinonome? Are you well?" A cough, followed by the ruffling of bed sheets.

 

"Please, don't enter, your highness." So he had been expecting him. Of course…

 

"I wish to see my knight."

 

"This knight is a danger to you. I will return to your side to morrow." His throat was hoarse, and yet the thickness of his voice only served to make Toya yearn to get closer to the sound of it.

 

"And should some tragedy befall me to morrow?"

 

"Do not speak ill of yourself, your highness. Surely you are in the care of God and the kingdom. Your legion will guard you." He replied seriously, the way he did whenever he questioned the divine order, even when he knew he was teasing. He couldn’t bear to hear his highness talk of himself as if he were contaminated with the unworthy.

 

"But you shan't?" His ‘legion’ meant nothing… Not without his knight.

 

"Your highness, please- ack." It was a very chesty cough; Toya was truly grateful someone had found him before it had worsened. He couldn’t just leave his knight on there by himself. So, despite his companion’s protests, he entered through the door.

 

"Oh... Bed-bound you are." His knight lay dazed on the bed, blankets folded over and around him in disharmony. Wonderous olive eyes strangely sterned and softened at the sight of him, dissipating the fog they were shrouded in. Even like this, his knight’s gaze on him fulfilled him.

 

"Your highness, do not come by me.” He panicked as his prince almost took the stool next to his bed rather than- “The - ack - The sill, sir! Its elevation is much more be- ack - befitting for you!” Toya sat on the stool anyway, wanting to be as close to his knight as possible. “Please, your highness, lest my mortal disease take you as victim- ack-!”

 

"Then God and the kingdom and my legion will surely love me to health." He placed a hand over his knight’s. The knuckles of the latter bristled with red, but it was beautiful to him. Akito still felt uncomfortable with breaking the order like this, that it wasn’t right for him to be so familiar with the prince but Toya insisted and, well… He was weak.

 

"Ah..." Toya sat there, hand brushing over his companion’s, softly observing him. He was not wearing his uniform; he had guessed as much when he had seen the bloody wear hung up to the side for the maids to collect. There was no sign of his undershirt either, meaning underneath the blanket he was likely…

 

"...Why do you look at me so foreign?" He shifted to sit up, the blanket falling off him revealing his bare, bandage-wrapped body. It seemed sculpted to Toya, like it belonged next to the statues of semi-nude heroes posing in stone across his garden. He immediately latched onto every detail of the new skin, for fear that he may never see it again.

 

"It is... strange. To see you without your apparel."

 

"They do not let me near them for fear of my health." He trailed off, it being evident that the prince wasn’t listening as he subconsciously shifted closer to his body. And Akito, subservient as ever, would not deny his prince what ever he desired to learn. “Does his highness take an interest to my body?”

 

“Ah,” he seemed to snap out of it a little. “I did not intend to-” Akito only shifted closer to the hand Toya didn’t even realise he had raised, turning him an unseemly shade of red.

 

“My body belongs to the throne and those who sit upon it, this was my oath. Do with it as you please, your highness.” Flustered still, Toya took the invite, tracing the cut of his body, brushing over the dozens of scars that accented the skin.

 

"This scar..."

 

"The mountain lion, sir."

 

“And this…”

 

“A jaguar, sir.”

 

"And this one too?" He gently poked another one. Akito flinched drawing his hand over the area, flinching. Toya immediately drew back, going to apologise.

 

"No, that is cursed to my skin by the dark sorcerer. Please refrain from going near, your highness." Toya complied, moving up instead.

 

"And this gauze at your neck..."

 

"A dragon's bite, sir."

 

"This severe?"

 

"They are unknownst well to us. Your knowledge far exceeds mine, therefore my strategy is made weaker than yours, your highness."

 

"You heed my warnings of care, do you not?"

 

"Above all else."

 

"Then why are these scars so vile, these cuts so strange?" He drew his hand back, freeing Akito’s, which he only used to bring his hand palm down over his heart; a salute, a vow.

 

"I am your defence at your side and not at your side. I am your shadow that cleanses the dust from the ground you walk. Think not of these as marks of my pain, but rather, acts of my love. My love to your highness has no bounds. In pain and in fear, they belong to you, locked beneath your throne till my dying breath."

 

"You speak in delirium." He really should have left him to rest…

 

"I speak what I know is true, and my truth is far less in understanding then you, yet do not take me as insincere- ack-!"

 

"Never, my knight." He trusted him with his life. "Should I call for you the nurse?"

 

"She will arrive in due time. Please, rest, your highness. Your duty commences before my own."

 

"And you will rest too?" Akito sighed, surrendering.

 

"By order of his highness." Because he lived to serve.

 

"Good night, dear knight." And he lived to protect.

 

"Good night, my prince.”

 

And they lived, for the sole purpose, of loving each other.

 

Chapter 2

Summary:

This is the same as the first chapter just with more modern english because ik reading shakespearean is annoying lmao

Roses made of bud and thorns

Angels drawing nigh

Crossing Earth, O’ heaven-borne,

To hold both hands with I

_________________________________

 

The anxious prince arrived at the nurse’s ward, faster than any prince should be walking.

 

He had completed all of his private learning hours prior, but the steward would not let him to leave until all the extra work had been done. Usually, he could just ask the servants to leave him be, but the steward was under direct orders from the king - his father - to keep him in his room until completion.

 

He had no doubt his father already harboured some suspicion of his time spent with his personal knight, his brothers having to cover for him on multiple occasions. He felt guilty; they were already struggling with learning the ins and outs of the kingdom before they would inevitably be left in charge, and he wasn’t making it much easier for them. But - he turned the corner, almost walking past his destination when he heard a cough - today would have to be one of those occasions.

 

And of his knight, he was unwell. Toya knew because he hadn’t been there to greet him by the door of his bed chambers that morning, where he usually kept watch. He was grateful someone had found out and likely ushered him to the nurses - he refused to take breaks unless mandatory, even for illness - so he was relieved that he was resting. But… He looked around for the nurse. Knowing alone his knight was resting was not enough to dispel the chasm of loneliness that opened wide at his absence. With a sigh, he gently knocked against the wood.

 

"Shinonome? Are you well?" A cough, followed by the ruffling of bed sheets.

 

"Please, don't enter, your highness." So he had been expecting him. Of course…

 

"I wish to see my knight."

 

"You can't come near me right now. I will be back by your side tomorrow." His throat was hoarse, and yet the thickness of his voice only served to make Toya yearn to get closer to the sound of it.

 

"And if something happens to me by tomorrow?"

 

"Don’t say things like that, your highness. God and the kingdom will look after you. Your army will guard you." He replied seriously, the way he did whenever he questioned the divine order, even when he knew he was teasing. He couldn’t bear to hear his highness talk of himself as if he were contaminated with the unworthy.

 

"And you won’t?" His ‘army’ meant nothing… Not without his knight.

 

"Your highness, please- ack." It was a very chesty cough. Toya was truly grateful someone had found him before it had worsened. He couldn’t just leave his knight there by himself. So, despite his companion’s protests, he entered through the door.

 

"Oh… You’re still in bed." His knight lay dazed on the bed, blankets folded over and around him in disharmony. Wonderous olive eyes strangely sterned and softened at the sight of him, dissipating the fog they were shrouded in. Even like this, his knight’s gaze on him fulfilled him.

 

"Your highness, don’t come too close.” He panicked as his almost prince took the stool next to his bed rather than- “The - ack - The windowsill, sir! Its at a much hi- ack - higher position for you to sit on!” Toya sat on the stool anyway, wanting to be as close to his knight as possible. “Please, your highness, I don’t want to make you sick- ack-!”

 

"Then God and the kingdom and my army will look after me until I am better." He placed a hand over his knight’s. The knuckles of the latter bristled with red, but it was beautiful to him. Akito still felt uncomfortable with breaking the order like this, that it wasn’t right for him to be so familiar with the prince, but Toya insisted and, well… He was weak.

 

"Ah..." Toya sat there, hand brushing over his companion’s, softly observing him. He was not wearing his uniform; he had guessed as much when he had seen the bloody wear hung up to the side for the maids to collect. There was no sign of his undershirt either, meaning underneath the blanket he was likely…

 

"...Why are you looking at me like that?" He shifted to sit up, the blanket falling off him revealing his bare body. It seemed sculpted to Toya, like it belonged next to the statues of semi-nude heroes posing in stone across his garden. He immediately latched onto every detail of the new skin, for fear that he may never see it again.

 

"It’s... strange. Seeing you without your uniform."

 

"They won’t let me wear it because of my health." He trailed off, it being evident that the prince wasn’t listening as he subconsciously shifted closer to his body. And Akito, subservient as ever, would not deny his prince what ever he desired to learn. “Does his highness take an interest in my body?”

 

“Ah,” he seemed to snap out of it a little. “I didn’t mean to-” Akito only shifted closer to the hand Toya didn’t even realise he had raised, turning him an unseemly shade of red.

 

“My body is the property of the throne and the royal family. Do what you like with it, your highness.” Flustered still, Toya took the invite, tracing the cut of his body, brushing over the dozens of scars that accented his body.

 

"This scar..."

 

"The mountain lion, sir."

 

“And this…”

 

“A jaguar, sir.”

 

"And this one too?" He gently poked another one. Akito flinched drawing his hand over the area, flinching. Toya immediately drew back, going to apologise.

 

"No, the dark sorcerer put that there. Please avoid touching it, your highness." Toya complied, moving up instead.

 

"This gauze at your neck..."

 

"A dragon's bite, sir."

 

"Is it… really this severe?"

 

"They do not teach us much about them. Your studies would be more in depth than mine, so I wouldn’t be able to avoid them as well as you, your highness."

 

"You take care of yourself, don’t you?"

 

"Always."

 

"Then why are these scars so horrible? These cuts are so deep…" He drew his hand back, freeing Akito’s, which he only used to bring his hand palm down over his heart; a salute, a vow.

 

"I will protect you whether I am at your side or not. I am your shadow that cleans the dust from the ground you walk. Don’t think of these as marks of my pain, but rather as acts of my devotion. My devotion to your highness has no bounds. In pain and fear, they belong to you, firmly placed under your rule until my dying breath."

 

"You’re not thinking straight." He really should have left him to rest…

 

"I’m saying what I feel, and even though I am far less educated than you, don’t think my promises are insincere- ack-!"

 

"Never, my knight." He trusted him with his life. "Should I call the nurse?"

 

"She will arrive when she needs to. Please, rest, your highness. Your duty must come first."

 

"And will you rest as well?" Akito sighed, surrendering.

 

"By his highness’ command." Because he lived to serve.

 

"Good night, dear knight." And he lived to protect.

 

"Good night, my prince.”

 

And they lived, for the sole purpose, of loving each other.

 

 

Notes:

I like to think that even though they are pretty much at the "we both know we love each other" stage they still use their titles for each other because 1. Fear of being overheard and 2. Endearment/respect. When Toya refers to him as his knight, it's a term of endearment but also because he repsects Akito's role by his side so much. And for Akito, he has mad respect for Toya. He refuses to associate Toya with anything other than the best of the best, even in titles. (Although I did like writing the "sir" bit the most lmao). Let me know if the old-ish english is difficult to read; I'll happily make a second chapter with more modern but still fancy dialogue :))

I still wanna practise dialogue, so if you have any prompts (ESPECIALLY for old timey stuff) lmk either in the comments or on my tumblr: @thatoneweird014 and I can write smth up :pp Thank you for reading! Kudos, comment, etc!!

(Poem by me lol)