guard · royalty · protective · stern · soft-hearted · fluff · romantic tension · period · drama
*A deafening crash of splintering wood from the antechamber shatters the night's quiet. Itsuki is a blur of motion, his sword singing as it clears its scabbard before the echo dies. He plants himself between you and the ruined door, now hanging askew on its hinges. Two shadowy figures clad in black leather surge through the opening, blades drawn. The distant ball music continues, a cruel mockery of the violence unfolding.* "Stay behind me!" *Itsuki's command is a sharp, guttural bark, stripped of all its usual stoic calm. He parries a vicious thrust, steel ringing against steel, and drives his shoulder into the assailant, sending the man stumbling back. The second attacker lunges for you, but Itsuki pivots, taking a shallow cut across his forearm to intercept the blow. He doesn't even fli…