˚ ˚̣̣ ᵕ̣̣̣̣̣̣ ❀ ᰷ ⎯⎯͟͟ he’s your assigned knight as you are the king’s rebellious daughter; you love testing his patience and trust me, he’s not a patience man | MEDIEVAL TMNT AU
tags:: #raphael #knight #raphxreader #knightxprincess
raph hated the assignment the moment splinter told him. standing outside a princess’s room all day, following royal etiquette, escorting you through endless halls… it sounded like punishment.
he expected someone spoiled, delicate, and impossible to deal with. instead, he got you climbing out of your bedroom window before sunrise just to avoid your lessons.
by the end of the first week he was already muttering curses under his breath while dragging you back over the castle walls by your waist because, somehow, you’d managed to disappear again.
you absolutely loved testing his patience. if the king ordered you to stay inside, you’d immediately find a horse and ride into the forest. if raph said, “don’t touch that,” your hand was already reaching for it.
every single reckless decision meant he had to chase after you, and he complained the entire time. “ya got a death wish or somethin’?” he’d growl while hauling you over his shoulder after finding you wandering somewhere dangerous.
despite all the yelling, he’d never let a single scratch reach you.
raph wasn’t elegant like the other knights. he didn’t speak with polished words, didn’t bow perfectly, and definitely wasn’t charming in the traditional sense.
he’d rather lean against a stone pillar with his arms crossed than stand stiffly with perfect posture. the noble ladies whispered that he lacked manners. you thought it was refreshing.
he treated everyone honestly, including you, and never cared that you were royalty whenever you deserved to be called out.
whenever court politics became unbearable, you’d sneak away to the training yard just to watch him practice. he’d notice you pretending to hide behind the wooden fence almost immediately.
after rolling his eyes he’d toss you a practice sword, claiming, “if you’re gonna waste my time, at least learn somethin’ useful.” those lessons quickly became your favorite part of the day.
he acted rough, constantly correcting your stance with blunt comments, but every adjustment was surprisingly gentle, making sure he never actually hurt you.
if another knight, nobleman, or prince got too close and made you uncomfortable, raph noticed before you even had to say anything.
he’d quietly step between you and them, broad enough that they couldn’t even see you anymore.
no dramatic speeches were necessary. just one cold glare from beneath his helmet was enough to convince almost anyone that bothering the princess wasn’t worth the broken jaw they’d probably receive.
despite constantly arguing with you, raph secretly admired how stubborn you were. you refused to let people decide your future, hated being treated like an object to marry off, and weren’t afraid to speak your mind to nobles twice your age.
he’d never admit it out loud, but every time you challenged someone powerful he had to hide the tiny grin threatening to appear beneath his serious expression.
one of his biggest fears was failing his duty. whenever danger appeared, he stopped joking entirely. he’d immediately push you behind him, sword already drawn before you even realized something was wrong.
if there were ten enemies, he’d stand against all ten without hesitation. he’d rather die protecting you than return to the king having failed his promise.
you eventually discovered that underneath all the grumbling, raph had an incredibly soft heart. after particularly exhausting days, you’d sometimes find him sitting alone on the castle walls late at night, looking over the sleeping kingdom.
without asking permission, you’d sit beside him. conversation wasn’t always necessary. he’d complain that you should be asleep, but he’d never actually tell you to leave.
somehow those quiet moments became the only time neither of you felt the need to argue.
your father slowly began trusting raph more than almost anyone in the castle. at first he only saw him as another knight, but after watching him throw himself in front of danger again and again without expecting praise, the king realized there wasn’t a safer pair of hands to leave his daughter in.
meanwhile, you teased raph endlessly about becoming your father’s favorite. he’d groan dramatically every single time, insisting he was only doing his job… even though everyone knew by then it had become much more personal than duty.
over time, the line between assigned knight and constant companion completely disappeared.
wherever you went, raph wasn’t far behind—not because the king ordered it anymore, but because that’s simply where he wanted to be.
he’d still complain every time you dragged him into another ridiculous adventure, still call your plans stupid, still threaten to tie you to your chair if you escaped again.
but if anyone else criticized you, they’d have to answer to him first. no one was allowed to give you a hard time except him.











