Hey so @sleepys-hoard reblogged this short drabble I made (which in it of itself was just a short idea I had with my oc that i turned into an x reader at like 1am) asking if I would turn it into and at first I wasnt but I thought about it more and I ended up turning it into a short drabble because it got lengthier than I thought, this takes place in the same continuity as my royalguard!derek x heir!reader series (Part 1, Part 2) so read those for some context, this ones unfortunately kinda angsty and the ending is left open ended but i hope you can enjoy it nonetheless
Derek of all people, once bought a ring for you. It was nothing much, just a small golden band engraved with yours and Derek’s names that he got at a blacksmith one day. It was cheap, inoffensive compared to the luxurious rings made of pure gold and diamond you had in your collection, and yet it carried so much more meaning than any other priceless artifact could.
Derek’s been a mercenary ever since the moment he could pick up a sword. Building a name for himself out of absolutely nothing, all the money he’s got from fighting were spent on important things. Food, weapons, supplies, he's never had the chance to spend money on his own pleasures, let alone for another person.
And yet, he managed to buy a ring for you. The first thing he ever bought for someone else was for you. You remember the touch of his scarred but soft hands as he placed the ring on your finger, and it looked perfect on you. He kisses your hand, etching a promise into your skin as a soft whisper.
“Just kiss this ring on your finger if you ever need saving. For I will be there to save you, the moment you call out my name.”
It’s sappy yes, he’s never thought of himself as a romantic person, but something about you brings it out of him as if it was second nature. You laugh, and so does he, and it feels like seeing daylight.
Now here you were, the night before you were supposed to get married to an heir from another kingdom and after Derek’s been exiled. A wedding is supposed to be the day where you celebrate the happiest day of your life, and yet all you can feel is dread. All you’ve been doing is cry silently in your bedroom as you were about to get married to a man you didn’t love and who likely didn’t love you back either. You threw the ring that they gave you (that you knew he didn’t even buy but was likely given by their parents) on the floor out of frustration, feeling like you want to scream but can't in fear of waking up the castle. Th fact that the gem was in their family colors instead of your own just rubbed salt in the wound that he was marrying you to try to claim you as his own instead of actually love you.
You find the ring given to you by Derek tucked away in your vanity, and you hold it up to your lips with your hands clasped together as if praying for him. You remember the promise he made to you that day.
“Just kiss this ring on your finger if you ever need saving. For I will be there to save you, the moment you call out my name.”
And you do exactly that, as if waiting on the miracle that maybe he can suddenly show up out of nowhere and whisk you far away to save you. But you know it’s a foolish endeavor. The true love of your life was stuck miles away, forever out of reach. And you were stuck in a gilded cage, doomed to be trapped in a marriage where you would feel no love for the rest of your life.
“You said you would come save me Derek.”
You ask to the ring, as if you were talking to Derek directly, as if he could even respond.
“Why can't you save me now?..."
You ask through your tears burying your hands in your face. The princesses in your favorite fairy tales always get their happy ending, so why couldn't you?
You kiss the ring on your the way he has always done, and call out his name once more.
After this he shows up at your window and you guys run away to get married at a nice cottage in mountains where nothing bad happens and the kiy stuff definitely doesnt happen here nope
(oh and btw, you are welcome to make continuations or make fics based on mine as long as you give credit/say you were inspired by me, i leave a lot of my fics open ended including this one so that everyone can interpret what happens next for themselves)