VERSAILLES // Ranboo X Reader

7

You ended up walking for a while, and riding some more too, until the sun was beginning to sink in the sky and the palace was far behind you. Eventually, Brigand slowed to a stop, finding a grassy clearing along the side of the path where you could set up camp. The palace had provided you with two tents, and enough bedrolls for everyone. 

The tents were set up fairly quickly - Brigand was strong enough that getting the poles and pegs into the ground was no issue, and between Ranboo's height and you and Arlow's sheer power of will, the tarps were draped over them. The horses' leads were attached to a nearby tree, Arlow started a campfire, and soon enough the stars were high in the sky and you were gathered around the flames, sharing the last of a chicken Brigand had found wandering near the camp.

"How far do you think we went today?" Arlow asked, leaning back against their hands to tip their head back and look up to the sky. 

"I don't know." You said, tossing a strip of fat from the meat you were holding into the fire. "Probably around 30 miles, at least."

"Sounds about right to me." Brigand added. "We'll probably average somewhere between 20-40 a day, depending on the weather."

"Hopefully the stronghold isn't too far away then, or the guys with the egg take a while to find it." Arlow said. 

At the mention of the egg, Brigand's eyes darted to Ranboo, who had just been sitting next to you, alternating between eating and playing with the chain that connected your cuffs. Ranboo's eyes flicked up to meet his, and Brigand looked away again. You could see him thinking, about to say something to Ranboo.

You cleared your throat, tossing the remains of your dinner into the fire. "I think I'm going to turn in." You said. "Ranboo?" 

"Sure." He said, getting up as well, the cuff of the chain jangling as he did. 

"Night then Y/N." Arlow said with a smile. Brigand nodded as well and you smiled, heading over to the tent on the left, further from the horses. Ranboo followed along as you pushed the flap aside and ducked in, holding it open for him as well. Inside the tent was dark except for the oil lantern between bedrolls, and the tarp slightly muffled Arlow and Brigand's voices outside, offering some semblance of separation. 

Looking down at the bedrolls, you sat down on the right side. "I'll take this one." You said. "It'll probably be easier that way, with this thing." You shook your wrist, causing the chain that stretched between you to clink. 

"Yeah, okay." Ranboo said, settling down on the bed roll to the left. "That makes sense."

For a moment, it was quiet as you both crawled under the covers, and only when you moved to put out the lantern did Ranboo speak again. 

"Thank you, by the way." 

You paused, fingers inching back from where you had been about to put out the flame. "What for?"

"For taking the attention off me when we were riding." Ranboo said. "And just now, for coming to bed before Brigand could say anything about the egg." He paused. "You're probably not supposed to be nice to me."

You furrowed your brows together. "Why not?"

Ranboo moved his hand slightly, causing the chain to clink again, bringing your attention to it. 

"I don't think that's a reason not to be nice." You said. "You might have helped stolen the egg, but that doesn't mean you aren't here on this journey with us now, and it was obvious that you were uncomfortable. If we're going to be chained together for whoever knows how long, I think it's important that we're civil to each other."

You could feel Ranboo looking at you, so you glanced at him, your gaze connecting with his. It was a little disconcerting - with one eye being blood red and the other strikingly lime - but you held his look anyway, until he broke it, looking back up to the ceiling of the tent.

Outside, you could hear Arlow and Brigand putting out the fire and heading to their own bedrolls. The gentle buzz of wildlife was the only other sound, gradually lulling you into a peaceful state of mind - if you closed your eyes, it felt sort of like you were back home.

"Goodnight, Y/N." Ranboo said, breaking the illusion softly. 

"Goodnight Ranboo." You returned, equally as soft. 

The tent fell fully silent then, and the only sound was the occasional clink of the chain as one of you shifted to try and get more comfortable. You found yourself laying on your back, looking up at where the tarp slanted over you. Just past that, you would have seen the tops of the trees, and then the night sky. 

On a normal night, you would be just leaving your house around now, bow in hand, heading out into the dark to kill those undead things that roamed the night. You shifted slightly again, suddenly feeling restless - your village would be fine without you for a while. Most of the village folk had enough common sense to stay in their houses at night anyway.

You forcibly turned your thoughts to something else, knowing that if you kept thinking about your home you would just end up keeping yourself from sleep with worry. Your mind turned to Ranboo instead, already asleep a few feet away. He'd curled himself into a ball on his bedroll, his back to you, so that you could see his silhouette move slightly every time he breathed. Asleep, he seemed so docile - open.

Nothing like the shy, reserved boy you had traveled with today. Your thoughts drifted down to the chain that connected you - that would connect you until the journey was over, one way or another - and how Ranboo had expected you to treat him as some kind of inferior, even though he had done nothing to you personally. 

You frowned to yourself, and rolled over again.