VERSAILLES // Ranboo X Reader

11

Brigand didn't bring it back up again until later, when you were a good ways away from where you had camped. 

"Do you trust me?"

From where you were riding, you had to look backwards to see Brigand. He looked pensive, deep in thought as he posed the question. You glanced to Arlow as well, to see the same sort of confusion on their face. 

"Of course." You said. 

"What's this about captain?" Arlow asked, slowing their horse somewhat until they were riding in pace with Brigand. 

Brigand looked to the sky, the corners of his mouth turned down slightly. "Those pillagers this morning expected me to turn on you all, I think. Or at least, the last one expected me to let him live, simply because we share kin." 

You hadn't seen the whole fight, but you were sure the pillagers had been surprised to find a vindicator fighting side by side with a human. It must have gotten to Brigand more than you would have thought if he was still thinking about it now. 

"Of course we trust you." Arlow said. "Or at least, I do. You were chosen by the king himself for this task - you're part of the team. If you thought any of us were actually expecting you to betray us like that, you would be dead wrong."

Arlow looked to you then, and you nodded. "We all have to trust each other - that's what being on a team is about." You said. 

Brigand nodded, seemingly relieved at your responses. "Sometimes I wonder if I took the right path in my life - my mother and father expected me to join a band of pillagers, and instead I joined the king's guard. I haven't heard from my family since, and every time I run into someone like me, I can't help but wonder..." He looked down at his hands then, grey skin holding onto the reins of his horse. 

You traded another glance with Arlow, not exactly sure what to say to that, but surprisingly you didn't have to, as Ranboo spoke up from behind you. 

"I understand." He said quietly. All eyes went to him, and you could feel his fingers clench harder in the fabric of your traveling cloak at all the sudden eye contact, but he kept going. "Other Endermen don't like me much, since I'm only half, and I don't even know what the other half is. I don't really have much in the way of family." He ended softly. 

An ache gripped your heart, both for Brigand and Ranboo. Reaching behind you, you unwound one of Ranboo's hands from your traveling cloak, clasping his fingers with yours and bringing his arm around to the front so that he was half-hugging you. It was the best comfort you could offer while riding, and you could feel him stiffen for a moment against your back before he relaxed into it. 

For a few paces it was silent as everyone sat with the weight of Brigands words, and the fact that Ranboo (who didn't really talk much to anyone but you, and that was only when you were alone) had said something as well. Even though the sun shone down on you and a breeze would waft by every now and again, you couldn't help but feel it was all a little melancholy now. 

Eventually, Arlow cleared their throat. "Well," They said. "We're all a bunch of sad sacks, aren't we?"

You smiled thinly. "What about you Arlow? Any family troubles you'd like to share?"

Arlow hummed. "I think we've had enough sob stories today." They said, leaning back in their saddle slightly. "I don't have much in the way of family either way, besides my wife."

"Gemma, right?" You asked. 

Arlow smiled wistfully at the mention of her name. "She's the best woman in the whole world." They said. "She's got these eyes - they're the color of lemons, and when she braids beads into her hair sometimes she does the beads to match. Her skin's the color of fine cocoa, and she always smells like cocoa too. And her voice - she sounds like a songbird when she talks."

You smiled, glancing behind you to trade a look with Ranboo.

Arlow sighed whimsically again. "I love her more than anything. I'll have to find a gift for her while we're adventuring - I promised I would bring something back for her when I returned."

"Perhaps we can find her an End crystal." Brigand offered, a smile on his face. 

"Perhaps we can find you a wife of your own, eh captain?" Arlow joked, reaching across the gap between their horses to elbow Brigand playfully. Brigand barked out a nervous laugh, the skin of his cheeks flushing blue - a blush.

"Oh ho ho!" You grinned. "You'd like that wouldn't you Brigand?"

Brigand spluttered, and just like that, the tense mood from earlier was gone and he was guiding his horse forward, pushing past both you and Arlow to take the front of the path, grumbling something about not teasing too much. Against you back, you could feel Ranboo laugh at his reaction, and you yourself had to grin. 

Ranboo rested his chin on your shoulder. "Arlow's never going to let this go."

You grinned. "Oh no."

Sure enough, even though Brigand had rode ahead, Arlow called forward, "Nothing to be ashamed of cap! We'll find you a lover no problem - how do you feel about blondes?"

As you laughed, you couldn't help but still feel an ache of sympathy for Brigand and Ranboo - they had no family of their own, but perhaps this little group could serve as something of a support system. The chain on your wrist glinted in the sunlight, and you couldn't help but feel that you weren't just chained to Ranboo - you were locked together with all of them, at least for the duration of this journey. 

You would do your best to offer what friendship you could then, especially to those who hadn't had much experience with it before.