For You | Howl x Reader ✔️

12- Howl

After telling Y/N to practice by herself, I left. I fought the enemy ships as well as the witch's henchmen. All of them were the enemies of the land, giving in to chaos and creating war everywhere. I was summoned to the palace as well, but I didn't want to go, yet I had to go; no, I was bound to go. Pushing off that thought aside for later, I fought, which was against my will yet again.

A

fter hours of killing, I returned home. Quietly coming inside, I closed the door behind me and walked slowly up the short flight of stairs. The house was dark, since it was a little after midnight. I wondered how Y/N had done with practice that day. I felt guilty for leaving her like that, but I couldn't help it. The war was the worst thing ever and I didn't want to take part in it, and I had avoided it for as long as I could, but it still was inevitable.

The thought of Y/N made me smile a little. As I was making my way closer to where her couch was, I suddenly stopped dead in my tracks when I heard a whimper. Moving closer, I saw it was Y/N. In the dark I couldn't see all of her face properly, but what I saw next even in the dark, it broke my heart. Her face was tear stained as she kept moving on the couch, her slow whimpers now increasing.

Not even caring about my current state, I moved closer to Y/N and shook her. She woke up suddenly, and screamed "Let me go!" I gripped her shoulders to keep her from falling off the couch and tried to calm her down. She thrashed in my arms but I kept my grip on her tight. "Y/N, it's me, calm down, it was just a nightmare," I told her in a low voice.

After a moment she stopped thrashing and fell into my arms lifelessly. "Y/N?" I asked in a low voice, but there was no reply. She had fallen asleep. I looked around to see if Calcifer had woken up from his slumber, but fortunately the fire was a heavy sleeper. Sighing in relief, I brought Y/N closer to my chest and caressed her back. After making sure she was fully asleep, I picked her up bridal style and made my way over the stairs and into my room.

Laying her gently on my bad and covering her up with my blanket, I went into the bathroom and took a hot, long bath. When I came into my room, I saw Y/n sleeping peacefully in my bed. I smiled when I saw her like that, but my expression completely changed once I saw her tear stained face. It made me wonder what she had seen that made her cry in her sleep. I was worried about her. Was that the first time she was having a nightmare? It certainly didn't look like it.

Y/N had been looking tired than usual since the last week. When I had asked her if she was sleeping okay, she had told me she was, but here I had seen her have a nightmare. The thought of Y/N having ugly nightmares pained me, and then she was always working herself to her limit, despite the fact that she was tired. I wanted to provide her with some sort of comfort. She was the first women I had ever really cared about, besides her grandmother, and I didn't want to lose Y/N; perhaps it was because she was their granddaughter or perhaps she seemed interesting to me, either way, I had grown fond of Y/N and I felt happy and content when she was around.

Shaking my head, I sat on a chair beside my bed, and looked at Y/N. She looked adorable, curled up in my bed, and something in me made me want to give up my bed and have her sleep in it instead of me, and just watch her sleep. Shaking my thoughts aside, I made myself comfortable on the chair, after deciding that I would be sleeping there, so that Y/N could have a peaceful night on the bed instead of the couch. Thinking about Y/N and the war and my summons, I fell asleep.

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I woke up feeling warmth on my face. Once I opened my eyes, I found myself in the chair. How had I gotten there? Then the events of last night played inside my mind. I quickly looked over to my bed, and saw Y/n still sleeping. I smiled a little, which was quickly replaced by a wince. Due to sleeping on the chair all night, my back was sore and I couldn't properly move it. Getting up and moving closer to the bed, I looked at Y/N. As much as I didn't want to wake her peaceful sleep, I knew I had to. So moving closer to her, I crouched down and gently shook her shoulder. "Y/N, wake up," I said. She stirred a little in sleep, but finally woke up after a second nudge.

"Morning, Y/N," I told her and smiled a little. She sat up and opened her eyes. Her hair was sticking out in different directions, her E/C eyes not even fully opened, and her cheeks puffed. Cute. Looking all around her, and then at me she asked, "Howl?" the way she took my name made something inside me flutter. "Yes, Y/N?" I said, looking at her still half-closed eyes. "What am I doing here?" she asked in a clear voice now. "You were having a nightmare when I came home last night. Thinking you'd be more comfortable on the bed instead of on the couch, I brought you here," I explained. She looked down and didn't say anything. "Y/N, since when have you been having these nightmares? Your health certainly doesn't seem too good to me," I asked her in a soft voice. She kept looking down, seeming to be in deep thought. "Y/N, I asked you something. Answer me," I said.

Finally she looked up at me and replied after a moment. "Since he died," she said quietly, "I've been having these every single night since my grandfather died. Each night I see him die in the nightmares," she said, pain laced in her voice. She looked at me as if expecting some kind of answers from me. She kept trying to find something, some sort of emotion, or comfort, in my face, and it stabbed me seeing her like that. In the end, I just moved closer to her on the bed and brought her in my arms. "It's okay, Y/N, you have to let go now. I'm here and together we can keep him and his memory alive; the two of us," I told her. I felt her nod in the hug, and I released a breath I didn't know I had been holding.

Parting after a moment, Y/N thanked me and left to have breakfast. I told her to be ready for her lesson in half an hour. After taking a long bath and wearing fresh clothes, I made my way down the stairs, where Y/N was waiting for me, while Calcifer was telling her and Markl something. Then Y/N laughed, which lifted my lips into a smile. I watched her talking to Calcifer and Markl for a moment before going down and greeting the others.

"We're moving again, Calcifer," I told the fire demon. He didn't look too happy but he didn't complain much either. "It won't be too long before Suliman finds us, so we need to keep moving," I told them. Then turning to Calcifer I gave him his instructions. "Move the castle eight miles south; we should be safe for a while," I told him. He didn't say anything and abided by what I told him. Turning to Y/N, I said, "Walk with me," and gestured for her to come outside.

Once outside, she caught up to me and we walked in silence for a while, before I came to a stop. Y/N stopped beside me, as we watched the green stretch of the beautiful valley. Finally turning around to her, I grabbed her attention. She turned to me and gestured for me to go on. "I won't be able to be here to see you practice each day the way I used to," I told her, "so you can practice on your own, when I'm not around." She kept quiet, giving me my chance to speak. "The war," I continued, "is tough. I may not be home for days on end, but you can keep my home and my family together; I expect you to." I sighed looking at the valley, and then continued. "I'll try to come back each day for the three of you, but I can't guarantee anything; the war is....cruel and I-I have to do things in order to keep my home and family safe." There was silence between us. "Did you accept the king's request?" she asked from beside me, looking in the same direction I was. I shook my head 'no.' "Not, yet," I told her. She nodded. "Y/N, you understand what I'm saying right?" I asked her. She nodded after a moment. "Do what you have to, Howl, just come back safe to us," she said. But her last line seemed more like a plead. "You will right?" she asked quietly, turning to me. I didn't look at her. "Howl, you will, right? You have to. For them. It's your home, Howl," she said in a stern voice. I turned around and nodded. "I will come back, Y/N, don't worry about me. Just keep the three of you safe and healthy, alright." She nodded.

"Well then, I must go now. And you should too; Calcifer has some moving to do," I told her. She nodded and turned around to go. She walked back to the castle as I saw her back growing smaller and smaller, and finally she was at the gate. Then she turned around to look at me, and even though I couldn't see her face from too far away, I knew she would be waiting for me to come back; all three of them will be. And that gave me enough hope and courage to win this thing for them.

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