Stolen Heart (yandere! King x reader)

8. What is Done

You feigned illness and left, ignoring Caspian's pleas and demands to stay and see a healing mage.

As soon as you were out of his sight, you rushed to the abandoned warehouse.

But it was too late.

The warehouse was surrounded by guards, armed and ready to kill. There was no way to get in or out without facing a deadly array of mages, guards, and foreign mercenaries.

Caspian held a flaming torch over his head, and guards poured oil to make the building more flammable. They rode horses and had arrived much earlier than you.

"We'll do it your way then, Thief. You have five seconds until this place burns to the ground." He declared, "FIVE!"

Verdant is still inside!

"FOUR!"

They are going to light the place on fire!

"THREE!"

This is all my fault. I must have been followed. Why didn't I take a different path back on my last mission?

"TWO!"

There was no way for Verdant to get out without dying immediately. You panicked, trying to think of something.

"ONE!"

Every drop of blood in your veins screamed at you to do something, to run in there and save Verdant, but you couldn't. Any action would end in both of your deaths. You were truly trapped.

Time ran out, and the torch was thrown into the building, causing the whole place to go up in flames. Your wobbly knees gave out, but the sting of the ground on your legs was nothing compared to the agony of losing your best friend.

You were too late, and that tyrant had killed the last of your family.

This realization hit you like a runaway cart, but you still felt detached from the world, feeling like you had died instead. You could only sob quietly and mutter about how Verdant was gone as if you could convince the universe to give him back. You didn't even notice the familiar footsteps behind you.

"Ooooooo... I'm a ghooooost." Verdant snuck up behind you. In contrast to your tears, he was smirking.

You punched him in the shoulder. Hard. "How could you scare me like that?!"

"Ow!" He winced, and you noticed how he had a small bag packed. Verdant surveyed the area for eavesdroppers before speaking, "Damien came to me as soon as he knew. I was able to grab a few things and leave just in time."

"Really?" You were shocked.

"Yeah. Despite appearances, we can trust him."

Verdant handed you your green cloak and a small bag of coins, "This is for the ride to Avidour."

"Verdant..."

"You know what we have to do, (Y/n)." He was right. If your identities or the hideout were ever compromised, both of you were to leave the kingdom immediately, and without any means of contacting each other. The two of you had decided this a long time ago, but it hurt just the same.

"I'm going to Avidour." You decided. It was a nice enough place, and it wouldn't be that difficult to hide your past.

"And I've got a boat to Alynthi."

"Ok."

"Yeah."

"It's for our safety... And the rebellion." Verdant reached out his hand for a final handshake. When you took it, he instead pulled you into a tight embrace. He was shaking. You wanted to say that you would find him, that things would be fine, but you couldn't. There was too much danger.

That was the most difficult farewell of your life. It was terrifying to lose Verdant again, to not know whether he would be safe or if he would be caught and executed.

Verdant left in one direction, and you walked another path. He couldn't meet your eyes, and you knew he felt the same way.

You dried your tears as you walked, trying to stop your vision from blurring. The hideout, previously burning with intense fury, was now a quiet and somber crackle.

However, Caspian recognized you from across the ashes. "(Y/n)! I'm so glad you could make it!" He said, quite proud of what he did.

"Well, I was just about to leave."

"Wait." Caspian grabbed your face, "Why are your eyes red?"

"I...Well, there's a lot of smoke so-"

"It doesn't matter. Why don't you stay at my Castle from now on?"

"Oh, no. I couldn't." You claimed. Mentally, you were trying to figure out where you could discretely get a carriage ride to Avidour. It would be a three-day journey, at the very least.

"I insist." He insisted.

"I'm quite all right on my own."

"That wasn't a request." Caspian was annoyed at your refusal.

"But-"

"It's for your safety." He asserted, "My guards failed to find any remains within ashes. The Thief is still out there. You could get hurt and where would I be? Besides, these slums never deserved someone as magnificent as yourself." He took a step forward and pushed the hair out of your face. The tyrant's army collected behind him, finished with their searches. You didn't have a choice in the matter.

"Okay." You sighed quietly, knowing that you were trapped. There was no way to escape to Avidour now. With your only hideout burned to ashes, Verdant in another kingdom, and the king watching your every move, being the infamous Thief just became a lot harder.