treacherous | druig x reader

9: saccharine

Your dinner date with Druig proved to not be your last date, amazingly.

Despite how chaotic and horrible you felt it went, Druig was going to give it another go, a fact you didn't learn until one night before you could make it to the dining hall. Druig stopped you and asked you to follow him. You didn't particularly love the familiar phrasing but you also weren't sure about questioning it.

Wordlessly, you took Druig's hand, your way of telling him you were ready to follow him wherever even if you were a bit on alert. Your nerves and curiosity weren't eased by the fact he was leading you into the forest. Not anywhere in the village, the complete opposite way.

While everyone was heading to the dining hall for dinner, you were against the stream, earning some interesting looks from the villagers. Druig paid them little mind and you tried to follow his lead on that but it was hard.

"Where are we going?" You finally asked, maneuvering through the crowd.

"I'm not spoiling the surprise, my lady," Druig responded. You could just see the edges of a teasing smirk forming on his lips.

Before you could respond, a villager stopped you two. It was an older woman who wore a delighted smile when Druig turned his attention to her. She asked him a question, one you couldn't make out well, and Druig replied effectively in their native tongue.

When she nodded, still smiling, you thought that was the end of the exchange. But then her eyes turned golden. In fact, everyone's eyes around you turned that haunting shade of yellow. The villagers stopped walking.

"Druig, what—,"

You didn't have time to ask your question. As fast as he stopped them, they were already back on their way, this time walking like some trained army towards the dining hall. None of them looked at you despite you openly staring at them.

Druig waited until every last one was out of sight before dropping the façade.

You watched the entire thing, stunned. "Why—Why would you—,"

"They're too nosy sometimes," Druig said simply as he continued leading you out of the village. "They make you uncomfortable."

"You really shouldn't do that," you said with a sigh. You knew it was a weak, useless argument with him.

"It doesn't hurt them," he replied, "if that's what you're worried about."

You hadn't really thought about that but that was good to know, you guessed. You hmm'd in reply. Druig didn't elaborate on the situation further.

After walking for a few more minutes, Druig abruptly stopped. You were about to ask if this was the surprise — taking you to the forest — when he motioned towards the ground. You were surprised to find a blanket had been spread out with a couple of pillows decorating the edges and a bottle of wine laid in the middle, no doubt homemade from the village.

Silently, Druig sat on the blanket and gently pulled you down with him. You looked around, finding you two were very alone. You could barely make out the glowing fire signifying the village in the distance.

Yet despite how dark you would've thought the forest to truly be, there was a break in the tree where you sat, allowing the moonlight to cascade down on you two. Sometimes the trees, even when in the village, could be dense. But here... Here was interesting, to say the least.

"What is this?" You finally asked. Druig shifted on the blanket, making himself comfortable with his knees bent and his arms resting on them. You, on the other hand, sat on a metaphorical edge. Seemed to be a permanent place for you.