Emhyr Var Emreis x Reader

Twenty-Seven

With a blank gaze you stared out the window of your chambers.

From where you stood it was possible to see the lower streets that hugged the castle walls.

Dozens of tiny people crossed paths, some stopped to bargain while others had a chat.

The smell of animals reached your nose through the tilted window.

A hint of sea water came along with it.

Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath and tried to remember the times when your father had taken you to the shores of the empire to have a glimpse at the dangerous sirens and their strange bodies covered in the same kinds of scales that exotic fish had.

All of a sudden a heavy feeling tugged at the strings of your heart.

You had to swallow.

As the gulp of saliva crawled down your throat, your hand couldn't help but reach up to let the tips of your fingers stroke over the spot where the emperor's hand had held you in a chokehold.

With a low growl escaping your lips, you pulled a face and squeezed your eyes shut to get rid of the image of his face in the back of your head.

Goosebumps crawled all over your body as those dark brown eyes lit up in the dark.

You hated how he made you feel.

You didn't fear him yet you knew that this was the last time you would be able to be this honest to his face.

It was surprising that he hadn't send someone to execute you.

And even if he had one of his milder days he wouldn't have thrown you out of the palace either way.

And yet.

Not a single ounce of regret could be found in your heart.

So many things had been weighting on your chest for years, almost an entire decade. You had craved this moment like nothing else, finally he knew what rotten of a man he was.

It gave you peace to know that you had stood your ground. Even if it meant to reunite with your parents soon.

All of a sudden, a knock on the door send a lightning through your body.

All the small hairs stood up all over your body.

A soft breath escaped your lips.

You could feel a slight shiver run through your fingers.

But you forced it back.

Nobody was supposed to know the true feelings you felt in that moment. If this was your final moment then you wanted to go with your head held high.

Your lips trembled a bit as you let out a deep breath and turned to open the door.

Your eyes caught a glimpse of a shadow outside the window in the door.

It was a person dressed in black. Only a hint of gold could be seen.

Confused, you frowned.

It wasn't the emperor.

He must have send someone instead.

Slowly, your hand rose to open the door a crack wide.

There was no need to give, whoever waited outside, the chance to barge in.

After all, you still wanted to keep your composure.

"General Voorhis?", you asked, one eyebrow raised, as the rusty hair of the man caught your attention.

With a polite expression, he lowered his head to bow in greeting.

His eyes moved up to meets yours.

A strange expression could be found in them.

Was that regret?

Or perhaps a gesture of a friend who came with a warning?

Interested, you raised one eyebrow to make him speak.

His eyes moved over his shoulder.

You followed his gaze with your own.

In the distance, guards waited.

Your heart dropped.

But you didn't let it show.

With a stony expression, you took a deep breath and raised your chin to make yourself appear the way you wanted to be remembered.

"I understand.", you said and listened as the cold winter wind made the bundles of herbs shiver that hung from your chambers windows. "Allow me a moment?"

Understanding, he nodded and took a step back to turn his eyes away yet to remain close enough to the door to make sure you couldn't slip away.

As soon as the door fell shut, all the weight of the world came crashing down on you.

Biting your lip to suppress a whimper, you squeezed your eyes shut and had to press your forehead against the cold surface of the wooden door to keep yourself from loosing control.

The faint hint of magic tickled in the tips of your fingers.

It would have been so easy to let this power run wild and burn these cursed halls of stone to the ground.

Your hands clenched into fists.

No, this would have been an end not worthy for the child of your parents.

Lazily, you let your eyes wander over your shoulder.

Pieces of paper piled up on the desk. Drops of ink still tried to dry while heavy books spread the smell of old leather and dusty paper.

It had only been a few days and yet you had managed to put together a good amount of information about nobles and possible arrangements to fulfil your part of the deal with the emperor.

It wasn't much but maybe it would be enough to win time.

Quickly, you threw over a coat and snatched a bag to throw everything that seemed of use inside.

You had barely enough time to grab everything important before the general knocked again.

This time, it seemed harsher, and even a little restless.

Sighing, you squeezed your eyes shut and pushed down the feeling of loosing your grip on life.

"It is time.", general Voorhis said while his eyes moved to avoid being caught by yours.

With a cold expression, you glanced up to the sky.

"It's almost dark already.", you noted. "Almost a day passed. The emperor really took his time to make a decision."

You pushed past him without wasting a single glance.

His face would have only caused you to falter.

"He wanted to make sure he picked the best option.", he assured.

A snort escaped your nose.

"Of course. He would never decide out of a mood."