Emhyr Var Emreis x Reader

Thirty

Strands of raven black hair danced along broad shoulders, dressed in leather as you entered the tent.

Hint of silver shone at the sides of the emperor's sharp face as his head slightly turned to see who was about to enter without his permission.

For a moment, anger lit up in those brown eyes of his before realisation struck and he recognised that (E/C) gaze of yours.

Struck by surprise to see him, you froze and did a slight nod of the head to not seem totally disrespectful in the presence of multiple witnesses.

"My apologies, your majesty.", you said and looked around the table briefly to see who was there as well.

A few faces seemed vaguely familiar to you, yet not enough to greet them as well.

Nobles and men dressed in full armour eyed you, both interested yet amused at how uneducated you were to just barge in.

Everyone judged you one way or another.

Everyone except the emperor.

Almost immediately, he dropped his conversation and turned to greet you with a nod of his head as well.

Unsure what to do next, you remained motionless.

His next move confused you.

He could have reacted angered by your impoliteness. Perhaps he could have ordered the guards to remove you or have you punished right in front of the other nobles.

But he did nothing of that.

Instead, he approached you like a friend. Or something very similar to that.

The expression on his face seemed rather soft for him and the way he opened his arms almost made you think he wanted to welcome you with a hug.

But that was a silly though. The emperor didn't hug.

Especially not someone who had such little respect for him.

"You came.", his voice made it sound like he was almost happy to see you. "We've got a lot to talk about. Have a seat."

He gestured towards a chair that waited right in front of the table that the other people assembled around.

Just but the craftsmanship it was easy to tell that the chair was meant for someone far more important than yourself.

Someone like an emperor.

For a moment you eyed the surface of the chair.

As you still didn't make any attempt to move, the weight of a hand pressed into your back and pushed you forward.

With a quick glance you caught a glimpse of the emperor's face who gave you a kind of look that told you not to worry.

With their heads bowed, the nobles and generals greeted you at the table.

You took the seat, right in front of everyone.

The emperor remained standing behind your back.

His hand came to rest on your shoulder.

Out of reflex you stiffened.

He seemed to notice but didn't give it away for the nobles to see.

"Very well.", the cold, rough voice of the emperor creeped into your ear like the sharp side of a blade. "Now that we are complete, let's discuss the tactics."

One of the men in armour nodded.

"This is where we suspect the rebels to hide.", he pointed at a spot on the map of Velen, right where a cave was supposed to be. "We assume the merchant is with them."

Confused, you frowned.

"My apologies.", you cleared your throat. "I just arrived. What exactly were the events of the past days?"

One of the soldiers examined you with a raised eyebrow.

"I assumed one who gets picked by the emperor is capable enough to get their own information.", he said.

You wanted to reply something smug, something that would put him in his place yet that would suit your position as a lower noble.

But the emperor was faster to take the opportunity.

"General.", he said with a grim shimmer in his eyes. "As you said, someone who was picked by me. Don't attack (Y/N). Because that's an attack on my abilities to make a decision. Do you think I made a wrong pick?"

Immediate regret appeared on the man's face. He was quick to shake his head and deny anything he had said previously.

"I wouldn't dare.", he said and lowered his eyes but didn't miss the chance to gift you an expression of despise.

"Of course not.", the emperor said lazily and bowed down so that his breath tickled your ears. "The prisoners you took talked."

"I heard.", you replied and kept withstanding the gazes of the other people around. "But I missed the part where the merchant betrayed the empire and ran over to the rebels."

"Your mind is as sharp as ever."

"Then give me the chance to sharpen it even more. What's the plan?"

A sound escaped him as he straightened his back again to take a look at the map. Malicious tongues would have said it was a sound of approval, perhaps even satisfaction about the fact that you didn't disappoint yet.

"The merchant denied all allegations.", he placed a pawn on the map. "But disappeared in the middle of the night and was seen by a guard crossing the borders of Nilfgaard."

"Do want to neutralise him?", you asked, not skipping a beat.

Whispers and amused chuckling filled the air.

People started to believe you were foolish for running your mouth like that.

But you didn't let yourself be irritated by them. Because no matter what they said, in the end, all that mattered was the emperor's opinion.

And the emperor was a man who cherished clarity. No messing around, no questions that needed hours to be answered.

All he wanted was to hear what you thought.

And that's what you did.

His brown eyes met yours and for a brief moment a hint of pride could be seen.

Then he returned to his gaze to the map.

"Everyone leave.", he ordered all of a sudden. "Now."

Surprise but obedient, the others lowered their heads and made their way towards the exit.

You were about to get up as well as his hand put more weight on your shoulder.

"Not you.", he locked eyes with you. "We have things to discuss."