♡︎♥︎ 𝗣𝗨𝗣𝗣𝗬 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 ♥︎♡︎ | 𝗩𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗡 𝗫 𝗙𝗘𝗠!𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥

𝙷𝚘𝚠 𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝚃𝚘 𝚆𝚘𝚘 𝙰 𝙶𝚒𝚛𝚕 101

^brought to you by Varian and Drefan.
(For ppl who can't read the font, the title says "how not to woo a girl 101")

You had never been to the Southern Isles. Hell, you had never really been outside your kingdom in general.

After all, as neglectful as your parents sometimes were, they had still managed to be overprotective, keeping you inside. They had never made the mistake of having the windows open at night - they never left you alone. Some had called them paranoid, but the past lingered on their mind and it's grip never truly let go.

Now, they hadn't stayed at your side permanently, they simply left you in the care of the staff.

Which... Well, maybe that didn't give you the childhood you deserved. It made you become... Reserved, in a way.

While you weren't been afraid to speak your mind, you preferred to keep to yourself. The only exception having been around Cassandra, and upon their return around Rapunzel and Eugene as well. It had only been through them that you really gained friendships.

To be fair, it was only after their return that you were actually allowed out.

Sometimes, you missed them. When you were out on nightwatch, all alone under the stars.

When Varian and Drefan left to get some more firewood and you were left to stare at the measly fire, poking at it with a stick.

Sometimes, you wanted to go back home. Talk it out. Find a way to fix all this.

But then you'd remember. Remember how they looked at you.

And it filled you with a burning rage - a desire.

A desire for revenge.

And so, having gone through self-pity and sorrow, anger and fury, you stood victorious, beautifully pained, artistically broken, so full of emotions yet strangely empty all at the same time.

And now you were here.

The place you had been searching for, the place that was going to answer all your inquiries-

"It's closed."

Way to ruin the dramatic internal monologue, Varian.

You stared at the sign of the library you had wanted to visit.

'Closed', it said.

'Moved to another place', it said.

'Restricted entry', it said.

You groaned.

"Oh come on! You can't tell me we went all this way for this stupid library to be closed!!!"

Drefan stared at the sign, squinting the way an old grandpa who has trouble seeing would.

"Huh. Seems like we're two days late."

You ran your hand through your hair in exasperation.

"TWO DAYS?? You can't be serious-"

Drefan blinked.

"Well, yeah, I can't be serious, I'm Drefan-"

Varian hit him over the head with a rolled up map.

"Anyway, (Y/N), does it say where they moved to? Because I'm pretty sure the book we're looking for only has one copy."

You turned to the alchemist, looking as if you just gave up on life.

"Only one copy?"

"Only one copy."

"In the entirety of the Seven Kingdoms?"

"Precisely."

"Welp, we're screwed then. They didn't write where they moved. Do they not want anyone to visit again?? Seems like a bad business strategy.", Drefan added cleverly, obnoxiously unable to read the room, oblivious as ever.

Varian scoffed.

"Not necessarily - perhaps they informed the regulars. Or the locals know. That, and it says 'restricted entry', so obviously they don't want just anyone waltzing in. So we don't only need to find the place, but we also need to get permission to enter."

Meanwhile you were debating your life choices.

Maybe you should've just stayed in jail.

It was cozy enough. With the moss, the water dripping from the ceiling, the rats.

You could get used to it. Anything to get away from the bickering of these two. Anything to just, give up and sink into the ground or to evaporate and be blown away in the wind-

"Yo-ho, earth to (Y/N)."

Drefan snapped his fingers in front of your face, snapping you out of your trance. He was promptly pulled away by an extremely annoyed Varian.

The boy with the turquoise hairstreak then proceeded to gently chuck Ruddiger at the green-haired, tree-hugging shapeshifter, who then let out a sound similar to "gah!-" when the raccoon proceeded to hold onto his hair so it wouldn't tumble down to the ground.

Ignoring the chaos he created, Varian turned to you.

"So. I propose we ask the locals for clues to find the library, then maybe we could-"

He paused, looking you up and down.

"...Well, maybe we should get you a change of clothes first. You're still wearing that gown. While we're at it, we should probably look for an Inn. I don't think Drefan has ever showered in his life."

If you listened closely, you could've heard an offended gasp in the background.

You looked down at your now less than unsightly gown. The fabric was torn in places, and it was partially covered in mud, partially covered in grass stains.

"Does it look bad?"

Varian's eyes considerably softened. He took your hands in his.

"You could never look bad. (Y/N), you're the most lovely person I know."

"No, I meant like, the dress-"

Drefan, who had finally managed to get Ruddiger out of his hair, shoved Varian to the side.

"Girl you look hot in anything- ow, ow, ow! Hey, stop that!"

Varian continued pulling on Drefan's ear, smiling smugly.

Looking back and forth between the two, you simply deadpanned, not caring enough to deal with the two of them.

Instead, you did what any self respecting girl would do, and dipped. With Ruddiger, of course.

You carried your furry friend away while your two companions continued to insult one another, completely unaware of their surroundings. So unaware, in fact, that they didn't notice you slipping away.

After walking for a few minutes or so, you arrived at the market. Your goal there? Find a change of clothing. Walking around in a ruined royal gown wasn't exactly... Subtle.

You looked around, examining the different types of fabrics and the carefully stitched garments the stands had, before finally picking out an outfit.

Leaving the stall owner a generous tip, you continued walking around for a bit before someone decided to snatch your coin purse.

Oh, you weren't going to let that slide.

Anger flared up in your eyes and you were quick to turn around.

Thus began an epic chase. You ran through the crowds, careful to dodge between the people, swiftly weaving your way through.

You were hot on the thieves tail, running faster than ever until-

You fell. Flat on your face.

Ouch.

Your face burned with embarrassment as you pushed yourself off the ground. You dusted off and looked ahead, but by then the thief was already gone.

Instead, there was a hand in your line of sight.

"Need some help?"