❛ 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒆 ❜

3

y/n had no idea what she was going to do or where to go. a viable option is just walking back home and waiting for her mom and alex to return, but knowing her mother, she knew that she had a lecture in store for her. or she could do what she always did: postpone her arrival and go to the hatter's hat shop and see if sophie is in today. she doubted it, but there must be a chance of seeing her since the shop was open until the hour struck twelve.

cutting through an alleyway to use as a shortcut, the air thickened with an uncomfortable tension despite everyone in town still celebrating the holiday just a few feet away from her. as she walked deeper into the alleyway, the echo of heavy boots reached her ears and two soldiers can be seen not too far away, their brightly colored uniforms strangely out of place in comparison to the dark colors of the walls. y/n's instinct urged her to pass quickly, but the man with a mustache intercepted her, his gaze unsettling.

"where's the fire, sweetheart?" he sneered, a malicious grin stretching across his face. the other soldier, who happens to be much younger, leans against the wall, flicks his lighter, and lit a cigarette, his eyes fixated on y/n.

politely, she uttered, "excuse me, i'm just trying to get by." she didn't even bother to plaster a fake smile for either one of them for y/n knew that the military men here aren't known exactly for their charisma. just as she went to step around the man in front of her, the younger soldier chimed in.

"how about we buy you a drink, gorgeous?" he asked.

y/n, discomfort crawling in her stomach, declined gracefully, "i appreciate the offer, but i'm not interested." she stated the obvious.

the man in front of her groaned, blocking her path further. not only that but he took a step closer to her, trying to close the space between them—y/n, in turn, took a step back. "aw, come on, just tell us where you're headed in such a hurry." he raised a brow as he sneered down at the h/c-haired woman.

"the hatter's hat shop," she replied, hoping that would be the end of it.

"what a coincidence!" the man before her exclaimed, somewhat startling her in the process. "we were just headed there ourselves, isn't that right, llyod?" he looked expectantly at the younger man on the wall and since he was a bit too preoccupied puffing out a large cloud of smoke, the younger— llyod— simply nodded his head. "see?" the unnamed soldier rests his hands on his hips and then looked down at y/n in falsified victory. "why don't you let us do the courteous thing and walk a pretty girl like you there?"

"leave me alone." y/n glared.

just then, a weight draped around her shoulders, and something, a hand, squeezed her furthermost arm. it was neither of the guards touching her. scared out of her wits— not to mention intrigued— y/n looks up to look at the face of the person beside her, only to meet with a beautiful-looking man with bright blue eyes and blond hair that reaches below his chin. "there you are, sweetheart, sorry i'm late." he smiled.

"...huh?" she gasped.

at the sight of the strange man intruding, llyod flicked his cigarette onto the ground and stomped on it. he's peeved but it didn't phase the stranger one bit. with an air of confidence, he straightened his posture as addressed the soldiers, "gentlemen, the lady is clearly not interested. let her pass."

the soldier with the mustache, undeterred by the appearance of the mysterious man, took a step forward and grumbled, "we're busy, mate. why don't you mind your own business?"

the blond, unfazed, raised an eyebrow and retorted, "really? it looked to me like the two of you were just leaving." with a swift and elegant motion, he extended his hand, fingers gracefully moving through the air. in an instant, an unseen force compelled the soldiers together, and they stumbled away, forced to march in unison, their protests drowned out by an invisible power. y/n's eyes widened in awe as she witnessed the mystical display.