(Ford x Reader) Hickory Pines

CH. 4 Matrignomey pt.2

"Shmebulock... I—" I start, but he glances at his gnomes, adjusting himself nervously. "I said that right, didn't I?" The other gnomes nod and murmur amongst themselves. One even shrugs, only to be smacked by another for not holding me properly. "Good..." Shmebulock continues, his voice gaining confidence. "So, you're our new gnome queen!" He produces a ring from behind himself and leans over to slip it onto my finger. "You even found me while foraging for the stone," he hums, straining slightly as he struggles to get it over my hand. "Quite the coincidence."

This is insane! I can't be a gnome queen! Panic courses through me as I wrack my brain for a way out. But despite my efforts, I can't recall the journal page I read with Stanford.

"Where are we even going?" I spit out, hoping for information I can use. Shmebulock sits down, finally managing to get the ring in place. "Back to our village, of course. It's part of our tradition that every king has a queen. Since you were alone in the woods, in a secluded area, with seemingly no family members around, I assumed nobody would intervene in your capture and abrupt coronation."

"I do have a family!" I snap defensively. Shmebulock raises an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. "Where are they then?" His tone suggests he's more perceptive than I expected. I bite my lip, the nerves creeping in. After I chose to become an author, my parents cut me off completely. They had always wanted me to be a doctor or a lawyer, but that was never my dream. They claim it's all for my own good, but how could they not see that a life like that would be unbearable for me?

"Just accept it..." he sighs, patting my head condescendingly. "You're our new queen now. Or king. Or... whatever you are. I'm not picky."

The autumn wind whistles around us, nipping at my skin. I shiver slightly. The idea of being a queen sounds appealing, but I refuse to marry for power. I need a way out of this situation. I scan my surroundings, searching for an opportunity. If I could create a distraction, maybe I could throw them off balance—perhaps I could slam them against a rock or knock them away with a tree branch. Nothing stands out, until...

Shmebulock breaks the silence. "So, queen, what is your name? I shared mine, so it's only chivalrous that I get yours too," he says, batting his surprisingly nice eyelashes. I didn't know gnomes could have such pretty lashes. I glance towards the direction of my freedom before looking back at him. "Of course!" I reply, grinning as I play along. "My name is—" I pause, considering how close I am to escaping.

"Is?" Shmebulock urges, clearly impatient.

"Isssss..." I draw out the word, locking eyes with him. "FreiDam."

"Frei—" he stumbles over the name. "Wait, is your name Freedom?"

Before he can react further, I jerk myself to the side, and Shmebulock goes tumbling away from me. The other gnomes shriek as I begin rolling down a steep hill. "The queen!" they shout in unison, their voices echoing behind me. I feel my head spinning as I tumble faster and faster, unable to stop myself. The world blurs around me, and I continue to roll down, desperate for freedom.

All I can do now is pray and cross my fingers: please don't let me hit a spiked tree, a sharp rock, or meet some other unfortunate fate. Suddenly, I jerk to a halt as something strikes me, knocking the breath from my lungs. "What the hell!?" a man screams, his voice echoing through the crunching leaves. I fight the urge to vomit, wriggling my arms and legs as I struggle to break free from the ropes binding me.

"What are you doing out here? And why are you tied up!?" The man comes into view, and to my surprise, it's Stanford. He's holding his head, wincing in pain. I grumble at my own bruises as well. "No time to explain," I snap, continuing to struggle.