Loss of Ignorance (Yandere male x female reader)

Ch. Nine: Hope Closer than Believed

They all were still by the fire. Both (F/n) and May were on the chairs still while Keiran stood next to (F/n). His sword and holster with daggers were set aside along with both of their cloaks. May had prepared dinner for them: fish and pine nut stew. It was hearty, and the warmth from it felt nice. (F/n) still didn't sit too close to the flames. With time, she'd grow used to them again. At least, she hoped that she would.

Despite their conversation earlier, though, (F/n) had convinced May to call her by only her first name when it was just them. Once they gathered allies and were making public orders, she could use the title. Given that they were eating together and talking like she did with her parents, it felt odd being addressed as queen or highness. Not even her parents called her princess all of the time.

(F/n) now blew on a spoonful of stew before she took the bite from Keiran and warmed herself more from the food. "Hopefully, you don't get sick of the food here. It's limited, but it's filling," May mentioned before she took a spoonful of her own food.

"No, it's fine. Just having food is nice." She hadn't exactly been fed in prison. At one point, she had some bites of a loaf of stale bread. So, it was nice to have a full stomach.

"But, I don't think that we'll be here as long as you anticipate." (F/n) paused before her next bite, and Keiran froze as well.

Both of them in unison asked, "What do you mean?" They looked at each other. Keiran was amused, and (F/n) was happy that he was curious about the information as well. For a moment, there was a smile shared between them, and Keiran felt his heart melt. He loved her smile. It suited her so nicely. His thoughts began to wander, but he forced himself back to the present as he was genuinely interested in what May meant.

"As I was out gathering supplies, I heard rumors from travelers. There is a magic user on the run from the royal family."

"Yes, we met someone who was trying to bring him in." May assumed that Keiran had killed the man since they were with her. Not to mention that (F/n)'s life must've been in danger. She knew that he wouldn't let (F/n) get hurt. "He wouldn't offer any more information, though. Do you know who he is?"

"No, but I've heard rumors about some of their magic users. One has an ability associated with animals. Another, though, also wields metal magic."

Keiran furrowed his brows. "Why haven't you mentioned this before that you know their abilities?"

"Because it spread with the rumor of the escaped magic user. It's not every day one of our kind escapes them, so it has people on the hunt for him and has others talking." She rolled her eyes. "Keiran, I would've told you otherwise if I had heard sooner. I know that you're in protector mode right now but don't lose your faith in me."

At that, he didn't respond. When (F/n) glanced at him, she noticed that he looked embarrassed? It caused a small smile to touch her lips. "Protector mode?" she teased.

"It's nothing." He glared at May who simply took another bite of her stew, but she smiled as she did so. It was fun to push his buttons every now and then, especially now that the woman who had won his attention was present.

"Very well." Clearly, (F/n) wasn't convinced, and she chuckled a little.

"May, can you continue please?" Keiran asked, irritated.

"Yes, I can." Her caramel eyes still glimmered with amusement. "I've heard, though, that his ability differs from yours. Apparently, he can mold metal into whatever shape he wishes."

Both Keiran and (F/n) caught onto what she was saying quickly. He could take metal and shape it into arms and legs for her. May didn't say how long it'd take him to do so, but (F/n) hoped that it would be much less than almost a year. Her heartbeat quickened. And once her limbs were shaped, Keiran could use his metal magic on them. This could save them so much time potentially.