Tamed || Wriothesley x Reader

Chapter 52

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It had been a long week for you. Ever since you received the letters he had sent you long ago, you've been on guard, your body unwavering with coiled energy. The only time you had ever experienced an adrenaline rush as this was back when your mother was still alive.

And that's what scares you.

The fact that Wriothesley brings that out in you... it makes you want to forget him all the more.

You'd been trying your hardest to move on from him. When you left Fontaine, despite being locked away underneath some very cold metallic walls, you realized how distracted you were. You had gone to that nation for one singular purpose, and you never failed to uphold your duties.

But when he got into your head, everything turned into a mess.

You never wanted to return to Fontaine. Because in your mind, going back would cause you to believe that you failed your mother--failed to uphold her final wish.

Denial is a river in Sumeru, they say.

Denial about yourself, denial about your failure, and denial about him.

So you tried to pretend you never went. You never got arrested, you never spent three months without the sun, and you never met him.

But as you held the last letter Wriothesley had sent you in your trembling hand, that wall of denial and self-depredation flew out the window.

"Y/N."

Your head perked up at the sound of a voice behind you. You were resting on your knees at the oasis you treasured, the sunlight casting a warm glow over your skin as it continued its decent over the sandy horizon. Time had no meaning here for you--you'd been here since dawn, your movements as still as they could be.

"About time you headed back, don't you say?" Your father said.

You let out a deep sigh, carefully folding the letter back into a your pocket. "I'll be back at the base soon."

"I meant over there." He said, taking a seat beside you. His large figure shielded the sun, causing a shiver to go down your spine as you realized how cold it was getting. "Past the dunes, past the hills, and deep down our land. Where your mother was born."

"..."

"Have I ever told you the truth about how your mother and I met?"

"Truth?" You questioned, your eyes glancing over at him. He had told you the story of how they met countless times--so many times in fact that you've memorized the scenery he described.

"We didn't meet here." He said, shifting his position over the oasis. "I used to tell you that I found her dancing in the middle of it, a smile on her face as she moved. But she's never danced in this oasis. Our true first meeting was when I went to Fontaine. I was there trying to find my boss at the time who had scammed me out of my money. I gave him a real good beating, and naturally got arrested. Went to prison for assault... and that's where I met your mother."

"...What?" You had fully turned your head towards his, your eyes widened in disbelief.

"She was an assistant nurse back then." He continued, "And naturally treated me to the wounds I received from fighting against the guards. When I had first laid eyes on her, I felt something I couldn't explain at the time. And I was sure she had felt it too. We grew to get to know each other, but she was too busy all the time, and I was a prisoner, so we could hardly spend time together. I used to get myself hurt on purpose as an excuse to see her. And then came the day of my release. We finally got to go out above land, spend time together, and so forth. She made time for me and even let me stay at her home to recover from a beating I received back in that fighting ring. However, I had duties to attend to back here, so I had to leave. It hurt us both, but I had promised to try and visit her on occasion, and she understood."

"But you said she came to live over here." You stated, your muscles tensing once more.

"No. She left the fortress to start her own business, which you know as a florist. Since she was experienced in medicine, she sold a range of mists, herbals, and even refreshment adders. She had more free time than before though, so we would write to each other about our days and when we should meet. In one of our letters, she suggested that she should visit, since she had already shown me around the land and I could do the same for her. So I agreed."

Your head was starting to spin at the revelations your father was admitting to. The story you had pictured in your head for years had crumbled, replaced by the truth of your parents meeting.

"She spent a while here, and after her return, we'd continue to send letters. Some time later, she visited once more, but this time, she was different. She was carrying you. I was... enthralled. I couldn't wrap my head around being a father, let alone a good one. But the look in her eyes had told me all I needed to know."

"So she gave birth to me back home, that I know." You said, "But if she's never visited this oasis, then that means it's not special."

"Oh, it is." He replied, a smile etching on his lips. "She's only visited this place once. It's special because you were born right here."

That was the biggest revelation you had heard in quite some time. It left you shocked, your heart sputtering in your chest.

"When you were born, the both of us felt complete. You were such a tiny thing, with her written all over you. I could feel so much love and admiration for you both, that I had swore I'd put my life on the line to care and protect you both. But when she went back to Fontaine for one last time to stay here so we could raise you, something happened."

"Her boutique burned down, with her inside." You said coldly.

"No." Your father spoke, "She was sick."

...

"It's the reason why she never stayed here, or was going to stay here in the first place. She didn't want to burden me with her death. Her illness was something she had been trying to cure all her life. That's why she was a nurse, and why she started selling flowers and medicinal herbs. Not only was she trying to heal herself, but she had a big heart and wanted to heal others. She always used to put people before herself. But her works did a great benefit for others, and it naturally caught the attention of horrible people. So, on the day of her death, when she knew she was at her lowest, she burned it all down. I never could tell you she was sick, because you were so young at the time and couldn't understand... so I told you a different story to keep that smile on your face."

...

"Listen, Y/N. Her proudest moment in life was giving birth to you. Because even though she wasn't able to save her own, she created her own. She had wrote to me that no matter what happens in your life, no matter who you turn out to be or where you are, she will always love and cherish you."

...

"Her true final wish... was for you to find your own love."

You hadn't even realized how your father was holding you gently, tears streaming down your cheeks as you balled your heart out. All of that tension, all of that fear, all of that denial... it came crashing down, and you could finally, finally accept it.

Wriothesley's words echoed in your mind, the letter still tucked neatly in your pocket as it served as a reminder for you--a reminder that you had done the same thing your mother did.

Protected the one you love from the truth.

I love you.

See you soon.

- Wriothesley