Hopelessly Devoted ~ Garroth x F!Reader

Ch 34: Reunions

Garroth faced the group again, and you noted how dangerously close he was to the edge of the mountain. Like ten feet, but still. If he backed up about ten steps, he'd fall. You weren't overreacting at all.

"We'll need to go back down the mountain to get into Scaleswind," Garroth announced.

Katelyn grunted. "We walked all the way up here, just to walk back down again? Whose dim-witted plan was this? I bet it was Dante's. He thinks he's so cool, been getting a little too close to my Nicole . . . ," Katelyn ranted, shooting an I'm-watching-you look at Dante.

You froze at the mention of Nicole. You couldn't tell if she knew the girl was missing.

Garroth switched his gaze from you to Katelyn. "It wasn't anybody's dim-witted plan. That's just how mountains work. If you go up, you'll need to come down." Garroth pointed to the humongous village.

"Alright, smart ass. But Dante is still stupid and he deserves to be hit with something." Katelyn settled.

"What? What did I do?" Dante called, following up to the pathway to catch up.

"No abusing any of my knights. Not before we get inside Scaleswind, at least," Garroth lectured to Katelyn, motioning for everyone to follow him down the other side.

***

Scaleswind loomed even larger up close. The front gates towered over you, and inside, the largest gathering of people you'd ever seen bustled around.

Garroth nodded at the guard watching the gates. The guard nodded back and let everyone pass through without any complications. Entering the gates was a whole new world. Getting a taste of the big-city life was incredible. Vendors set up shop on the corner of every street; bakers handed out samples of their pastries—for free! You gawked at the surroundings, peering up at the sky above the towering buildings and walls. It felt like you were peering up from the bottom of a ludicrously proportioned cake box.

Garroth seemed to know his way around, so you walked beside him confidently, Aaron in tow, followed by Dante's group. A few yards away, a female guard faced the opposite direction; only giving you a view of the back of her head. She wore a head band around her blonde hair, the long back sections tucked underneath her chainmail.

Garroth approached, and you trusted his judgement. He tapped her armored shoulder. "Excuse me, I'm another guard, here on business. May I speak to—" Garroth cut himself off when the guard turned around to face him.Normally, Garroth would've continued talking. But this wasn't a normal situation. When this guard turned around, Garroth's face lit up in recognition.

"Garroth?" the guard asked with an opened-mouth smile.

"Azura? It really is you." Garroth scratched the back of his head. "Why aren't you in Bright Port?" he asked subtly, half in a state of disbelief.

"I'm actually here on business, too." She blushed, avoiding his gaze.

"That's convenient," he commented, letting out a dry chuckle. "Would you mind escorting my group to the lord?"

"Not at all. Right this way." She motioned for Garroth to follow. He turned around and okayed that you all could, too.

***

You stopped inside of a large foreign affairs room with a map wall and globe, leaning up against one of the bare walls with your arms crossed. Azura exited, and your eyes followed her until the door shut behind her.

"Dante, I'll let you negotiate this time. You're going to need some practice." Garroth ruffled Dante's hair, then winced and fixed it. "You'll do great." He gave him two thumbs up.

Dante swallowed his nerves as he approached the Lord's door and knocked.

Garroth cast one last glance at Dante, then made his way to your side. You tensed up, but then relaxed your muscles, figuring everything would be fine. Garroth shouldn't make you nervous. Or make you stumble on your sentences. The key word being 'shouldn't.'You didn't want to break the silence, but it was awkward. Then you found a good reason. There was something on your mind. "Who was that girl back there?" You blurted out, hoping the jealousy wasn't apparent.

"Who? Azura? She's just someone I met in guard training, why?"

"No reason, really. You just seemed happy to see her, that's all."

Garroth's jaw dropped open without warning, which made you even more self-conscious. What was wrong with your response?

Your worries subsided when you noticed he wasn't looking at you, but right over your shoulder. You turned your neck to see what the commotion was about.

A maroon-haired girl with pale grey eyes and a strand of bangs running down the middle of her forehead that brushed the top of her nose bridge stood in the open doorway to the Lord's office. She wore a content expression, like she belonged there.

Dante gaped at her, his jaw closer to the floor than Garroth's. "Nicole?" he asked in astonishment.