My Medieval Hero Academia (AU)

His Dragoon

  "Oh, Lord Todoroki! Good morning!"

The sun had yet to peek over the horizon, but at that time, I had need for fresh air. I rubbed the nightmared sleep from my eyes as I opened the door. I saw a sparingly armored girl with a large ponytail, lance, and cloak skirt trembling in front of a dimly lit door down the hall. I hid myself from the scene. I wasn't one to do such, but moving elsewhere would have only disrupted the peace on both ends...

Todoroki was standing in the door with a surprised expression before chuckling in a quiet tone. "Momo, how many times do I have to tell you it's okay to address me as Shōto?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, my lo—uh, Shōto...force of habit." She said, flustered. "Sorry, I didn't wake you when I arrived last night. It didn't seem fair if I broke your slumber only to announce my presence."

Todoroki reached out and pulled the girl into a hug, stroking her hair. "No. Believe me, I did wait for you as long as I could. It was probably just bad timing. But I'm glad you're here now. It's good to see you again, Momo..."

The girl, Momo, slowly and hesitantly raised her arms and returned the prince's hug with a smile, nodding. "Y-yes. It's...good to see you too, Sh-Shōto."

As they held this posture for an extended moment, I couldn't help but feel a tickled sense of happiness. For one, Uraraka and I called it, and might I say she was gorgeous. But on the other hand it made me sad, knowing what Todoroki said of his destined marriage to another in three moons. I couldn't help but wonder if I was doing okay in that department. Would I be able to get as far as a hug one day? Was I honestly worthy of one? Would I feel my very spirit float the way she used her magic? The thought of it all made me blush.

"So...Shōto. I hear you're considering going on an adventure with some strangers you took in down the hall..? Is this true?" Momo pulled away, looking at the prince with sincerity. That's right! He mentioned she was his bodyguard, after all. Something like that would cause worry for his each and every interaction.

Todoroki lowered his eyes. "If I said yes to all of these absurdities that may or may not be true, how would you react?"

Momo's brows arched as she pffted in disbelief. "For one, I would say 'it's very unlike you to take a liking to strangers.' or 'you're being far too naive, they'll take advantage of you.' But your sister said they were nice enough. One fought tooth and nail for your safety. And the fact you were approached by the Fire Dragon clan and you insisted on treating their wounds in the shelter of your home... Considering it took you years to warm up to even the likes of me, they must've done something right."

Todoroki shut his door quietly behind him, wrapping his arm around Momo's waist as the two began to walk toward the living room in the house. It was close to where I was, but I was still safely posted in the lowlight of the archways of the hall.

Todoroki sighed. "There's a mage, a knight and a farmer. All of them have different objectives, but the same drive to succeed. The mage, Uraraka, might be capable of more than the elements which intrigues me. The knight, Iida, is annoyingly punctual, but his brother did risk his life to get me to a royal meeting. So, I respect his devotion to follow in his footsteps."

Todoroki was escorted by Iida's older brother??

"And then there's the leader of their group, Midoriya." I leaned out a little further. "He's...something else. He has hair like a stock of broccoli, but is quite a lively one. He is no fighter. His rashness and lack of experience when fending off that Fire Clan errand boy showed as much...but he was probably one of the few people I've met who didn't looked at me for their own gain or as a superior. And despite my slip up in the wake of the enemy, he looked at me with the eyes of an equal. Like a...friend."