Holding On To You || Alfonse x Reader

.:✧Chapter Four✧:.

Alfonse

The memory of the night before is the first to greet me in the morning. I remembered wondering what I was doing. I told myself it was better not to get close, to keep Sharena informed to keep her distance, but despite my protests, even I couldn't resist.

The pain of losing Zacharias was still fresh in my mind. Such pain was something I never wanted to witness again or anyone else of that matter.

The Summoner—or Kiran as she goes by—was open and friendly to all of the Heroes. Sharena adored her and I couldn't help but give my sister looks of disappointment. All she did in response was roll her eyes and tell me not to be so stiff and shut-in, though she knew well why I preferred to be disconnected.

Though I willed myself not to give in, not to get closer to the other Heroes, I came to realize just how quiet things were for me inside the castle. The mystery behind Kiran had sparked my curiosity.

It wasn't until last night that I caught a glimpse of Kiran making her way to the balcony. I decided to follow her which eventually led to me talking with her and openly telling her about Zacharias—something I never planned on telling anyone. My burdens are for me to bear, not anyone else. That's what I'd like to believe.

But in the end, what I've overheard about her was true. She listened to me and offered me her opinion. She was warm and, well, she was comforting, to say the least. To think that I had been avoiding her the whole time she had been here. I had to realize that she didn't ask to be here and she was just trying to be helpful. The least I could do was offer her an acquaintanceship of some kind.

Did I know what I was getting myself into? Of course not.

These thoughts circled my mind as I made my way down one of the long hallways our castle contained. The bright golden sunlight peeked through the window greeting early risers. Only a few Heroes were up this early, mostly for early training or to have a peaceful breakfast before anyone else rose to start their day. I, however, had a tactical meeting with the rest of The Order of Heroes. Kiran and Anna had arranged to discuss our next plans for liberating other worlds from Veronica or Embla's next move in general.

I stopped in front of the tactical room and gently tapped the door with my knuckle. Though I was early for the meeting, I had my suspicions that Anna or Kiran would be even more so.

A gentle, "Come in," sounded from behind the door as I turned the knob. My suspicions had been correct.

I was greeted with the sight of Kiran drawing out formations on a map she had just laid out. Stray pieces of her (h/c) hair hung out of her hood and her eyes remained focused as she continued her task. She lifted her quill and stood back to admire her work. Though her eyes were covered by a casted shadow, I could see the focus on her features as she brought her finger to her lips in thought.

She lifted her head to see me, breaking her serious aura with a gentle smile, "Good morning, Prince Alfonse." With a hint of hesitation, she threw off her white hood. Her (e/c) eyes twinkled as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Good morning, Summoner", I nodded while shutting the door behind me, "I see you're working bright and early."

Kiran placed her quill into the ink well at the end of the meeting table, "Yes, I thought it would be best to prepare things early so we could get right to the point. We have a long day ahead of us, so I found it reasonable that we make sure we spend a reasonable amount of time on tasks for today."

A long day? There was nothing unordinary or grueling about today, at least what I knew of.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, circling the table.