Half-Breed Queen (FantasyAU!Dabi x Reader)

5 ~ Scars

"Twenty coins and that's as low as I'm going." The innkeep bartered with the blonde man, neither of them wanting to back down at the cost of coins. Men were all the same and these two made it painfully obvious: Greedy, unbarring, brutish, Hawks shook his head and slammed another coin onto the counter between the two raising the total to thirteen. "If I'm harboring rebel members in my inn then I want compensation, or mayhaps I could call the town guards to force my money out of you."

The warning was not taken lightly, a small spark falling from Dabi's fingers as he prepared to light up the world just to escape an unpleasant situation. Hawks stepped closer to the man, his golden eyes sharp with an intent to slaughter any of those who stood in his way, a hand reached down to where his dagger had been earlier but it no longer had a place on his belt. Shaking my hand I pushed past the two men and to the counter where I quickly set my boots.

"What the hell do you think you're doing." Dabi growled in my ear, his hand wrapping around my arm as he tried to force me away from the prying eyes of the keep. Instantly the old man raised a hand in protest, his fingers brushing across the material of the boots before looking up at me.

"Who are you." Sensing the sudden change in the man's demeanor Dabi loosened his grip and allowed me to step back towards the counter. Shaking off his touch slid the boots further across the counter: Though having tr through miles of woods with them they looked pristine and shined with a gleam of freshly crafted leather. Offering my hand had earned me a special reward from the king: A pair of boots crafted of the finest hydra hide and lined with a golden bream. For a moment all was still before the boots were snatched off the counter and the man threw a key into my hands. "Second floor, third door to the left. The guards like to patrol this area every sunset so I'd be careful if I were you."

I smiled and bowed my head in respect, the old man shaking his head before going back to examining the boots I'd offered in trade for a week's rest in this shabby lodge. Though I knew that those boots were worth more than the twenty coins he'd requested, there was no point not to trade them. Wearing them would only cause trouble, people with a knack for trade would see them and begin to ask some unwanted questions. Better barter them away than have my head hanging from a rope.

"How did you know that would work." We stalked up the steps in a group, their feet slapping far louder than mine. I'd learned long ago the art of silence: Not only had I learned to keep my voice concealed to my throat but my movements were precise and soft enough to leave only the faintest of noises. Keeping my presence concealed from people was a dejected pride of mine, it was a skill of use but why I'd learned it made it difficult to appreciate it.

"Hydra hide is worth more than gold." My voice was shallow, words raspy as they made their way through my throat and into the air. I let out a little cough trying to adjust my vocal chords to the new found strain of conversation. I'd lived for twenty-six years and yet I'd only shared words of meaning with a woman who'd died many years ago; After her passing I only spoke for political affairs, but eventually even that right was taken away. "Those shoes are worth far more than just a week's stay, but they should keep his mouth shut for the time being."

"You're very discerning for someone who's been locked away her whole life." Dabi had meant it as a compliment but it only fueled the anxiety that gnawed at my mind and rotted any sense of peace I'd managed to hold onto. He was playing a game with me now, trying to dig deeper into the thoughts in which he couldn't read, but unlike most of the people he'd toyed with I wouldn't falter. We both knew the other had secrets in which they hadn't shared with anyone; A forgotten prince who now fought against his own kingdom and a pretty little princess who had been forced into silence by her very own father.

Two people with two entirely different stories, but yet we were similar in a single way that had brought us together: We wanted revenge. Dabi had asked me if that's what I desired and I remember that gleam in his eyes when he did. It was like I was looking in a mirror of who I desired to be most in this life.