Sweet Dreams [Tom Hiddleston X Reader One Shot] #Wattys2015

Blood for Blood

Bliss and happiness. That is what you felt, a happiness you had longed for all your life, and now you were complete. Hal had confessed his love for you, and made you his queen. You were his, and he was yours. The moment you'd shared together had led you into this peaceful slumber, the memory of his lips still lingering against your skin, his voice still echoing in your ear. It had felt like you had only had your eyes closed for a moment, lying on the earth under the starry sky, waiting for Hal to come back and scoop you up into his arms to take you home.

Pulling the cloak tighter around you, your head began to come back to its senses after your sleep. Instead of hearing the noises of the night, you heard the crackling of a fire, and you began to feel the heat of it alongside you. Thinking Hal had perhaps lit a fire to keep you warm, you stretched out a little and opened your eyes, the memories brining a smile to your face. As you lay on on the grassy floor beside a log, a small fire crackled nearby, throwing off shadows into the dark night sky in the clearing of the forest. However, it was not Hal who was sat beside the fire watching you, but a stranger you had never seen before, twirling a bone of meat in his hand. His eyes looked darkly at yours, a smirk tugging at his bearded lips as he noticed you were awake. "Roman, are you not?", he asked you, his voice hoarse and thick, his eyes not shifting from yours.

"No", you answered him wearily, sitting up to look around you, trying to see Hal. You appeared to be sat in the middle of a camp, cloth tents dotted around, with men busying themselves, minding horses or sharpening their weapons. You gulped as you looked back at this man who was talking to you, a few of the soldiers around watching closely. His blue shirt he wore under his black armour made his muscles stand out, whereas the red neckerchief seemed to draw out the many scars across his body.

"Then, entertain me as such as how you came about to be here within our land?", he growled, tossing the bone into the fire, making it spit, casting a threatening glow across his face, making his eyes appear hollow. "I was here with Hal, please where is he? I want to go home", you asked nervously, pulling his cloak tighter around to try and get some comfort. Now the soldiers had begun one by one to encircle the both of you, and despite your closeness to the fire, you felt ice cold. "You are a traitor, a spy within our gates from Rome. Your colour betrays you. For that his head we sent packing back homeward, riderless and all". The man snarled with such venom as he lunged forward, ripping the red cloak from your grasp, hurtling it into the flames. You felt terrified and sick to the stomach, as your eyes caught glance of the bone he's tossed ... the human bone.

"Please, I-I don't know who you are, or what's going on ...", you whispered, trying to keep back your tears as you shook in fear. The man simply chuckled, the rest of the soldiers mirroring him with their laughter. "A woman of Roman blood perhaps but not of brains", he jested light-heartily towards his men who erupted into another roar of laughter. Taking a risk, you scrambled to your feet and turned, attempting to run. However, the soldiers behind you merely laughed again at you, some crossing their arms, a few pulling their swords out of their sheathe a little, so the glint caught your eyes. There was no where you could run, so unwillingly, you turned around to face the man.

"Quick eye yet foolish brain. You'll sooner be dead here by their hand than with your own looks", the man said plainly, gesturing to the men around to show you had no escape. "From Antium we've marched, and brought bloody war in our hands. To your Rome we bare it, upon Marcius' head be it". Now two of the men stepped forward from the group and seized you by your arms, preventing you from doing anything as the man leered closer, his eyes glistening in the firelight. "For a beauty as you, aye, he will come. Lest he fight for Rome with his pride, or with his heart. If not, for I Aufidius shall take thee gladly, and I'll not spare my men none of you", he chuckled darkly, his hand grasping your chin as he leant in closer, until you could see the whites of his eyes.